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Suspicious door-to-door book salesman featured on Q13

What do you think? (7 Comments) July 19, 2011 at 11:37AM

Last night (Monday, July 18, 2011), Q13 FOX aired a story about Jeff Hsieh, a door-to-door book salesman that has been making the rounds in north Seattle.

The aggressive sales tactics used by Hsieh and his partner recently spooked several Green Lake residents.

In June, when Hsieh was going door to door in Green Lake, we contacted his employer. The statement we received from Southwestern publishing company is available here.

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What do you think? (7 Comments)
  • Michael W. Perry

    I feel for that guy, who seems quite likable and trustworthy. I suspect those who are creating the fuss, well-meaning moms and the typically ill-informed school district bureaucrats, are making something out of nothing.

    In the mid-70s, when I was in school, I knew someone who sold door to door for Southwestern Books. In fact, he was their top national salesman the previous summer. He told me that his success was due to taking careful note of the houses where no one was home. Those were typically two-income households and, if he came back in the evening, he had found that added income made them more likely to buy. 

    I imagine this young man has learned something similar to my friend. Faced with competition from Amazon, the Internet and ebooks, selling books door to door is getting much harder at the same time the price of college is skyrocketing. His questions about kids are perfectly legitimate. Selling books the the parents of small kids is probably one of the few areas where he still has a chance to make the money he needs for the fall tuition. Keep in mind that door-to-door salesmen don’t want to bother people. If most of their sales are to parents with small kids, they don’t want to ring bells unnecessarily. Your wasted time is also their wasted time. 

    Rather than get upset, some of these moms might want to open up their homes to him. Then invite friends with children to come and hear his presentation. That’d be a win-win situation for everyone and a lot more neighborly.

    • Cynic

      Municipal code in Seattle is that it is unlawful to solicit at homes that post a “No Soliciting” sign. It is also unlawful to refuse to leave when asked to do so. Jeff (and other Southwestern vendors) ignore the laws and then expect sympathy. There is a reason for those laws. People don’t want to be bothered and have a right not to be bothered in their own homes, especially when they are caring for small children there. It’s not “neighborly” to ignore the laws in place. It is not my “neighborly” obligation to allow a man I do not know into my home just because he’s trying to make tuition. He’s not my neighbor. Once he has my money, I’ll never see him again. He has a right to be a vendor. He doesn’t have a right to ignore laws or intimidate people. This show was really lame in not mentioning local home vendor codes and in not interviewing more than one person.

      • Informed Customer

        Did you experience Jeff breaking any laws?  If so did you ensure that this was Jeff?  There are many Southwestern representatives that are asian.  This could be a mix up as to who was actually being pushy or breaking your cities codes.  Frankly I don’t think I would want to be your neighbor.  Southwestern is very reputable and is only trying to build the confidence and better prepare younger adults for the world ahead of them.  Unfortunately people like you are part of the real world so maybe they can all learn something from this.  My advice would be to appreciate the fact that college students give up their entire summer to sell books door to door to pay their way for a better education, and after having to deal with people like you they walk away from it with a smile and gain a greater grasp on life and the processes necessary to be successful.  Southwestern has made a greater impact on the world than you know, many congress men and women, senators, fortune 500 employees, motivational speakers, ect… got their start at one of the toughest jobs and built their character through Southwestern.

        • DCarp

          Informed Customer=Southwestern employee.

        • Anonymous

          First, 8:15 in the morning is too early to be knocking on someone’s door. Second, when the person is holding a screaming infant and tells you this isn’t a good time the correct response is “Sorry to disturb you, I’ll try again later” not to continue with your pitch. Unfortunately, Jeff kept driving with his pitch even though I was holding a screaming infant and told him now wasn’t a good time. It’s the first time I’ve ever had to shut the door on a door-to-door salesman. 

  • Ivhose

    Does anyone wonder if he had been a white blond young man – would this have been an issue?

    • Karma98126

      What a ridiculous comment. Door to door sales is a thing of the past. It isn’t safe for anyone. Just don’t answer the door but let whomever is there know it.