Another chugging on Lordship Lane

[Chief]

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aLc8uh7EgJc/maxresdefault.jpg

[Loz]

Penguin68 Wrote:

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> it was a neologism based on the older form of 'sugging' (selling under the guise of research)

Etymologists disagree. They say it is a portmanteau of charity and mugger that first appeared in the Metro newspaper in June 2002.

http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/chugger

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/uptodate/2010/10/101005_kyeutd_chugger_page.shtml

https://www.wordnik.com/words/chugger

[ianr]

"Sugging" is nevertheless findable from the mid-80s, mostly in Market Research literature, and also "frugging" (fund raising under the guise of ...) from the mid-90s. The earliest OED citation, and presumably the source of its ascribed etymology, is from the Guardian 29/6/2002: "On the way I counted all the people who accosted me..no fewer than three ?chuggers? which, I gather, is the term for charity muggers, those people with clipboards who want you to sign a standing order for their good cause." So I'm keeping an open mind. I suspect the form of the previous MR jargon words could have been at least a factor in the word-creation, with the "mugger" hint obviously capturing the street assailment bit. But until any earlier evidence turns up... OED online, btw, currently has neither "sugging" nor "frugging".

[Penguin68]

My memory (and I was in the MR business at the relevant time) was that it was MR people who moved from the clear concept of sugging to describe similar charitable based activity as chugging (I don't recall the 'frugging' usage myself)- I suspect that relating the 'ugging' element to mugging - and extending it to all activities to raise money from charities was a back-derivation by the media who did not relate it to the earlier 'under the guise of research' formation - very much an MR issue - but chose the homophonous 'mugging' link. As they didn't recognise the 'research' element they could extend it then to all aspects of raising money for charity. But that's the way language develops I suppose.

[titch juicy]

My favourite of all types of chuggers are the Christians. They just stand meekly out of the way resolutely failing to get their message across.

[tommybs]

What nasty people some of you are. Chuggers themselves are usually kids with not very much money trying to earn a little bit of extra, if anything. The charities for which they chug are likely to be doing a hell of a lot more good in the world than most of us are (unless they're collecting for Eton or something, and not withstanding a few hefty directors' salaries, which they all have to declare and probably can't avoid). And we are all free to ignore them or even smile and say "no thanks I'm in a rush, have a nice day" and get on with our Lordship Lane shopping. I've encountered these folks as many times as anyone else, and never found them to be any more of an inconvenience than that. I've also encountered many people who are so emotionally underdeveloped that they find being looked in the eye and asked nicely to do something they don't want to do almost as distressing as being waterboarded, and are only capable of dealing with the trauma by recourse to anonymous message boards. And others whose strictly private guilt when gently obliged to consider the amount they earn and the amount they give away to those in need is similar distressing, and similarly dealt with. No doubt these people find chuggers more disturbing than the rest of us. If you ask me, making a few small-minded ED residents feel a bit awkward is hopefully way down the list of "cons" when those evil charities consider the case for chugging to raise money for war refugees, drought victims and cancer sufferers.

[Sue]

They aren't collecting one-off donations though, they are asking people to sign up to make regular donations by direct debit.

And unless you have a great deal of spare money, it is just not possible to donate to every one of these undoubtedly worthy causes.

I don't consider myself emotionally underdeveloped (though some of course may disagree :)) ) but nevertheless I don't like being approached in the street, and still less in my own home, by people asking me to make regular payments to "their" charities.

Yes we are free to smile and say "no thank you" or whatever, but the fact is, I (and I expect many people) do donate to charity, but that is to charities of my own choosing, and because I don't like chuggers does not make me a nasty person, I think.

[Loz]

tommybs Wrote:

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> If you ask me...

I'm not sure anyone did. Didn't stop you going off on a wild, rather self-indulgent rant, though.

[JohnL]

Sue Wrote:

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> They aren't collecting one-off donations though,

> they are asking people to sign up to make regular

> donations by direct debit.

>

> And unless you have a great deal of spare money,

> it is just not possible to donate to every one of

> these undoubtedly worthy causes.

>

> I don't consider myself emotionally underdeveloped

> (though some of course may disagree :)) ) but

> nevertheless I don't like being approached in the

> street, and still less in my own home, by people

> asking me to make regular payments to "their"

> charities.

>

> Yes we are free to smile and say "no thank you" or

> whatever, but the fact is, I (and I expect many

> people) do donate to charity, but that is to

> charities of my own choosing, and because I don't

> like chuggers does not make me a nasty person, I

> think.

I still see it as a right to walk down the street without

being pestered by chuggers and beggars - that recently have

started following me into shops too.

Problem for me is if they catch me on a bad day I will be

nasty to them - and that upsets me then too. It happened

recently after my car wouldn't start. Can't they just

leave us alone.

[binkylilyput]

Chuggers- people trying to earn a few quid while also collecting for charity

Beggers- otherwise known as homeless people....i.e no roof over their head and certainly no car that won't start

Interactions take up approximately 5 secs maximum of your time- they ask a question, you reply "no thank-you"

We are responsible for our own behaviour, bad day or not

Get over yourselves

[Sue]

binkylilyput Wrote:

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> Chuggers- people trying to earn a few quid while

> also collecting for charity

> Beggers- otherwise known as homeless people....i.e

> no roof over their head and certainly no car that

> won't start

>

> Interactions take up approximately 5 secs maximum

> of your time- they ask a question, you reply "no

> thank-you"

>

> We are responsible for our own behaviour, bad day

> or not

>

> Get over yourselves

There is a difference between somebody asking you politely and pestering you by following you into a shop.

There is a difference between the occasional interaction and it happening frequently, including on your own doorstep and sometimes after dark.

There is a difference between a genuine homeless beggar asking for money for food and a paid chugger asking you to sign up for a direct debit.

[Jeremy]

Following you into shops... does this really happen?? If so, you should probably contact the charity to complain.

[????]

I don't think people really get how charities operate anymore - they give the license to collect to private companies who either have a % cut or a minimum target (which they pay for the licence) after which they get to keep the rest. No more little old ladies collecting on a Saturday morning outside; instead chuggers or ladies in bunny suits coming round pubs on a Saturday before football all on a cut and all incentivised. Hardly any charity directly collects 'on the streets' nowadays - with some exceptions. Short term they have to do this or they lose out but a race to the bottom in terms of goodwill. People seem to think it's still the little old lady model though......

[titch juicy]

binkylilyput Wrote:

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> Chuggers- people trying to earn a few quid while

> also collecting for charity

> Beggers- otherwise known as homeless people....i.e

> no roof over their head and certainly no car that

> won't start

>

> Interactions take up approximately 5 secs maximum

> of your time- they ask a question, you reply "no

> thank-you"

>

> We are responsible for our own behaviour, bad day

> or not

>

> Get over yourselves

But, on a walk from London Bridge Station to Liverpool Street station in the morning, you might have to politely say no to 6 or 7 (sometimes more) different people trying to shove something in your hand, get you to donate or sell you something.

Yes, in the greater scheme of things it's just an inconvenience, but it's becoming too much.

Except for the Christians. Who don't seem to care either way and just stay out of your way.

[Northeastview]

???? Wrote:

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> I don't think people really get how charities

> operate anymore - they give the license to collect

> to private companies who either have a % cut or a

> minimum target (which they pay for the licence)

> after which they get to keep the rest. No more

> little old ladies collecting on a Saturday morning

> outside; instead chuggers or ladies in bunny suits

> coming round pubs on a Saturday before football

> all on a cut and all incentivised. Hardly any

> charity directly collects 'on the streets'

> nowadays - with some exceptions. Short term they

> have to do this or they lose out but a race to the

> bottom in terms of goodwill. People seem to think

> it's still the little old lady model though......

I was once a 'chugger' for one of the larger companies. It wasn't like this at all. We had hours of training about the charities we would collect for, and were specifically to try to ensure anyone we spoke to left us feeling good about the work being done, weather they chose to give or not. We were an opportunity for people to commit to a charity, but loved to find out about the other causes people supported.

Re payment: the company were paid a fixed sum by the charity in exchange for a certain number of new supporters, no matter how quick or long it took us. If the supporter pledged less than ?3 a month, we didn't count them in our total (so a 'freebee' for the charity). Most supporters carried on supporting for around 9 years. As a worker 'on the ground' I was paid a good hourly rate, but no commission or anything like that.

Charities need to budget and plan, and pledging a monthly donation allows them to do that.

[bzgeo]

Just download real life adblocker mate. Works everytime. And if there is not enough space on your machine download more ram.

[TheArtfulDogger]

Sigh

Years ago I went to kings cross and repeatedly got approached by ladies trying to sell me something... None of them had clipboards or wanted my details and I am sure that the money they were collecting didn't really go to support old pussys in battersea...

To this day I still haven't worked out what they meant by "do you want any business love"

[DulwichFox]

TheArtfulDogger Wrote:

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> Sigh

>

> Years ago I went to kings cross and repeatedly got

> approached by ladies trying to sell me

> something... None of them had clipboards or wanted

> my details and I am sure that the money they were

> collecting didn't really go to support old pussys

> in battersea...

>

> To this day I still haven't worked out what they

> meant by "do you want any business love"

Same thing in Spanish Resorts...

It's frigging Time Share...

Leave well alone..

Foxy.