They say that if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it is a duck. Identifying chuggers isn't quite that easy. There are people of similar appearance and tactics on our High Streets who have nothing to do with a charity - they are purely commercial. Here's a guy (blue top) I spotted touting handbag catalogues. Notice the casual dress, a fair amount of hand movement but also a couple of punters actually seem interested in his brochure!
Next, one of his colleagues, complete with hand gestures who was offering the same brochure.
So how do you tell the difference between a chugger and an ordinary tout?
- A real chugger might not have a drinks bottle although their rule book only bans drinking alcohol "in branded clothing"
- Real chuggers must display branding - unlike these guys
What is less obvious is the response of the public. These guys succeeded in getting the interest of around 1 in 4 people they approached. Now compare this with chugging - according to an article in Third Sector chuggers approach around 180 people per sign-up. Of course, these figures are not directly comparable - and my "1 in 4" was a just a quick observation.
However, it suggests to me that public are quite good at spotting chuggers - and they don't like them.
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