Q: Every one of my coworkers has a kid who’s selling something. I’ll go broke at this rate. Any advice?
A: Decide on a budget and make a commitment to yourself; “These are the requests I’m willing to give in to.” So when Trina asks about the wrapping paper her son is selling and that you don’t need, a simple “No, thanks” will do. If they turn aggressive on you, go ahead and cite the company policy against solicitations on the job.
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I like the way most of my co-workers handle this situation. We have an internal firm “bulletin board” on our intranet. People who have something to sell (for example, cookies or wrapping paper) will post a notice on the board. Those who want to buy contact them and those who don’t aren’t put on the spot.
My personal rule-of-thumb in this situation is to only buy things I would have bought anyway at a store, like cookies or wrapping paper, and then I only buy from the first one who asks. After that, I reply, “I’m sorry, but Bob got to me first. Maybe next time.” or “Thank-you, but I have enough wrapping paper for this Christmas.” There is certainly no requirement that you buy anything. If you do not want the items offered, then do not buy them.