Be wary of those who would beat a path to your door

Kirsty Mcluckie is not so hot about cold callers to her address

Autumn and winter can be a tricky time for those who don’t like to answer their door to strangers.

Just as the threat of children intent of tricking or treating on Halloween – or guising as we call it in Scotland – has passed, people living in the more traditional areas of the country could be targeted by gangs of carol singers coming round to regale us with their close-harmony renditions of festive classics.

But it seems that a large proportion of us are wise to them, and simply ignore a knock on the door.

Half of UK residents won’t answer the door to visitors they either don’t want to see or aren’t expecting, according to a survey published this week, carried out by home interior specialists Hillarys as part of research into Britons’ habits in the home.

Respondents were asked: “How often do you answer the door to unexpected guests?” And almost half stated that they would only answer if it’s someone they want to see, while one-in-five never answer the door to anyone not expected.

Mostly, it would seem, we don’t answer the door to cold callers or neighbours, while a surprising number – 16 per cent – stated that they wouldn’t open the door to their partner, if they weren’t expecting them.

While I have every sympathy with those trying to avoid cold callers and have been known to lie on the floor in previous places I’ve lived in order to pretend that I’m not in, living rurally does not afford that option.

People in my village don’t knock and wait, they knock and come in, so hiding can be embarrassing as there is a good chance you’ll be spotted crouching behind the kitchen units.

Just the other day I had to hurriedly don a dressing gown and emerge from the bathroom as an insistent delivery man in need of signature was in the hall shouting my name up the stairs.

I forgave him, as he had brought our monthly wine order, but had I wandered downstairs in a state of undress I might not have been so understanding.

Respondents in Hillarys’ survey were asked why they don’t answer the door. Top reasons cited were that they didn’t want to deal with people trying to sell or sign them up to something, or they didn’t want people lingering and overstaying their welcome.

Tara Hall of Hillarys said: “It’s understandable that most people don’t really want to deal with sales reps at their doorstep, but some of these figures are far more shocking, particularly turning down friends and family.”

Nevertheless, I think I understand.

Respondents in the survey did not suggest what must be the main reason to ignore a knock at the door – if your household management is as poor as mine.

There are only certain times of the week when my home is tidy enough to receive unexpected guests and I will do anything

I can to deter people dropping in outside these short windows.

But here the season has its advantages.

The bulb in the outside light at the front of our house has blown and, with darkness setting in at 5pm, if we don’t replace it, no-one without a torch will be able to find the door for a good few hours each day.

Hopefully that will give us peace from carol singers, charity collectors and possibly family and friends for months – at least in the evenings.