Those dedicated souls of the concourse, the ones who bother us in the early morning light or the late afternoon heat, always cheerful and content to be completely ignored, these people are the beating heart of the student campus scene.
They remind us who to vote for, they hand out yearbooks for free and sometimes these sweet angels of guerrilla marketing even hand out one-day-old Krispy Kreme Donuts —and only for the cost of acknowledging their existence and the existence of their cause.
So often ignored, these campus crusaders have developed their own strategy for success, and it seems more than anything, that it’s a numbers game.
A gaggle of chipper Wellness Hut Workers, that mysterious center of concourse activity and the number-one producer of novelty button puns on campus, offer up their own advice.
“Be assertive,” they all said at once.
“Be assertive and friendly,” another one added. “It’s about striking a balance.”
“Get in people’s way,” said another student worker, who wished to remain anonymous. “Stand out in the concourse and make people look at you.”
“Don’t even give them the option to turn away,” she said.
Another strategy offered by these dedicated servants targets bicycle riders. Essentially, these workers stand almost on a collision course with on coming bicyclists who will have no choice but to accept the flier or button.”
Rejection, it seems, comes with the territory.
“Just wish them a really nice day,” the Wellness Hut leader suggested for when one student, fully equipped with a thousand yard stare, passes you by.
This must be standard advice because as I rejected a student offering free yearbooks, she told me, without any sarcasm or passive aggressive tone, to have a great day three times in a row.
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