Dogged tactics land saleswoman in doghouse - The Detroit News
Ludington — Some residents hid in their homes. “This has gone really crazy around here,” said resident Vanessa VerStrat. Claire Whitcomb, aka Claire the Book Girl, is a recent college grad who went door to door this summer selling study guides in this western Michigan town. Many residents liked the outgoing, clean-cut Whitcomb, whose Facebook page has dozens of selfies with smiling customers and their families. They didn’t like that she kept returning to their homes until they answered the door, visited as early as 8 a. m. and as late as 9 p. m. , and continued to press for a sale after they said no. “I was incredibly offended,” Kandi Nichols said when... After receiving several complaints, the city of Ludington yanked Whitcomb’s vendor permit last month. She ended up going to Grand Rapids, where she finished the last two weeks of her efforts earlier this month. Whitcomb can’t understand how the summer job went so wrong. “They were saying I’m a terrible person,” she said, nearly shouting. The Azle, Texas, native, who graduated in May from Baylor University with a entrepreneurship degree, has worked for Southwestern Advantage for three summers. The Nashville company recruits college students to sell its reference and children’s books, and subscriptions to its educational website. Source: www.detroitnews.com
