I'm Not Selling Anything

One of the funny parts of my day, (as a reporter) is when people assume that I am trying to sell them something.
For many of our story assignments, we seek your opinions...which means going out and finding you. Sometimes that can be in grocery store parking lots, in neighborhoods, at the park, etc. Despite the memo "Not to talk to strangers," my job requires talking to strangers. While comedic, it is also one of the best parts of the job because I get to meet knew people every day.
However, almost every day when I approach someone, by introducing myself, they start to back away or turn their heads. If they know, I work for KRBC, they could be equally fearful of being on television.
For the most part, I know that my potential interview subjects are just not in the mood for a sales pitch. We usually laugh together about it, after they find out I just wanted to talk to them.
Most times, they agree to do an interview and sometimes I can't help but to assume that they do it because they feel bad about initially giving me the cold shoulder. Either way, I am not out to bother people in the community (certainly not selling anything), merely just wanting to listen to the likes, gripes, and concerns of residents within the community.
When this happens, I can't help but to feel bad for the "real"salespeople that get shut down, when they are just trying to make a living.