My son is dying, can I have free food?

[Hon'ya-chan]

^
On another note, I once had a panhandler yell at me because I was going to give her change. I had $2 in quarters I was going to hand over and no cash, and she had the audacity to whine about it. I'm sure it's annoying to carry around change, but if that's your only option what else are you supposed to do?

I like doing that for the panhandlers. Load them with a few Sackies or Prez Dollar Coins. Drives them nuts.

One of my co-workers got yelled at one time when some homeless guy asked for a few bucks, and he put 3 Susan B Anthony Dollar coins in his hand. He yelled at why he was getting 75 cents. So my Co-Worker took the coins back and told him to scram because he's not worth the additional $2.25 harassment.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

^
Do people even pay attention to the people they're scamming anymore? Could someone seriously be *that* lazy??

Actually, a lot of scammers do that on ebay. They send those e-mails out in bulk and it's easier to do that if they don't waste time to find out what you are selling.

Therefore I tend to disregard e-mails I get that refer to "my item" without actually saying what it is.

[Saydrah]

I'm a really gullible person sometimes, though I've gotten better lately- there was a time when a really good sob story would get me every time. But only a REALLY good one. However, I do always give any spare change I've got on me to homeless people- if only because my dad was once homeless and now makes a six figure salary as a web developer, and much though he and I don't get along, that's one habit of his that was instilled in me from birth. If you give your pocket change to ten people in a month and only one is actually hungry and goes and buys a burger with it, you still fed a hungry person in need that month- good karma.

Anyway, this thread reminded me of a good story, so I'm gonna go make a thread for it instead of hijacking this one.

[Jester]

I don't even listen to sob stories anymore. My eyes tend to glaze over and my mind starts humming this weird tune.

The old bums are one thing. I can deal with them, and most of them are polite.

But the young scammers are starting to irritate me.

Short Stuff and I got all dressed up Monday night and went out. We were looking, as The Lord later put it, "rather dapper." As we were walking from my truck to our destination, a young fellow (mid-twenties?) saw us as we were about to walk by him.

YOUNG FELLOW: "Hi. How are you guys doing?"
JESTER: (not breaking stride) "Fantastic!"
YOUNG FELLOW: "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"
JESTER: (still not breaking stride) "NO!"

Because I knew what was coming. Story story story, blah blah blah, give me some money. Fuck that. I sometimes have entertained myself by stopping and listening to these nitwits, but that night, I was out to have fun with my friend, and this guy? Wasn't part of the night's entertainment schedule. And I know why he tried to talk to US....we were dressed up, so looked like we had money. We did. We worked our asses off for it. So piss off, Sob Story Boy. Go get a fucking job and earn your damn money rather than trying to con it out of people.

For those of you who think I am heartless, I'm not. My family has been on hard times (though never homeless) and I understand that predicament, and feel for many people who are there. And often help them out. Hell, one chilly winter night, I bought one of the local bums some hot chocolate AND a package of socks, as he was barefoot. He didn't ask me for anything....I just did it. But this young scammer was not homeless (was a little too "clean" for it), was just out to scam some dough from some saps. And I was not going to be that sap. The scammer, unlike the bum, COULD go get work. (The bum was at a point in his life, you could tell, where he really couldn't do anything....hard to explain, but I hope y'all get it.) Hell, for all I know the little fucker had a job. Whatever. I've dealt with his kind enough to know that their story always ends the same way....with their greedy little hand out.

Even if his son was dying...

His son WASN'T dying. Probably didn't even have a damn son.

[PorkChop]

I work at a convenience store and we have our share of panhandlers and bums too. They come in and buy a half pint of cheap vodka with coin change they bummed off from hard working people and drink it around the store's corner. It's illegal to drink on our property. I tell them to get off the property if they want to drink it in the open.

We had this drunk bum who used to hang out at the store. He was rude and belligent to us and to our customers. He would buy the cheap, shitty vodka and drink it while sitting on the trash can by the door. I'd tell him repeatly to go away. He'll go away and sit at the bus stop across the street. One day, he was passed out laying on the grass by the bus stop. Someone called the EMTs and they came over to check him out. He was fine, but drunker than a skunk. The next weekend, at about the time for shift change, he slurred that he called the EMT's because he got into a fight with his step son. He didn't look hurt at all, just drunk! Yeah, the EMT's came over into our parking lot. My co-worker and I were watching this. I mentioned that if a cop stopped by, I would request a trespassing warrant on him. Well, after I said that, a cop pulled in. My co-worker talked to him and told him our problems that we had with this drunk. Well, he is banned from the property! We haven't seen him since.

In time we'll get another bum hanging out.

I've also noticed when I someone asks me for change, I am dressed up and going to a job interview. No money for you, I need what little money I have. Get a Job!

[TwoScoopsSciath]

Not to split hairs, but Henry Blake was the CO at the time. Nevertheless, one of my favorite M*A*S*H moments!

"...Half the family dying, the other half pregnant."

Actually, I checked my old videos. It was Potter. I taped that episode for that scene alone.

But, oh, boy, I'll admit I'm a sucker. I might have believed him and maybe bought him out of my own pocket some food. But, the stealing would have nullified that belief. Then, the fuzz. I'm a sucker, true, but I refuse to be a doormat.

I hope somebody drops a 7-Eleven on his head.

[blas]

I've probably told this story before, but out of all the panhandlers I've encountered, even the ones in bigger cities I've been to like Minneapolis and Seattle, this guy tops them all!

There is an exit for a road that leads to the mall, it's right off the freeway. In the median by the stoplights, every weekend last summer (not sure about during the week, as I had to work and all) this guy would plop down on the curb with a cardboard sign that said something like "Hungry and homeless" or "Will work for food" or something like that. Maybe he had different signs? He had a backpack with him.

Several Saturdays in a row when my bf and I would go to Fazolis or even the Wal-Mart or Target, there he'd be on the median, with his sign and backpack and SMOKING A CIGARETTE!

Not only that, but one of my bf's coworkers has claimed he saw that guy talking on a CELL PHONE while holding that sign up as well!

It's a running gag at the factory, we all say "I'm so sick of this place, I think I'm gonna quit and go beg for money in the median of Golf Road, with my cigarettes and cell phone in hand while I hold up a cardboard sign!"

There's also a legend of a college professor, who, during the summer, would dress like a bum with a sign and would take notes on how many people would stop for him or give him money or food.

[Primer]

The news stations in the city where I work have actually done exposes on how much money the "bums" take in. I've been sorely tempted to make a sign and stand on a corner near the school where I teach. The sign would say, "<School> professor trying to make ends meet. Please Help." Think it would work??

[Sliceanddice]

.... no it was blake....

[Shabo]

Apparently the window washers in the UK make a good deal of money... Gotta track down that video...