Beggars are getting bold!

[ilovepcot]

DH just came home from the grocery store. He said a woman approached his car and asked for money to buy food. He handed her a $5 bill and she thanked him. He began to roll his car window up when she abruptly stopped him and said, "Hey wait! I need 35 cents more to pay the tax on my sandwich with the $5 you gave me". DH laughed and said someone else would have to pay her tax and drove away. This floors me that someone would ask for *more* money from a total stranger. Oh well...

 

[ols386]

Maybe some people are getting more desperate, and in need of food.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

I had someone approach me in the parking lot of a grocery store an ask for money, I said sorry, I don't have any cash. The person said, "You can get out some cash with your debit card in the store!"

And then last week someone INSIDE a store asked if I could spare $5 for her to buy "just one thing." (She had this lacy lingerie set in her hand that did not cost $5.) Again I said sorry, I don't have cash. So she said, "Could you just put it on your credit card?" As I said no and walked away, a store employee came up behind me and apologized profusely and said they were waiting for security to come talk to her.

 

[IdesOmarch]

Most of these people are professional panhandlers and con-artists, and/or drug addicts. I love busting the ones out that I see at the same spots. They aren't even smart enough to change their stories. "Sir, we're trying to get back to Greenbrier and we're out of gas and......." Really, that's the exact same thing you said 2 weeks ago when I saw you. This actually happened, I love busting these people out.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

Most of these people are professional panhandlers and con-artists, and/or drug addicts. I love busting the ones out that I see at the same spots. They aren't even smart enough to change their stories. "Sir, we're trying to get back to Greenbrier and we're out of gas and......." Really, that's the exact same thing you said 2 weeks ago when I saw you. This actually happened, I love busting these people out.

Yep, there is this restaurant on the other side of town I went to once and got a story from a woman in the parking lot about how her husband dropped her off with no wallet and no cell phone and if she could just get a quarter to use the pay phone...my friend that I was with dug through her purse and gave her a quarter, then the woman asked if she had any more spare change so she could get some coffee while she waited, and my friend gave her a dollar.

Fast forward about six months, and I just happen to end up at the same restaurant with the same friend and another friend who lived nearby. Guess who is also there? The same woman, same story. This time my friend did not fall for it. Our other friend says she is there every single day with the same story and she has seen people give her $20s before.

 

[hereyago]

Get this one: last week in my city at a nearby Target parking lot: a woman was sitting in her car talking on the phone. she said she had her window down a little bit. a guy came up to her car and asked her for .50 cents, she said no and shshed him away. or so she thought.

He had a knife. he managed to punch her in her face and take the knife and cut along right near her eye.

A good samaritan chased him as he tried to get away until the cops came.

 

[Arielle22]

I see several every day on the 2 blocks from the train station to my work.

Last summer there was a young couple who pulled the scam that they were stuck in the city and trying to get back to Maine and needed train fare. My boss told them that he knew they had been saying the same thing for several weeks. The man threatened my boss.A week later I saw them outside a CVS a few blocks away saying the same thing. They were very aggressive and police were called.

There was a young man who last year and this year tried to get money from people waiting for their commuter train. He claimed he was shut out of the local shelter and it was the coldest day of the year so if we could donate he could get a ticket to a shelter in another city. I know that on the coldest days the shelters turn no one away and will drive them to another shelter if need be so it was BS. He had the same speech both years so he wasn't even changing it up.

 

[EllenFrasier]

There is a man that stands at the exit of a highway near my mother's house. While I have never given him money, I wonder why he still stands there? Year after year, I would think his life would improve somewhat. Or maybe he's making so much money tax free that it's better than getting a regular job? I still would not want to stand out there and beg.

 

[arminnie]

After living in the San Francisco Bay area for decades nothing surprises me about aggressive panhandlers. I would NEVER EVER EVER give a penny to someone on the street begging.

Now I'm in New Orleans - I can't think of once that I've ever been approached by a panhandler after almost 40 years of visiting this city.

 

[ols386]

Most of these people are professional panhandlers and con-artists, and/or drug addicts. I love busting the ones out that I see at the same spots. They aren't even smart enough to change their stories. "Sir, we're trying to get back to Greenbrier and we're out of gas and......." Really, that's the exact same thing you said 2 weeks ago when I saw you. This actually happened, I love busting these people out.

I've had people walk into the office where I work and ask for cash, for gas. The same guy who's been in my office asking for money before (about 2 years ago), just did the same thing last week, and I remember him from 2 years ago.

Get this one: last week in my city at a nearby Target parking lot: a woman was sitting in her car talking on the phone. she said she had her window down a little bit. a guy came up to her car and asked her for .50 cents, she said no and shshed him away. or so she thought.

He had a knife. he managed to punch her in her face and take the knife and cut along right near her eye.

A good samaritan chased him as he tried to get away until the cops came.

Now that's kinda scary!

 

[XYSRUS]

Most of these people are professional panhandlers and con-artists, and/or drug addicts. I love busting the ones out that I see at the same spots. They aren't even smart enough to change their stories. "Sir, we're trying to get back to Greenbrier and we're out of gas and......." Really, that's the exact same thing you said 2 weeks ago when I saw you. This actually happened, I love busting these people out.

This. And I don't give money to any of them.

 

[shortbun]

After living in the San Francisco Bay area for decades nothing surprises me about aggressive panhandlers. I would NEVER EVER EVER give a penny to someone on the street begging.

Now I'm in New Orleans - I can't think of once that I've ever been approached by a panhandler after almost 40 years of visiting this city.

Are you kidding me? The absolute worst homeless begging I've ever encountered was in NOLA and Washington, D.C. I think it's because people get to where the climate supports them sleeping outside if they can. We have a larger homeless population in Ohio during the summer. I remember the year Reagan closed the half way houses and the government provided buses for the homeless to relocate, THAT was interesting. Everyone went south or to the NorthWest where the climate was moderate.

 

[ilovepcot]

Maybe some people are getting more desperate, and in need of food.

For certain and that's why DH gave her money. She nodded in the direction of McDonald's when she asked about money for food and DH thought $5 would buy her one of the "Dollar Meals" they have going right now. No, she wanted a $5 sandwich *and the tax to go with it*. That's fine.

 

[stasijane]

I am lucky I dont have to deal with this type of thing in my city. only once or twice have I seen someone standing near the highway exit with a sign. Now I travel alot and see this type of thing in other places all the time, but I would never hand out money. Now if I did really think someone was suffering, I wouldnt waist no time buying food for someone but that would be it.

 

[liamsaunt]

There was a young man who last year and this year tried to get money from people waiting for their commuter train. He claimed he was shut out of the local shelter and it was the coldest day of the year so if we could donate he could get a ticket to a shelter in another city. I know that on the coldest days the shelters turn no one away and will drive them to another shelter if need be so it was BS. He had the same speech both years so he wasn't even changing it up.

This guy is still around, I saw him two weeks ago. Now that the weather is warmer the story is that the shelter in the city is full. The panhandlers in that station are very persistent.

People like this remind me to be grateful for the blessings that I have.

 

[princessnoelly]

I noticed one the other day that I recognized from being at the car dealership I work at. He was bringing in his NEW CADILLAC ESCALADE in for warranty work!

I'm so in the wrong job!

 

[Talking Hands]

My daughter and I were a Pizza Hut some years ago and this guy came in passing out cards with the ASL alphabet and asking for a dollar for them. We watched as he came over to our table and then started signing to him to stop begging and get a job. Boy did he get angry. Started to sputter and low and behold he not only could speak but could speak well. Oops caught.
Never buy cards from these people. They don't get but $.10 per card and the rest goes to the person who provides the cards. They are playing on the hearing person's feeling of poor deaf person.

 

[Music City Mama]

After living in the San Francisco Bay area for decades nothing surprises me about aggressive panhandlers. I would NEVER EVER EVER give a penny to someone on the street begging.

Now I'm in New Orleans - I can't think of once that I've ever been approached by a panhandler after almost 40 years of visiting this city.

Are you kidding me? The absolute worst homeless begging I've ever encountered was in NOLA and Washington, D.C. I think it's because people get to where the climate supports them sleeping outside if they can. We have a larger homeless population in Ohio during the summer. I remember the year Reagan closed the half way houses and the government provided buses for the homeless to relocate, THAT was interesting. Everyone went south or to the NorthWest where the climate was moderate.

I was going to say the same thing. My DH and I have travelled around quite a bit and always say that NOLA had the most panhandlers we have ever encountered.

I think I got scammed in Savannah, GA years ago, but didn't realize it until after the fact. The guy had a story about a flat tire or something and DH and I gave him some money and then we both looked at each other and knew we were probably just had. Oh well, live and learn.

 

[luvmy3]

Maybe some people are getting more desperate, and in need of food.

Then she should have ordered something cheaper.

 

[akhenaten]

I

I think I got scammed in Savannah, GA years ago, but didn't realize it until after the fact. The guy had a story about a flat tire or something and DH and I gave him some money and then we both looked at each other and knew we were probably just had. Oh well, live and learn.

We ran into the flat tire guy in Springfield MA... LOL and we fell for it too...

and a woman in Philly in a wendy's parking lot who left an abusive hubby and needed gas to get to her mom's we gave her money too...