I just pissed off a panhandler

[littlebit]

So I am sitting in the front of my truck right now surfing the web. This guy walks up to my truck and gives me his hard luck story. He tells me how his car ran out of gas and he was just trying to get enough money to buy some. I told him I didn't have any cash but I would go inside and prepay $30 for him on my credit card so he could get home. All of a sudden his car was down the street not at the station like he originally told me. So that idea wasn't going to work for him. So I told him if he really needed it I would pull his car down here with my truck. No that wasn't going to work either. Then he says what he really needs is something to eat and some cigs. Could I hook him up with some money for that. I said no but I will give you a pack of cigs and you can have one of my burritos from Taco Bell. I even offered him a cold bottle of water or pepsi which ever he wanted. He didn't want that either. So he walked away with nothing.

[Lil Missy]

1. My instinct is that he wanted drug money.

[littlebit]

2. That's what I was thinking

[Frank Cannon]

3. Of course he did.

I once saw a guy on a freeway offramp with a sign that said, "No bull. Need beer." Lots of people were giving him cash.

[Zavulon]

8. There's a guy in SF who sits on Fisherman's Wharf with a sign

that says "Why lie? I want beer." I first saw this in 1998.

A buddy of mine who lives out there and I were talking about a month ago, and I brought this up. He said "The white guy in the military jacket with the red beard? Yep, he's still there. I'm told he clears well over $100 a day."

[bertha katzenengel]

16. This is utterly ass backwards.

We'll give money to someone who begs with the express intention of buying beer.

But we won't give money to someone who begs it for sustenance, with the assumption that that person is "just going to buy booze" or other non-food items.

And we ask ourselves what is wrong with this country.

:mad:

[Callalily]

4. This scam is all over

the country. We actually had a guy come into our office with that very same story. Now that took a lot of guts.

[hedgehog]

10. Scam? You mean to say that the guys with that sign DON'T use the money

to buy beer?

[Deja Q]

5. I wonder when people will start pissing on panhandlers...

Good job in being sensible when trying to help him, BTW. I agree with others; I think he was looking for drug money.

[DarkTirade]

6. One of the advantages to being broke: I can honestly say "Sorry, I only have enough for my own gas."

most of the time.

Eh, who am I kidding. I wouldn't call that an advantage... :P

[Ramsey]

7. Typical

These panhandlers always hung out at the Wawa near my house in Philly. They'd ask for money for food when I went in the store. I offered to buy them some food, but would not give them any money. They always declined the food.

They just want money for drugs or booze.

[jonnyblitz]

11. ha, I was just thinking about you today.

I was thinking back on the 2004 Boston DEM convention and remembering who all was at Curse10's apartment that one night when i stayed overnight and passed out on the floor. I remember you and your husband were there and we discussed Moby. :hi:

I was going to ask Lynnsin, "whatever happened to Ramsey". :D

sorry to the author of this thread for the semi-hijack.

[Zavulon]

9. I piss them off constantly.

When they ask "Got any spare change," I answer with "There's no such thing."

Edited, typo

[CreekDog]

19. i don't think they want change

they want the paper kind. :shrug:

[Ikonoklast]

12. Stopped at the Hook in Dallas

Before I even got to the front door to give the fuel desk my credit card and info, I was stopped by:

1. Crackhead. Tried to shake my hand like he was my long lost pal. Told him to fuck off. I DON'T let strangers touch me. Ever.

2. Lot Lizard #1. She smelled awful.

3. Lot Lizard #2. She had more tattoos than a Portuguese sailor, and more open sores than a meth head. Told me for ten dollars she'd do anything. I told her for free she could get the fuck away from me.


On the way back from the fuel desk to the pumps, Dallas' Finest had Lot Lizard #2 in cuffs, busted a crack deal right in front of the fuel island with a third Lot Lizard, and Crackhead Bob was on the step of another truck looking inside to see if there was anything easy to steal.

I got the fuck out of there ASAP.



I know these people are lost souls, but they and their confederates will rob a trucker blind in an instant.

Or worse.

[littlebit]

17. That place

is one shit hole I will never stop in. I made the mistake of going there one time. That was more than enough for me. I have never seen that many crackheads and lizards in one place before. The Petro in West Memphis is just as bad.

[TK421]

13. I get them all the time in my neighborhood....and they use the excuse that they're

stranded in the area and need bus fare. No shit, about a month ago this guy came up to me asking for money, and I told him I don't carry cash, only a debit card ( before I get scolded for that, I know the guy...he's harmless ). He suggested I go to the ATM and withdrawal twenty dollars and break it elsewhere to give him some of it :eyes: I laughed and told him no..and continued on my way

[Carnea]

14. Yeah the cashless society is putting a crimp in todays panhandling.

http://www.wikihow.com/Panhandle

[Schema Thing]

15. synchrokickcity

[TroglodyteScholar]

18. I gave $5 to a guy at a gas station one time...

He said he wanted to get a meal. Then, like 3 minutes later, I went inside to pay for my gas and THERE HE WAS buying lotto tickets. I wanted to explode on him, but I just went on my way.

I think I would've felt better if he'd used it on drugs.

[DS1]

20. There's a stop on the Mass Pike where there's someone who

either "Had his girlfriend forget him and leave him behind and needs 20 bucks for a cab" or "Out of money, need gas, left wallet at home"

Every time!

[littlebit]

22. It's like that in just about

every truck stop too. I have gotten to the point where I just give them the one finger salute if the even try to approach my truck.

[Pierre.Suave]

21. Minneapolis passed a "loitering ordinance" so...

when in Minneapolis I do not get asked for money nearly as much as I do when in St Paul.

one of the reasons I no longer ride the bus unless it is absolutely necessary is the panhandlers like to hang out at bus stops to ask for money, etc...

[Tektonik]

23. Fuck you ugly fucking fuck

:P

That's a sad story.

(ps don't be offended at my subject title, I'm just referencing a recent thread about oanhandlers).

[littlebit]

25. Not offended at all

That thread was hilarious.

[harmonicon]

24. I'm not surprised

My neighbourhood in college was panhandler central. The coffee shop that I went to every day would give me left over bakery things - bagels and scones and stuff. I took them because I was friggin' dirt poor, but usually had more than I could ever eat. One day I was walking down the block with a big bag of scones, and I guy asked if he could have some money to get some food from Burger King. I told him that I couldn't give him money, but that he could have as many scones as he wanted, with his choice of flavor. He said "what's a scone?!", so I told him, and he said "Scone?! I don't want no damn scone, I want a whopper!". He didn't get a scone or a whopper.

[1gobluedem]

26. I fell for it once

The guy was in tears; he said he had a flat tire and just needed a couple of bucks to buy that spray can stuff that plugs the hole. He said he was a student (looked like one) and had forgotten his wallet. I gave him a $5.

Two weeks later I saw him at a different location (post office) and he approached me with the same schtick. I told him he needed to get a new story; that he'd hit me with that two weeks ago. He said "Me? I just need to know what time it is?" I told him it was time to stop hitting people up for money with a fake story, got in my car and left. But when I got to work I called the cops and gave them his description and his story because a lot of elderly people frequent that post office and I didn't want them to be taken advantage of.

My SO used to give money to anyone who asked him for it on the street until one very drunk old woman kissed him on the lips because he gave her a dollar. He's a germophobe; it's a miracle that he didn't scrub his face off after that encounter...:rofl:

Edited for typo.