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I take it on a case-by-case basis. In Atlanta (and I'm sure other places) "homeless" people are housed, fed, given clothing and dropped off to beg at off-ramps all day. They get picked up in the evening and they hand over the cash. I don't know if they get a cut or not but it's quite a racket for the top dogs.
Last month I actually got approached by a guy from behind when I was in the drive-thru at the bank.
I just KNEW that was bound to happen; there is a grassy area with a bus stop bench right behind the drive-thru lanes & I get "eyed" by people lounging around back there all the time.
I handed him like a $1 in change before my pneumatic tube thingy got sent back to me. I was making a $300 cash withdrawl & was afraid my tube would be intercepted!
I was surprised that the cashier did not seem to "notice" that somebody was approaching patrons; I didn't want to say anything over the speaker because you have to yell to be heard & it was all just very awkward.
I'm a woman & I was alone with my disabled 12 year old child; I didn't know what else to do!
Roll up the window, honk the horn, drive through, go into the bank to complete transaction!
Agree 100% with everything you've said. I myself have also done volunteer work in soup kitchens, etc. But, I will definitely not give $ to beggars/scam artists. Living in a large urban area, I have also noticed that most of the time when people start conversations with me, it's because they want $.
I also agree that people that give money to these creeps ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM. People that do this are just enabling these panhandlers - and, as a result, they will continue asking for $ & become even more entitled and aggressive. If no one gave them $, this wouldn't be as much of an issue.
This country is fast becoming a nation of entitled scum who want something for nothing - and, it's just getting worse.
yep, almost every day, i see an old guy with a walker and a cardboard sign posted up at the supermarket entrance panhandling. one day, i saw him put away his walker, walk to his SUV, get in, and drive away.
When I was working, I stopped on my way home at a convenience store. A family was stranded with a broken-down car and had no way to get home. They asked if I could help. I gave them $5, which was all the cash I had on me. Another time, I stopped for lunch at a Taco Bell. On my way out, a woman stopped me and asked if I could give her some money to buy a meal. Unfortunately, I did not have it to give her, and told her so. She just hung her head and sighed: "There ain't no jobs anywhere in this town", turned and walked away. I felt bad for her, but there was nothing I could do. A week later, I was at the same Taco Bell, when a man approached my car and asked for money. I told him I did not have any, started the engine and quickly drove away. I did not go back after that.
When I was working, I stopped on my way home at a convenience store. A family was stranded with a broken-down car and had no way to get home. They asked if I could help. I gave them $5, which was all the cash I had on me. Another time, I stopped for lunch at a Taco Bell. On my way out, a woman stopped me and asked if I could give her some money to buy a meal. Unfortunately, I did not have it to give her, and told her so. She just hung her head and sighed: "There ain't no jobs anywhere in this town", turned and walked away. I felt bad for her, but there was nothing I could do. A week later, I was at the same Taco Bell, when a man approached my car and asked for money. I told him I did not have any, started the engine and quickly drove away. I did not go back after that.
The car may not have been broken down. It could have easily been a scam.
For some reason, fast food places are a haven for panhandlers. For a while, I saw numerous ones at a place I used to go to - especially around the drive through area.
I gave a dollar to a guy today who was hanging out on the highway off-ramp. There's a traffic light and so the cars are stopped. This is in Newark, NJ. I have a doctor appointment there every six months, and someone is always begging in the spot.
I rolled down my window and gave him a dollar and wished him better days.
Status:
"In the words of Steve Winwood, Roll With It!"
(set 22 days ago)
Location: State of the closed-minded
296 posts, read 217,211 times
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Short answer, no I don't.
In my town, there is a retail center anchored by Walmart on one end and Lowe's on the other end, and the main entrances and exits for the shopping area are near these stores.
At both entry/exit points, but more commonly at Walmart, someone is often standing there holding a sign saying "homeless", "out of work" or "will work for food".
People can't help but see the beggars, because they are leaving the retail center, and stopped waiting for the traffic light to change from red to green.
In one recent instance, a beggar had his cute little Chihuahua with him, and although I love dogs, I have to wonder why the guy had the dog---if he can't take care of himself, how can he take care of a dog?
Even in the parking lot of this retail center, I've had beggars approach me for "help", but was able to shake them off and leave, and I know that some of them are scammers, not someone with a legitimate need.
Aggressive panhandling should be outlawed - and it is, in some places. Though, that hasn't stopped panhandlers from still doing this.
I have actually had these people drive up to me in nice cars (while in store parking lots) and ask me for $. So, you can afford to maintain a car that's in better shape than my car - but you still need $?! Go $#%# yourself.
It depends for me. I was strangled for cash once not in my hometown and needed to buy a ticket to get home when I was young and I did ask for help people on the street (I was helped, and got home safely and did not ask for more than I needed), so if anyone asks for money to buy a ticket I cannot refuse. Or if a person just hit any cord in my soul, then he'll get a buck, such as a guy showing me his Military ID and saying I want to get drunk and I don't have money for that. But generally speaking, I don't give. And I wish I am in a better financial position to do - most people who beg, ain't millionaires and there're no bailouts for them.
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