I work at an innercity Boston restaurant. As is common with big cities, there are a lot of homeless people hanging around. It’s depressing at first, you eventually get used to it. If they were just there to mind their own business, I wouldnt mind thm. But, they all insist they should get something for nothing. An average night, we get at least 10 bums asking if we can spare a slice or two, they’re real hungry. I know it sounds mean, but we’re a business. We’re looking to make money. Feeding the homeless is not a top concern. If we have anything leftover at closing, we’ll give it away, but I’m not gonna hand out freebies in the middle of lunch. During the past week, I was called a heartless bitch 3 times, a greedy cunt twice, and flipped off more times than I can remember. One of them went as far as to stand there and tell all the paying customers how greedy we were because I wouldnt help him while he was down on his luck.I had to call security on him, he didnt take it well.
I think the part that really gripes me is that all of these people have money. They panhandle on the streets, bring in so much cash, it’s not even funny. There’s a couple of regulars who bring in their change and switch it out for bills a couple of times a week…this one guy clears well over $300 a week, tax free. They dont pay for food from most places. They haven’t worked in the least. I’m working 60 hours a week, nearly killing myself to save up cash and make a living. You want me to give you something because you’re hungry? Here’s an application…get a job, and work like everyone else.
Possibly the worst thing about it all though is not knowing who’s sincere, and who the scam artists are. The bus station is next door…walking in, there’s at least one person everyday who lost their ticket, or had their bags stolen, or is trying to get home to their sick daughter, and they just need five more dollars to buy a new ticket. Just five more dollars! It’s sickening…Im sure some of these folks are genuine, but I figure the vast majority is just looking for a quick buck. Ive already decided, my next job, Im gonna be a street begger. I’m cute…I could make a killing, Im sure.
Im probably going to get flamed for being a heartless bitch now, huh?
You want to stoop to that behavior and make $300 bucks a week? Go for it.
But you aren’t going to, are ya?
Yes, it’s maddening that some people “get away with it,” whatever “it” is. As long as you remember that the vast majority of homeless people are not scamming you, then go ahead and be pissed off. Won’t change anything, and certainly won’t do you a lick of good what with the elevated blood pressure and unresolved stress, but go ahead anyway.
I remember reading an article about this in the LA Times about ten years ago. One guy they profiled made over $30,000 a year harassing people into letting him “wash” their windows.
At the time I made about $15,000 and had a bachelors degree.
and of course we all know that these are ‘typical’ stories. Reminds me of those want ads for making $$ at home stuffing envelopes “earn up to $1000 weekly”
the homeless folks I"ve known slept on the streets, risked life/limb had no safe place to keep anything of value, if they lived in a shelter, well in one of them the ‘price’ of the bed was a church session, in another they had to check in and stay by 5 pm, couldn’t leave any belongings there, had to take a shower in the evening, couldnt’ take one in the morning, had to leave the shelter at 8 am.
sure, if that’s the lifestyle you aspire to, go for it.
I can’t find a link but I do remember reading that a vast majority of homeless people are mentally ill and/or drug adicts/alchoholics. It seems that money isn’t the issue in a lot of cases.
Pammipoo, if it makes you feel any better, for every scammer making a quick untaxed buck, there are a thousand people who have litterally fallen off the map of society, and live in short, miserable squallor. I won’t flame you, but do try and develop a bit of perspective.
OTOH, I read a book about 20 years ago by a professional beggar on the subject of begging. He paid taxes on claimed income of US$30,000 20 years ago! (he probably earned more) He’d given paid seminars on how to beg, and was preparing to open a school. It all may’ve been a crock, but it had a plausible ring to it.
I’ve begged food off of restaurants before, but it was a 24-hour Jack-in-the-Box and I just sat in there at 3am and ate their french fries when they got too old to serve. I sat around and kept them company and they tolerated me. Sometimes I got a stale bun as well. I also had the bread delivery guy at the grocery store give me a loaf of bread once. I also used to ask for a quarter “for the phone” from 3 or 4 people, then use the money to buy a bean burrito at Taco Bell. Or I’d scour the parking lot for dropped change to do so (btw, the drivethru is dropped-change-central) or failing that I’d ask for a side of lettuce, which they’d often give for free. At the time it was that or have no food. And I was trying to find a job at the time. And I was never rude to anyone, and I never demanded anything from anyone. And it was for a short period of time (less than two months, total).
That said, in your position I would do the same thing. I don’t give money to people who ask 99.999% of the time. On occassion I’ve given food (and in the instances when I have, it was actually taken graciously and eaten, which is apparently pretty uncommon). Typically I’m very suspicious of people asking for money. It’s sad but it’s true. If I worked at a restaurant, unless I was the manager, I would NOT give food away. Especially during business hours. Anyone who confronted you over that was being a serious ass.
Well, they are working sort of. They don’t pay income tax (and id’ts not like there’s any practical way we could get them to) perhaps, but begging for change does NOT sound like a great job to me! Sure you’re not doing much, but you can’t be certain how much you’ll bring, and I imagine it gets quite boring.
If it really sounded like that great a career to you, you’d be doing it! These guys may be assholes, but I still say they’re just working stiffs, except instead of working a factory job they could care leass about, they’re asking for money from people.
I’m with andros. You’re welcome to change careers to any job where its practicioners make more than you. There are plenty of people who make more than I do, but I’m not interested in their jobs because they go against some of my beliefs about what’s good for society. However, I don’t think it’s fruitful to stew about the inequity.
There are a lot of poor children in this country. So as someone else said, remember that for every scumbag out there, there is someone truly needy, and when it’s kids it’s not even a matter of “being too lazy to get a REAL job.” We only see the aggressive homeless and the aggressive poor. We ought to focu our attention on the passive ones who aren’t getting any handouts.
Compassion is a lot better for your blood pressure.
I learned when I was a child that lying works best if you don’t concoct an elaborate, relatively plausible story, and then try to hit the listener with the whole thing. That’s why I was suspicious of all the guys who’d come up to me telling me variations on the theme of “I just got here from (city) with my (wife/girlfriend), 'cause I got a job with (local company). We’ve got a little baby, and our car just broke down. Look, here’s my license, proving that I’m where I say I’m from.” (quick flash of some kind of card) “Our car broke down, and we need $X to (fix the (part)/pay for the bus ride home). Can you help me out, man?”
One day, as I was waiting at a red light, a guy approached me with the same story, except he was out of gas. Coincidentally, I had my gas can in the back seat, which I reached back and handed to him. He refused it, and asked for money, so he could get gas. I told him there was gas in there (which was true). He refused it again, and asked for money. He ruined that story for anyone trying to hit ME up.
Hey typo mna, do you live in Baltimore? There is a guy with that exact same story (with a career in the military thrown in for good measure). The first time he stopped, a friend and I gave him a couple bucks for the performance, but the past two times he’s stopped me, I’ve reminded him that he’d stopped me before. Now the question is, do I interrupt when I see him putting the scam over on random passerbys?
My SO and I had the same lady ask us for a two dollars to ride the subway, on two different days, at the same intersection in Toronto (we were walking). She got really angry and made a big scene when we pointed out to her that we’d seen here there a couple days before asking for money for the same reason.
I never give money to “homeless” people, and when those guys taking “donations” at street corners for churches, or selling candy get mad because I refuse to give them anything, I tell them I don’t like M&Ms and I’m an atheist. It usually shuts them up real quick.
I would rather donate money to a charity that helps people that actually want to get back on their feet, instead of giving handouts to career beggars.
I used to give money to beggars until it was pointed out that it probably wasn’t for food.
Now, I direct people to a local street ministry where the homeless can get a meal and a bed for the night.
Quite a few people have been rude and told me to get stuffed, etc, however I have had other people who seemed genuinely pleased to get the info - I assume they WERE new to town and weren’t sure about local agencies they could contact for help.
Oh, and I always leave my bottles in one particular spot for one of the bottle pickers here in town. As far as I’m concerned, that is a job, and it helps keep the city clean.