# Venmo Panhandling **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 26, 2021, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-panhandling/947367 "2021-07-26T20:41:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-panhandling/947367/1 "2021-07-26T20:41:10Z")
Over the past few months traveling around my home state of Colorada, but also in Arizona, Texas and Florida, I’ve noticed many cars using their back windshields to venmo panhandle. [![](https://i.etsystatic.com/10036403/d/il/2ade4e/3041931907/il_340x270.3041931907_5q62.jpg?version=0) ](https://i.etsystatic.com/10036403/d/il/2ade4e/3041931907/il_340x270.3041931907_5q62.jpg?version=0) [![](https://i.redd.it/01uuzp85mw171.jpg) ](https://i.redd.it/01uuzp85mw171.jpg) [![](https://townsquare.media/site/519/files/2021/05/Untitled-design-2021-05-28T152556.998.jpg) ](https://townsquare.media/site/519/files/2021/05/Untitled-design-2021-05-28T152556.998.jpg) [![](https://i.redd.it/ob0tq6gqeh671.jpg) ](https://i.redd.it/ob0tq6gqeh671.jpg) [![](https://preview.redd.it/tdj7qnk1tqy61.jpg?auto=webp&s=1ae9fafea7e76fbe8e0739e2196fb7f1f67e204d) ](https://preview.redd.it/tdj7qnk1tqy61.jpg?auto=webp&s=1ae9fafea7e76fbe8e0739e2196fb7f1f67e204d) Are you seeing this new phenomena in your neck of the woods also? I also can’t decide if the solicitation is truly short term in nature for the birthday, wedding, girls trip, etc. and is legit, or is it just panhandle appeal. I’m considering doing an experiment on my own car and see how much I pull in. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-panhandling/947367/2 "2021-07-26T20:52:27Z")
Bonus points if your car is something expensive, like a Mercedes. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-panhandling/947367/3 "2021-07-26T20:57:38Z")
I’ll be on the lookout but haven’t run across any panhandlers locally. What will they think of next! I’ve recently signed up on Venmo and the public announcements crack me up, my kids use it and they say the darnedest things amongst their friends. I wouldn’t be comfortable advertising my Venmo as I used my real name. Can you use an alias? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-panhandling/947367/4 "2021-07-26T21:19:34Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Can you use an alias? Looks like it. In many of the pics above: @obxbachparty @birdsbach Those don’t look like people’s names. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-panhandling/947367/5 "2021-07-26T21:22:34Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Those don’t look like people’s names. I’m thinking “bach” is short for “bachelor(ette) party”. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Bonus points if your car is something expensive, like a Mercedes. That first one is vinyl. They probably paid more for the decals than the amount they’ll bring in. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-panhandling/947367/6 "2021-07-26T21:26:35Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’m thinking “bach” is short for “bachelor(ette) party”. Good one Sherlock! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-panhandling/947367/7 "2021-07-26T21:27:52Z")
Classy alternative to using GoFundMe for your party needs. Plus semi-immediate gratification. Haven’t seen the automotive panhandling in KY. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-panhandling/947367/8 "2021-07-26T22:09:40Z")
I’ve seen it a few times. I can’t imagine who would give money to a random person celebrating their whatever, though. Which isn’t to say that no one does, just that I have a hard time wrapping my head around it. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-panhandling/947367/9 "2021-07-26T22:22:53Z")
I’ve seen it on the signs for a few street buskers. They took it on the chin when people quit carrying cash during the pandemic and no one was tossing a few bills in their instrument cases. But I haven’t seen the stuff like the pics you linked. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-panhandling/947367/10 "2021-07-26T22:24:47Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Good one Sherlock! TBH I wasn’t sure either until I noticed how many of them were ‘buy a beer for the bride/groom’. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-panhandling/947367/11 "2021-07-27T00:49:49Z")
Sidebar please: what is « Venmo »? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-panhandling/947367/12 "2021-07-27T00:56:36Z")
Online phone payment p2p system, for smaller amounts. Let’s say we go out to dinner, I pay the tab and you Venmo me your share of it. It will then remain in my Venmo account or I can transfer it to my bank account ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-panhandling/947367/13 "2021-07-27T00:57:51Z")
Fascinating. I learn something new all the time here. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-panhandling/947367/14 "2021-07-27T21:09:41Z")
I’m sure Joey\_P is right, but a sign of how low we’ve gone is that I had assumed it was someone who didn’t know how to spell “beach”. EDIT: P.S. Have not seen this phenomenon (note, singular; “phenomena” is plural) in Northern Virginia.