"Times Is 'ard...."

[ER]

In the same trip to the store I had an elderly Mexican woman stop me in the parking lot and offer to buy my groceries for me on her SNAP card (food stamps) if I'd give her cash for them. I politely told her no thank you and good luck. She then offered me ten bucks off my groceries, then offered me that plus a portable DVD player she had in her car. I still said no but I gave her a card for the food bank where I volunteer. She took the card but didn't seem that interested. I think she needed fast money, poor lady.

Inside the store a young woman, I'd say early twenties, looking the worse for wear, came up to me, her eyes sparkly-high and fed me a story about running out of gas and needing to get home to Florence, Kentucky. I asked how long she'd lived in Florence (as a kid l lived one town away from it) and she said she was from there. I asked if she went to school there and she got squirrelly and said, uh, yes. I asked what school and she stared at me for a couple seconds and then went you're not going to help me are you?  Likewise I gave her a card to the food bank and said sometimes they give vouchers for gas as well as for motel rooms and groceries, and asked if she could get there, about six miles away, and she stared at me a second and walked off. I think she too just wanted money.

Then as I was walking out a little later I saw store employees detaining a man for shoplifting til the police could come, and asked the manager whom I've known there for several years was shoplifting getting worse and he said it was the worst he'd seen in all his years of working there, and calling in the police was a multiple times a day event now.

It's a mess. Times are hard.

[LilCerberus]

 

[retrorussell]

When they treat you like dirt after being nice I honestly don't feel that terrible for them.

[chainsaw midget]

Not all that long ago I had a person stop me in the parking lot and told me their sisters had just been in an accident and was in the hospital that was about a hour or two's drive away.  They said they just needed tens bucks for gas to go see her.  I gave him a few bucks and thought nothing of it. 

Four days later, I was back in that same parking lot and that same man came back up to me with the same story. 

[indianasmith]

I used to pastor a small Baptist church right on a busy highway, and several times a year we'd have some errant traveler with a hard luck story show up (always in the 10 minute window between when Sunday School let out and church started, not like they planned it or anything), and they always wanted money.  Several of the churches had gone together to put up a running tab at the local gas and grocery stores, so that they could go get food or fuel on our dime if that was what they needed, and we also had an emergency fund to pay utilities for anyone who was about to have their gas or water cut off.  Many accepted that help gratefully, but there were always the few who needed cash RIGHT NOW and got angry if you tried to simply give them what they said they needed the cash for . . .

[Alex]

My general rule when someone asks for money for something (although only in the US have I ever been asked for money for medical treatment), is to say "Ok, I am not going to give you money for this, but we can go to the shop and  I will buy you (whatever they say the need)". I watch their expression, and if their face falls, it is a big tell. Mind you if someone was to say "Can I have money for drink/drugs?" chances are I'd hand something over just for the honesty.

When we were staying at Kristi's mum's, the last time we were in the states, there was a retail park just across the road. Each corner had a panhandler begging and we'd see a van come around dropping new people off and picking up other people when their 'shift' ended. No idea if they were genuinely homeless and if this was some sort of program to help them, or an organised scam, but I wasn't taking the chance. I spent several hundred dollars on supporting various charities that trip, but nothing on those people.

[Trevor]

I normally ignore beggars but I got challenged by one a few months ago while waiting for the bus. He demanded money and got right up in my face, until I produced my flick knife and he took off. Another one tried to mug me while crossing the street across from my work and all he got was a knee in the nuts.