As the holiday season draws to a close I wanted to share a story with everyone. Generally the area I live in is pretty much panhandler free. The local police force keeps them away from the major intersections and you rarely see them around. But at Christmas time they seem to come out in force. Don't get me wrong, I have no problems donating to the Salvation Army or Toys for Tots or other such organizations, In fact around Christmas I donate to several different charities. However, I don't usually like to give to individuals where there is no guarantee where the money will go. This year though I had a run in with a particular guy that I found to be an obvious scammer. Here is my story: About 10 days before Christmas I am at my local Kroger loading my car with groceries, when this guy in his late 40's jumps out of this truck. The truck was pretty beat up with dents down the side. The guy runs over to where I am and proceed to tell me how he has run out of gas and needs money to get to Florida. My first reaction was to look at the truck, and he politely explains that the guy in the truck just picked him up and is broke but he was nice enough to volunteer to drive him around the parking lot so he can try to find someone to give him some gas money. I was a little suspicious so I declined to give him anything. He climbs back in the truck and heads off, still in search of "Gas" money. Fast forward 2 days later... My son and I are at Target (about 2 miles away from the Kroger) looking for Wii Remotes. Same truck pulls up behind me as I am getting in the car. Same dude jumps out with the same story (although this time I notice the driver jump out and go to another shopper on the other side of the truck, most likely with a similar story to the one I knew I was gonna hear). I tell him "Man that guy in the truck must be awfully nice. He has been driving you around for 2 days so you can get gas money, he deserves an award or something". Dude didn't find it very funny so he jumps back in the truck and they speed away. Ahh but they are persistent... Three days after Target, my family and I had met some friends for dinner at a place across town from the Kroger and Target. As we are getting back in our car, you guessed it, truck pulls up, both dudes jump out. My wife starts to freak out (she kinda does it when it is fairly late and some crazy looking guy comes running at the car) but I tell her, "Its cool I got it". Same guy comes up to me and starts his story. I politely listen holding back the need to quote the lines of his story as he says them. So having heard his story three times now, I have devised a plan to help this "gas" needing fellow out. I say to him "Hey, I can help you, I'll tell you a little secret". At which time I motion him to the front of my car. At this time my wife is looking at me like WTF are you doing? But I have it all under control, this guy has a problem and needs gas money, and I am bound and determined to help him get some. Just not mine. So the guy thinks he is going to get some cash starts to follow me to the front of my car (he'd have probably laid down on the ground and made chicken noises, If I'd asked him to). When we get to the front of the car I say, "Look buddy, I'm going to let you in on a little secret". At this point I paused to make sure I looked suspiciously towards the truck a couple of times. I tell him, "I think you ought to know the guy in the truck has been lying to you". He looks at me shocked. I say, "This is the third time I have seen you and this guy has been driving you around for 6 days. He is playing you. With the price of gas these days, anyone that would drive someone else around for 6 days has to have money. Why don't you go back to the truck and confront him? In fact, I even got your back if you need me". At this point I think he caught on to my scheme. He turned and walked back to the truck and called me a dick head. Not wanting to let him get the last word in I politely told him my name wasn't Big Ned, but if he wanted he could call me that, I didn't mind. At this point the truck once again sped away, and I haven't seen them anymore (I guess he found some gas money, and is currently riding the rides at Disney World). When I got into my car my wife was crying, she was laughing so hard. She told me those same guys pulled that story on her last summer. Normally I would have told the guy no, or that I didn't have any cash (which is usually the truth), but when he pulls the same story 3 times in one week, I couldn't let it go. maybe if he'd come up with something original I might have rewarded him with a buck or two but apparently he must have had some luck with the out of gas story. Does anyone else have any panhandler stories? Anybody else ever heard the out of gas story?
Yea, I've experienced that before. About a year ago, I'm at Food Town buying groceries and this girl (around 18) and maybe her younger brother (around 13) in a red Mustang convertible pull up to my car and ask me for money for gas. I gave them a buck. I proceed to go into the store to buy my groceries and as I am driving out I see them driving out of the McDonalds drive through. I got a good laugh out of it.
Oh and another time at Houston's restaurant two girls (around 25) in a minivan pull up to me as I'm walking in. They have some kids in the back of their van. They quote, and I'm not lying, "Do you have some money sir. My boyfriend didn't give me any money, and I need some." I say WTF! in my head, and walk off mumbling no. That was pretty funny to me.
whereabouts do u live man? Is this city like 100 ppl big or u have the world's crappiest luck to run into that mofo.
Heard it plenty of times. I even got the "I need money to get my car towed." I always tell them I don't carry cash, only credit cards. One even told me he takes credit cards as well. I gave him a crazy look and walked off.
That's too funny. I used to live on the northwest side of town a couple of years ago and would normally stop for gas at the Shell off of 610 and TC Jester. I had two guys give me a similar story about needing "gas money" to go to a job out of state. They approached me two more times over the course of the next month -- apparently forgetting who they'd already spoken with. I didn't call 'em out the way you did though (which made me chuckle). Another situation that comes to mind was when I was going to U of H a few years ago. One day I parked out in the Robertson Stadium parking lot (which I normally did) and started to walk towards Cullen when a guy approached me holding a radiator hose in his hand. He mentioned his car was parked down the street and he just needed a little money to get another hose. I ended up seeing this guy again three more days over the course of the next week in the same parking lot holding the same hose apparently telling the same story to various students on their way to class.
The "out-of-gas" story is a pretty common thing coming out of Wal-Mart. Thankfully, I never really carry cash anymore, so I can just say I don't have any money on me and I won't feel bad for lying cause I'm not. It makes you wonder why the hell these people are taveling all the way to Houston when they don't have enough money to get back.
That was awesome. On the 27th of December I was leaving a bar in a driving rain storm here in Austin. I got stopped by a transient as he was singing Def Leopard, and looking for some cash.... I said "Here dude, take my umbrella" He looked at me, and was like? "What?" and I said...."You need to protect those pipes, you are awesome, it is cold and rainy, so take the umbrella" He took it, and I got in my car and drove home....one umbrella less, but felt like the guy would at least be dry.... DD
When I was a little kid (maybe 8-10) I was walking with my brother (six and a half years older) through Chinatown in SF. This bum came up to me (carrying like a gallon jug of wine) and asked me if I had any money (WTF? I am a little kid). I told him no. So, I start walking away, and he comes up to me again, sticks a quarter in my hand, and tells me to, "Buy a kid some rice." That was a little bizarre. Oh, and I have given people money before that said they needed gas. Usually 1-2 bucks. I'm a sucker for the hard luck story, even if they are full of ****, I don't care if they use it to buy booze/drugs.
I give the out of gas people money if I have some. If they're really out of gas, 5 bucks is enough to go where they can get money. I see them the most during stops in between socal and vegas. Some have given up pretense and park their car in the lot of the station with their family. I'm probably getting scammed, but living like that aint pretty either.
I think I gave some guy like that 10 bux before, I guess I felt like doing a good deed. That and it was 3 a.m. in the a poorer lit part of the shopping center I migth've being little bit scared .
If my wife is with me- I give them money-2 or $3 to get away from them. If I am by myself I will not give them a dime. There was a violent guy in Market Square park last summer when my wife and I were returning from Sambuca to Icon Hotel. Nothing happened to us, but I am very guarded around pan handlers.....
Haha, man, I had a guy asking for money sing me some r****ded song when I was in LA. It was a group of 5 of us (2 friends of mine, a brother and GF of one of the friends, and myself.) I'm thinking "****, I travel for once and I'm gonna get stabbed". I could see one of my friends tensing up and getting ready to pounce on the guy fists flying if they got anywhere near his girl or his brother. My other friend, Jason, starts up a semi-conversation with the guy, basically just to keep the guy occupied, so he wouldn't stab us I guess. Eventually, the guy started telling bad jokes, and ended up singing his song. To get the guy to finally go away, Jason finally hands the guy a buck. He kinda walks around me and the others in a "now how about you?" manner, but we all just ignore. He finally takes off. We eventually got to the bar we were looking for, and survived.
I've probably heard the gas story a dozen times. A lot of folks ignore people who approach them with a panhandler vibe, but I give everyone the benefit of the doubt, so I end up hearing a lot of BS. My best panhandler story comes from when I was living in NYC (of course). This guy entered my subway car on Monday morning and announced that a spot would open for him in a shelter on Wednesday, and he just needed some help to get by over the next 48 hours. A lot of people forked over change to him, but I held my ground. Sure enough, he was on the subway again the next day, saying that his shelter slot would become available on THURSDAY. And then on Wednesday he came in and asked for help getting to Friday. I don't know why anyone would give money to a panhandler instead of a legit charity. Yeah, some charities don't make very good use of your money, but a few minutes of research can help you find a worthy one. When you give to a panhandler, the only thing you're supporting is more panhandling.
I would like to hear Another Brother's take on panhandling and how to best handle a difficult one. I think Another Brother has a law enforcement background. I personally will walk away from any fight if possible and not think twice. I believe many - most physical violence can be avoided. I usually take a cab to downtown destinations like the Alley theatre or park at Underground parking at Verizon. Some Spring and Fall evenings are nice to walk.
I've heard the gas story several times, in the parking lot at the Kroger, Randalls, and WalMart in my neighborhood. After Katrina, in the same parking lots, I also heard the story "we're over here because of Katrina, we're out of money, my child has to eat". I do not give money to panhandlers. I donate money to charities that help the homeless, and I volunteer my time to meals on wheels.
I got the gas story from a dude while I was sitting at a red light. I'm just sitting there waiting for the light to turn green when suddenly some guy is knocking on my window. Needless to say he freaked me out and I mouthed sorry no cash and he looked annoyed and started to go to the car behind me. WTF do these ppl even bother coming up to women driving in cars alone? Like I'm gonna roll my window down and get my wallet while he's there ready to grab it! Then another time I was leaving a La Madeline's when this gnarly looking dude came up to me asking for cash bc it was his birthday. One of the few times that I actually have cash so I decided to be nice and give it to him. It was a five dollar bill and a one dollar bill. The one was folded over the five so all he saw was the one. Well the little b*stard decides to say, "well can I have five since it's my birthday?", I just gave him the look of death and walked away mumbling some obsceneties. The other day my mom told me that some guy came up to their car and "washed" the windsheild against her and my dad's request for him to stop. They didn't have any cash so they had to dig out change and she gave him a bunch of quarters and nickels and such. When she gave it to him, he threw it back in her face. That made me want to find the s.o.b. and beat him in his face with a sock full of quarters. So yeah I don't give out to panhandlers at all and now neither do my parents.
The gas stations on Riverside and Cesar Chavez always have people asking for money right outside. So so annoying, especially when they get aggressive and then it might as well be robbery. I'm surprised the station owners/employees aren't tougher about that. It makes customers really uncomfortable.
