You want what now?

[Tigress]

Well I won’t try to help someone like that out again, now I refer them to the local church, and I donate to charities.

I used to get these people pretty regularly when I was in college. My response was: "Homeless shelter is just down the street."

Now my response is that I don't have any cash. Which isn't a lie, since I usually use my card for most expenses. I rarely carry more than $20 at a time.

And somehow carrying around a tiger backpack seems to make people think I don't have that much to begin with. Paired with my babyface, they probably think I'm just too young to be gainfully employed.

[Andara Bledin]

Ah, the age-old "money for gas/fare/ticket/emergency" scam.

I don't give people money. I will give food, and I've given out free food coupons when I won something at a local fast food place. But I don't give money.

Oh, and I've also been known to hand people bus tokens when they're tring to beg for bus fare. The scammers hate that.

^-.-^

[Banrion]

There is a regular around here, who panhandles for train money inside the subway station ON THE PLATFORM!!! At this particular station, the only way to get onto the platform is to go through the fare collection turnstiles. So the guy has either a) already jumped the turnstiles, or b) paid, but either way he has access to the entire T system, and does not need money to get anywhere.

There is another guy by the commuter trains who is a dollar short for his train home EVERYDAY, and not smart enough to figure out who is there watching his act everyday. The first week I was working here, I felt bad and gave him a dollar, only to see him take my dollar and go to DD's. He still tries to get money out of me about once a month or so, but I call him out on his scam now.

[princess4life]

And on that note, I once overheard some creepy guy trying to get money out of people at a MAX station (the train) in downtown Portland. He approached two Hispanic girls pushing strollers and latched onto the more timid one, told her this big long excruciatingly boring story about how he needed a bus ticket, only for her friend to jump in and go "She ain't giving you her Pampers money!"

It took all I had not to double over laughing in front of them.

I had a guy come up to me the one time with a long sob story on how he was trying to catch a bus back to his home state but he was only $2 short of the bus ticket. He even went as far as counting out his other money to me and yep he was $2 short. So me being the innocent girl I was thought he was being honest and really was just trying to get home gave him $2. He thanked me profusely and walked into the bus station I felt really good about myself. Until 2 weeks later when the exact same guy walked up to me with the exact same story. I pointed out to him I gave him $2 a couple weeks ago and that he should have been home by now.

Well I won’t try to help someone like that out again, now I refer them to the local church, and I donate to charities.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

What do panhandlers nearly always tell you they need the money for? A bus ticket.

And on that note, I once overheard some creepy guy trying to get money out of people at a MAX station (the train) in downtown Portland. He approached two Hispanic girls pushing strollers and latched onto the more timid one, told her this big long excruciatingly boring story about how he needed a bus ticket, only for her friend to jump in and go "She ain't giving you her Pampers money!"

It took all I had not to double over laughing in front of them.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Because she doesn't need a dollar to catch a bus. She just wanted to see if she could get you to give her a dollar.


What do panhandlers nearly always tell you they need the money for? A bus ticket.

[Hon'ya-chan]

So I ring out this customer. Bought a magazine and some candy.

Not a minute after i'm done with her, she yips back asking for a dollar so she can catch the bus. I ignore the first response, thinking she's talking to someone else to do some paperwork. But when she goes "Hey....hey....can I have a dollar for the bus?" do I realize she's talking to me.

I tell her that I will not give her a dollar. I then prepare for her to return the item she bought so she can get some money. She leaves without incident.

Now i'm going to myself if you need a dollar for the bus, why did you just buy something that would wipe out your money?