How do you respond to panhandlers?

[Alzar]

Today I was stopped on the street by a man who's panhandling method was walking with me and telling me his life story with requests for change inbetween. He was persistent and didn't respond to the fact me saying "sorry, don't have any change" or my increased walking speed.

I'm still uncomfortable about panhandling. There is a certain amount of guilt I feel for not giving them money. I've randomly given some people money and usually it's the ones who stop me and are aggressive about it, or that lady with one arm and a puppy. But for the most part, I usually just say "sorry" and shake my head as I walk by.

Once, while I was waiting in line for Mariners tickets up in Seattle, I witnessed a panhandler being given a sandwich by someone, only to have them say "Do you want this ****?" to another woman next to her and throwing it away when the person who gave it to her had left. I'm sure most of them aren't like that, but that ****ed me off.

How do you guys handle panhandlers?

[IRC]

Re: How do you respond to panhandlers?

Most of my expeirence is while I'm in my car so I just roll up my window and don't make eye contact.

[AbstractOrigin]

Re: How do you respond to panhandlers?

If I have change, I'll help.
If not, well then they're SOL.
If I have change, but don't feel like/want to give, I lie.

There is a certain amount of guilt I feel for not giving them money.

Don't feel guilty, if you were in their position and they were you, they probably wouldn't give you anything. Even if they did have something.

But, that's just me.

[Caciss]

Re: How do you respond to panhandlers?

I'm a panhandler. I'd have over 300 dollars, since september, if I didn't spend it all so fast.

[Roland Of Gilead]

Re: How do you respond to panhandlers?

I once gave a panhandler a dime. He said "God bless you" and I walked on. The next day I saw him driving around in a Lexus. I learned my lesson. Now all I give them is batteries.

[Vonwert]

Re: How do you respond to panhandlers?

I usually just walk on past, giving a mean look if they try to come up to me. Usually works.

[jvrlopez]

Re: How do you respond to panhandlers?

I don't mind giving them change.

What's 15, 35 cents when I'm fortunate enough to be living happily, secure, and with no worries and a wallet with more than enough money for myself?

Also, what's change when you got a ****load of it laying around the house?

[Kefka Jr.]

Re: How do you respond to panhandlers?

I usually go the "Sorry"-and-shake-head route.

Every once in a great while, if I happen to actually be carrying a lot of change, I'll give them a quarter or something, if just to see them be more adamant towards the next person they see.


Often, I try to piggy back on others, and I think I'm getting good at it. I try to time my pace so that I go by panhandlers while they're already hassling someone else.

[Nixon]

Re: How do you respond to panhandlers?

Sometimes I'll spare some change, sometimes I won't. There was this one guy on the bus that asked me for money every day. I finally told him "I ride the bus, man. I don't have any money. " That worked.

There was a homeless lady that I bought a bus pass for. Her day pass had expired a few minutes earlier, and I had some extra quarters. For no reason at all, she gave me a coupon for a free chicken sandwich meal from chick-fil-a that some manager had gifted to her. She said "I rarely go to this side of town, so you can have it." I could've used it, but I still have it, as a reminder to try to be nicer to people...

We'll see how that works out.

[Valkysas]

Re: How do you respond to panhandlers?

When I was working at krogers on the night shift, we would have our breaks outside. there was this one guy who's pretty well known around here that bothered us all the time. he tried selling us his boots, and his pants. one morning (friday morning, I had just gotten paid) the guy chases after me leaving the building to meet a friend who was giving me a ride home. This is how the conversation went:

(because of the way the ordeal ended, I remember it VERY well)

Hey man, give me a dollar.
no.
how about five dollars?
NO.
How about ten dollars?
You have no idea how to haggle, do you? you're supposed to decrease the amount, not increase it.
Come on, I need some money.
For what?
I need some money.
for what?
I gotta get me some stuff.
dude, go away, I dont have any money.
bull****. you just got paid.
Yeah. its a check. I dont have any money.
bull****. let me see your wallet.
um, no?

*at this point, he tried pushing me up against a wall and was getting violent*

Let me see your goddamn wallet!



at this point, I was honestly scared.


but, it goes on. for a moment.


*CRASH - MAN IS RUN DOWN BY A SHOPPING CART BEING PUSHED BY MY FRIEND*

oh man, it was so awesome. it just plowed right into the guy's side and knocked him over, and the cart flipped over him, he was seriously in pain. so we stood around laughing for a minute before leaving.

thats my panhandler story. I've only been approached one other time a few years back, and it was a relatively old man. could tell he was seriously needy. he was really hesitant to ask me for change too. the old guy lucked out, I was on my way to do some transformer hunting so I had quite ab it of money on me. I quickly cancelled my toy hunting plans and promptly gave the guy a 50.

so half the time, I'm incredibly generous. the other half, my friends run them down with shopping carts.

[The Dark Jester]

Re: How do you respond to panhandlers?

when i was in WA for a week I gave some bums a twenty.

[DarkwingChuck]

Re: How do you respond to panhandlers?

Where I live you can't walk out of any store without being beseiged by beggars. they descend on you like pigeons on a guy carrying a hot dog. I've made the mistake of giving a few of them money on occasion, the ones who're actually nice and just ask for the money rather than feeding me some **** and bull story. But then if they see me from a mile away they come running. So I just don't do it anymore. If you feel guilty about not giving to a panhandler just remember that 99% of them will only spend it on booze or drugs so you're doing them a favor by not contributing.

[Alutra]

Re: How do you respond to panhandlers?

[QUOTE=Valkysas]

*CRASH - MAN IS RUN DOWN BY A SHOPPING CART BEING PUSHED BY MY FRIEND*

[QUOTE]

LOL! That is freaking awesome! Sounds like it should be in a movie. Or maybe you could re-create the scene with RPG maker 6.

[Riotsword]

Re: How do you respond to panhandlers?

If I begin running into a bunch of panhandlers, I'll start to carry a roll of quarters with me, and if they even try to intimidate me or get violent, I'll say, "You want some change!?" and punch them with the roll of quarters in my fist. "There's your mother****ing change."

And Valk's story is A+.

[gray]

Re: How do you respond to panhandlers?

back in my college daze there was a bum named jack who hung out behind the jack-n-the-box. oh the irony! he wasn't so bad, and would converse with you while you waited in the drive-thru, even if you didn't give him cash.



one time a bunch of guys jumped me and told me to give them my car. i don't know if that counts as panhandling or not.


normally i get annoyed by bums. there's lots of bums in my town and usually a lot in the towns i visit. in fact the last time i was in austin i seriously think there was a bum for every corner i saw. so four bums per intersection. and, for the first and only time in my life, i saw one being arrested.


as annoying as they are, i had mixed feelings about the event.


but normally i don't give them money cause i can't afford to. i needs mah money. if i was rich, i give them money like crazy.