hollowdweller said:
That's a common scam here. I have a system. If they lie to me I still give them money, but if they say they are trying to get enough $$ for a bottle of booze I give the twice the normal amount cause they are being honest.
I grew up working at my father's print shop that was located in a "bad" part of town. I heard every scam out imaginable, three stand out.
1. When I was about 17 a guy stopped me. He said, "Buddy I am not gonna lie to you. I need a drink and if you will give me a dollar, I will go straight to that bar over there and have one!"
I thought, finally this is an honest man. I gave him a fiver and he headed straight to the bar. I wallked on feeling good until a second guy stopped me and said, "Buddy I am nnot gonna lie to you, I need a drink..." I thought, "Crap, the newest scam."
I pointed to the first guy just heading into to the bar and told the second guy, "I just gave him my last fiver, you might want to check with him." He ran across the street.
2. The second instance was when one of my employees came in with a two foot piece of 3/4 inch galvenized pipe.
I asked him what he was doing with that and an interesting story unfolded.
Buel was a medium small guy who liked to drink and play pool after work. The night before, he was heading for the pool hall (I was smart enough not to travel those streets on foot at night).
He was approached by a guy carrying that same pipe. He was gripping one end and quietly asked Buel if he would like to buy that pipe. Buel told him no, he had no need for the pipe.
The man meaningfully thumped the pipe into his other hand and said, "I need $25 for this pipe. I don't care how much other money you are carrying --- but I NEED $25 FOR THIS PIPE!"
Buel said, "I think that $25 for that pipe is a good price when you put it that way."
He handed over the $25 and the guy gave him the pipe. I asked Buel why, when he had the pipe, he didn't tell the guy to give him back the money. Buel said that he liked the guy's style.
He also suggested that I should always carry at least $25 because that was the minimum price for a "hit." If someone tried to rob me and they coudn't get that much money, they very likely might beat the crap out of me in their frustration about not getting enough for a hit.
3. A good friend was in a crowded bar. A very stoned woman approached him and pointed a small revolver at him. She said, "Give me $25." Conrad said, "I'll give you $25 for the gun." She said, "Ok," and handed over the gun. Conrad kept his bagrain and gave her $25.
Personally I don't give these panhandling bums anything. In Atlanta we have plenty of work available. I feel that giving them money is enabling them. If nobody paid, they would go find meaningful work.
Now I do carry a gun and I have a neat badge that looks exactly like a police badge. I would never pretend to be an officer of the law, but it is amazing how many potential panhandlers give my belt a quick glance and go the other way.
