Oct 09 2008
Panhandlers Do Make Money or PDMM
I KNEW IT! I have often said that the guys at the corner make big money. We have all seen the panhandlers at the corner, up by the stop sign who hold up their signs. I hate to be the one first at the light because that means they are standing right beside my car. I avert my eyes so I don’t come in eye contact. I mean, I am sure they are making good money doing their panhandling but what if they really are in dire straits? What if they have tried to get a legitimate job and failed? I have no way of knowing so I try not to look them in the eye.
I just read an article on CNN online that lead me to the results of a Spokane research company. The results said that some of those panhandlers are not homeless and can make up to $40 per hour! I was right!
Where is some cardboard and my magic marker? I need to scope out a good stoplight.
24 Responses to “Panhandlers Do Make Money or PDMM”
[...] Original Karen [...]
I thought so! One day last week I saw the ‘regular’ guy who is ALWAYS in front of my grocery store at the local pizza place carrying a bunch of pizzas (that I cannot afford) and his friend had a bunch of soda. Then he (the panhandler guy) got in his CAR and drove away!
It so annoys me because he is really assertive and rude to me, even though he wants a hand out.
I gotta go get my marker and cardboard out too…I will meet ya at the corner.
Those people drive me crazy! Some of us work our asses off for what we have. The people who give them money need a good reality check and should put their money to more worthy causes! This is such a soap box subject for me:)
Shannon
That is the last time I give a homeless man money.
ginas last blog post..Britney Goes Nude
In Soho in London the beggars make a small fortune a day from this. The trouble is how do you tell the difference between a genuine one and a fraud.
Marks last blog post..The Ritz Hotel London
True, the beggars in London make more money a day than i do for working my behind off!!
what i have done in the past is rather than give these people money, i go buy them a coffee. One guy was so gratefull as it was a cold day, so i guessed he was genuine, another was offended and asked for money!!!
I never give money… I go buy them a mickey d’s… If they are hungry… they appreciate it… if they aren’t I didn’t waste a whole lot… but I will not support them….
Christina thecoffeeladys last blog post..Join me for a Walk About….
i feel sorry for the really old folks. they shouldn’t be out in the streets. and these panhandlers are going to deter people from giving handouts to the old ones.
seriously?? $40 an hour?? this is why i never give money to homeless people. i have no way of knowing if they really need it or, if they do, if they’re even going to use it for food.
I’ll be right there with you! At $40 an hour, I can stand out in the rain and look bedraggled
OMG!!!!!!!! I wish I had the guts to stand out there and do that! I’ve never made $40 an hour in my whole working life time!
Juless last blog post..IZEA Insider
Living in Baltimore we have our fair share of panhandlers and yes in traffic I have been known to look away. Until this post it would not have occurred to me that they may be making a living and now trying to figure out who is really in need. I agree with a previous post about offering food and if they take it in appreciation then maybe they really are homeless. In todays economy most people are only one paycheck away from being out on the street, which reminds me of a Lucille Ball tv movie called Stone Pillow about how a women became a baglady. So as a last note maybe they are making a living, but sometimes it makes me feel good to help others even it is not fully needed.
No doubt in my mind that they generate a nice income from panhandling.
Breezies last blog post..Re: Saturday Comment Exchange (10-11)
Sure, some of them are scammers–and some use the money for drugs… but some *are* just destitute.
veings last blog post..Designer Lifestyle
I remember an incident some time back when we met someone begging for money and my wife offered him a job. He spat at us and started swearing at us.
Presumably he makes more money this way …
I’ve known for a while that many “do it for a living,” and no I do not give each and every time. But sometimes, my gut tells me this is a person in real need. I’ve also given a buck to someone I knew was scamming me. However, I look at it more from a karma sort of view… should, god forbid, I ever be in a position that to feed my family I’d even have to resort to this type of behavior, maybe all my “good deeds” will be on my side (thus, maybe avoiding the problem completely). Not at all a Bible reader, but in there I do know that widows and orphans (kids) we are all responsible for… hoping that dollar gets to the right person/people. Interesting post, definitely provokes lots of opinions!
You fall for them at the start, but when you see them at the same place on many occasions, with the identical dilema, then you get wary.
Feroxs last blog post..The Fire Bird
I often see panhandlers on a certain corner here too. I too avoid eye contact. I feel bad, but like you, I can’t tell who is scammer and who isn’t.
Lisas last blog post..Why I Should Be An Izea Insider
There’s all kind of people in every area of our lives and every area of our world…
I know I personally have heard of panhandlers actually being wealthy people.
They are wealthy cause they panhandle. Its crazy.
Stomphoofs last blog post..Shakers Cafe
I’ve known this for a while. I just keep my money in my pocket.
It’s so hard to tell. I’m such a softie that I give them the benefit of the doubt. But I’d much rather give to a charity than to an individual. This way there’s some kind of tracking of who is getting the money (if you check into the charities correctly!).
What city are we talking here? I am on my way!
windyridges last blog post..Sam, Fiber and Stuff
Think about it, you don’t even need to go buy expensive suits or dresses. Just show up to “work” dressed like a bum, and you’ve got it made lol! Actually it’s deceitful if that’s what they are doing. So many people in the world who need real help.