Beggar on the bus

ps he was very polite too.

How many of us carry cash nowdays? I rarely have any coins.

A very dodgy situation as you had no idea what his mental state was. I think if I had a purse on me with just coins I'd maybe have got a £1 coin out to appease him. I would not have got a purse/wallet with notes or bank cards out, in case he snatched it.

A while back I was in a conference in Dublin, at the break I took a wander and was approached by a young man tidying dressed who asked for a few euros, I asked him the reason and he said he had locked himself out of his car by leaving the keys etc in the car and shut the door, he needed to get the luas(tram) home to get the spare key, of course I gave him the fare, and I would have given that young man a pound or two , I have 2 young sons and would hate if no one helped them in time of need,

Witzend

How many of us carry cash nowdays? I rarely have any coins.

I do. I often give a pound or two out.

I have both card and cash on me
I might have given him a pound I think

Some years ago I did give some cash to a young chap who approached me with a ‘desperate’ story about needing the bus fare to a town a few miles away, where his child was ill in hospital.

I almost knew it was a scam, but gave what he asked anyway - no more than £3.

A few months later I was on a bus with my sister, when he got on and sat a couple of rows ahead. I recognised him immediately, and evidently he recognised me too.
When he got off a few stops later, he gave me a long, smirking look on the way out. It said as clearly as anything, ‘Yes, it was me! And yes, you were a right mug to fall for it!’

I am always running the gauntlet of charity muggers sitting just outside Shop doors. I sweep past because I never have coins on me and if you explain this to them, they say they accept card payments. Consequently, I get the dead eye.
The point is you really shouldn't ask for money these days, as many do not carry cash and there is real fear from being accosted for money.

I often give people money.
I give to homeless and alcohol/drug charities too.

I used to deliberately keep a coin or two in my pocket in case I wanted to give it to someone.
I don't like getting my wallet out really but having worked with drug/alcohol useless and the homeless I don't think they are really so different to the rest of us.

Few years back, there was a older lady trying to get money off people, she stationed herself by the cash point.
Not sure she got much though.

I keep change in my pocket and give to some who are entertaining us with music and songs. Also to one very old bloke who sits on a step in town and calls out spare change. Also a lovely man who sells the Big Issue outside M & S. He once asked me if I would mind taking his m& S voucher and give him the cash instead. I promised him I wouldn't run off with it but I'd have to get a £10 note from the ATM in M&S. We laughed and I said I don't suppose a pair of boxer shorts was big on his need list.No he said. It might feel a bit different if you are stuck on a bus though.

I would probably not have offered any cash - though these sorts of decisions are often made in the heat of the moment and based on a gut feeling - but in normal circumstances it would not have entered my mind in that particular scenario that he might produce a gun or a knife!
Am I too innocent, having never actually lived in a town or city?

NotSpaghetti. I have never forgotten learning that a friend some 30 years ago always carried a few coins in her pocket for that purpose. She had worked in London, so was used to being asked for money, and while she was kind enough to sometimes give some, she was wise enough not to think of getting out her purse in some isolated subway. Still good advice, I think, for those who do still carry some cash on them.

The charity chuggrs outside the super markets dont want money, they want you to sign up to a direct debit. I do 2 dds of my own choice already so won't do a third.

I wouldnt have given any money in your situation OP on a bus. Had everyone done so that would be £20 or 30 in 10 minutes. A good hourly rate. I expect he caught the next bus going back and did the same. Sorry but I wouldnt have believed him.

I dont usually carry cash, but have given a few £s to the Big Issue young woman in our town on a cold day for a hot drink. And put a coin in the hat of a busker on the underground...if they are good.

I would have turned away, looked out of the window, keeping a very firm grip on my bag on my lap.

I wouldn’t have given him any money, even if I had change on me which is unlikely.

I would have expected most of the other bus passengers to have reacted in the same way, but by comments on here, it seems not!

I usually give a pound or two, though with homeless people in the street I do get them a sandwich and a drink if I can.
I also try to chat with them because they are human beings and usually like to be treated as such.
I often go by the saying ‘here by the grace of God go I.’
But am not a saint if I see someone shouting and acting up in the street, or looking a bit hostile, I give them a wide berth.

My sister gave money to a man who said he needed a pound for something or other. She gave him what he asked for then next thing she knew, she was surrounded by five or six men all demanding money off her and complaining that she wasn’t treating them fairly. My sister was a very timid person and she was terrified, poor soul.

I think you have to weigh up each situation according to the circumstances. If I thought there might be the slightest threat I would give him the £1 likewise if I felt there was a genuine need but
I wouldn’t hesitate to say I don’t carry cash if I felt I was being taken advantage of.

Although of course there are genuinely homeless people, a lot of beggars are not.

It’s big business these days.
Certain ‘patches’ especially in up market or tourist areas, are hotly contested as they provide a very lucrative income from naive but well meaning people.

A few years ago a newspaper journalist spent the day in Windsor talking to taxi drivers who revealed that the ‘homeless’
hailed taxis to drive them home at the end of a very profitable day.

Boz

I am always running the gauntlet of charity muggers sitting just outside Shop doors. I sweep past because I never have coins on me and if you explain this to them, they say they accept card payments. Consequently, I get the dead eye.
The point is you really shouldn't ask for money these days, as many do not carry cash and there is real fear from being accosted for money.

... they say they accept card payments.

Of course they do. And they think you're likely to get out your bank card to give them the details for a £1 donation? We know they want you to sign up to a regular commitment.

I realise charities are suffering - but apart from the fact that the cost-of-living is squeezing many people's purses - it could also be due to the fact that their methods simply get people's backs up.

I've even had these muggers at my door - during dinner... told them I don't make financial decisions on the spot, and certainly not on the doorstep whilst my dinner is being put back in the oven to keep warm.

I also understand charities cannot be run as they were in the 'old' days, but these chuggers get paid by commercial agents who are paid by the charities. I'm not signing up to pay their wages - why don't they, in the spirit of 'charity' - do it voluntarily?

To those who might suggest this isn't workable - well, the commoditisation model isn't working very well either!

"The point is you really shouldn't ask for money these days, as many do not carry cash and there is real fear from being accosted for money."

I agree Boz. Afraid they'll have to stick to the method that we're all encouraged to use for financial transactions these days - online.

That gives an opportunity for creativity, too. And - there are web-designers who will work for free - I know that because a friend found one when he was setting up his business, and there are talented-people who can do this on an amateur-basis, also.

Anyway, if you've read this far, thanks for allowing me to witter on about one of my 'pet hates'.

I never engage with chuggers. I had one knock at the door last week and before he had a chance to speak I told him I wasn’t interested. I did, however, offer him a bottle of water,
which he gladly accepted, given that it was a very hot day.

In my local town I have offered to buy sandwiches and drinks for rough sleepers and I give money to the street musicians as they are quite talented and lovely to listen to.