Maybe I'm an idjit ? or not ?

[shooterg]

Coming back from Myrtle Beach(the wife's idea of a vacation, not mine !) gassed up at a Sheetz in Danville VA.
Young fellow hollers, "Hey mister- hate to be asking, but I'm working a job and the wife and kid came to pick me up and run out've gas. She left her pocketbook at home(Lexington , NC) and I have no cash ". Well, a young lady and a three year(about) little girl were watching from the vehicle, so I gave him the $11 cash in my pocket.

Wife tells me I shoulda checked his gauge/etc. but when I saw the little one I just reached in my pocket.

So when we pulled out they're thankful they ran into this old Virginia redneck or they were laughing their heads off as to how big a patsy I was.

Unlike a Paul Harvey yarn, I'll never know "the rest of the story" !

[garym1a2]

While you will never know, the fact is you did help someone that needed money and has a small kid to feed.

[Finster101]

Yeah, I'm occasionally a sucker for those stories too. Maybe I helped someone maybe I got scammed, either way I've pissed away a lot more money than that on beer and junk food. I'll probably do it again too.

[jcren]

Ditto, been there and used to wonder if I had been had. Then I realized that I had done the right thing, whether they had or not.

[waksupi]

I stand at the Walmart exit, with a sign, "Will wrestle your mother in law for $5". I've had some interesting afternoons.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Several days back I stopped into a combo gas station/ McDonalds store. I filled my pick up with gas then went to get a coffee. As I was getting in my truck a 30ish gal with an about 8 or 9 year old girl approached me with a story about needing $37.50 for another night at a local motel. Being on a pension and wouldn`t see any check till Fri. I told her all I had was a $5 and some change. She readily took it. I later realised that the reason I gave her the 5 was the fact she had a great looking pair of `Gazoombas`!Robert

[Taylor]

I went to Lowes a couple of weeks back.There was a man holding a sign for a construction company..Help Wanted.Across the road,about 15 feet was a man with a woman and child holding a sigh..out of work,need food etc.

[thegatman]

I wonder where they get the money for the signs?

[Bookworm]

I have been approached several times at fuel stops. I never give cash. Sometimes I will put fuel in their tank, or if they plead hunger (and a young child is present) I'll purchase a large sandwich they can split up.
No money handed out. Too easy to convert cash to drugs.

[phonejack]

Several months ago the wife and I were leaving a resturant and we were panhandled by an older woman who said she needed a little money to buy some food for her grandkids. I asked how many and where were they. She pointed to the other side of a next door McDonalds and said 4. We started walking and I told her to get the kids and come into the McDonalds and I'll buy them whatever they wanted to eat. We went inside, she left by the opposite door and disappeared . Just wanted money I guess.

[jcwit]

I put money in the alms basket at church, never give money to folks. Way to many help wanted signs around here. Not hard to find a job!

[LakeviewBulldog]

I grew up in Northeast Ohio and I never had anyone come up to me at a gas station or store and ask me for money in 25 years. I moved to West Alabama and in the 5 years I've been down here it's probably happened 10 times. Always makes me nervous when someone walks up on me when I'm pumping gas. It happens so often that I just tell them to move along. My boss had the same guy give him the same out of gas sob story two weeks in a row. He got money the first time, didn't get it the second time.

[GONRA]

GONRA noted this ripoff several years ago in SE PA at "Quickie Mart" type Gas Stations.
Lasted a few months. Then it went away. Never saw it again....
Maybe some Real American shot 'em all? ???

[leeggen]

Worked at a filling station in the 90's in Fl, had a black guy come in and ask if he could trade me his gold necklace for 10.00 gas. I had already checked the car out as I washed the windsheild and it was clean no smoke or alcohol smells from the window, so I told him come back on his next trip thru and pay me. He left and the boss said he will not be back so we bet. in a week the guy came back and paid for the gas, also had his wife and daughter along to meet the nice mazn that helped him out to get home to them. We had a guy in a van supposedly from a church that wanted money for gas in his van, already at the pump, I didn't do it. Couple weeks later he ask me for gas again then in about a month he did the same thing. He was a begger that didn't need gas but did want money for drugs, the police ended his begging. Sometime your gut tells you what is going on.
CD

[DerekP Houston]

I have been approached several times at fuel stops. I never give cash. Sometimes I will put fuel in their tank, or if they plead hunger (and a young child is present) I'll purchase a large sandwich they can split up.
No money handed out. Too easy to convert cash to drugs.

I suppose that is a good method, I occasionally give in depending on my mood. I ain't a saint and I don't like listening to stupid stories either but sometimes it just looks different. It's way less than I blow on this dang hobby in a single purchase.

[KYCaster]

I stand at the Walmart exit, with a sign, "Will wrestle your mother in law for $5". I've had some interesting afternoons.


How many times have you got a good a** whoopin?

[54bore]

how many times have you got a good a** whoopin?

lol!!

[starmac]

You guys should stop at truckstops daily, I don't care which state. A guy would go broke if he helped them all, and go stark raving mad if he tried to figure out who was legit or not.

A guy had the island at the stopsign coming out of wallmart here for 3 years. He was there every day, even in winter on 40 below days, just wore new artic carharts. One day he was late getting to his job and another bum moved in on him, the law had to come break up the fight and jailed them both. lol

[mold maker]

When I was younger and had more spendable income I used to fall victim to those tales. I always included a bus card and you'd be surprised how many returned the favor.

[dtknowles]

What the frig over is it about panhandlers and truck stops. We have 4 I-10 exits in town, the one with the biggest truck stop has panhandlers on every corner but none at the other exits. Is it like some new world order hobo camp or what.

I know I don't know but I imagine the truck stop is a nest of prostitutes, bums, drug dealers, grifters and general rif raf.

Tim

[dragon813gt]

Don't make eye contact. Don't even acknowledge they are there and keep moving. May sound harsh but I have no time for people like this. You learn to ignore pan handlers when you live in an urban area.

[Bookworm]

[QUOTE=dtknowles;3695842
I know I don't know but I imagine the truck stop is a nest of prostitutes, bums, drug dealers, grifters and general rif raf.

Tim[/QUOTE]

Heck, that's just the drivers !

[Abenaki]

Years ago my wife was walking past a pharmacy. A man approached her. "was broke and needed meds for his sick kids".

Having been in that spot our selves, my wife told him to follow her into the pharmacy and she would pay for it.
He cussed her out!!!!! wanted cash!!!

Take care
Abenaki

[Blackwater]

I've done that and worse. My Dad was the kind of guy who'd give you his last dollar or the shirt off his back because he felt sure he could get another one better than most folks could. Neither of us ever regretted any act of kindness, though I'm sure we've both been taken a time or two. The sight of that little child would have persuaded me to have done just as you did. At least she'd always have that picture of someone giving of themselves to help another. That ain't no small thing in the world of many today. You did the best thing you could probably have done, IMO. Opinions will vary, but giving in to cynicism is never a good idea in my book. It's a dead end street there. If you were a fool, you were a darned good and heartfelt one. I like that in a man.

[Mica_Hiebert]

Had a couple of young men knock on my door asking if they could mow my way over grown yard that I had gotten behind on because of a hand injury. They where honest and told me they needed some cigarettes and gas (driving a ratty old irok z) said they'd do it for 8 bucks with my equipment and gas. I have a large lawn and I got one of them set up with a weed eater and the other push mowed the whole thing nice and slow, bagged all the clippings and put them in the yard bin. Looked like a Profesional landscape company had done it. $8? I paid them $40 I respect work ethic. I have little use for people who want hand outs. You can usually weed out the people down on their luck and the trash by offering them some odd jobs around your place... better yet that guy holding a cardboard sign offer him a cold can of beer and see how fast he snatches it out of your hands.

[RED BEAR]

good on you i would rather get taken once in a while than to go through life thinking every one was trying to take advantage. happy to see there are good people still out there