Attention Suburban Panhandlers
Posted on | April 12, 2006 at 5:29 pm | 5 Comments
You’re probably not going to get any donations by camping out near the exit to a big box store parking lot, especially when there is no stoplight at that exit and drivers leaving the parking lot are entirely focused on watching for a break in the cross traffic and trying to make a speedy right turn (or a rare, incredibly dangerous, left turn). And the cars on the street have nowhere to stop and throw money at you. To me, this says that you’re not really serious about this whole panhandling thing. I’m sorry that Denver has passed laws making it hard for you to do your business there, but that doesn’t mean you can throw logic out the window just because you are in the suburbs and people aren’t used to your presence. Relying on the kindness of strangers only works if the strangers have a way to actually give you something (other than a bemused smirk).
(Wish I had at least taken a cell phone photo, but I was too busy watching for a break in the traffic.)
Latre.
Comments
5 Responses to “Attention Suburban Panhandlers”
April 12th, 2006 @ 8:28 pm
I almost never give money to panhandlers (heck, I don’t even carry cash that often these days), but for a long time I kept a box of that semi-soft dogfood in the car for those I saw who had pets. (the semisoft “burgers” smell so bad I figured it was less likely to be eaten by the human…) More recently, I would take granola bars or whatever from the snackrooms at my temp jobs and keep them in the car to hand out, but as you said, so many of them stand at busy intersections for some reason.
Hollywood is positively teeming with homeless people but surprisingly few of them are actually panhandling, for some reason.
April 13th, 2006 @ 5:07 am
Which big-box store? Just curious.
April 13th, 2006 @ 7:01 am
Actually, it was a complex with a Wal-Mart, PetSmart, and Costco. Not sure if that qualifies as official “big box” stores, but they look like big boxes to me.
April 13th, 2006 @ 2:49 pm
What were you doing there?
April 13th, 2006 @ 3:06 pm
Buying underwear. Looking for panhandlers.