How Often Will You Give A Random Stranger Asking For Money The Benefit Of The Doubt

[Sly Cooper]

One time I had someone come up sounding very upset to ask for some money, the entire thing could have been a show to gain sympathy even of the issue was real, they likely feel someone sounding upset and sad could get more money.

I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, this does not happen THAT often, here and there, I do hear some people say they get asked several time each day. These days it is rather easy NOT to have cash on you and most are NOT going to have someone follow them to an ATM for a few dollars.

[Shamrock]

I don't give money to anyone but my boys (grand kids) and they don't ask for it.

(Except, one day last week, a little old lady in front of me in the grocery line was $1.89 short and I gave the cashier the money - it is not that I'm a nice person - I just didn't want to wait until she figured out what item she wanted to return. LOL)

[NYCgal]

Originally Posted by Shamrock

I don't give money to anyone but my boys (grand kids) and they don't ask for it.

(Except, one day last week, a little old lady in front of me in the grocery line was $1.89 short and I gave the cashier the money - it is not that I'm a nice person - I just didn't want to wait until she figured out what item she wanted to return. LOL)

I give when it suits me and little in the way of sad sack type stories can move me if I don't chose to "hear" it.

[JoW]

Almost never. I might give someone a quarter so they can use a pay phone. Beyond that, if they ask the answer is "no". There are too many scammers running around.

[MamaBoogie]

If someone is asking for money outside of a restaurant, I will offer to buy them a meal. I have not been taken up on that offer. Otherwise, I do not give. I give enough in taxes for some on "assistance" to buy their drugs alcohol. I literally "give at work".

[jimzmum]

In public? I am assuming you mean a friend asks you to pay for something because they have no money. Unless it is an emergency, then never.

[Sly Cooper]

Originally Posted by jimzmum

In public? I am assuming you mean a friend asks you to pay for something because they have no money. Unless it is an emergency, then never.

I was thinking of a random stranger.

[momto4]

Never. I donate to charity. Too many scammers.

My mom gives all the time. A few months back a lady in line in front of her was short a few bucks on her bill. My mom paid it...and the lady took offense and instead of thanking my mom, got nasty with her. My poor mom called me, all upset. Wanting to know if she was wrong to give. Pathetic when you try to help and are treated like a bad person.

[Sly Cooper]

Originally Posted by momto4

Never. I donate to charity. Too many scammers.

My mom gives all the time. A few months back a lady in line in front of her was short a few bucks on her bill. My mom paid it...and the lady took offense and instead of thanking my mom, got nasty with her. My poor mom called me, all upset. Wanting to know if she was wrong to give. Pathetic when you try to help and are treated like a bad person.

I am a calm person overall, if I tried to be helpful and was meet with that I would try to reason with them, basically thinking there is no reason to be a nasty rude ....... something. These are the type of reasons people are scared to help or get involved with anything, you see something pass out, you go to help and they somehow blame you for further injury (I know most are not like that) too many people have zero morals and take whatever they can get.

[MsBee]

I don't give strangers money any more. Too many times I have discovered after giving them a hand out that this is their 'job' - to beg for money or have seen them hop into the driver's seat of a vehicle that was newer and nicer than mine and that they use the money for drugs/alcohol.
I have given food to someone outside the grocery and I give food, clothing, household goods, and money to charities.

[Sly Cooper]

Originally Posted by MsBee

I don't give strangers money any more. Too many times I have discovered after giving them a hand out that this is their 'job' - to beg for money or have seen them hop into the driver's seat of a vehicle that was newer and nicer than mine and that they use the money for drugs/alcohol.
I have given food to someone outside the grocery and I give food, clothing, household goods, and money to charities.

It is hard for me to say no or I am not able to, yet I will if I have no money on me which can happen, debit cards and all.

I could try that some day, someone acts like they are really hungry and needs food and say I have no cash we can go buy you something and see what they say. One time there was this person that still had a place to live yet was sitting around asking for money and smoking.

I have heard of stories of people doing this as a job and making more then some people with standard jobs, how many or how true, no idea.

[MsBee]

It is true that people do this as a 'job.' I've seen it many times. In one town where I used to go there was always the same guy standing on the same street corner - year after year.
I really don't have that much cash on me - I only keep a very small amount for an emergency and their asking for a handout is not an emergency to me.
Yes, if someone were smoking I would definitely not give then a cent - even though they may have gotten that cigarette as a handout, if they have the habit, they don't need to be enabled by giving them money to buy more.

[bmma]

I always keep a spare $10 on me in case someone looks like they need money. It won't break me and I was taught that you never know a person's situation so I try not to judge.

[Bopeep]

I got burned once when I gave someone my last $5 before payday so they could buy gas, and then saw them hanging out behind a liquor store, so I'll never fall for it again.

[winky]

I think I probably share this here before but once on my way home from work I stopped for milk or something at our neighborhool convenience store. There was a woman sitting on the curb crying. She came up to me and showed me her electric bill and it did say it would be cut off. It was in our Texas summer heat and she needed $ to pay it. I can't even remember right now how much I gave her but something like $35 or so. She was so grateful. Yeah, right....a week or so later she was pulling the same stunt at the same store and when she saw me she turned her face away. I did walk up to the person she was scamming that day and told them what happened with me. She had the same electric bill in her hand! She quickly left and I never saw her again. So now....no, not unless it's charity donations and then I'm picky.

[DecoMom]

Used to be that the occasional young person — teenager, generally — could get bus fare from me. That hasn't happened in so long now that I figure most have switched to the transit card. I have been treated so offensively by some people when I truly have not been in a position to give that I simply don't even consider it anymore.

[Comingbacktolife]

I've learned, the hard way, to never give cash to strangers. Like others have said, there are hordes of scammers, out there, and I'm tired of being "played." Now, I simply tell them that I'm a credit card gal, and walk away. Usually, they're on to their next victim, before I've taken two steps.

[Mimilee]

I will not give strangers money. I was going in a Dollar Tree once and a young guy out front approached me with a sad story about his family needing food and asked if I could give him some money. I said no, but that I would be glad to take him in the store and buy some food. He refused, making up some lame excuse. That was proof enough that he really wasn't wanting food!

[Mr.Design]

Just happened to me on Thursday in the Lowes parking lot.

A woman started shouting at me from across the parking lot. She came running up and said she was out of gas and her kids were with the babysitter and she was late to pick them up.

I pointed to the BJ's gas station that is in the same parking lot. She said she didn't have a membership. I said there was another station right across the road and pointed at it. She said she didn't have a gas can. I said they probably have one you can borrow. Then she said "Well, can you spare some money for the gas?" I said I don't carry cash and she walked away and then ran up to somebody else.

Could she have telling the truth? Maybe. Was she? Probably not.

[MsP]

Never and I resent stores allowing them to be hanging around outside. I paid $45.00 an hour to have off duty officers in our parking lot for the protection of the customers. Some of them are nutty but some are also dangerous. The same for people trying to sell items at parking lots.

[Gunckel]

I've learned that the majority of people that ask you for money, if they are asking for it for a specific reason, don't want it for that at all. I have become good at just saying, "No." Too often if you give them any more of a reason, they've either stopped listening after no, or they are just going to tell you off for not wanting to give away your hard earned cash to them.

My favorite was the person who walked up to me at the bus stop asking me for money for bus fare and he was holding a honey bun in each hand. I asked him where the money came from to buy the honey buns if he knew he needed to ride the bus. He didn't have an answer.

Or another favorite of mine, they ask for bus fare, and if you go to hand them a bus token, they look at you like you have two heads... obviously bus fare was not what they really wanted!

[Sly Cooper]

I had had people ask for a quarter, that was it, in that case I am going to think they really were short and just needed a quarter.

[Gunckel]

Originally Posted by Sly Cooper

I had had people ask for a quarter, that was it, in that case I am going to think they really were short and just needed a quarter.

I've had that happen to me and I've asked them what they were going to do with just a quarter. I think they were going to use it toward a cup of coffee or something. I was less cynical then, I went ahead and gave them enough money to buy a cup.

[Sly Cooper]

Originally Posted by Gunckel

I've had that happen to me and I've asked them what they were going to do with just a quarter. I think they were going to use it toward a cup of coffee or something. I was less cynical then, I went ahead and gave them enough money to buy a cup.

The last time here was for the bus.

Once someone asked for bus fair of twenty dollars....... yeah, a bit much there.