Beggars

[Flamingo]

I never get approached or stopped by chuggers. Should I take it personally?

 

[DownSouth]

I never get approached or stopped by chuggers. Should I take it personally?

That might depends on whether or not you would view constructive criticisms about your hygiene as being 'personal'

 

[Flamingo]

That might depends on whether or not you would view constructive criticisms about your hygiene as being 'personal'

I'll have you know I am the very epitome of style and elegance! One of my colleagues recently saw me in civvies and said that I looked like a senior member of the landed gentry!

(Well, her exact wording was "You look like an old farmer", but I knew what she was implying...)

 

[Antman]

I never get approached or stopped by chuggers. Should I take it personally?

Could you let me into your secret?

 

[Flamingo]

Could you let me into your secret?

I refer the honourable member to my previous post

 

[Busaholic]

Could you let me into your secret?

Just look like you've escaped from a secure institution or are on parole having served seventeen years - works a treat for me every time.

 

[Clip]

Those giving out the God pamphlets are Jehovahs Witnesses and they seem to be everywhere and have been for some time. Must be nearing the end of the world or something

 

[ExRes]

Those giving out the God pamphlets are Jehovahs Witnesses and they seem to be everywhere and have been for some time. Must be nearing the end of the world or something

Talk about the end of the world just beggars belief ........

 

[Merseysider]

Those giving out the God pamphlets are Jehovahs Witnesses and they seem to be everywhere and have been for some time. Must be nearing the end of the world or something

They're always outside Manchester Victoria come rain or shine. They never bother me and I always ignore them but I do pity someone who has nothing better to do all day than just stand there offering mini-bibles out to people.

 

[ExRes]

They're always outside Manchester Victoria come rain or shine. They never bother me and I always ignore them but I do pity someone who has nothing better to do all day than just stand there offering mini-bibles out to people.

Why feel pity for people who do something because they feel it's a good thing to do ?, just because you or I might not share their beliefs doesn't mean we are any better than them

 

[Johnnie2Sheds]

Best I had was a young lady on New Street concourse, she came up with a story about losing her ticket and couldn't get back to Worcester. At the time(don't know if you still can) stations operated a transfer voucher system. Whereby if a relative paid at one end the BO at the other could issue a ticket. I asked her if she had her parents phone number, and described the process to her, whilst walking towards the windows. Imagine my surprise when I received quite a few Anglo Saxon words and quite a few rude gestures. Still didn't stop me grinning through them though. Silly little sod. I walk on by now.

 

[Clip]

Yes you can still do that it is called a S.I.L.K - Stranded Individual Location Known


Bet she didn't like you after doing that for her!!

 

[Johnuk123]

Those giving out the God pamphlets are Jehovahs Witnesses and they seem to be everywhere and have been for some time. Must be nearing the end of the world or something

I have a relative who never showed any interest whatsoever in any religion until she was given a JW leaflet in Birmingham about 10 years ago.

She is now one of their top co-ordinators in the West Midlands and has completely given over her whole life to the "cause".
She has abandoned every-day normal life and has nothing whatsoever to do with anybody including her children because they don't "believe".

This shows that now and again their methods actually work even if the percentage is very very small.

 

[Busaholic]

I have a relative who never showed any interest whatsoever in any religion until she was given a JW leaflet in Birmingham about 10 years ago.

She is now one of their top co-ordinators in the West Midlands and has completely given over her whole life to the "cause".
She has abandoned every-day normal life and has nothing whatsoever to do with anybody including her children because they don't "believe".

This shows that now and again their methods actually work even if the percentage is very very small.

It's just as well they don't call for Jihad, or its JW alternative.

 

[Antman]

Just look like you've escaped from a secure institution or are on parole having served seventeen years - works a treat for me every time.

Hey............that's my normal look

Actually I do find that if I'm wearing earphones then chuggers don't normally bother

 

[jon0844]

It's just as well they don't call for Jihad, or its JW alternative.

In some parts of east London, they do give out similar leaflets for Islam. Funnily enough, I've not been offered one - but I have seen them discarded on the floor.

I bet if the media ever decided to get interested in these religious people out to recruit/convert people, I know which group will be highlighted!

 

[pne]

If they come to me saying something along the lines of 'I only 50p short to buy my ticket home' then usually I'll offer to buy the ticket for them (from machine or booking office) in exchange for the rest of the money they've gathered. So far no one has taken me up on the offer...

Though even if you had bought them a ticket, they might have turned around once you had gone and asked for a refund at a different ticket window.

They might lose the £10 admin charge but depending on the ticket might still come out ahead.

 

[Mojo]

I never get approached or stopped by chuggers. Should I take it personally?

Had a charity collector knock on my door the other night.

Her: "Hello, is your Mum or Dad in?"
Me: "I live here by myself... this is my house."

Flustered her a bit but she still gave me the talk :cry:

 

[ainsworth74]

Though even if you had bought them a ticket, they might have turned around once you had gone and asked for a refund at a different ticket window.

They might lose the £10 admin charge but depending on the ticket might still come out ahead.

Could do but then most tickets they're saying they need money for, in my experience, are in the region of £5 to £10 anyway so they wouldn't be able to get any money back.. But as I say no one has yet taken me up on that offer which I think is more telling.

 

[maniacmartin]

Had a charity collector knock on my door the other night.

Her: "Hello, is your Mum or Dad in?"
Me: "I live here by myself... this is my house."

Flustered her a bit but she still gave me the talk :cry:

I've had that. Sometimes they ask when my parents will be back, and I reply with about six months possibly

 

[Bletchleyite]

They might lose the £10 admin charge but depending on the ticket might still come out ahead.

While they probably technically shouldn't, in my experience most ticket offices will do a "non-issue" for any reason provided it's near enough immediately.

Neil

 

[headshot119]

Had a charity collector knock on my door the other night.

Her: "Hello, is your Mum or Dad in?"
Me: "I live here by myself... this is my house."

Flustered her a bit but she still gave me the talk :cry:

You probably needed the talk if you're parents weren't around

 

[Tetchytyke]

It's just as well they don't call for Jihad, or its JW alternative.

They do, it's just fortunate that the JW equivalent of jihad is rather more passive. They just let God decide when he's going to do the smiting, rather than taking it on themselves to do it for him.

The ones outside Apsley station seem a nice enough bunch of people, to tell the truth, although my answer to "Why does God allow x?" is always "because he doesn't exist".

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I have removed beggers of trains several times as a TOC employee - once called a "fascist" by some Hampstead Heath "do gooder" - delighted to see some of the other passengers back me up and round on her.

I will though buy some sandwiches / coffee for deserving cases (never give money) - and in fact my daughter bought a coffee for one in Covent Garden today - on explaining to the Barrista - she was only charged a £1. There are some genuine cases.

 

[SignalsMahler]

As mentioned before the people with the religious pamphlets are Jehovah Witnesses, the ones at Victoria are always very smartly dressed I've noticed.

I'd also caution against buying people tickets, some of these people run a scam where they get people to buy them tickets with a hard luck story and then go and get them refunded at the ticket office.

 

[deltic1989]

Around Nottingham the beggars tend to 'work' the bus queues. After a short think about it I have come to the conclusion that this is actually a rather clever strategy.
With NCT buses being exact fare only, you need to have change to pay your fare which in my case at any rate usually involves breaking a note with change to spare.
I think that the beggars know this and target the bus queues for this reason.

As an HGV Driver however the very best beggars that I have seen are the ones that go 'door to door' in lorry parks in the evenings when truckers are parking up for the night.
One I had stated that he had been a driver himself for 20 years until he had to stop for medical reasons and the loss of income lost him is wife, house, car etc. He seemed like a fairly genuine guy, and happily accepted the cup of tea and pot noodle I offered him. After a bit of a chat he went on his way with a few quid that other drivers had given him for a night shelter, and the numbers of some charities that could help.
I sometimes wonder about him.
Some of these style of beggar though could be distractions for a mate on the other side of the wagon trying to nick out of the trailer though, so eyes on the mirrors at all times.

 

[Tony2215]

Theres a man that appears to have no legs who sits outside the Arndale shopping centre in Manchester on a skateboard who I pass almost every day who is constantly begging. Yet everyone who passes always gives him a few pence without even questioning the fact that somebody in his condition must claim disability allowance and he rides his skateboard to the city centre everyday to earn his living. I never give him a donation.

 

[Y961 XBU]

Liverpools getting worse for it now as theres 2 Certain ones that walk into every sort of shop going asking for change, the other Day one got in the way of my photo to ask me for spare change!

I always give the same reply, I dont carry cash i pay by Card in shops then they leave you alone

 

[Bodiddly]

There's no need to be nasty or to ignore people so I smile say hello then say no. That's my response to ANYONE who asks me for money in the street, be that people begging for change or people begging for charity money.
Same thing in my book.

 

[jon0844]

One day they'll be bumping in to you to take £20 (£30 soon) off your credit or debit card!