Panhandlers at Truck Stops

You'll just have to take my word for this....When I tell someone to "#### off!" They usually get the hell away from me ASAP!

I have that kind of charm....

 

It doesn't help that I'm 5'9" 150lbs. I'm pretty skinny. I probably look friendly or something.

It always shocks people if I stand right up and get rude when approached. If I'm having a bad day and one of these people has the audacity to bother me in my truck or at a pump, I'll say "before you ask, whatever it is "NO"'..

I almost did that today, but it turned out to be another driver asking what kind of oil to put in his reefer... he saw me walk away from mine to fill my thermos at a Flying J this morning. He looked like a panhandler and I was ready to yell at him, but I'm glad I was patient. Would have been embarrassing if I freaked out on him only to find out he had a legitimate question.

As angry as it makes me that I have to be bothered on my free time, I've learned I have to wait to be sure I'm not dealing with another good person before I assume it's a beggar or scammer.

 

I had one walk over to me tonight while I'm sitting here in my truck....He asked me if he could polish my wheels.
I told him, Sure...But I'm not gonna give you anything for doing them.

He stood there for a minute looking at me...So I said, "Get the #### out'a here!"

He left...I hate bums!

 

i had about 2 bucks in change in my pocket when a guy came up and ask for money, i gave him the change he threw it on the ground like he was offended. he must have wanted bigger bills. never again.

 

For some reason the local beggars have quit asking for change. Now they give long desperate stories of how they're stranded and need $20 for gas. One woman "hits" me up about every two weeks where I work (not a good area) giving me the same "stranded" story. Only problem is I know where she lives down the street and she's lived there for years

Here in Joplin a day or two after the May tornado, I was sitting across the street from the largest relief center in town and a woman approached me saying she was stranded and wondered where she could get $20 gas money. Kind of shocked wondering why she wasn't there asking for help instead of asking me, I pointed to it and told her to go there. She literally threw a fit yelling "I thought you'd just give it to me!" and stormed off. Apparently wasn't the answer she wanted to hear

The "fraud" claims from the tornado are rampant around here. I was shocked to hear a friend of mine say he applied for assistance and is receiving $6k worth of free work on his house. It's located miles north of the tornado area. He's having his kitchen and bathroom remodeled.

 

Went to one of those local do it yourelf car washes the other week...and it was like that scene from 'Airplane'...when the Captain walks through the airport...

I was like 'no, nO, No'...and they just kept coming...

'Hey maaan, I'm just trying to earn some extra money, ya know, let me dry it off for you'.....'no'....

I mean gosh, I'm not a employment agencie...

A certain enjoyment comes from doing things yourself...and I just felt like getting out, and cleaning truck myself...with my own hands...a little excercise...

Do they think I'm so lazy that I can't even wash or dry off my own vehicle...

It's like they were lined up, each with a different scheme...

'Got some super duper soap for sale'...'NO'.....'Let me hit those rims for you'...No....
'How about that interior'...no no no....

Good hvns...so finally I just left...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4CizzE-zZo[/ame]

 

I had some skinny little dude hop on the step of my RUNNING dump truck a few years back as I was stopped at the end of an offramp waiting for the light to turn green. He wanted me to gib him a dollah. I calmly looked at him, grabbed the air horn cord and held it down til he all but fell off the side of the truck. Scared the tar outta him...guess as a woman I'm an easy target... MUWAHAHAHA!! Luck for him he took my "gentle hint."

 

having worked at a convenience store, i have seen them all. my favorite was when they didnt have enough gas to get home. my response was why did you come so far from home knowing you wouldnt have enough gas to get back?
then there was the guy that once he was shooed away from my store, went about 2 miles down the road in his nice new cadillac to the other convenience store in the neighborhood.
wait til you get called unamerican if you dont give them some of your hard earned cash.

 

I stopped giving out cash after a guy approached my truck...said "I'm trying to get home can you help, I'm out of gas"...I gave him $5.00...He looked at it, looked at me and said "It's not enough, I only run premium." Said give it back then..he didn't.

 

I was approached by a guy late one night at the FlyingJ in Baytown TX. He came up to me, told me some sob story but I tuned it out as I've heard a million of 'em. Towards the end he asked me if I could spare anything at all that would be great.

I told him if he would mind if it was in quarters. For some reason I always end up with a lot of quarters. I save them for laundry days, really. Maybe once in awhile I'll use them at a Pilot in the sticker machines and get a lame one or a Hannah Montana sticker and then I'll put it inside the bill box of some other company's trailer. But I digress..

Anyway, he said he didn't mind at all so I counted out $3 in quarters and gave it to him. You'd think I just handed him a $100 bill he was so happy and thankful. He also asked, if I didn't mind, if I could spare a cigarette so I gave him two. He asked if there was anything he could do for me (keep your mind clean on that one, fellas) or if I had any garbage that needed to be thrown away that he could do for me. I told him no, I'm fine, and to have a good night.

I've offered quarters to other panhandlers and they just walked away. I guess they weren't that desperate.