Man outside Mcdonalds asking for money!!!

[salsmum]

I went for a scan yesterday and it was confirmed I have very painful gall stones having had no cuppa for 6 hours and little food we stopped at Mcd for a drink n snack....a man was stood outside and approached my DP for money for some food..my DP said he only had a card and later when I asked my DP how much money he showed him in his hand my DP said he said he was 89p short for a meal EVEN THOUGH he clearly had 2 £1 coins in his hand...I myself know what it's like to struggle and at times we still do BUT Aldis was a spit away and even if he wanted a Mcds I'm sure he could have got a drink and small burger for just over £2/£2.50 do you think IABU to say that he should 'cut his cloth accordingly and settled for an alternative to his 'make it large meal?' I thought it was quite cheeky.

You sound really mean - I'd have bought him a meal on my card.

I agree with Exit. He was ballsy enough to ask, you exercised your right to decline. So what.

Cundtbake You know most people in your situation would feel pity, and grateful that they weren't in such a desperate position themselves....What situation would that be??????? don't even go there! I have spent 12 years as a single parent,gone without food myself to feed my children,gone to bed early to keep warm, been widowed AND have had to live on a pittance after giving up my CARERS job (part time) to stay at home FULL TIME to care for my severely disabled DD please for one minute do not think that I have not been there and got the t-shirt and still do have to watch the pennies but I was always told to cut my cloth accordingly...so even though MNs don't want me to judge this man they see fit to judge ME as someone without pity, empathy and with plenty of cash who is too selfish to share it with ANYONE...this could NOT be further from the truth! Scam artists do not stand outside Mcdonalds LOL! no they stand in a place where everyone knows where they are.

Maybe he saw you as someone who had also had a tough life and hoped you would be sympathetic then? Perhaps he got that wrong...

Did you tell him to shop at Aldi?

Next you will give him the MN recipes book.

Wow and haven't all those hard times helped you develop empathy...

Firstly- how do you know he wasn't homeless? Hostels do have showers!
Secondly- it always amazes me how those who have been closest to poverty and escaped it, are quickest to judge those who are still there.
Perhaps this man was being cheeky, however, I would be asking myself, how has he come to a point in life where he is standing begging outside macdonalds.

Hey Stripey, I thought the same as you - and I live bear Deptford. Maybe it's something round here...

People ask for money anywhere and everywhere. Some are mentally unwell, some have alcohol and drug dependencies to fund, I suppose some are just trying their luck, but I reckon that's a small number. It's a testament to you that you have coped with some things that no one would wish for, but not everyone is as resilient. You can, and should, take pride in yourself, but maybe just try to understand what might lead someone to be asking for money, even if you don't agree with it.

Homeless people can't cut any cloth they have nothing to cut.

Your DD would have had DLA, you could have claimed carers allowance, income support, child tax credits, housing and council tax allowance.

The thing with homeless people as they have no address, they can't claim benefits and are trapped in that life.

I would have given the poor bloke a £1 for a meal and if I didn't have it on me, would go ranting about it on the Internet, which is a luxury we have access to.

This whole thread says an awful lot more about you OP than about him.

Wouldn't

Honestly OP, if you genuinely think he was begging for extra money because he wasn't satisfied with the amount of food £2 could buy him, you are very naive indeed.

Who cares what it's for? If I was homeless I daresay being off my face on drink or drugs would be way more preferable to the reality of living on the streets.

This is one of the daftest post I've ever read! I think it basically boils down to the fact that you are in a bad mood because of your painful gall stones and little things are pissing you off. Next time, give him a quid or at least a chip!

I remember an old lady on a street corner asking me for money. She had the most convoluted, transparently made up story. But you know what? I gave her the money. Why? Because she was an old lady standing on a street corner at night accosting strangers for money. Whatever her real story was it was sadder than the tale she was spinning me.

That's not to say you should give people money, but don't be shocked that people create stories when they're begging. Most of them are desperate, frustrated or not in their right mind.

stripey and callamia not all homeless people are on drink or drugs. I have been homeless myself and never touched either.

Secondly- it always amazes me how those who have been closest to poverty and escaped it, are quickest to judge those who are still there.

Owch! That's a bit unfair! I was homeless for a while this winter and I'm not going around frothing over being asked for change outside a McDonalds. If I have it to spare, I'll spare it. If not it's a polite 'Sorry mate' and I go on with my day. I know you probably didn't mean it as a sweeping generalisation but thought I'd chuck my 2p in before there is a host of comments along the lines of "oh I know, it's awful, my aunt Emily is just the same... I did it so why can't they?!" and similar.

On a lighter note, a few years back when I still had the cash to grab a burger if I was out in town late I toddled into Mcdonalds. Got my quarter pounder and fries and sat down... to be joined seconds later by a homeless bloke. I couldn't understand a word he was saying, so did what I thought was the only polite thing to do and offered to share my fries. It was a fairly companionable meal all in all, although I'm pretty sure we were having two separate conversations.

It did occur to me earlier this year to try the same trick and just sit down at somebodies table, but I would never have had the nerve!

DH and I spotted huge "BEGGING IS AN OFFENCE" signs on the high street the other day. Someone posted a photo of spikes being laid down on undercover street corners on FB, too, to prevent loitering.

Then you have attitudes like the OP's.

FFS, where is humanity headed?? Fucking scary.

Saga sadly the Facebook post is true

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/outrage-anti-homeless-spikes-spotted-outside-3658055

Sorry greebos- no offence intended. I perhaps didn't phrase what I meant very well!

But if you have faced all the hardship you describe, why are you judging him so harshly?