To tell healthy, fit looking, well dressed beggar to get a job?

[duvetcovereddissident]

He is not a local beggar, all of whom I know, and he does not in any way look homeless. He looks to be about 30, healthy and fit, - much fitter than me! Well dressed and clean - much better dressed than me!

He is sitting outside the door to the local supermarket, and put his leg out in front of me as I tried to enter and asked for money.

Less than 6 feet to his left is the door of a cafe, with a sign on it saying "waiter required - apply within". I know those cafe owners, and I am sure that if he had gone in there and asked for a trial shift, rather than settling down outside the supermarket, they would have taken him on for the day to see how he did. They have needed a new waiter for months.

I have every sympathy with homeless and rough sleepers, and people down on their luck. I just think this is a scammer though. He has arrived in the area looking for somewhere to beg, and will probably be going home tonight. He isn't a local man, as I said.

Exactly. And remember that society always needs scapegoats: beggars, people on benefits, the sick and disabled, immigrants, all play a vital role in the functioning of our system and anyone who wants the country to carry on the way it is should be immensely grateful to those of us who perform this essential role for them...or would they like to swap?

It’s hardly big money though? Sitting on pavement all day? For the odd bit of cash thrown at you. Got to be something mentally wrong with the described person. I deal with job less people it’s not as simple as just getting a job it’s also being able to commit and do it. Many people find that very difficult

Oh trial shifts! When my daughter was teen and her friends they all knew about unpaid trial shifts! Some establishment just didn’t bother with paid staff. But you seem very naive. Getting a job may be easy but if you have MH it can be another story for both you and employer keeping it. Remember homeless or jobless massive % have MH. Unfortunately in UK any available support has diminished.

^this

It's the easy way people find of buying into the lies about professional beggars, benefit scroungers, illegal immigrants etc. But they are content to carry on and fill themselves with the lies and hatred of the Daily Mail. All they have to do is look up some truthful facts.....I do despair for this country. Tories have been in for too long and now we have the most right wing government in history.

They aren't all lies though. It's not all "hatred". There ARE professional beggars, there are people who lie and cheat to gain an immigration advantage, there are people who cheat the benefit system....

Pretending everyone is genuine and good is as stupid as buying into the opposite. Like most things in life, its a spectrum, with the majority n the middle somewhere.

It’s hilarious that the OP is all up in arms because they “know” the man she encountered is a scammer, but has no issues with the business owners she “knows” would offer a trial without checking rights to work and the likes.

Obviously rules and laws and doing the right thing only applies to certain people, but others can do as they like

Wow. You are very invested in a man you don’t know anything about and a job that you’re not offering yourself . There are loads of factors here that could affect either of those things. Just be glad that it’s not your problem to solve and maybe have some compassion for another human who - even if he is a professional beggar -isn’t exactly living the high life 🙄