I saw something today that I .....

lawnmowerman

have never seen before. There were these "homeless" guys working the corner with their signs, as they always do. The cardboard, marker signs, "will work for food", "homeless please help" you know the ones. I always have felt bad for guys like this but you get hardened to it like anything else. Anyway the strange thing that I saw was, one of the guys had another sign he was wearing on his back with rope around his shoulders. This wasnt a sign made from a cardboard box. It was white and professionally made. It read "must sell awesome Condo, call 421-0000" . Someone paid this guy to be a walking billboard! At first I felt bad but then I thought he probably got paid "good" to do it. Makes ya thankful for what you got!

detroitfan2

Matt, all the Little Ceasar's around here have hired people to stand on the sides of the busy streets near their stores wearing the "$5 hot-and-ready pizza" signs. Not sure what these people get paid, but it's pretty humiliating. People are always honking and making fun of them. I guess it could be worse. Most of them are wearing their IPods the whole time. As long as it's a nice day, I guess there are worse jobs.

ralstonpurina

The real estate market here has been doing that for years. It get really darn annoying. They pay pretty well, so advertise for 15 bucks an hour. Not bad for a zero skill job

storm888

"Every job counts, up to the hilt !"

Richard Nixon


My Favorite Neck-Mounted Sign:

"Will Hunt, For Food."

Stone193

I thought you were gonna tell me...

that you saw a Woodpecker on the corner with a sign around his neck - will work for PSA 8s or better!

milbroco

Don't be fooled by these people. Yes some are truly homeless and can use anything given them. However, some use these "will work for food" signs to make you think they are willing to work so you will give them money. I have personally seem this at work. I was working as a bank teller years ago. This gentleman in his mid 40's and scruffy looking came in to cash a check for interest he earned on his $100,000.00 certifcate of deposit. Later that day I saw him pan handling for money three blocks away from the bank. Ever since then I have been very skeptical of these people.

fur72

"Homeless Due to Ebay fees please help"

storm888

""Homeless Due to Ebay fees please help"

////////////////////////////////

"Will Work For eBay Listing Fees."

storm

WinPitcher

A reason why these people are paid to wear a sign instead of the sign just being posted on a telephone pole or whatever is in many towns posting signs is illegal(in public areas) . wearing a sign though is protected under freedom of speech.

that is one reason why you will see walking advertisments.


Steve

zef204

I thought this was going to be about the sign in Die Hard III that Bruce Willis had to wear.

BigRedMachine

<< <i>Don't be fooled by these people. Yes some are truly homeless and can use anything given them. However, some use these "will work for food" signs to make you think they are willing to work so you will give them money. I have personally seem this at work. I was working as a bank teller years ago. This gentleman in his mid 40's and scruffy looking came in to cash a check for interest he earned on his $100,000.00 certifcate of deposit. Later that day I saw him pan handling for money three blocks away from the bank. Ever since then I have been very skeptical of these people. >>



I never believed for a minute that most of these people would actually "work for food", but that they just wanted money and had a pretty good idea what they would do with it.

You do get hardened by this and tend to just walk past, never giving money.

On my last trip to a Reds game, I was making a long walk from a parking lot to the stadium, passing people with "will work for food" signs one after another.

Finally I came across a man with a sign that said, "Who I am kidding, I'll spend your money on beer"

So I gave him a five.

I was amused by the honesty.

shawn

fur72

Anyone ever see the story on TV about the guy in upstate NY? He is well off but in his free time he goes to midtown and just places a coffee can in front of him and sits. No sign, no begging and people just throw money in his can. The guy states he has made over 1 Mil doing this and he has no regrets.

RichG

During my college days I didn't have a car so I would have to walk to get around. I would see the same dude walking around begging for money. I finally aproached the man and told him that if he spent as much time trying to find a job as he did looking for free hand outs that he would already be working. The guy got pissed and things got ugly!

What i do now is carry a few job applications in my car, and if I run across a begger, I'll hand him a job application and tell him to return it directly to me at my store. Not one person has turned one in (I probably gave out 10 applications over the last couple of years).
The bottom line.....
Some of these beggers don't really want to work but instead want a free handout!
rich

helionaut

Some people are comfortable living in that situation, just like many wealthy people are comfortable with what other people might say are questionable ethically or legally.

There was a story going around town about 6-7 years ago that there was a startup advertising agency creating clever and 'professional' signs for panhandlers to carry in exchange for a cut of their take. I never knew what to make of that. Most likely untrue, but advertising is quite a competitive business.

Of course, then there were the bikini girls, actual hot college chicks in bikinis standing on traffic medians just like the homeless. Supposedly they cleaned up for a few days before the cops shut them down.

digicat

The human-bilboard thing is pretty common around here. Drive up and down any major street, and you'll see folks dancing, singing, yelling, etc and waving signs around. I think the way it works is, the more animated you are, the more you get paid.

GDM67

<< <i>I thought this was going to be about the sign in Die Hard III that Bruce Willis had to wear. >>

The mere words "sandwich board" make me think of that scene and smile.