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Old 12-01-2007, 08:27 PM
AdamBragar AdamBragar is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 556
Default Re: PDT 1/2 : Best place to panhandle

I really have no idea since I have a blanket policy of not giving money to homeless people who just hold signs and panhandle for money, but when NYC used to be packed with panhandlers (pre-Guiliani) here was the best gig:

When you were stopped at stop lights (especially coming out of the Lincoln tunnel), there would be a homeless person with a dirty rag and a bucket of water "cleaning" the windshields of people's cars. They would usually not ask (if they were smart) and just wash someone's windshield, and then ask for money. People would give them money because they felt that even though their windshield were no cleaner, the homeless person had provided some sort of service. After a while, homeless windshield washer income increased because native New Yorkers became aware that the dirty rags made their windshield more dirty. So, instead, when the homeless person would walk up to clean the window, the driver would pay them NOT to clean the window, thereby allowing for more cars per red light to be reached.
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