PDT 1/2 : Best place to panhandle

[ClassicBob]

As pyromaniac mentioned, panhandlers don't last long in front of any Starbucks I've ever worked at. I run them off immediately.

[wet work]

I think one of the best spots is a busy intersection with a dedicated turn lane/it's own light. Particularly the ones with a median strip. There's a new crop of customers every couple minutes and it seems like they get some donators every light change. Plus they have the extra time to score from the people in the lanes that are just going forward.

Tourist areas seem to be hot spots as well.

Bars, especially areas with a lot of bars in close proximity, are probably hit and miss but with the opportunity for some random big scores.

I saw a guy last week with a sign "Donations 4 Weed" and couldn't resist contributing to an old guys bong hit fund.

[astroglide]

there was a salvation army bell-ringer in the entrance of a grocery store i visited last night, and he made me wonder how much credit/debit card transactions have decreased their take over the years. i know that i basically never have change, and if i do it ends up straight into a cupholder in my car or series of jars at home. carrying it around irritates me.

[Iconoclastic]

El D:

thinking bout a new line of work?

One that hasn't been mentioned is a place with a lot of poor people. I find that relatively poor people are a lot more sympathetic to panhandlers than rich people and are much more willing to give. So a safe location in a poor neighborhood is probably a better bet than a similar location in a rich neighborhood.

[fnord_too]

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I think you missed the most important and likely the most profitable panhandling spot of them all: by the church.

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I like this answer, though you are pretty much restricted to service times and lowish volume of people, so if you had to do all your begging time there it is probably not so hot.

So what criteria make a good begging spot:
High volume of passers by
Passers by who have change, spare money
Passers by who don't hate giving money to destitute strangers on principal (or due to fear)
Tolerance to beggars (i.e. not somewhere the establishment is going to call the cops on you).

I think a non essential shopping area (like a busy mall) would be good if you could pull it off. I think the psychological factor of your potential benefactors spending money on extraneous items while you are struggling to even eat is a plus. Tough question. (I think outside a bar is horrible though for many reasons.)

[Jon1000]

I agree with the college statement. Generally, students don't have as much disposable income, but are far more likely to give. On a fairly busy campus you will have bars, restaurants, libraries, student centers, etc. Basically, there's a ton of foot traffic and because of classes, the foot traffic is constant throughout the entire day. There was one pan handler in college who was seen driving to beg. i think the number of other pan handlers, the size of the student body, and the willingness/unwillingness of campus security to deal with you would drastically change things.

[FlyWf]

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At night I'd be inclined to panhandle outside of a convenience store in an area with lots of nightlife. You're gonna get drunk people going in and buying stuff and getting change (and not leaving it in some tip cup most likely).

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But you're going to get run off by the people who work there. You want a spot where you can really post up and not have to worry about that. Mall parking lot seems like a decent idea.

[RustedCorpse]

An ex girlfriend of mine would panhandle in various parts of NYC and record the results. It was about ten years ago but she swears by fifth avenue subway entrances.

[limon]

you have to assume bums know what theyre doing and gravitate/go back to places where they make the most cash. the bum/person ratio at university campus is the highest and it gets higher as the campus gets more liberal. eugene and berkely are just bum heaven. in 2nd place id choose a coffee shop but peets is defn. better than sbux and something more hippie would even be better. if you were at peets w/ a dog youd prob make over $100 a day.

[J.A.Sucker]

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you have to assume bums know what theyre doing and gravitate/go back to places where they make the most cash. the bum/person ratio at university campus is the highest and it gets higher as the campus gets more liberal. eugene and berkely are just bum heaven. in 2nd place id choose a coffee shop but peets is defn. better than sbux and something more hippie would even be better. if you were at peets w/ a dog youd prob make over $100 a day.

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Independant coffee shop in Boulder or Berkeley = Greatest place on earth for panhandling. Limon is correct (as always).