People Talk About Their Most Irritating Encounters With "Choosing Beggars"
20. Tried Offering A Guy A Job...He Threw It In My Face
Another User Comments:
“I remember reading an interview with a man quite a few years ago that wrote a book on begging.
He bragged that he was easily pulling in 6 figures a year in California. He had it down to a science. He would drive a brand new car to a safe area then depending on the time of day and day of the week he would sit outside various places looking disheveled holding a sign with a little sob story on it. Sundays he would always be outside of a church as it was getting out.
He even had places where he would go on military paydays in areas with plenty of military families going shopping. Toward the end of the article, he stated that his wife was going to be receiving a new BMW paid in full by people’s donations. I got so mad at this article. It has always left me with a feeling like I’m being scammed.” DadPool9902
Another User Comments:
“On my way into the supermarket, I see a woman panhandling with a sign that says ‘need money for food.’ Cool, food I can do.
Get my shopping done, buy an extra sandwich and a bottle of water. On my way out I stop to hand it to her and the look of disgust on her face is burned in my memory.
She told me ‘I’ll take cash instead of this crap.’ So I snatched my sandwich back, took a bite, and kept walking.
I don’t give cash to the homeless, only food or water. I helped a homeless man with a dog outside of McDonald’s. Bought him a breakfast sandwich combo with OJ and coffee, and extra sausage patties for the pup.
His genuine Thank You made my heart warm. As I drove away, I saw him and his pup eating a warm meal.
It’s hit or miss.” SlapThis
19. Since When Was Easter About Gift-Giving?
“About a month ago, my husband and I decided that we were done with slime. All slimes and doughs of the play sort were banned from our household for a period of some odd months. Before this happened, I purchased a box of plastic eggs containing slime, figuring they could be a fun filler for Easter baskets. I got like four dozen of these eggs, to my surprise for the purchase.
This led to them sitting on a shelf as I had no intention to give them to my children.
A couple of my local needs groups this past week had their fair share of posts asking for Easter basket help, so I began offering up these slime eggs. A few families took some, grateful. I was happy to clear out these eggs and happy to help.
Then up comes a new post. Poor family, no money left this pay period, and here is Easter. Oh, maybe they would like a contribution of these slime eggs. Not much, not a full basket, but hey, the others saw it as a contribution.
This is the conversation:
Response: Oh, thanks. Yeah, we could take those. But do you have anything else? Kid 1 wants new video games.
Kid 2 wants new AirPods. We were hoping to maybe get them scooters?
Me: (confused) No, I can’t help with that.
Response: We need real gifts. No thanks on those eggs.
For my own wonderings: Is… is this normal? My kids are getting candy and a few small gifts that fit in a basket. Nothing expensive. Am I supposed to be buying them pricey stuff for Easter?
Did I completely neglect the gifts of St. Patrick’s Day?”
Another User Comments:
“Wow, those are extreme gifts for someone in a needs group to be asking for, especially for Easter.
There’s a group here that does Easter baskets for those in need – some snacks, candy, markers, small toys or fun stuff, and self-care items for senior citizens. They do over a thousand every year, and the kids are always thrilled.” black_cat_2446
Another User Comments:
“I had a friend when I was a kid who got big gifts for Easter from his family. He called it ‘spring Christmas.’ He’d always invite me over to show me all the stuff he got. Video games… Money, clothes, toys, games, and balls and stuff. It never made any sense to me. At my house, we had Easter eggs that were real eggs.
We dyed them ourselves. We also had a tiny bit of candy. We focused more on family and having a nice dress-up meal together. I never understood gifts as part of Easter.” Sardonnicus
18. Guy Wants His Senior Discount Coffee Even Though He's Not A Senior
“I work at a fast-food restaurant. I have seen my fair share of choosing beggars, often not too bad, they just want something extra. Or something we don’t have anymore and they get mad about it.
Like I said, it isn’t too bad for what I have experienced so far. But this one guy really takes the cake.
We offer coffee at a reduced price for people over 65 years. That’s just a little extra we like to do for the seniors. This guy, let’s call him John Doe (I don’t even know his name), came in one day and he was standing behind one of these seniors and heard he only paid the reduced price.
John Doe was surprised when he needed to pay the full price. Mind you John Doe is nowhere near 65. I explained to him why this was and how it works. He went off about how ridiculous it was that he had to pay full price because he ‘was a hard-working citizen and these elderly people do nothing else than sit around the entire day.’ Meanwhile the senior was still standing there while John Doe went on with this angry speech with some colorful language thrown in there.
It was almost embarrassing. Then he threatened to come back with a lawyer and he would sue us. ‘I am sure I will win this because this is discrimination!’ John Doe said. But off he went with his coffee and his newspaper.
It took a while, but he eventually came back. Of course without his lawyer. But again he went on this rant, about how unfair it was he had to pay the full price.
John Doe explained how he went to another restaurant (which also belonged to the same franchise as mine) and he got his coffee there for a reduced price. I once again explained to him that I can’t do it because those are simply the rules I have to follow. He told me he knew the supervisor of our restaurants and my supervisor had promised him that he would always get his coffee at a reduced price.
Next time John Doe said he would have talked to my supervisor and my supervisor would put me in my place. I am not an idiot, so after this happened and upper management came in for that day, I went to them and explained the situation. They said: ‘No he has to pay full price, he isn’t 65.’ Luck would have it that my supervisor came on that same day and I told him about John Doe.
The supervisor said: ‘I don’t give coffee at a reduced price to non-seniors. And even if I did, it would have been a one-time deal.’
A few months went by without ever seeing John Doe. Then our other restaurant closed down because they were rebuilding the place, so John Doe showed his face again at our place yesterday. Before even trying to order a coffee he tried to recruit a senior to buy him a coffee so he would get it at a reduced price.
The senior said he would, so the senior ordered himself a coffee and an extra coffee. I had noticed this and I let the senior have his coffee at the reduced price, but the other coffee at full price. So John Doe begrudgingly gave the senior extra cash so he could cover the entire cost. Afterward, when John Doe left I went to the senior and I explained the situation and how John Doe has been acting toward us.
The senior already had a feeling something was going on because he’s a regular customer and he knows me normally as a friendly type.
Today John Doe showed up again. And once again he tried to recruit the same senior to buy him coffee. The senior explained to him that he wouldn’t do that and told him why. So John Doe was mad and demanded to speak to me.
So when I showed up at the front he once again went on a rant about how he knew the supervisor and he always got his coffee at a reduced price at the other place. And how ridiculous it is, now that the other place is temporarily closed he has to pay full price at our restaurant. I told him I spoke to my upper management and my supervisor and they both told me he had to pay full price.
Then he really exploded. ‘YOU’RE CALLING ME A LIAR?! I WILL NOW GO TO THE OTHER PLACE AND I WILL TELL THEM WHAT HAPPENED HERE. AND WHEN I COME BACK YOU BETTER WATCH YOURSELF!’ Somehow he still bought his coffee.
This time I was just done with him. Especially because the other place is still closed for another week, so tomorrow he’s gonna be here again.
So I once again told my upper management what happened and how the guy has been acting. They were firm and said: ‘He has to pay full price. And if he doesn’t like it and goes off again, you can kick him out.’ Meanwhile, they began to contact the supervisors and the other restaurant. And then the big twist comes: turns out at the other restaurant he DOES get his coffee at a reduced price.
However the current upper management there doesn’t know how or why it’s done, because it happened before they were there. So when I heard this, I felt my stomach drop. I knew he would be back tomorrow to yell at me again and they are gonna tell me I need to give it to him at a reduced price. But no, I had it wrong.
My supervisors told us that he would not get his coffee at the reduced price. Furthermore, the other restaurant is now gonna also gonna refuse to give it to him at that reduced price.
My upper management will be in before opening tomorrow to handle this guy if he turns up. So I wonder how that will end. But there you see, if he had just accepted the full price without going off he might still have his coffee at a reduced price at the other place.
Now he has to pay full everywhere.”
Another User Comments:
“Ugh, I’m a baker and we have a guy come in every couple of weeks, he buys a loaf of sourdough but without fail he asks the price and then whines that it’s too much and it’s not ‘real’ sourdough, and it’s better in Italy (I live and work in Australia) and blah blah blah.
It’s about a 1/2 hour lecture every time. Like mate. No one cares. You are welcome to go to Italy and buy some if it’s so much better, but at this shop, this is what we have, that is what it costs and you can either buy it or not. No one gives a single flip and we’ve all heard this several times before.
He always buys the loaf anyway and it’s never gained him a thing, I don’t understand why he does it!!” CriticismShot2565
Another User Comments:
“I feel so bad for OP. The minute this jerk started ranting and raving at you management or a supervisor should have stepped in and handled it. I never, ever let my staff get harassed by a customer. That is outrageous.
The minute he started ranting and raving you tell him this is the price, be nice or leave and never enter this restaurant again. Who needs customers who are too cheap to pay an extra .50 for coffee and are nasty to the servers. Get Out!!!” darkmatternot
As for the seniors who just sit around all day, that's because they've already worked for DECADES. They've paid their dues and deserve it
17. Bridezilla Wants Me To Create Her Wedding Art For Exposure
“This happened a few years ago back when blogs were the bomb and social media was not as popular as it is today.
A bride wanted me to create her ‘wedding art.’ In the past, she had purchased a few things from me before she had gotten engaged. Some small paintings, signs, fun stuff. When she would come to my studio to pick up the work, we would chat. I’m super friendly. We would chit-chat a bit, exchange funds for art, and then she would go on her way.
That is it.
For her wedding art, she had BIG grandiose plans! She wanted wedding signs, table centerpieces, gifts for the wedding party, gifts for her parents and in-laws, and gifts for her guests. Roughly 100 people for a big old barn wedding! 20 bridal party people. Then her family and in-laws were another 8 people in total.
She would also like a BIG painting of the barn she is getting married in for her home.
Thomas Kinkade style. With the wedding date on the art piece, naturally. Roughly 30×46. If not bigger! She had the wall space for it. She really did like my art.
Oh, and she would like me to do this all for ‘the exposure’ of the event. No pay. Just exposure. Tralalalalala. Yup!
She was a ‘PR person’ so her big plan was to blog the entire wedding process.
Oh, to hear her tell it it was going to be fabulous!
An in-depth and behind the scenes of the ‘wedding of the decade’ which would include: Her finding the dress, exercise program for her and the bridesmaids, moving in with her fellow, getting a dog… awww, me making art for the wedding, her mother and father coming together after a painful divorce for her wedding, blah blah blah.
Seriously she was looking at a tab of maybe 8,000 bucks of work out of me and I was going to be a blurb on a blog of her wedding extravaganza. The dog was going to get its own page.
She blew a fuse when I declined. I mean, exposure is nice but paying the light bill is nicer. She had a big ole bride meltdown too.
Cried, wailed, screamed, and snarled. At one point she made that sound a tea kettle does when it’s ready? I don’t know how she did that. But it was impressive.
Not to be defeated, she had her mommy call me, had daddy call me, had sister call me. All screamed at me for denying her my art and time. I don’t think anyone had ever said no to her before.
Can you get to the age of 25 and not hear the words no? I know I sure did not! For a while there I thought ‘No’ was my first name.
I told them, in short, to screw off, but you know I said it all professional-like. They pestered me for about a month before they finally took the hint. I never blocked them, I just let them rant to my voicemail.
Drove them even crazier.
She did invite me to the wedding though. Aww, how sweet! No plus1 though, ceremony only, No reception. Then she told me I could make her the centerpieces and the large painting as her gift. YEAH! A loophole. Lucky me.
I passed and sent nothing as a gift. We are not friends. I’m not going to her dingbat wedding. Thanks.
But, if I was to be honest, I kind of wanted to go….
I did. I really wanted to dress in my Art studio ripped jeans/t-shirt outfit, you know the crap that if my mom saw me wear she would tell me I looked like a hobo. Then, once she saw me I had this dream of handing her a $5 gift card to Starbucks while I cracked a beer and walked away.
But eh, she wasn’t worth the gas to get to the ceremony.
Why bother. Much better to just stay home.
In the end, I heard about 50 people showed up to the wedding as she and her family was driving everyone nuts. It also rained on her wedding day too, BIG FAT RAIN too! The ‘run to your house deluge’ kind. Not all day but enough it made the barn leak a bit. So it was a muddy gross day that was unseasonably cold to boot.
That must have been fun to hang in with a bar. Huh?
I never checked her blog out. A mutual acquaintance said it was a single page with a few pictures. Not nearly the ‘fantastic real-life exposé of a young bride’ I was promised. Think more like a school project that you got a C for.
The acquaintance also told me the wedding photographer was a no-show because she did not pay them in advance.
Yes, she asked for a discount too. She never paid the upfront fees so the photographer canceled on the event. The entire ceremony was recorded by the guests’ iPhones. I think they were iPhones. They were the early video phones for sure.
Oh and you will love this, she asked for a discount from the caterer because only half the people showed up. So, I guess she felt like only paying half for the food?
I’m not sure how that worked out in her mind. She didn’t get that of course. I know the caterer. She was paid in advance and she does not do refunds. She will also not give you the time of day if you annoy her. I like her.
The bride was divorced within a year. Hubby left her for one of her friends. I think she was one of the bridesmaids?
Don’t quote me on that. All I know is she came home to the dog and all of his stuff gone. He also took my art with him. You know, the stuff she had purchased from me before she got engaged. Hahah.. I guess they both liked me?
It has been years since the big wedding. My days of doing wedding art are long behind me as I now sell in galleries and such.
She still calls me from time to time for art. She hears the price I quote and then offers me half. The other half will go to a ‘paid promotion on social media.’ I decline.
She is marked on my phone as ‘DO NOT ANSWER!'”
Another User Comments:
“Nobody is more entitled than a bridezilla.” despondantguy69
Another User Comments:
“The exposure you get from doing a lot of free work for someone usually leads to more people asking you to do free work.
Seriously. There is zero chance that she wouldn’t be proud to tell all her friends she got you to do it for free and then those friends would then expect the same if you work for them. No one wants to pay for something their friend already got for free.” D******************m
Like the whole rest of the world is going to trample each other to be the first to get what THEY have. Yeah right
16. My Former Employer Needed Me To Sign A Document But Couldn't "Afford" To Drive To Me
“So I resigned from my job back in November giving the 1 month required notice.
As part of my job, I occupy certain positions for clients that the company which I worked serviced, and some of these require the regulator’s approval for any replacement. It may take time so I agreed to remain on these for around 3-4 weeks after my last day at the company. I was doing it without any benefit or pay. I also pointed out to them that I will be busy at my new job and may not be available for signatures, hence they should replace me asap.
Despite this, they took all their time to seek approval.
Around 2 weeks after my last day I got a call from one of the staff working there saying they need my signature in wet ink on a document that was urgent. My new job was in the same area as the old one, but we were working from home. I was going to the office the day after and we agreed that I will drop by to sign the document.
Unfortunately, someone got sick in my new job and who has been to the office. Hence the building was shut down for the next few days to sanitize. I informed the staff and requested him to arrange for the dispatch person to drop by at my place or to have a taxi drop by. This is reasonable as my new job regularly does this for docs to be signed in original.
The staff checked with the relevant department and they said that I live quite far from the office, so they cannot arrange for the dispatch person to drive there and a taxi will cost too much. Fyi, I live around 30-40 mins away. They requested that during my lunchtime I drive there to sign the document or I meet them halfway.
I was very annoyed and basically told them you need the document and not me and I am not gaining anything from this.
I also said that I do not work there and I am just doing a favor. And that for them it is too costly to send someone to my place for their business, but then for what reason should I use up my petrol for their benefit. They eventually sent someone to get the document signed. I never realized people could be this way.
Edit: A lot of people are mentioning I worked for free.
The positions I occupied required very little of my time, otherwise, I would not have accepted e.g. one or 2 documents to sign per week which I did online. I also did not have much choice. Most leavers accept this and the owners can be quite petty. They have lots of connections in the industry and I wanted to avoid leaving on bad terms. Please try to understand that sometimes we do not have a choice.
Some employers try to take advantage of people and unless you have powerful backing, you kind of accept it if it’s not a big deal. Otherwise, it might cost you more.”
Another User Comments:
“It always cracks me up when companies say something is too expensive for THEM to take care of, so their solution is to make the employee foot the bill instead. And you weren’t even an employee anymore!
Good for you for making them figure it out. Like you said, you were doing them a favor. You could care less if their document was signed. LOL Geez… have they never heard of putting a prepaid envelope in the mail?!?” Imaginary-Painting31
Another User Comments:
“Yikes! Glad they figured it out.
I had something like this from a company I was at. A few companies ago the startup I was at essentially went bankrupt.
I was one of the few engineers not to be let go because I designed our entire release pipeline and no one else knew it. The new CEO they hired to try to salvage the company was a huge misogynist and didn’t believe women could be software engineers. He made it clear to tell me this regularly. But never in a way I could get him on it (like in passings with no one else around).
I was fed up real quick and quit but gave a proper 2 weeks notice. The new CEO was then mad and told me to get out immediately. Ok, sure whatever. Well, then a few weeks later, he calls me not realizing no one else knows our release stuff (they hit a snag), and asks if I can come back and offload it properly. At this point I have started a new job and also, you told me to get out remember?
I told him sure, for $200hr + commute compensation I’ll do it. He was so mad. Anyway, they had to figure it out. I ignored any calls from him after that.” Not_Brilliant_8006
15. Learn Some Manners Before You Demand A Discount
“So I work in a fishing shop in Poland, and I’ll tell you guys.. the absolute NPCs I meet are just amazing. A few days ago an older man comes in at the same time that my usual customer comes in.
Here it’s a custom to say ‘good morning’ or at least hi or a head bob, to greet people as a sign of respect. It’s kinda rude to ignore a hello.
Both men came in at the same time to which I told them both ‘good morning,’ and got an answer from the usual, nothing from the old man. But I paid no mind to it.
My usual gets everything he needs and spends about 140$, so I give him a discount since he only had 160$ and still needed to buy some groceries. So I sold the gear to him for 120, because he comes in every week and spends about that much.
He leaves happy, and old dude suddenly starts grabbing a few things before coming back to the register.
Old dude: ‘Since you gave him such a great discount, I’m guessing I’ll get one too.
That’s why I grabbed a few more things. So what’s my discount gonna be?’
I look at what he got, it totaled at around 60$.
Me: Sir I can’t give you a discount on these items, there’s usually a small discount on any purchase at or over 100$. And the discount the other customer got was just because he comes every week and needed more funds for groceries..
but tell you what, I’ll knock off 50% off the most expensive item you have here (2kg of carp bait worth 50$) if you promise to come back (I said with a smile that quickly faded).
Old guy: What kind of business are you running then, you don’t get to pick and choose who you give discounts to! Give me a much better price or I’m not doing any shopping here anymore!
Matter of fact, I ain’t buying this crap!
I took a few seconds to process what just happened and then… He slides his hand across the counter knocking down everything. That caused one of the 2kg carp bait bags to burst and out spilled a bunch of 2mm pellets all over the store, and one of the liquid attractors spilled as well.. leaving the store smelling like bloodworms (not exactly a good smell).
I told him he needs to pay for the products he broke.
I got a firm ‘Screw you, I ain’t paying crap,’ slaps the table.
So I tell him I have this all recorded on store cameras and will take this to the police if necessary. And I can access the parking lot cameras to see which car he got out of, so I will have his plate numbers.
Suddenly a magical change of heart.
Old guy: Alright fine I’ll pay for the attractor and pellets, so that’s 25 for the pellets and 5 for the attractor.
Me: No. That’s 50 for the pellets and 10 for the attractor.
Old guy: Where’s the discount?! It was supposed to be half price! Please please give me a better price I’m sorry for what I did so quit being a brat about it.
Please do me this favor, you don’t have to be a jerk kid.
Me: That discount was only for the pellets, and now it’s 50 and 10 for the attractor. The discount left as fast as your manners did. Pay up or the police will handle things.
He kept giving me half added apologies while also calling me a jerk, and pleading with me for 10 minutes, but I wasn’t having it.
I’m only friendly and treat people with respect if they respect me.
He ended up paying full price, and still comes back quietly and in shame because our prices are the best in town.
Moral of the story, take the discount and don’t throw a fit.”
Another User Comments:
“Every time I read stories like this I cry for my retail brothers and sisters in the US.
I’m not in retail anymore but you can literally get away with treating customer service employees like dog crap, and management, if not also corporate, will almost always favor the customer over the underpaid employee.
Happy to hear you have a camera, could call the police, and can refuse service to jerks like that.” Ryou2198
Another User Comments:
“I’m so sorry this happened to you, but seriously you handled this well.
And it’s the fact that the individual decided to be downright rude and proceed to throw a fit and then was upset when that had consequences. Welcome to real-life old grumpy man. I deal with people trying to haggle me a LOT in the little retail store where I work, but unfortunately, unless they have a specific coupon that we send out for scheduled sales or a coupon that they get through a membership, prices are prices.
I can’t change that. I had someone who was upset about paying $5.99 for a small handheld hummingbird feeder. Couldn’t understand why we didn’t have coupons for them because that price was ‘absolutely outrageous.’ Sorry, my fellow retail brethren. Stay strong!” Addi_pose42
14. You Can't Just Start Requesting Lower Prices
“Found on my tattoo artist’s social media, man that’s satisfying.”
Another User Comments:
“Entitlement is amazing with some people!
Not only does she want an even lower price, but she is dictating when he needs to be available. I am not a tattoo artist, but I have gotten a few. I know these good ones are very busy. They ain’t gonna squeeze you in when you say so. This is the result of a person never being told ‘no’ while growing up.” Reddit User
Another User Comments:
“FFS. When a tattoo artist offers a discount, it’s a privilege, not an invitation to haggle. I have an incredible piece I got for less than usual because it was something my artist really wanted to do (a wicked nice freehand piece), and I was nice. I ended up tipping him nearly 50%. If an excellent artist offered to do some work at a lower price, I’d either jump on it or ask if I could have some time to get the funds together.
If I got more time, I’d bring fresh-baked cookies or something.
Acting stuck up to the person inking you is generally a bad idea.” Wicck
13. Years Of Friendship Out The Window Because I Wouldn't Work For Free
Another User Comments:
“So by this logic, anyone who knows a doctor, lawyer, accountant, painter, any job really, should always get full, free service.
I never understood why things like photography should be exempt in people’s eyes.
Maybe it is because they think it’s only recreational or a hobby.
People deserve to be paid for their talents. Never do for free what puts food on your table.” scott60561
Another User Comments:
“I’ll chime in here because my wife has been a photographer for 8 years. What I think most people don’t take into account is that it isn’t as easy as ‘take a picture and done’, especially for weddings.
There have been many nights in the past that I’ve gone to bed a few hours before my wife because she had a deadline to meet and that required her to edit for half the night. In fact, most nights for her are spent in front of the computer editing. It’s not an easy job, especially if you want to be good at it and make a living from it.
Luckily she rarely does shoots for free and when she does it’s typically something she’s choosing to do. The idea that a friend owes you something that is normally their source of income is selfish at best. It’s akin to asking them to give up part of their income because in my wife’s case the time she spends editing free pictures could be spent on other sessions, working on her website, making flyers for upcoming events, etc.” The_Boomstick
12. How Can You Pay Me In Exposure If I've Never Heard Of Your Brand?
Another User Comments:
“I have dealt with clubs trying to pull this crap with musicians as well. I have been playing professionally (saxophonist) for 22 years now and I have told at least a few places to screw off. ‘But it would be great exposure for your band!’
How about this: I am throwing a big party at my house and I would like you to provide bar service for the party.
I can’t pay but it would be great exposure to get your name out there!” saxmanusmc
Another User Comments:
“As an artist, this is too real. As an animator it’s sickening. ‘Oh this will get you exposure’ and ‘don’t you need to build your portfolio?’
Would you ask a plastic surgeon to give you a free nose job as you’ll be a walking talking advertisement?
Would you ask a bakery to give you a free wedding cake because it’s good for them to practice making wedding cakes?
Would you ask a contractor to build you a house just to fill their portfolio?
Stop ripping artists off.” Pandepon
You'll do it for free, right?
11. "Why Should I Pay For Parking For Your Car?"
Another User Comments:
“I had a roommate in college who wanted to ride with me to the store because she was car-less. I agreed and said okay let’s go. She was confused because she expected me to walk across campus to get to my car, then come pick her lazy butt up, and then drive to the store.
No groceries for her. Also, it was a loooooong semester after that.” maebhazardous
Another User Comments:
“Wow, I had a friend try to pull this once. She wanted a ride to go get her hair cut, in a downtown area with no free parking that was definitely within walking distance of her apartment. I said she’d have to pay for parking and she didn’t like that, so I offered to walk with her instead to keep her company (not a ton of spine at that point).
When I got to her apartment, she had just gotten out of the shower and insisted on drying AND CRIMPING her hair before leaving. We got to the salon and the stylist, of course, immediately washed her hair all over again.
Another time she kept asking for rides to Planned Parenthood to pick up her birth control prescription, so I suggested she sign up for their mail delivery service.
She kept ‘losing the paperwork in her apartment’ until I refused to drive her over there anymore.” halcyon3608
10. Sure I'll Give Up My Independence Just To Make You A Free Drawing
Another User Comments:
“My wife crochets quite a bit. I can’t tell you how many people bug the life out of her for some crazy design they saw on Pinterest for a sweater or a weird Game of Thrones knit hat or whatever.
So my wife does the math.
The sheer amount of yarn and other material will come out to $50 or $60 in yarn, and it’ll take her 5 or 6 hours to crochet said item. Even just asking for the funds to cover the material cost has HER FRIENDS and FAMILY saying the most insulting stuff, like ‘Honey, if I pay that amount I might as well get it from a store. The most I’ll give you is $5…’ for a handmade hat with a crazy design that you can’t find anywhere else.
Ok, so how about you do that and spare her the insults?” Globular_Cluster
Another User Comments:
“Darn! Why didn’t I think of that? I can just live with my parents for free. I’m sure the wife and kids will figure out the mortgage somehow. But for now, I’m done making payments of any kind and moving back in with my parents!” ThePootKnocker
9. If You Want A Hair Cut For That Cheap, Learn To Do It Yourself
Another User Comments:
“When I worked in the salon we had a $10 bang trim service that was 15min long. Many salons offer similar, some will even waive that fee if you are an existing client, as in you are a regular at that salon.
Now an anecdote about bang trims… Once a girl booked a bang trim.
My coworker was confused because this girl did not have bangs to trim. The client was very upset when the stylist told her she could not get her bangs cut in for the ‘bang trim’ appointment, and it needed to be a full haircut to cut bangs in properly.” mandolinpebbles
Another User Comments:
“My mom’s a cosmetologist who used to own her own salon and you honestly wouldn’t believe the number of people getting a serious case of entitlement.
Come in, get in the chair, have their service performed, ask if they like it before they leave the chair, say yes, I go to ring them up (used to work as the receptionist), and magically then they decide that it’s the worst haircut/color/perm they’ve ever had in their life, refuse to pay, I will destroy your business blah blah blah.
Then there are the people like this one, ‘oh I love the way you do my hair but I only need my ends/bangs trimmed, can I give you $5? Can you come to me? I’m just soooo busy.’ Ok like we aren’t? And then there’s every cosmetologist’s nightmare: the people who come in like ‘yeah I’ve been box dyeing my hair black for 10 years but now I want to go silver/white/platinum.
Can I come in over my lunch break? I’ve got $50, that’s more than enough.'” babysummerbreeze27
8. Guy Who Hacked My PS4 Account Wants My Password Again...At Least He Asked This Time
Another User Comments:
“Some jerk did this to me on Xbox Live. I sold an old Xbox and forgot to clear my account, so he was using it; I changed the password. He got super mad and started threatening me; I realized he was about 12 after he started bragging that he had a Lamborghini and everyone was jealous of it. You can’t make this stuff up.” [deleted]
Another User Comments:
“I actually had this happen to me with League of Legends. I was on business for about a year with no internet connection and when I came back home, found my account had been active for like 8 months. Got in touch with league support and got the account back.
Guy had the audacity to message me after and ask if I was cool with letting him use the account when I left again so he could play with his friends.
Just told him lol no and moved on but I couldn’t believe the nerve on the guy.” Roflsuntz
7. Yeah, A Gift Card Isn't Going To Cut It
“So my local city board decided one of the smaller parks needs a new veterans memorial, but they don’t want to go to the bother of professionally contracting one.
Instead, they’re putting their demands out into the ether and expecting some poor soul to do it for them.
Here are some of the criteria:
- Must be professionally drawn or rendered, with a cover page including a short essay on why your design deserves to be chosen
- Must be at least 10 square feet, but not exceeding 100 square feet
- You may suggest a location (in an 800 square foot area), but you do not get the final say
- Must research the cost of materials and assembly, and should not cost more than $10K
- Must include a detailed budget, as well as ideas for fundraisers to meet said budget
- If chosen, your design will be legally owned by the city, but you’ll get credit for the inspiration
- All must be completed within 1 week because they didn’t bother to actually distribute the information until a week before the deadline
And what’s the ‘prize’ for ‘winning’ this contest???
A $250 gift card.
Never mind that I’ve seen furry art go for more, this is a full-on contracting design commission – which, as far as I can guess, a job that big would be at LEAST double to triple the cost of what they’re offering – for less than the price of a TV! And the city will own your design and will have ‘paid’ you in an untraceable gift card.
And the best part?
They’re mainly targeting high schoolers and college kids who don’t know how insanely suckered they’re being!
Small town politics are so freaking scummy, I swear.”
Another User Comments:
“As a veteran, this ticks me off. It’s like they’re saying ‘Let’s honor veterans, but in the easiest and cheapest way possible…'” ItsJoeMomma
Another User Comments:
“Public Art sculptor here: this smacks of gross exploitation.
Unfortunately, it’s very murky in the public art world what can and can’t be permitted, but a 10K budget is laughable. Artist compensation should be 10-15% of the total budget. And no big quality piece of art can be designed, fabricated, engineered, and installed for that price.” wingedjackalope
6. Woman Tries To Exchange What She Won At A Giveaway For "Something Better"
“I own a bedding franchise, and I have a popular adjustable package (mattress and base with remote to raise/lower the head and foot, etc) that a lot of residents in the area purchase, generally for retirement villages/assisted living facilities.
I organized with one of the suppliers to do a ‘giveaway’ where they would sell me the package at a discounted price, so I could do a giveaway for the community (entry had no purchase necessary). Anyway, I pulled a customer’s name out and advised them that they had won the package (the average sale price is $2500) and to come into the store to organize a delivery
Anyway, when she arrived, she complained to a staff member that she doesn’t need another bed, and can’t she swap it for something better of the same price, or just have cash? I explained that it was a promotion run with the manufacturer, so unfortunately it was just the one prize. She then wrote her number on a card and told us to ‘give her a call when we changed our mind.’
I gave her a call to advise her that it was just the one prize and she responded with, ‘Well I’m not sure I want it then, don’t do anything with it for a few days and I’ll make some calls to find someone who will take it.’
I am LIVID. I can’t see myself doing any more community giveaways in the future.”
Another User Comments:
“If she refused the prize you are free to draw another name and give it to someone who deserves it.” TnBluesman
Another User Comments:
“That is so sad. I would love to have one of these with all of my health issues…even the doctor is telling me…but cannot afford one. Then, I see something like this and it just makes my b***d boil!
You went through a lot of legwork for this and you did it out of a sense of community. Why on Earth did she even enter? You might have drawn the name of someone just like me, who really needed it! You are a good egg!” erinhennley
5. My Partner's Gifts Aren't Good Enough For My Grandma...Who Isn't The One Receiving Them
“A little context, I live with my gran because I’m her primary caregiver.
So my partner works tomorrow (Valentine’s Day), and we decided to go do something today instead.
I got him a gift, and he took me out to lunch at a nice place. I got home with my leftovers, and my gran just scoffed and said ‘So that’s all he got you for Valentine’s Day?’
Like, yeah, and? I’m not a material person. I don’t need huge expensive gifts to make me happy. My partner knows this. And even when he does get me nice things, she still complains.
He gets me stuffed animals, she calls them useless crap. He gets me my favorite snacks or takes me out to eat, she says I don’t need the calories. He gets me fake flowers because I hate when real ones die, and she says he’s ‘just being cheap.’ He even got me a new laptop for Christmas once when my old one died, and she immediately said ‘Guys don’t buy girls gifts like that unless they want something’ which quickly turned into ‘Well there must be something wrong with it’ when it became clear that he wasn’t ‘expecting’ anything in return.
It’s infuriating. The only time she didn’t complain about something was when he got me a throw blanket, and that was only because she wanted it. I shut that down right away, and then she pitched a fit because I ‘didn’t need any more blankets’ and ‘he just bought you more clutter.’
There’s no conclusion here, really. I still love anything he does for me, regardless of what she thinks.
I ignore her complaints, which probably ticks her off even more. It’s just so annoying that she feels the need to act like MY gifts from MY partner aren’t good enough for HER. And then she wonders why he never hangs around at my place.”
Another User Comments:
“She’s wildly jealous of him. She’s terrified that you will like him enough to marry and leave her behind, so of course, she badmouths his every action in hopes of driving you apart.
She never realizes that she’s behaving in ways that will make you want to leave. Sounds a lot like she’s got more-so syndrome (she’s like herself, only more so, a common effect of aging.)” JoyReader0
Another User Comments:
“The older people get, the less patience and tact they seem to possess. Your grandma is firmly in the wrong here and your partner sounds like a great man to have.
But if you love her, then don’t try to argue with her about this because I guarantee you it’s going over her head. Just learn to ignore it and tell your partner the same. From the sounds of it, he understands this and avoids coming over to your place which is fine.
I speak from my relationships with my elders. They seem to get increasingly unreasonable every year so I just pick my battles.
Learn to appreciate the things you love about them, ignore the rest.
Of course, if your grandma disrespects your partner to his face, then you should defend him.” tecphile
Grandma just needs to mind her own business and you need to hang onto that sweet guy who pays attention!
And learn your lesson well..... DON'T be like Grandma ;--)
4. Using Your Own Kids To Scam People Out Of Violins
Another User Comments:
“Yeah, something is telling me this person won’t be getting their violin back. Violins are a good thing to do this with because they are really expensive, yet I could see someone just giving one away that their kids or whatever don’t use anymore.
It’s like asking for a free 50in flat-screen TV as far as price goes, but I doubt anyone is gonna give you that.” Courier471057
Another User Comments:
“What age is their kid?
There are many different sizes of violin. 1/32 all the way to 4/4 which is a full size.
It’s very important to have a correct-sized violin and in my experience, violin teachers get ticked off when you have the wrong size.
Is it possible that their child outgrew the violin, or it was the wrong size?” PM-ME-ROAST-BEEF
Reply:
“Can a kid outgrow a violin in 2 weeks? That’s when her first request was made.” TheBackburner
And yeah, that's an awfully expensive item to just ASK for
3. No, You Cannot Pay For Tutoring Sessions With Cookies And Prayers
“So I’m an English teacher and tutor (TESOL certified – a 150-hour course). I’ve been doing this for 8 years and I charge 25 dollars per hour of actual tutoring. Each session includes new notes and either practice activities or worksheets, all of which are custom-made for each client.
These extras take time to prepare, so I’ll usually have around 30 minutes of additional work for every hour of tutoring. All said and done, my hourly wage works out to about $17.
Of course, I understand that my reasonable fee is unaffordable for some people. In those cases, I’ll offer the same service (with all of the extras) for a discounted price between $15 and $20.
These discounts bring my hourly take-home down to around 10-13$ an hour, but I’m happy to help people out.
So obviously I’m:
- A jerk for refusing to tutor this one lady’s kid for $5 per 1-hour session.
- A ‘bad person’ for not accepting cookies as payment for tutoring a lovely couple and their 2 kids. Their citizenship tests were coming up and apparently, it’s now exclusively my fault if they fail.
- A ‘mean jerk’ for saying no to helping a man that lied on his CV (and then landed a job in which he is expected to work directly with Anglophone clients… oopsie) in exchange for ‘unmeasurable gratitude, appreciation, and positive karma.’ He wanted 6 hours per week for three weeks.
- ‘The most evil person’ because, after 3 weeks of asking multiple times a week for a client’s availability, I stopped asking and told her to just let me know when she is free for a session.
Already I was only charging her $15 and 5 of the 6 sessions that we had had were rescheduled, often following a no-show. I felt like I was already doing her a favor by not charging her for the no-shows, and I thought that it was reasonable to clarify that it is her responsibility to let me know when she is available so that I can book her.
Apparently, this was a cardinal sin because her response was a very nasty message 5 days later.
- ‘A bad Christian’ for not wanting to tutor in exchange for the kid’s parent praying for me.
Guess you can’t please everyone!”
Another User Comments:
“I’m a (now semi-retired) English teacher in Scotland.
I’ve found myself being invited to dinner…and then being asked to help my friends’ daughter with her English coursework.” PurpleAquilegia
Another User Comments:
“My wife used to teach fastball softball pitching. 15 bucks per kid per session. Sometimes she would have a couple of kids together. It was just as easy to teach two at a time and there was a little competition. She had one parent tell her that since there were two kids there that she would only pay half. My wife politely explained why she felt that was a dumb idea.
The mom stormed out and took her kid with her. Never to be seen again.” SardaukarChant
2. You Can Pay Me To Live In My House And Be My Caretaker...What A Deal!
Another User Comments:
“Just what I want… to pay $700 a month to take care of someone’s property while being on camera 24 hrs a day and not being allowed to even have any friends come by…” ItsJoeMomma
Another User Comments:
“To be fair… and it’s difficult because it’s so badly written….
I think he’s saying that he wants a tenant and a handyman, and if they happened to be the same person that would be fine, and the rent is $700 a month but you’d be able to pay that off by doing work.
The rest of it (no children, no visitors ever, on camera all the time, probably interrupted by ‘real tenants’ at all hours of night and day) combine to make it probably a terrible deal regardless, but I think the basic offering ($700 a month, option to pay for by a job the owner will give you) isn’t entirely unreasonable.” Tieger66
1. A Homeless Guy Tried To Scam Me Out Of Way More Than I Was Willing To Give
“So I headed into town a while back, with my friend, and on the way to a shop, a ‘homeless’ guy stops us in the middle of the street and asks us for some spare change.
At the time, I only had notes on me and I didn’t want to give him those. My friend says first that he didn’t have anything to give him. Then the guy turns to me and I hesitate.
At this point, it’s too late to say that I won’t give him anything without it seeming like I have something to offer but won’t give him it.
So I say I don’t have anything I can give him and he says can I maybe do cashback. Pro-life tip if a homeless guy asks if you can do that, ditch him, he’s trying to scam you. I however forgot this rule and ended up shooting myself in the foot here.
There was a shopping center right beside where we were and he said there was a supermarket in there that probably could do that.
I reluctantly agreed and we went in. I asked him how much his shelter cost and he said it costs about 50 euros for a week for him. I decided that I would give him 10 so that he could stay the night and have a little leftover so it would be easier to get enough for the next night. He spots a loaf of bread and asks if I can maybe get him that as well for a little sustenance.
I thought it was ok to get him that as well since he made a convincing argument.
We try at the till and they say that only the customer service till at the opposite side of the shop worked. So we migrate over and then he has the audacity to ask for 20 euros from me to help the shelter. I said no I can only give 10 euros to him to try and set a boundary for him.
At this point, my friend and I are starting to get ticked off because we were just meant to hang out in the town and go shopping.
We get to the desk and try only for it to not work since my card can’t do cashback. At this point, I was willing to give up but the homeless man says that there is an ATM towards the back of the shop.
We head over there to access it and it’s out of order. I reluctantly gave him a 10 euro note from my wallet and thought that would be it but no.
This guy has the AUDACITY to ask me to also top up his phone credit so that he could keep in touch with his twin brother. At that point, I tell him no and leave him at that.
I’m angry now because he tried to ask for more from me and tried to milk me for what I am worth. That ruined the mood of the rest of the day for me.
I talked with my friend and my family and they say that I was in the right in this situation and that I shouldn’t have even given him anything more than 5 euros.
If you are going to give to the homeless or the homeless are haggling you for funds, you shouldn’t give more than a coin’s worth, e.g. 2 euros at max. Unless you are doing it for a genuinely good person, it’s better to give the funds to a trusted homeless charity or a homeless shelter as they know what the homeless need, more than the homeless themselves.”
Another User Comments:
“As a former homeless myself, I’m ticked at that dude. I HATED pan-handling. I had to do it a few times but once was when I was in need of cold medicine. Someone tried to give me some, but as I have a severe reaction to that specific one (like, it could kill me, severe), I couldn’t accept it. I explained it to them and was thankful, but they took huge offense to it.
‘Cold medicine is all the same. It doesn’t matter what kind you have! Just take it!’
I had to walk away. I went back to the corner feeling even worse as my fever kept increasing – especially in the heat. The next time I saw them was a few minutes later as they drove their beautiful, low to the ground, sports car (poorly painted a hideous yellow) onto the sidewalk and tried to run me over.
Someone else saw that and walked over to check on me. They were nice enough to take me into the grocery store and go to the medicine aisle with me so I could get a specific child’s cold medicine. It was 15 cents more than the average children’s brand but cheaper than any of the adults. They also got me a little thing of popcorn chicken from the hot deli section.
I was so thankful and told him I was going to share it with my brother and his service dog as we were homeless together. He was on another corner trying to get a few bucks for dog food. Most people in that area were super nice and helpful, but there were a few jerks.
P.S. I was in Germantown, Maryland-a fairly Mormon-based area in the southern countryside.
(East coast of America for those who don’t know.) Also, it was at the end of the month when we had run out of funds. We only had 2 days till the next month and my brother’s funds would have come in. We saw the person who had helped me a few days later and got them a coffee as thanks in return. If someone is going to come up to you for help, it’s best to see if they need something first. If you feel you can help (and would like to help) then do so at your own digression.
But people who GUILT you into helping them, yeah…no. Not okay.” AlBloodCk26
Another User Comments:
“I volunteer often at homeless shelters as well as distribute food, clothing, and other essentials in NYC. So I’ve probably come across hundreds of street homeless. While I don’t like what happened to you, it’s important to be careful not to lump all homeless or even the majority of homeless individuals into the category of scammers and to also understand that many of them will try to ‘take advantage’ of generous individuals due to not being devious, but because they are desperate.
There are many ways to help homeless individuals besides giving funds to a panhandler, so I hope that one bad experience will not deter anyone from addressing the homeless crisis and showing empathy and compassion to them.” laidbackguy7
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