How to make $300 a day in NYC!

After reading "Tried to Hire a Homeless Man Today." by Onehuman, I remembered an ironic twist to living in NYC.
Years ago before I went to college I lived in the city. I worked as a draftsman for a cabinetry company making @$10 dollars an hour which was $400 a week gross. I was also a musician at the time and part of NYC's underworld. I met and began dating a girl who was 25 beautiful, smart and had been on her own in the city since the age of 16. She 'squatted' in a building in the east village with about 20 others - rent free! She also panhandled for about 6 hours a day and treated this like an actual job. She would deliberately put makeup or dirt on to make herself look unwashed and she explained this whole technique to making anywhere from $200 to $400 a day, tax free in NYC. This was back in the early 90's so this wasn't that bad! She explained that moving from block to block every day or two you will never see the same person twice increasing your chances.

Estimates vary from a couple of dollars (U.S.) a day on the low end, to $20 to $50 a day in the mid-range, to about $300 a day on the high end. Women, especially those who have children with them, and panhandlers who appear to be disabled tend to receive more money. For this reason, some panhandlers pretend to be disabled and/or war veterans. Others use pets as a means of evoking sympathy from passersby. Panhandlers' regular donors can account for up to half their receipts.

When all was said and done she was making about 4 times what I made in a good week! Now with the economy in the shape it's in, I've seen some people doing some weird things. An MIT grad was just given a job after being homeless and putting a banner sign on his body and walked around Manhattan.



I heard NY was trying to ban panhandling but read this was unconstitutional and people were fighting and winning.

Saying the New York City Police Department has been “outrageous” in failing to follow repeated court orders barring it from ticketing peaceful panhandlers, a federal judge in Manhattan said yesterday that she would consider a proposal to hold the city in contempt of court.

“It’s a sorry tale of noncompliance,” said the judge, Shira A. Scheindlin of United States District Court. Federal court decisions in 1992 and again in 2005, she said, “are simply being ignored by the New York City Police Department. I don’t know why.”

Lawyers handling a class-action suit on behalf of panhandlers have said they planned to ask for a $10,000 fine against the city for each improper summons.

In the 1992 and 2005 decisions, federal judges found unconstitutional a provision of state law permitting the arrest of a person who “loiters, remains or wanders about in a public place for the purpose of begging.” The decisions said the provision violated the First Amendment guarantee of free speech and barred its enforcement.

These are interesting times we live in the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. I personally never have or never would resort to this, but then again I think everyone who is panhandling now has said this same thing in the past also.

For more info on this subject here is a blog:
Make Money Panhandling

Sources:
The Straight Dope

NY Times

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/000d164e603f.jpg[/atsimg]

This won't make as much bank, but the banks are the problem to begin with.

reply to post by AnteBellum


In Australia we just call it BEGGING. Some do make good money out of it and yes it's tax free.

Geez, what am I doing wrong LOL

reply to post by JibbyJedi


Jibbi is a wise man. The banks have duped America and now were enslaved to them by our debt. The same happened in Canada but on a smaller scale were more than 50 billion in the hole in Canada. You guys are worse off but now were in this together!. Since are economies are entwined.

Like Jibbi SAYS SCREW THE BANKERS.

Where do you THINK ALL THAT MONEY FROM RENT MORTGAGES GO?

The Oil Barrons are just a distraction (Fall Guys) for by the bankers and the MSM make you think this

Look at the real culprits THE BANKSTERS

Originally posted by bluemirage5
reply to post by AnteBellum

 

In Australia we just call it BEGGING. Some do make good money out of it and yes it's tax free.

Geez, what am I doing wrong LOL

I am assuming your not "doing" anything wrong. You probably have taken the right route and found a legit job. I do not care how much u can make, BEGGING (atta make it sound decent with "panhandling"). I understand America doesn't have many jobs right now, sooooo come up here to Canada!!! We are doing juuuuust fine. We love the reliance of America going forward.

Anyone want our "colored money" now? hahahhahahaaa

reply to post by AnteBellum


As a project in Grad school; I wrote a paper on my experiences as a "panhandler" I just sat on the sidwalk, never spoke asking for money but had a small box sitting in front of me. I let people make their own decision as to it's purpose. Many interpreted it as a recepital for money. Usually just coins but sometimes large bill denominations.
I was completely amazed at the generosity of the American public. This was in the late 70s and I'm sure times have changed.

I was also amazed at the violence I had to deal with from some people!!

reply to post by whaaa


Could you go into more detail? That sounds like a really interesting thing to read.

Peace
KJ

reply to post by whaaa


Yes as stated by KJ I would love to hear you experiences.

I just can't imagine what people would do, unless you took someone else's spot my ex-ex-ex-ex-ex-ex-ex. . . girlfriend said this happens often enough in NYC.

reply to post by AnteBellum


And yes in the 90's you could make that kind of money....

Now because of posts like this.... panhandlers are lucky to make a couple dollars an hour sometimes!

The people that "treat it like a job" and fake being homeless are the SCUM OF THE EARTH!!

They cost the REAL people who depend on the PITTANCE that can be made panhandling now even more of their already meager income!

The fact that you would Encourage someone to do that.... WOW just WOW I thought this site was about DENYING IGNORANCE! Pretending to be Homeless so you can score some "easy money" is WORSE than what the bankers do!

and just FYI I spent almost 9 months a year and a half ago homeless and dependent upon the charity of others for my survival....

It's not a fun position to be in to say the least!

And in my case it was a HUMBLING experience that I will NEVER EVER FORGET!

I posted a bit more in the other thread about various things but this thread just blew me away!

The fact that people with homes and a good life stoop to taking the ONE avenue left to the POOREST OF THE POOR to get the money they need to survive just MAKES ME SICK!

reply to post by roguetechie


Did someone miss there Yoga class today?

I wasn't advocating anything, actually if you read the post you would of read I never did or would do this. I was merely an observation based on personal experience I wanted to share. You read into this what you wanted to see, never did I say people toss away your minimum wage jobs and go panhandle!

And you are right, this sight is about Denying Ignorance.
Unfortunately, I felt the need to respond to your post for clarification purposes!

You will notice many people in your thread have the I gotta try this mentality... That bothered me...

But ALSO

Stories about people making large amounts of money and doing it as a JOB under false pretenses hurt the people that NEED the money they get from panhadling!

That is what bothers me... the continued propagation of these stories about people gaming the kindness of strangers has made the good people of the world much more wary of helping people that they see holding signs or asking for spare change.

It is an ugly situation and those that ask for money under false pretenses, when caught, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!

I just don't like the methodology being taught openly and the stories that make it seem like panhandlers
A: are faking being homeless and hungry to make money (many of these stories make it seem like a large percentage of those you encounter are these fake poor people SCAMMING money out of those willing to help the less fortunate)
B: Make 200 to 400 dollars a day: This MYTH makes the relatively small percentage of people that were willing to give feel like plenty of other people are giving (because 20/20 and stories like this tell them that people make GOOD MONEY holding a sign or asking for spare change) And while in some places ie tourist heavy locales during the right season panhandling can be Extremely lucrative! Most of the time it is not even a minimum wage affair! Ironically many homeless people when offered work don't like admitting how little it is they make on a bad day and will TELL you they make 20 dollars an hour or etc as a BARGAINING position to try to gain the best deal possible if they do end up working for someone.

Those are the things that bother me! And like I said I spent time on the streets... The experience was less than pleasant for me, and I have a pathological fear of winding up back on the streets to this day!

years ago, my dad used to drive in to work each day and he had a monthly spot in a garage near his office. the spot next to his was occuppied by a decent midpriced sedan. Every morning, my dad would pull into the space at about the same time as the guy in the spot next to his. the guy would get out of the car and change from a suit and tie to ratty looking clothes. My dad finally decided to ask the guy what he was doing and he said he was getting ready for work. His wife and kids, back in a nice suburb in Connecticut, had no idea that he was panhandling for a living. The guy said he made enough money to support his family and, with his wife's income, they lived extremely well.

Best begging method EVER.

When I was homeless one of the signs I used that I did well with was


BANK ROBBER.....

NEED $ 4 BULLETS

reply to post by RadiantVibration

I understand America doesn't have many jobs right now,

That is a false illusion that people insist on accepting. I ran errands today, and every single place that I went was looking for help! I currently have 2 openings in my department, and I know of several others that will be filled over the next couple of weeks.

I am struggling to get by, but I have a pretty good job, and then a second part time gig. My wife got hired for the first job she applied for back in November.

My parents are broke, and I found each of them a job this week, but they probably are not going to take them, because they don't want to move down to Florida.

I guarantee that there are jobs for clean-cut, articulate, humble, and nice people. My last round of interviews, I know one guy thought he was "over-qualified," because he told us he was. He didn't get hired, because he was just an azz! Two other interviewees had law degrees, and they didn't get hired, because they put no effort into their work sample or intervew. The person I hired was clean cut, direct, nice, and appreciative of the opportunity to interview.

There are jobs, the people that are having trouble finding them are welcome to U2U me if you need advice on preparing for an interview, or writing an application. There are plenty of jobs, there just aren't plenty of decent applicants. Everyone thinks they are too good, or not good enough, and they blow their opportunities.

reply to post by roguetechie

Now because of posts like this.... panhandlers are lucky to make a couple dollars an hour sometimes!

I sat in Waffle House, staring at a stoplight that leads into WalMart. I watched 2 panhandlers walk over and take money from the window of cars about 25 times in 30 minutes. Assuming that was $0.50 per time, that is $25 per hour. They live in the woods adjacent to the Walmart, they obviously have no overhead, and they work 7 days per week. What are 2 homeless guys doing with $700 to $1000 per week?

In reality, their take is probably higher, because the majority of those people are giving them a buck or two, not just 50 cents. It wouldn't surprise me to find out they were clearing $1500 a week.

I have an unhealthy disdain, or maybe even hatred for panhandlers and homeless people. I have many experiences I can share, but trust me that the hatred is well-founded. And with my hatred of them, I am still moved from time to time. Especially when the vets approach me, because I am in my biker vest. They assume I am going to honor the tradition of helping out a down and out vet, and I usually do. I feel stupid and used, but when I see them light up at the sight of my bike and vest, and immediately walk over to me, I can't disappoint them.

I did a thread on the homeless back in may and a poster by the name of LRP2010 posted this and it changed my views on giving money to the beggars on the street unless i know there just out there makeing big money and fakeing it..

When I was a kid (age 11) things became really hard for my family, no work, dad sick, we eventually were homeless for quite a while. My mother, sister and I would sleep in the car, trying to get help where we could. My mother and sister would work when they could but when you don't have an address or a place to clean up, good clothes to wear, it is hard to get work. Thankfully there were people that were kind and would help. But there were the others who wanted to taunt and torment us - one night while sleeping in the car a group of jerks on motorcycles kept circling our car banging on it trying to scare us - as if we weren't already scared before they arrived - nights were hard and many people who haven't seen hardship can be jerks. It is easy to say "get a job" or "take a shower" when the person doing the yelling gets to go home to 4 walls and a bathroom, hot dinner and the escape of the television.

That time of my life shaped my way of thinking and I will never forget being so hungry that I thought I would die, so scared all the time, and so thristy that even now I feel panic when I don't have water handy. And the worse part was the humiliation. We lived in a shelter for a while, slightly better choice than being on the streets - shelters are just a different kind of frightening and nasty (at least from what I remember).

There was this family, and not sure how we ended up in their home, but they took us in for an evening and made us breakfast for dinner. There was so much food and I couldn't believe that people could have so much or be so kind. I will never forget that. There were many people who came along to asist us. A group of young people helped us and would bring us things in the shelter and they kept some of our stuff that we couldn't take in (we didn't have much but didn't want to lose what we had). They never bothered our things and were very kind. Unfortunately the kind people were fewer than the mean ones.

There were so many people living on the streets and some were mentally ill, a few were really scary, some drug addicts, and some were really fine but just didn't know they had a choice. Not knowing a choice is available is probably the saddest of all. But even the "crooks" on the street were doing what they felt they had to do so they could survive - can't imagine things are much different now. The rules are very different when you are in that position. There were a few who were just lazy but in reality most just wanted to eat, some wanted to self-medicate (can't say that I blamed them) and others just wanted to be left alone. There are so many reasons people end up homeless and in many ways it is a trap that is hard to get out of. Even when the body is taken out of the situation, the mind is still there for a long time and that is why so many keep falling back into that same place.

When things changed for us and we were back in our hometown and I went back to school I just couldn't shake that part of me who had lived on the streets and had to beg. It took a long time to crawl out of that place. Long after I had my own home and a great job making good money (I am one of the lucky ones) I still felt like that kid who didn't have a place to live, who most thought of as trash to toss aside or make fun of. I can still feel panic inside and have that fear of being homeless (not even close to a reality but the fear still hangs in the back of my mind).

I work in the real estate industry and now with all the foreclosures and going into homes where people have been evicted, seeing kids toys and special things that had to be left behind, sometimes even pets (so sad), it takes me back. Makes me feel sick to think another family may be going through the very thing I did and knowing they will never be the same again.

So, to answer the question, When I see a homeless person, I give what I can and treat everyone with respect. Sometimes the respect means more than the dollar I can toss in their cup. I don't choose what to give them, I give them what they ask for if I have it. They make the choice with what they do with the money. So if my dollar goes for a bottle of cheap wine, then wine it is.