PinkRoses
Contributing Member
OK, I gotta rant...
I've always taken great pleasure in helping people in need in any way I can, but now with this whole entitlement society, I've had enough! Sure, times are tough, but unscrupulous, greedy people are taking advantage of those with a kind heart. I rarely go out anymore, but when I do I never fail to see healthy, able-bodied young people standing on street corners, begging for money - they'd rather stand outside in 90+ degree heat and beg rather than apply for a job at a time when almost every business is begging for help. When I was coming out of a store, a young man approached me and actually had the chutzpah to ask if I could spare five or ten dollars! I never give to panhandlers like them, although if they have a dog with them I'll hand them a few treats for the dog, because the animals are innocent and not in on taking advantage of people.
Just a few examples -
I listed a lawnmower on Craigslist for only $45. A guy asked me if I'd take $25 "because I live pretty far away and gas is expensive." Don't hold your breath, Bubba! (I ignored him, even though I was tempted to reply something like, "Oh, don't you want me to reimburse you for your driving time as well?)
Scammers and freeloaders are everywhere. I sell on Poshmark to supplement my Social Security, and I'm sick and tired of people who expect me to "sell" something to them for almost nothing (apparently they think I get the things I sell from the Free Inventory Fairy, and work for nothing), but this scammer really set me off:
So, a woman "liked" a bunch of my items, and then put one thing into a bundle. (If you bundle items, you only have to pay one flat postage rate.) It was a $69 Alfred Dunner sweater than I had worn once, had it listed for $25, and would have accepted an offer of $20. She sent me a message asking what was the best price I could give her. Well, I saw her avatar - it was a picture of a woman (I assumed it was her) with a cute dog prominently displayed in front of her (you saw more of the dog than of her) - and the dog was wearing a "Service Dog" vest. In other words, she wanted everyone to know that she was disabled. Well, I'm disabled myself and can empatize, so I told her I'd do $15. Get this... She then adds ALL the items she liked (about $300 worth of stuff) into the bundle and asks, "Is that $15 for the entire bundle?" I was so taken aback by her chutzpah I just replied, "Of course not!" She then tried to make ME feelguilty for making HER feel bad! In checking her purchases from other sellers, I saw that a lot of people had fallen for her ploy - her many purchases included a NWT Alfred Dunner suit for $5, three pair of brand new designer pants for $10, and much, much more. I did some invstigating, based on her name and the city she lived in. Disabled my a$$ - she paints murals on buildings, so she's out climbing a scaffolding in all kinds of weather, and making darned good money doing it!
Earlier this week a woman on Nextdoor, which I don't really use except to offer my Amazon and Chewy boxes free for moving boxes when they pile up, and sometimes I'll just scan the site to see what's going on. (Incidentally, someone wanted the moving boxes...but then refused them because they weren't broken down. Fine - go to U-Haul and pay $10-25 for each box!) A woman posted and claimed she was disabled, hadn't been approved for SSDI yet, and said she had nothing, just an apartment with a bed and a rickety table and chairs. She was asking for furniture, clothing, and housewares. Well, as I said. I'm happy to help someone in need, so I messaged her, told her I sell on Poshmark, and if she told me her sizes I'd get a bag together for her, which I did...along with a pile of other stuff, much of it new, including housewares, books (she said she liked to read), a case of cat food and even a (used) Coach purse, because I wanted her to have something nice; there was several hundred dollars worth of stuff. She came along with a friend to pick it up, then sent me a text...no, not to thank me, but to complain that things smelled musty and of urine - all total BS. Most were things I had listed for sale, and I'm a top-rated, five star seller on all platforms; everything was fresh and clean. She made some other wild and crazy accusations, and told me I'm "a nasty old woman," and added that I could be raped, even at my age! I ended up blocking that lunatic. (And before you ask, I don't allow strangers into my house - I met her on the porch, and my doors have signs warning people that I'm armed.)
These are just a few examples - but she was the last straw - I'm done. I'll happily help friends and neighbors, or people whom they know personally, but from now on if I have things I don't need I'll either take them to a homeless shelter or to a church that has an outreach program - let them deal with the deadbeats, the crazies, and the scammers! (Be aware that many thrift shops are for profit, a very small percentage of proceeds from donations actually go to the charity they claim to represent, and many Goodwill execs have six figure salaries.)
Incidentally, I was talking to a young man who's a cashier at Aldi. No matter what time or day I go in, he's always there. In a rare slow period we got to chatting, and I mentioned that he's the only cashier I ever see. He said that they can't find anyone who wants to work, and added that he moved here from Atlanta, but has friends there who are 26-27 years old...AND HAVE NEVER HAD A JOB OF ANY KIND!!!! I can't even imagine - at 26 I was a senior accountant at a major brokerage firm! What on earth is wrong with their parents????
Well, the Tribulation is fast approaching, and they're going to learn what tough times REALLY are - altlhough no doubt they'll be pushing to get to the head of the line to take the Mark of the Beast, because they'll probably get free stuff for doing so. When they start to get to me, I have to confess the thought of what they'll soon be going through makes me smile. (But my heart breaks for the good, decent people wh just don't know the Lord...)
Rant over...thanks for listening!
I've always taken great pleasure in helping people in need in any way I can, but now with this whole entitlement society, I've had enough! Sure, times are tough, but unscrupulous, greedy people are taking advantage of those with a kind heart. I rarely go out anymore, but when I do I never fail to see healthy, able-bodied young people standing on street corners, begging for money - they'd rather stand outside in 90+ degree heat and beg rather than apply for a job at a time when almost every business is begging for help. When I was coming out of a store, a young man approached me and actually had the chutzpah to ask if I could spare five or ten dollars! I never give to panhandlers like them, although if they have a dog with them I'll hand them a few treats for the dog, because the animals are innocent and not in on taking advantage of people.
Just a few examples -
I listed a lawnmower on Craigslist for only $45. A guy asked me if I'd take $25 "because I live pretty far away and gas is expensive." Don't hold your breath, Bubba! (I ignored him, even though I was tempted to reply something like, "Oh, don't you want me to reimburse you for your driving time as well?)
Scammers and freeloaders are everywhere. I sell on Poshmark to supplement my Social Security, and I'm sick and tired of people who expect me to "sell" something to them for almost nothing (apparently they think I get the things I sell from the Free Inventory Fairy, and work for nothing), but this scammer really set me off:
So, a woman "liked" a bunch of my items, and then put one thing into a bundle. (If you bundle items, you only have to pay one flat postage rate.) It was a $69 Alfred Dunner sweater than I had worn once, had it listed for $25, and would have accepted an offer of $20. She sent me a message asking what was the best price I could give her. Well, I saw her avatar - it was a picture of a woman (I assumed it was her) with a cute dog prominently displayed in front of her (you saw more of the dog than of her) - and the dog was wearing a "Service Dog" vest. In other words, she wanted everyone to know that she was disabled. Well, I'm disabled myself and can empatize, so I told her I'd do $15. Get this... She then adds ALL the items she liked (about $300 worth of stuff) into the bundle and asks, "Is that $15 for the entire bundle?" I was so taken aback by her chutzpah I just replied, "Of course not!" She then tried to make ME feelguilty for making HER feel bad! In checking her purchases from other sellers, I saw that a lot of people had fallen for her ploy - her many purchases included a NWT Alfred Dunner suit for $5, three pair of brand new designer pants for $10, and much, much more. I did some invstigating, based on her name and the city she lived in. Disabled my a$$ - she paints murals on buildings, so she's out climbing a scaffolding in all kinds of weather, and making darned good money doing it!
Earlier this week a woman on Nextdoor, which I don't really use except to offer my Amazon and Chewy boxes free for moving boxes when they pile up, and sometimes I'll just scan the site to see what's going on. (Incidentally, someone wanted the moving boxes...but then refused them because they weren't broken down. Fine - go to U-Haul and pay $10-25 for each box!) A woman posted and claimed she was disabled, hadn't been approved for SSDI yet, and said she had nothing, just an apartment with a bed and a rickety table and chairs. She was asking for furniture, clothing, and housewares. Well, as I said. I'm happy to help someone in need, so I messaged her, told her I sell on Poshmark, and if she told me her sizes I'd get a bag together for her, which I did...along with a pile of other stuff, much of it new, including housewares, books (she said she liked to read), a case of cat food and even a (used) Coach purse, because I wanted her to have something nice; there was several hundred dollars worth of stuff. She came along with a friend to pick it up, then sent me a text...no, not to thank me, but to complain that things smelled musty and of urine - all total BS. Most were things I had listed for sale, and I'm a top-rated, five star seller on all platforms; everything was fresh and clean. She made some other wild and crazy accusations, and told me I'm "a nasty old woman," and added that I could be raped, even at my age! I ended up blocking that lunatic. (And before you ask, I don't allow strangers into my house - I met her on the porch, and my doors have signs warning people that I'm armed.)
These are just a few examples - but she was the last straw - I'm done. I'll happily help friends and neighbors, or people whom they know personally, but from now on if I have things I don't need I'll either take them to a homeless shelter or to a church that has an outreach program - let them deal with the deadbeats, the crazies, and the scammers! (Be aware that many thrift shops are for profit, a very small percentage of proceeds from donations actually go to the charity they claim to represent, and many Goodwill execs have six figure salaries.)
Incidentally, I was talking to a young man who's a cashier at Aldi. No matter what time or day I go in, he's always there. In a rare slow period we got to chatting, and I mentioned that he's the only cashier I ever see. He said that they can't find anyone who wants to work, and added that he moved here from Atlanta, but has friends there who are 26-27 years old...AND HAVE NEVER HAD A JOB OF ANY KIND!!!! I can't even imagine - at 26 I was a senior accountant at a major brokerage firm! What on earth is wrong with their parents????
Well, the Tribulation is fast approaching, and they're going to learn what tough times REALLY are - altlhough no doubt they'll be pushing to get to the head of the line to take the Mark of the Beast, because they'll probably get free stuff for doing so. When they start to get to me, I have to confess the thought of what they'll soon be going through makes me smile. (But my heart breaks for the good, decent people wh just don't know the Lord...)
Rant over...thanks for listening!