Ran into a young chap at the gas station who said he was in financial distress...
Brought to mind this post by Bayou Renaissance Man, and:
When I'd offer to buy the food/gas/clothes for them, and give them the merchandise rather than the money, in more than nine cases out of ten the offer was declined - in fact, more than a few of them actually insulted me, demanding cash instead. (Needless to say, they didn't get it.)
Well, this lad gave me the no-money-for-gas story... but (a) he was at a gas station, and (b) he was looking for someone to give money to the cashier so he could feed his car.
So I figured it really was gas he needed, and maybe he really was looking for work (he did come across as potentially employable). So I handed the cashier a few bucks for his pump, as well as the usual twenty for mine.
(And the car wasn't new and shiny. Looked like the sort of well-used vehicle a young job-seeker might be getting around in.)
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