Do you give money to beggars?

[Nightwish]

Here, there used to be a wave of couples who would hang out in the parking lot of a local Shop 'n Save during the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The woman would wait in the car, huddled in blankets, and the man would get out and accost shoppers, asking for money "to buy gas to get to New Orleans for Christmas." It was always New Orleans, no other city. But it wasn't always the same couple, I counted at least a half a dozen different couples using the same schtick. Finally I told one of them, "If you need gas, pull over to that gas station across the street, and I'll fill you up." When they declined that offer, I said, "You know, if you're gonna sit here and bother these folks for their money, you should at least try to come up with a different story than the six who were here before you." Someone finally reported them to the police, and they stopped coming around.