Panhandler Bong

Fred said what Ive been seeing over the last year:

The phrase "Hey buddy.. Got a quarter?" has been supplanted by "Hey buddy, can I borrow your cell phone?"

She is NOT kidding, specially in the East Bay, where this phenomena of cell-phone panhandling is endemic.

Blame MetroPCS, whose one-price phone service has made having a cell-phone use affordable for all in the Bay area, with unlimited local and domestic long distance.

Even many homeless folks are sporting more and more phones.

Unfortunately then, the asumption is - cadging the use of your cell phone isnt gonna actually COST you anything, as you have an unlimited calling plan, so its not a big deal if I borrow it to make a call??

So many people now have metroPCS phones now, that people will just come up on the random, with the assumption that you DO have a phone.

This, of course, is a nasty shock to those cell phone owners still paying out the nose for minutes (no matter how it's packaged).

So, tourists - its come to this:

"Can you spare a phone call, please? Bless you."
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One of the blessed advantage to being broke, is that you can say "Dont have it." and not have to lie.

In Berkeley, it was bad enough.

San Francisco is just off da hook.

This city is ABOUT money, judging buy how many times you'll get asked for a contribution walking through a busy area.

Another advantage of being broke is to know why youre being asked for money.

If youre in the bay, and youre being asked for a quarter, this person is 'niccing' or having a nicotine craving, and a quarter is the going price for a single cigarette.

If youre being asked for'anything you can spare', thats weed, alcohol and snack money.

Snack? Yeah, when you have the munchies, 2 bux will do you well at the corner store.

Any other request, and that person is hustling. Get away, dont engage in conversation, move. The need for a fix has arrived.

Money for food? Legitimate, but unlikely. Dude, if you go hungry in San Francisco, particularly in the downtown area, they need to lock you up for your own good.
There are no shortages of food programs around.

now, I thought I had become used to people bugging you for money in the East Bay (and where if you dont give, they're often cool about it, offering a 'have a good day then' in return.)

But San Francisco? Again, off the hook. The frequency of requests is like none Ive ever seen. Not New York, nor elsewhere.

Its the town of the hustle, usually to feed their addictions.

Kinda wears you out, even for the most well-meaning.