Thursday, November 20, 2008

POST #8OO:

BUT WHO'S COUNTING?


This blog just rolled onto post numero 800. At this rate number 1,000 should come in May/June. Never thought I'd have something to say in 800 different ways.

I often think Blogger should provide a service that takes assorted blog posts and copies/binds them into a book. A book like that would be something to be proud of IF some of the posts found here were not included. Just a thought, Mr. Blogger.

Have you noticed that there seems to be more and more folks with signs at the entrances or exits to shopping centers. The signs indicate that the holder of the sign wants money for assorted reasons. This is troublesome to me - an indicator of a sign of the times. I wrestle with whether or not I should give or whether I shouldn't give spare change or a buck or two to the person with their sign up and their hand out? I really do feel their pain and would like to do something to help.

This year I thought that I'd buy some gift cards from a fast food place like Burger King and pass them out to those in need. That would be helpful, wouldn't it? At least I'd know that my donation wasn't going for a fine bottle of wine or a hit of crack.

I'll also get a few gift cards from Liquor Barn and give those to those really in need, too. Then I'd definitely know where the money was really going to be spent. There's nothing like honesty and a nice bottle of wine after a hard day on the curb.

I might give a choice of cards - only one to a person: Burger King or Liquor Barn? Now that would be an interesting study as to how many made this choice or that.

I think homeless people with signs go about the whole thing in the wrong way. Usually there's a sob story on the sign meant to stimulate "donations". Like losing their job, car broke down, house caught on fire, etc. I don't see many people stopping to help people with signs like that. These guys need someone from marketing change up on their strategy. As any capitalist American knows, a good pitch equals good income.

I'm thinking that would be a good job for me. I could do that. Pitchman Bob.

Check out my first "get more money by sitting on the curb with a sign" idea. This would be the sign I'd make for my first client:

"BETCHA CAN'T HIT ME

WITH A QUARTER!"

A sign like that should really do the trick. It would be like raining quarters.


Not bad for Post 8OO.

See you at curbside.

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7 comments:

Deech said...

Careful Bob!, those guys are gonna be our next set of Millionaires. Based on the current incoming administration...it will be painful to make over $250K so I figure that the quickest way of getting rich is to get on Welfare...

Hey! Maybe I should disquise myself as a large automotive CEO and ask for bail-out money! Yeah, That's it!

Congrats on the 800! Make it a movie!

Bob said...

Fox: You should consider manufacturing dartboards. You've got the poster girl and the drive. Go for it an make that first million, buddy.

Jessi said...

There's this bum here in SF with this great gimmick of jumping out and scaring people. Recently I noticed it was a different bum doing the same trick in the same area, and one of the locals told me that the original bum had made enough to retire!!

Congrats on #800! Here's to 800 more!

La Roo said...

800! Wow Bob~ I aspire to be you!!

Anyways we were sharing the thoughts of this post with a friend of ours.....laughing and getting a kick out of it. He in return was commenting how great he thought ot would be to get a group of homeless at the freeway entrance and market them out as carpool partners. Each with different specialty, for example one being all hip on rock and roll, while another has knowledge about economics or one might just be recently showered and quiet.
They could ride with you so you wouldn't get a ticket and it wouldn't matter where you dropped them off because they are homeless.

Ok, I know this is messed up and I'm probably going to hell.

twilite said...

Hi Bob! Amazing. U've actually written that many posts! I can barely keep up with my 200th! Congrats. Hope to read more though. Have a good weekend.

Bob said...

Jess: Don't you hate it when someone thinks it's funny to jump out of nowhere and scare the crap out of you? I'd sucker punch that dude.

LaRoo: You're too funny and no, you're not going to hell girl. Something we seem to have lost as a culture is the ability to laugh at ourselves. Now it's be politically correct or be damned. Guess I'm up there on the damned list, too.... if there is such a thing.

Lea: Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Very funny idea!!! Lots of laughs here.

Not so funny, but I used to give this one homeless guy near my work chicken soup some mornings... my grandma made it and it was in jars. Not sure it's what this guy was after, but he seemed appreciative.

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