It doesn't surprise me in the least that some of these panhandlers literally make a good living off of it. I've seen the same guys in certain parts of Chicago and they have clearly put some forethought into the areas that they cover. One older guy has a few busy intersections and I've yet to see him not take in a few bucks at every red light I've been stuck in. I don't know how many red lights per hour there are, but just doing the math and he is easily double, tripling or more the minimum wage AND there are no taxes reported on all that cash he is taking in. Once in awhile, I'd bet he gets a $10 or $20, especially on the holidays and it's pretty clear the guy is definitely making a decent living off of this.
Of course, most people don't really notice these sorts of things, so they'd never believe it. But it's a game of a couple bucks at a time, multiplied over 8-10 hours+ of working the same few corners. It most definitely adds up.
Of course, most people don't really notice these sorts of things, so they'd never believe it. But it's a game of a couple bucks at a time, multiplied over 8-10 hours+ of working the same few corners. It most definitely adds up.
