DH was waiting for me to check out at Meijers today.
He saw a lady go to the self checkout. She did not scan anything but went to the end and started bagging her stuff and put the bags in a cart.

Finally the cashier noticed her and came over and said she needed to scan the groceries.The cashier scanned them .
Then the woman got out a card to scan and it would not work. I don't know if it was a credit card or a food stamp card. They only tried the one card.
We saw the lady leave empty handed as we were leaving.

Later I worried that maybe she needed groceries and had no money. I am upset that I didn't try to help her. I could have paid for some food for her.
I know she should not have tried to just bag stuff and not pay. I keep thinking maybe she had hungry kids at home.

My mother volunteers with our church homeless shelter where they also have a food pantry. I think some of the stories are surprising even to her. People who never would have believed they could end up there are turning up more and more often. It is getting bad. Now that you have seen this maybe is life's way of preparing to deal with others ina similar situation. Maybe keep a card with the location and phone number of the nearest food pantry or other local hlep. I think more than ever we really need to come together and help each other in this country since it is becoming more evident that our leaders can't or won't help the little guy ....

I had a similar thing happen the other night. I am still bothered by it. I was driving home from work, a little after 10 pm. I live out in the county, so it was on a long dark, but busy, road. It was also misting rain. Anyways, I passed by a young couple, WALKING, pushing an umbrella stroller with a toddler in it!! Walking down the side of this busy road, that late, in the rain!! I'm not sure if it was a toddler or a baby, but I saw some little legs. Needless to say, it broke my heart! I was torn between wanting to stop, giving them a ride to where ever they needed to go, or doing something. I thought of my little angel baby, at home in his nice warm bed, and that this baby deserved the same. But I didn't, because I was scared. I was by myself, it was late, and I just didn't know what to do. I still feel so bad about it. I just hope that they had a home to go to, and that baby had a soft bed to sleep in.

__________________
*** Find A Need , Fill A Need ***

It's so hard at times to just follow your head instead of your heart. Today's world isn't the same world we were in as kids.The unknowing is really messed up these days. People take advantage of people as if there's noting wrong with it. and that leads to people that really do need the help not being able to get it.Or worse stealing because they don't want to have to ask and be judged for asking.
Granny, Your time will come around again to help. Just know that you are not alone in this and we all have missed our time in helping someone. But we were given another time to help. What a good person you are for NOT posting about the lady just taking the food, You looked into your heart and saw what could have been the reason for her doing it. You are a good person for this.

To add more misery to this unstable economy, I heard on t.v. tonight that 38 states are about to run out of unemployment funds! Gosh. They said the government will have to step in and bail out those states or there will be no funds. Um, if the government does much more 'bailing out' we are really going to see hard times as a country. My little brother and his family (3 kids) are living off his unemployment right now as his place of business (a large factory) burned down a few months ago; it's in a small town (no other jobs) and the company has decided not to rebuild there. Not good for them. Expect things to get much much worse I'm afraid.

It is so hard for so many people right now (I don't believe in stealing though--I was raised poor and my parents never resorted to that--but these aren't the same times/same lifestyle as when I was growing up so I try not to judge either). I agree with you guys--you never really know what you will do in desperate times. I'd steal too I suppose if my kids were going hungry. I used to be a case manager for DHS so I have pretty much seen it all. You do get a lot of people that abuse, take advantage, etc., the saddest cases are the ones that you know really need the help. Not everyone qualifies though that really needs the help, etc. Right now especially it's the poor AND middle class hurting. A lot of people are barely paying for gas and housing/utilities--nothing much left for food.

Doesn't help with the Utility companys trying to scam you either when your already dirt poor.Our Electric Company overcharged us $239.00 the past 2 months.We did end up getting it credited back but then they overcharged us about another $55 this month?
Our Water company overcharged us by about $55 too last month.This month they got it right.I was hoping they would catch their mistake but looks like I'm going to have to #$**#@!!
AT@T and Sprint ,mostly Sprint trys to screw us every other month.WHY,do they all these utility companys try to screw us?Because they can,and theres nothing we can do about it except #$**#@.
Bf and I have to watch every purchase we make everywhere we go because 9 out of 10 cashiers are entering prices twice,overcharging,faking deducting coupons,and not giving the correct change.
The world is turning into one big SCAM.
Ok, thats my vent for the day!
I'm done.

__________________

I think crime is going to be more violent, due to this economy. People are hungry, homeless, with decreasing resources for help. Desperate people will do desperate things to meet their needs. Just be extra cautious when you go out and shop, bank, or mill around town.

__________________
We're off to never never land

So what will we, as individuals, do about this? Even though our giving might be small it is still valuable.

What do you think is the best way for you to give? (I'm assuming we are a generous people and do give.)

Is it better to give to an individual family and make a real difference in their lives? Or to give to a larger group and pool money to spread to more? Or a combination of both?

I'm trying to figure what would be best for the upcoming holiday season.

I'll be the stinker here and say that could be the woman had bought her drugs and cigarettes and had no cash left for groceries. Maybe so, maybe not, who's to say? Many years ago the pastor of the church that we were attending at the time learned that someone he had bought groceries for returned them to get the cash to use for other purposes. The "family in need" obviously didn't need groceries as badly as they let on.

Hmmm, maybe now I have a clue why self checkouts have never caught on in my area.

this is something I battle with, too. I give to a local self help place, funded by United Way. They screen really well, so I feel confident doing that.

I have focused more on helping family and friends. Afterall, most of us and our close family and friends could use some toiletries and food, right??? I have even sent Flat rate boxes to a friend who lives out of state. She is not on any type of assistance, but, things are tight for her and her family. I easily saved her $50 on toiletries, so she can use that on something else. All the things I put in the box were gotten FREE after Extra Bucks at CVS or Rebates at Walgreens or Rite Aid, so all I paid was the postage, under $10 for a flat rate box.

I think education is the key, teaching people how to stretch their money.

I saw something on TV that basically said the silver lining in all of this is that people are getting back to the basics, so to speak.....playing a board game at home on Saturday night, a picnic lunch/dinner in the park. You don't HAVE to spend a fortune to have good quality family and fun time.

__________________
Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

Hey, our water co. overcharged us this month too ! Double..luckily I caught it in time.

__________________
Live, Love, Laugh

I heard a story on the news today about a guy who just randomly decided to pay for people's gas for a certain amount of time. Whoever came to the gas station, he paid. About 2,000.00 worth I think. He only asked that the people "pass it on", Nice story.

Things don't seem too bad where I am yet, but I think we were already there to some extent, so it just doesn't seem any worse. Does that make sense??

__________________
Melissa

Did you call 911 when you got home and ask them to ck on them? Their car could have stopped somewhere. I would have called for someone to go assist. I dont stop for people at nite but do call help for them. I have stopped for many people in the day time.

__________________
·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·
«·´¨*·.¸¸. Jo ¸¸.·*¨`·»
«·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·»


Please leave feedback for me here.
http://www.mycoupons.com/boards/g-l/...-littlejo.html



gretchengirl@gmail.com

http://lifewithlittlejo.blogspot.com/

This is a very sad but true story....recently there was an alleged drunk man that thought he was driving on the access road alongside the interstate. In reality, he was driving the wrong way on the interstate for 8 miles. In that 8 miles no one called 911, this according to the newspaper account. The man hit a 19 yr old college sophmore head on and killed the young man. Of course, the drunk wasn't killed. 8 miles and no one called 911, it just breaks my heart.

No, it never even crossed my mind to call 911. Now I feel really guilty. Next time I will know too. Lord have mercy,I hope that baby is ok.

__________________
*** Find A Need , Fill A Need ***

Gosh, it would have never crossed my mind to call 911 either. Actually, I don't thnk that's a proper use of 911 as you really didn't know that there was any sort of emergency that warranted 911. There was no reason to believe that the child was in imminent danger; he/she was in a stroller with two adults. Were something like this to happen again, I'd suggest calling the local police department to send out someone to check on their well-being.

cj/

__________________
I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

Doesn't that just break your heart?

I probably would have went over to ask if I could help scan her card and then put mine in it's place without them knowing (if I could scan it that fast and do the ol one two and slip hers back in my hand to hand back to her).

But, that would probably not pan out, and I would feel like an idiot if she got upset with me for doing that, or if the clerk said something..then it would embarass the lady..

But you never know.. I think that is why some people don't really help out others like they used to, for fear that someone with too much pride will cut them down or belittle them, becasue they feel bad about needing help. I understand it completely..but I wish sometimes that people who are in need would just realize.. I am blessed just as much as they are when they let me do something to help them.
In many ways, I wish I could be selfish like that much more than what I am allowed to be. I just thrive off of helping others out, especially financially or with food, etc. because of all of the ways I have been helped and given to by virtual strangers in my life.

So, I guess this is why I prefer to do it anonymously.

Most of the time it is about choices and priorities. I remember once, while working as a food stamp worker, I told a woman she was not eligible because of her brand new car. She said that she didn't see what a car had to do with feeding her kids.

__________________
Raising my baby RIGHT!!!!!!

All the cool babies are wearing cloth!