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Street Pedlars

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Post by JulianaAlice Sat Jun 08, 2013 1:29 pm

Yesterday I sat down to relax at cafe in Pontremoli, when I was approached by a handsome young black man clutching some clothes pegs, an umbrella and some tissues. I can't ignore these people when they greet me with a polite buongiorno, but of course one word in reply and they immediately want to engage you in conversation in any of 3 or 4 languages. I tried to politely decline his offer of purchase of any of his items for anything I would like to give him, but he wasn"t having any if it. He said he was Libyan, had no home, two babies and please, think about it, he was just like me, how would I feel? He begged and begged, please mamma, please mamma, help me. What could I do ( i might have felt better if he had called me madam or lady instead of mamma!). Of course I gave him a couple of euros which he looked at but did not close his hand. When I said he could keep the pegs, he went off happily. Do these people gave gangmasters, or are some of them genuinely destitute? I am not including the gangs who work the trains here.
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Post by Flip Sat Jun 08, 2013 2:11 pm

Some are genuine, and we have spoken to quite a few who have alleged Horror Stories, and others are just trying to make a living. I think a usual rule is that those trying to sell, paper hankies, pegs, pens etc are on their own (have witnessed them buying stuff in Lidl or Euro Spin) to pass on at a mark up. The ones peddling Handbags, Watches, Sunglasses etc seem to be part of a network.
I genuinely feel sorry for these people, and will alway let them return my trolley at the Supermarket to get the Euro. After all it is down to the individual to make a judgement, on how needy these immigrants are; the only ones I refuse to deal with are the Roma Gypsies type.
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Post by Geotherm Sat Jun 08, 2013 2:14 pm

They are a real PITA. Outside many supermarkets and pester you to buy things from them. Wife has been followed by one from shop to shop and even inside them. One silly woman tried to put her arm through the jeep window, but as she nearly got it bitten by the dog, she soon went away.
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Post by Vicino Sat Jun 08, 2013 2:24 pm

I have to say, these (mainly chaps) are usually very friendly, although I don't buy their wares I do on occasion give loose change that I may have rattling around in my pocket. Our local chaps are from Nigeria.
I have to assume that they are legal as surely the 'officials' would sort them out ?
I do know one who rents an apartment near to his 'workplace' and I have also seen one drive up in a car.
The worst experience was a year or two ago when we decided to go to Fermo cathedral, there must have been a dozen of them in the car park, guiding me into a car parking space and then, when we returned, they were there again, guiding me out !!
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Post by Gala Placidia Sat Jun 08, 2013 4:22 pm

As Flip said, there are all kinds. Some are genuine, some are part of organized groups... Very difficult to tell. The other day, at Forte dei Marmi, I was approached on three different occasions by a guy wanting to sell me a "designer's" handbag. And this has happened to me several times, in different cities. I always refuse to buy those articles, but I do help when the person looks genuine. Personally, I think it is better to give financial help to well known institutions such as "Caritas" that helps those in need.
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Post by ghiro Sat Jun 08, 2013 5:12 pm

Like Flip I always allow them to take the supermarket trolley back for the €1.

But I rather lost sympathy with the beggar (he doesn't sell anything) outside my local Brico when I saw him chatting away on his mobile phone! Shocked
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Post by Geotherm Sat Jun 08, 2013 6:04 pm

ghiro wrote:Like Flip I always allow them to take the supermarket trolley back for the €1.

But I rather lost sympathy with the beggar (he doesn't sell anything) outside my local Brico when I saw him chatting away on his mobile phone! Shocked
Sit around long enough, and you will see they all have mobile phones. i.e say 500 people visit Eurospin a day and 100 give them 1 euro ... 700 euro a week, they can live well on that.
50Usd in Cambodia (roughly 38 Euro), gave a family rice, meat, vegetables for a week and we were glad to offer it. Ok the cost of living here is higher, but they chose to come here.
Sorry you may think I am hard, but I rather give to very needy people in Cambodia or Vietnam as we have done in those countries, or our friends in Thailand when the Tsunami hit them. They did not ask for help, they were living on more of a breadline than most of these so called poor guys are here.
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Post by Gala Placidia Sat Jun 08, 2013 7:58 pm

I'm afraid there is not an easy answer and there is a number of people who are exploiting the system; however, it is also true that, according to current statistics, one in every four people in Italy is surviving below the poverty line and the same thing is happening in Spain, Greece and other EU countries.
http://en.mercopress.com/2013/05/22/quarter-of-italians-edging-the-poverty-line-and-most-youngsters-survive-thanks-to-mon-and-dad
Requests for help from Caritas Italia have increased by more than 44% in just one year. And it would be fair to say that many people manage to survive because their families help them.
Certainly, many areas in the world suffer from the same type of problems and help is always needed everywhere.
Our main problem is where and with whom to place the money we can give to charity. I have a small number of charities I like to help; however, requests for money come on a daily basis, from both individuals and organisations. Deciding who are going to be the beneficiaries is a tough choice.
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Post by Geotherm Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:24 pm

Agree with you Gala. I just do not like being pestered by these people whenever I go shopping. The Italians do not do it, at least not in this area.
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Post by Gala Placidia Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:29 pm

I agree with you, and most of the time I feel harassed by these people. It is not a nice feeling.
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Post by Miss Demeanor Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:44 pm

Geotherm wrote: The Italians do not do it, at least not in this area.

That's 'cus sometimes it is the Italians running it! They get others to "do it" for them.

Sometimes the Italians are the ones organising the network of beggars/street or beach hawkers - buying the stock/trinkets/cheap fake tat/whatever to sell and then at the end of the day, they give their "workers" a small percentage as a "wage" by providing VERY basic accommodation and food and perhaps a very small cash amount to buy things like soap/clothes etc., - never enough for the "worker" to "escape" by saving here and there and then setting up on their own.

This is a well known Gangmaster way of "doing business". It's very tightly controlled. It is secretive. It is rampant. It is very, very sad.
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Post by Gala Placidia Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:55 pm

Obviously, there are some criminal organisations behind some of these activities. The ones who do the selling are being exploited. Very sad, I am sure that this was not the European "dream" they had. But then, they had to migrate, because living in their own countries was a daily nightmare.
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Post by ghiro Sat Jun 08, 2013 9:23 pm

It's not only in Italy. OH used to give Simon Wright some money in London - until he disappeared: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2337106/Beggar-earned-300-day-living-300-000-flat-charged-breaching-Asbo.html
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Post by Gala Placidia Sun Jun 09, 2013 5:12 am

I agree with Ghiro. In Spain we have similar cases and they will be everywhere. There is an old woman on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence who has become a sort of "feature" in the area. I have come to the conclusion that she may have more money than all of us together! Rolling Eyes
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Post by Flip Sun Jun 09, 2013 10:16 am

Like I said, it's down to personal feeling, and no one is either right or wrong to give money to these people. Though those begging out side Lidl/Eurospin and other Supermarkets should be offered an item of food (I've given bread, cheese or ham instead of money) that way they can't use it to top up their phones or buy alcohol etc.
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