Twice in the last 3 days I had two different homeless people stop me and bet me.

"I bet I can name the city, state, and country that you bought those shoes for $5 in one guess."

Ok... The odds are high he would lose. So why the $5? Where is the trick?

atleast he got your interest right?? did you give him any money??

I told them I am not betting. One of them called me a racist for it.

where did you buy your shoes???

McDonough GA... there is no way he would have guessed that. It was at a Wal-mart... around here there is one every 5 miles in any direction.

i guess you'll never know...what if he/she did in fact know the answer??? maybe the homeless have formed some sort of secret club and go around spying on young males and watch where they buy their shoes from???? hmmmm???

ITS just a gimmick, to get you talking.... and test their psychic powers...

it is meant to fail... since they are not pyschic... but it was a fun 10 seconds, and hopefully, you will feel pity for his lack of psychic ability and you will give him the five, or atleast a dollar.

interesting pan handling technic... ive not seen it in LA.

-MT

I dunno. Only thing I can think of is...most people you meet everyday are in the same city they live in. Most people buy their shoes locally. Therefore the chances are high you bought your shoes in that city. Either that or you are well known within the homeless community Absane!

ITS just a gimmick, to get you talking.... and test their psychic powers...

it is meant to fail... since they are not pyschic... but it was a fun 10 seconds, and hopefully, you will feel pity for his lack of psychic ability and you will give him the five, or atleast a dollar.

interesting pan handling technic... ive not seen it in LA.

Sounds possible. Not many people would bet $5 with a homeless guy only to win and demand they pay up. Most would just say "nah.. keep your money" and maybe give them a buck or two.

I had a dream last night about this where I actually figured out the gimmick. Your explaination sounds very familar to my conclusion (I cannot actually remember what my explanation was in the dream, but this is as close to it as I can think possible).

I dunno. Only thing I can think of is...most people you meet everyday are in the same city they live in. Most people buy their shoes locally. Therefore the chances are high you bought your shoes in that city. Either that or you are well known within the homeless community Absane!

Most people in downtown Atlanta at this time commute from within 30 miles of the city. There are lots of places to buy shoes in 200 square miles.

Ok...well perhaps they know that if they get it wrong, you're not expecting a bum on the street to cough up $5...so they can just move on and try someone else on the off chance. I don't think there is any trick...it's purely number crunching

Most people in downtown Atlanta at this time commute from within 30 miles of the city. There are lots of places to buy shoes in 200 square miles.
the MARTA rocks ass!!!

the MARTA rocks ass!!!

Sometimes it is. They put in some new trains that they just hose out every so often. The old ones (with carpet) are still in use, though. Those smell like piss and vomit.

But they also put some TVs in them. And it's still $1.75 for a trip.

When did you come to Atlanta?

It's called a hustle. They get the first question wrong than ask you an easier one they know the answer to where they go double or nothing.

- N

I don't know.. they both said they only had 1 guess. I think it's what MT said. I know I would feel bad about taking $5 from a homeless guy, even though I am right in taking it since he offered to bet and we both agree on the terms.

Twice in the last 3 days I had two different homeless people stop me and bet me.

"I bet I can name the city, state, and country that you bought those shoes for $5 in one guess."

Ok... The odds are high he would lose. So why the $5? Where is the trick?


Absane they weren't after your money they were after your shoes,

they guess wrong, you take your shoes off to prove and they run off with them, I take it you wear nice treads?

No they suck. They are restaurant shoes. And how the hell would he run off with my shoes in a public area?

No they suck. They are restaurant shoes. And how the hell would he run off with my shoes in a public area?

lol

ok this is not so hard, they ask you a question they know the answer to, ie they recognise the shoes you are wearing and can further guess you bought them locally (most people do) and thus it is an 'educated' guess.

That's a type of what is called a "cold reading." It's the stock in trade of stage magicians, as well as faith healers, palm readers, detectives, etc. And plain old con men. Anyone who is that good at it wouldn't be homeless, even if they're drunk and/or crazy like most homeless people.

lol

ok this is not so hard, they ask you a question they know the answer to, ie they recognise the shoes you are wearing and can further guess you bought them locally (most people do) and thus it is an 'educated' guess.

Hrm. You can buy these shoes at any Wal-mart in the country.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3933700

Hrm. You can buy these shoes at any Wal-mart in the country.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3933700


but you bought your where you live, as do I, as do most people.

Sometimes it is. They put in some new trains that they just hose out every so often. The old ones (with carpet) are still in use, though. Those smell like piss and vomit.

But they also put some TVs in them. And it's still $1.75 for a trip.

When did you come to Atlanta?
i worked at the superbowl there a few years ago...doing promotional work for nintendo.
there was a hellacious ice storm during that time..seeing as i am from michigan, i took special pleasure in watching folks from georgia slide down the hilly streets/sidewalks.

the biggest thing i remember was getting so drunk that i fell down a flight of stairs at my hotel...the big Embassy Suites right downtown.... Gin & Tonic and i made an agreement to never cross paths again.

Come on, it's so obvious. The first trick would be to get you to take off your shoes to prove where it was manufactured. From there it would only be a small step to getting you out of your pants. And then you'd be in homeless sexual ecstasy...

I doubt the trick involves me taking my shoes off.

If it resorted to that, very few people would follow through with the bet.

But strip poker with the smelly homeless? Perhaps.

Hrm. You can buy these shoes at any Wal-mart in the country.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3933700

Those are real spiffy.

Come on, it's so obvious. The first trick would be to get you to take off your shoes to prove where it was manufactured. From there it would only be a small step to getting you out of your pants. And then you'd be in homeless sexual ecstasy...

i have been in this situation...sort of.

my hometown is the "mental health" capital of michigan....the main state hospital closed in the 70's, and they just turned all the crazies loose to halfway houses...needless to say, this makes for some "interesting" walks in the park.
my particular favorite fellow is a black transvestite who still calls himself david when he is in full getup.....he tried to sell me a watch that had REALITY inside of it for twelve dollars...unfortunately, i didnt have the spare cash for him. he proceeded to offer me a piece of pizza from his pocket. when i refused, he screamed at me to "suck his black titties.".

i declined.

Those are real spiffy.

They are. I found they make for some good running shoes, too. The soles have gel padding.

bah, who needs running shoes. i do most of my running in gumboots :m:

i run through peoples minds...i need no shoes or gumboots..