Homeless Money

For a short stint I got transferred to one of the Jewel-Osco stores on the Southside. Keep in mind this was one month after my moving to Chicago from northwest suburbia. So needless to say, I was in a bit of a culture shock.

Anyways, I could not get over the amount of dirty, crack headed, nasty homeless people that would come in to use the bathrooms or make drug deals on the pay phones. I got asked about 10 times a day if I could exchange their daily coin earnings for actual dollar bills.

So one day I was doing my thing at the customer service desk when a very nice homeless lady walked in asking if I could exchange her $2 worth of quarters for dollar bills. Normally I would say no, but it was all quarters, she was really polite and I wasn’t busy.

Just as I took the money my then coworker LaTasha slapped my hand full of change. It went flying everything.

LaTasha: Oh HELL no, no no no no no. She knows I don’t take her change. She just askin’ you cause you new and you a nice little boy. That’s why she’s hidin’ in the corner over there like as if I wouldn’t see her.

Me: ……

LaTasha: No, I ain’t takin’ that dirty money that’s been sitting in that dirty ass McDonalds cup all day. I’m sorry the crack man don’t change change, well neither do I.

Glee, but you get the point. 

LaTasha then crossed her arms and pursed her lips while I scooped up the poor woman’s change. I gave the change back and the woman called her some nasty name under her breath.

LaTasha: Oh I know you didn’t just call me that, hell no. Do you want me to call security?

The woman left and I never saw her again. LaTasha then hit me upside the head and lectured me on the importance of not taking change from homeless people. Let’s just say I never did it again and left that Jewel about two weeks later.