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22 December 2023
PORTLAND, OR - For years, the wayfaring strangers of the world have relied on the kindness of strangers to make ends meet. But these times they are a changing.
"More and more, our society is running on credit and electronic transactions," said Glenn Drake, an unemployed economist with no real credentials. "The truth of the matter is that people aren’t carrying around cash like they used to."
Meet one Larry Miller, 43, also known as "Mike". Miller is a member of the Local 482 Panhandler Union. Miller teamed up with Card Team International, a credit card service company, to create the first cellular credit card point of sale unit.
"Day after day, people were turning me down when I asked them for change so that I could get gas to,.. um,.. get to work," said Miller. "At first, I thought people had just caught on to my scheme since I asked them the same question every day. Then, one day I was at The Sharper Image buying a combination massage chair/riding mower, and I realized that I didn’t have $4,892 in cash. So I had to put it on my card. That’s when I realized that I needed to start accepting credit if I was ever going to stay afloat in this competitive world."
Initial responses were slow to Miller’s change, but people have begun accepting the advance in technology. Miller reports that his second-quarter earnings were up 22%.
"More and more, our society is running on credit and electronic transactions," said Glenn Drake, an unemployed economist with no real credentials. "The truth of the matter is that people aren’t carrying around cash like they used to."
Meet one Larry Miller, 43, also known as "Mike". Miller is a member of the Local 482 Panhandler Union. Miller teamed up with Card Team International, a credit card service company, to create the first cellular credit card point of sale unit.
"Day after day, people were turning me down when I asked them for change so that I could get gas to,.. um,.. get to work," said Miller. "At first, I thought people had just caught on to my scheme since I asked them the same question every day. Then, one day I was at The Sharper Image buying a combination massage chair/riding mower, and I realized that I didn’t have $4,892 in cash. So I had to put it on my card. That’s when I realized that I needed to start accepting credit if I was ever going to stay afloat in this competitive world."
Initial responses were slow to Miller’s change, but people have begun accepting the advance in technology. Miller reports that his second-quarter earnings were up 22%.
artid
1511
Old Image
5_12_panhandler.jpg
issue
vol 5 - issue 12 (aug 2003)
section
stories