I had been out for lunch on Brigade road today, with a friend. Lunch done, we walked to where we had parked our bike.We successfully manoeuvred it out of where it was jammed between two other bikes ( I wonder why parking lots are so crowded on Monday afternoons.Is everyone as jobless as myself and my friend were?). Anyway back to the point. After easing it out of the jam and backing it on to the road, we were finally about to leave when our con man came running from nowhere demanding his fee.
I cannot help but wonder, fee for what? For standing around and watching us struggle with our bike without moving a finger? For coming running to us in time and grabbing our attention? Exactly for what were we paying him?
I, being the prim and proper myself( as lots of my friends put it), asked him for the ticket. "Ticket??" he asked."I don't have any ticket". "Duh." I said. "I'm not giving you any money without a ticket."
Lot of people call me adamant and too 'by the book'. But the fact is, I did not know why I had to pay him. No, its not the money.Its a question of ethics. I don't mind paying him ten times that if he could show me some evidence that the money was going to someone who deserved it. The government for instance, for letting out the space to park. A laborer who cleans the footpaths. Heck, even someone who helped us get our bike out. But our man did nothing of that sort. He just felt he deserved the money.
What I have to say about such things is that, without parking tickets to sell, he has as much authority to demand a fee from people, as you or me or the person sitting next to us in the restaurant we ate. Just because he dresses up shabbily and walks around the bikes and pretends like he is doing something, does not give him the rights to your parking fee.
If he did help you out,you might like to tip him (Absolutely nothing wrong with that.Just a show of gratitude). If he was walking around begging, you might take pity upon him and give him something ( Nothing wrong there too. ).. But this virtual begging with a cocky attitude. Nope does not work.
If anything, know that you are NOT obliged to pay each and everyone that walks up to you on your shopping trip. Use your discretion. Pay if you feel like. But if you don't, know that you don't have to.
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2 comments:
Agreed, Never pay a person if he/she doesnt deserve it... Even if u wanna pay a begger, giving him/her a rupee aint helping them cause u never know what they use it for, go through proper channels, donate through a NGO which actually helps these people, ur money is worth more when its spent properly... Good post da...
I agree with you prateechee. Since, the government had done away with pre-paid parking tickets, I think these guys are using the ones they have from before.
I generally only "tip" the person as you said, if they direct me to an empty spot or help park or take my bike out of a spot. Otherwise, I also have the same approach. Good work prateechee!!!
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