The Spar Shop Beggar

The Spar shop is a wonderment.

On a very recent travel up north this week I found it very difficult to find mainstream shops like Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, etc. All I saw was Spar shops. I'm talking north of Inverness.

Anyway, I have a Spar shop not too far from me, and one Sunday morning about 6 weeks ago I had reason to go there on a Sunday morning. I usually drive there. It's fucking sad I know. It takes just over five minutes walking, but...I drive there. It's about 50 seconds in the car. God, this is shocking actually. I must change.

Anyway. A few weeks ago I go to get milk for the in-laws who were over, and I walk past the chemist on the way to the Spar shop, and there's a man sitting on the low wall outside the chemist. He's in a tracksuit. Need I say anymore at all.

I look ahead and some of the staff of the Spar shop are outside for a smokebreak.

As I pass, the man gets my attention and asks me if I have any change for food. I give him a very quick up and down appraisal and say "No, sorry" and walk on. The man wasn't badly dressed. He sure as shit wasn't homeless and if he was that poor for food he was in some serious shit to be begging for it outside the Spar shop on a Sunday.

I bought my supplies on the Spar shop and on the way out the staff asked me what the man had said.

"He just asked me for some money for food"
"Aye, he always does that. Every Sunday. It's no' food though. It's drink"

It then seemed so blatantly obvious. Apparently he was also waiting for his methadone from the chemist when that opened. It seems he sits on that wall every Sunday morning and begs for cash....for drink. Cans of Tennants. (a small point - you can't buy alcohol before 12.30pm on a Sunday in Scotland. I know. I've tried.)

The staff told me one morning 'a little old lady' passed him and was completely oblivious to his ulterior motive, as I was. When he asked he for some pennies for food, she went into the Spar shop and bought a couple of pre-packed sandwiches and went back out and handed them over. According to the staff he was mighty pissed off.

I might take along some leftovers from my Saturday night curry in a wee box and offer that to him. I'd just love to have a shouting match with him...

"No, you fuck off"
"No, you fuck off"
"No, you fuck off"
"No, YOU FUCK OFF YA CUNT" etc etc etc.