I picked up a penny one time. Doctor said I got a staph infection from it.

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Originally posted by wrench13

I picked up a penny one time. Doctor said I got a staph infection from it.

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Duh!!.. Not supposed to put it in your mouth!!!

I parked my car to go busking.. when I opened the door there were three pennies right there on the ground.. The next day I finished busking, got up to leave..and there was a penny not ten feet down the sidewalk..Yesterday I finished busking and took a shortcut to my car through an alley...and found a penny half way down that alley. Today, I was just walking..and found a penny. The frequent finding of pennies has become surreal.......What I just mentioned is just the tip of the iceberg...It never seems to stop.. I DO consider it a good omen/gift from the Universe...really I do.. Most of it is busking related.

 Still only a little off topic but still related to finding money while busking...I haven't found any pennies for the past few days and had concluded that my surreal streak of finding them was about over...but today I was cleaning a table at the unhoused breakfast kitchen (made 25 pots of coffee!!) when a patron said, "I have something for you.." He then proceeded to slide 15 shiny pennies across the table. He said that they would give me good luck..!!
Well, later when I crossing the street to get to my car..........I found a penny in the middle of the road..! Ya can't make dis stuff up..!

As they say, "What goes around, comes around." Today I was about ready to go home from busking and had about $15 in my tip jar...A homeless guy I've seen around came by and asked have 'a little cash'... I said I could just spare $1 since I'd had a bad day yesterday.. He accepted the $1 and just then a favorite homeless friend came by and asked if I could loan him $2 ..said he'd pay me back (which he would have)... Having just denied the first guy more than a dollar I figured I could only spare $1 one more time.. My friend accepted th $1. I pointed out to both of the guys that I'm not loaning them money, it is a gift.. no need to pay me back.. They left and I resumed counting tips, starting with the $2 I'd given away... As I was counting, a man who had been sitting in his car about 15 feet away came over and said, "I've been listening to the three of you talk for the past few minutes.. Here $2 to replace what you gave them and $5 as a tip".. I was so touched that I had to hold back tears...
I love busking... These little events make my heart grow !!

You may recall that I've often mentioned that I make a lot in tips while LEAVING a venue.. Today verifies the truth of that...........
Busking is full of surprises.. Today.. After 90 minutes of busking (mostly practice time for the tune Scott's Return, which could explain the sparse number of tips.).. I had only $8 in tips.. TIme to go home.. I secured my puppet for transport, put my fiddle over my shoulder..JUST as 8, well dressed high school girls stopped by saying how much they love Harry Hare. I asked why they were all well dressed.. "It is my 15th Birthday!!" said one.. I offered to give each of the a Harry Harry arm stamp as a birthday gift.. Got the stamp out.. Outstretched 8 arms and all received the stamp.. They pooled money and left a $17 tip.. just then a young, unrelated girl of about 9 years.. ran up with $5 for a tip... and she wanted a stamp on her arm...
So.. Tips totaled $22 AFTER I was ready to go home... Whodaguessed! Busking is interesting..

The power of the stamp! Lee, I got a laugh out this one. I made a little branding iron of keystock in the shape of a P (for pirate) and for fun we stamp fans. Anyhoo, one time I said after a set 'Any kids want to get branded as pirates come up to the stage'. Boom, there's dozens of kids lined up. No big deal. I do that all the time, for giggles. But one Mom gave a dollar and then almost every kid's parent sent them with a buck. The magic of the STAMP!

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Originally posted by wrench13

The power of the stamp! Lee, I got a laugh out this one. I made a little branding iron of keystock in the shape of a P (for pirate) and for fun we stamp fans. Anyhoo, one time I said after a set 'Any kids want to get branded as pirates come up to the stage'. Boom, there's dozens of kids lined up. No big deal. I do that all the time, for giggles. But one Mom gave a dollar and then almost every kid's parent sent them with a buck. The magic of the STAMP!

 

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Thanks for relating that.. Once, at our farmers market there were so many kids wanting a bunny stamp that one kid offered to be the "Holder of the stamp".. She must have branded 50 kids... Even some adults regularly want their stamp>   I'm glad YOU are keeping the 'stamp' tradition alive.   My busking friend, Larry, was once in a Pirate band.. Alz they played were pirate related tunes and they all dressed as Pirates.. I can't convince him to BUSK as a pirate with his concertina... Maybe get a P stamp from you!!!

Did a farmers market this morning. A friend thought to divide the labor and I said, sure! Yesterday it was 98. Not Arizona 98. IOWA 98! Ten degrees cooler today. WooHoo! It's 8:30 p.m. I'm still smiling from the ordeal. The heat has kept most vendors and shoppers away. Didn't matter. I got a chance to make music with a dear friend. Life is good!

Yeah, you know you are not having a good day busking.. when a homeless guy, carrying his 'anything helps' sign, comes up to you, gives you a dollar and you say to him, "Hey you need that dollar more than I do." and he says, "I make more money than you do..".........and today.........he is right.. (this happened today..)

On the brighter side, I trudged to my car, head down, and a donor came running up from behind me and put One Dollar into my tip jar...A few seconds later I found a dime in the street.....Life is good.

I once had a young panhandler tell me he was making more than me. He seemed more bewildered than anything else.

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Originally posted by Old Scratch

I once had a young panhandler tell me he was making more than me. He seemed more bewildered than anything else.

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As I see it there are two considerations.. (1)  I only busk 2 hrs/day, while they panhandle All Frickin day..(2)  Passersby think a $1 tip is an ok tip, but if they think someone is Hungry, and that person Looks hungry.. they give enough for a meal.. like $10..

I'm not competing with panhandlers, but some think they are competing with me!!!  They are a delicate but tough lot of people.

Well, let's face it, panhandlers are no different than the common run of humanity in that they don't all get the fine but important(?) distinction between begging and busking - sad, but true!

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Originally posted by Old Scratch

Well, let's face it, panhandlers are no different than the common run of humanity in that they don't all get the fine but important(?) distinction between begging and busking - sad, but true!

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Good point.

The sad but true story of two buskers.. On Saturday on a particular corner my tips totaled over $100, while ONE block away, another good busker made 0 dollars... We shared his dismay by having a couple of drinks together...There are NO guarantees in Busking.. It could have just as easily gone the other way, and at times, HAS...
I take back the comment about guarantees.. There is ONE guarantee.. If you stay home you are Guaranteed to make $0....

A few things.. I've made a VENMO account.. Very good idea.. In my town a lot of people don't carry much cash and the average Venmo busking tip is $5 !!..
Also I've made some breakthroughs with homeless people who I've seen on the street for years.. One particular guy who I was actually afraid of has become approachable after I got to see him at the homeless breakfast kitchen where I volunteer.. The most intimidating guy always walked around looking angry and was talking to invisible people.. I discovered that if I got his attention in a good way, he'd switch his mind from talking to invisible people to returning to the present and he and I could have good conversations... My favorite homeless person is no longer on the street because after THREE years, the "Rapid" Housing Program finally got him an apartment.. I've seen him since and he is a changed man..Now there is still ONE homeless woman who is in constant conversation with invisible people and I'm trying to get here attention.. We shall see. As you can see, busking has made an unpredictable change in my awareness of the homeless/unhoused/street-people...

i don't know why I didn't use Venmo thing sooner, not just busking but any gigs that might involve tips. It gets used more than I had assumed it would. While still not overall as much as cash; also noticed the average tip is better.

I have also encountered the fake tip thing handful of times. They put phone up, scan the code, push buttons, even give nod or thumbs up... but then later I notice no transaction went thru.  No big deal, but not sure I get the point of that.

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Originally posted by alaskafiddler

i don't know why I didn't use Venmo thing sooner, not just busking but any gigs that might involve tips. It gets used more than I had assumed it would. While still not overall as much as cash; also noticed the average tip is better.

I have also encountered the fake tip thing handful of times. They put phone up, scan the code, push buttons, even give nod or thumbs up... but then later I notice no transaction went thru.  No big deal, but not sure I get the point of that.

 

 

 

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I've had a few of those fake tips..I have used a qr code for Paypal which wasn't profitable so switched to Venmo, and yes, I wish I had done it sooner......

I would imagine they fully intend to give the tip at the moment they scan the code - and forget all about it five seconds later, or just can't be bothered once the initial euphoria has worn off (about five seconds later). That's people for ya ... !

Button pushing errors?

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Originally posted by alaskafiddler

i don't know why I didn't use Venmo thing sooner, not just busking but any gigs that might involve tips. It gets used more than I had assumed it would. While still not overall as much as cash; also noticed the average tip is better.

I have also encountered the fake tip thing handful of times. They put phone up, scan the code, push buttons, even give nod or thumbs up... but then later I notice no transaction went thru.  No big deal, but not sure I get the point of that.

 

 

 

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What's Venmo's fee or subscription?

Sorry. I looked it up. 

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Originally posted by Old Scratch

I would imagine they fully intend to give the tip at the moment they scan the code - and forget all about it five seconds later, or just can't be bothered once the initial euphoria has worn off (about five seconds later). That's people for ya ... !

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..or, they see that you caught them making a video from afar.. so they come to 'give a Venmo tip"... Happened today.. The tip never arrived.  

a lot of people don't carry much cash and the average Venmo busking tip is $5

Related note about average tip, that came up with friend of mine, when tallying up the results at the end... how successful it went. Tracking success not just the overall total in $; but how many individuals. I've had good $ days, in retrospect was only because of just a few people gave 10s or 20s... raising the overall. I've had perhaps smaller daily total, but was from a lot more individuals.

Obviously feels good to get big tips, but by my way of thinking... represents fewer people; the small tips represent that more people found value. With that, might include folks that enjoyed the music, but didn't tip for various reasons; (like not having the means, cash in pocket, nor app). But includes some that just didn't think to tip.

Would rather see a few big tips... or many more small tips? Or which would feel was more successful?

Here is today's busking related story.. This is the second year that I'm being paid to busk as an official performer at the annual Lotus International Music Festival.. They offered me a name badge to wear but I didn't bother to go and pick it up... No problem, I could still do my busking stint. Then, the Directors said I'd regret not having the badge..So I went to get the badge and discovered that it is an ALL ACCESS badge. That means that I didn't need to pay $50 to attend last night's events with my lovely wife. All I would have had to do was wear that badge!! I'm kicking myself for being arrogant. From now on I'll be Sure to get the badge..early.

"Live and don't learn"...That is my motto...