Spare Cash?

Posted on August 9, 2007
Filed Under Art, Marketing, In Development, Ideas, Portland |

I’ve been a little bit crazy getting everything ready to get moved. I have to be out of my place by next Tuesday at midnight yet, I can’t start moving until Sunday, ugh. I’m trying to get rid of as much stuff as possible. It’s a difficult thing for me to do.
I called in some help from my friend Rebecca to advise on getting things packed and organized. Somehow we lost track of the set goal and she started helping me with yet another project. After a while, I just let her go with it as I packed, I couldn’t find my second pair of forceps so it was kind of a one person job for a while.

You might be wondering what the project is… well. I decided a while ago that I was going to start asking people for spare change. I figure it’s a great way to make money. Using my top notch marketing skills I decided the best way to get money from people is to make it look like you don’t need it. My plan starts with a silver platter that has the words “Spare Cash?” spelled out in diamonds.

Spare Cash?
The next phase of my plan is to get a proper billionaire outfit. I pretty much would like to dress like the dude from the New Yorker

or like the Monopoly guy

I might actually have to talk to some billionaires to see what the hip styles are. I certainly need a monocle and a cane might be nice.

Spare Cash Me

Initially I wanted to spell out the words “Spare Some Change?” then after doing a gem and time inventory, we decided that “Spare Cash?” would be best. It implies that I’m looking for bills instead of change… It might also be a question though, “Spare Cash?” I’m guessing that when I dress up and ask people for their money they will be lining up to place money on my platter. In no time mountains of cash will be coming my way. It’s well worth the $4,500 I spent of diamonds for this project…

Just kidding, those aren’t really diamonds. It was rhinestones that I spent the $4,500 on.

Comments

5 Responses to “Spare Cash?”

Dean on August 9th, 2007 5:24 am

There is a guy in Santa Monica…on the third street promenade… who sits on a stool with a big smile on his face and a silver platter.

There’s another guy who will make up a poem on the spot for you.

And another who tells you “Don’t give me TOO MUCH now…think of YOURSELF!”

And one in Toronto who stands on the corner with a paper cup of change singing “If you’re happy and you know it…spare some change”

The homeless people on the promenade got GAME — so much so that I came up with an idea of making a national profile picture coffee table book called

“101 Ways To Make Good Money Being (or appearing to be) Homeless”

Each page would have a great picture…and an explanation of their Money Making Method.

Add that to your millions of hundred dollar ideas…
Dean on August 9th, 2007 6:39 am

Well lookie here…Ziggy has an idea today too….

http://news.yahoo.com/comics/uclickcomics/20070809/cx_zi_uc/zi20070809
Saites on August 9th, 2007 4:12 pm

The outfit is a good idea. Psychologically, people react positively to people that they believe might (or at least could) give them something. Specifically, the areas of the brain associated with pleasure and expectation of reward become active after gaining eye contact with someone viewed as attractive.

Therefore, by actually appearing to be rich when asking for change, people should be more likely to actually give you money (in hopeful expectation of reward).

This theory was proven by, somewhat ironically, a hidden camera show. A man dressed in an expensive suit stood outside a building and asked people if he could have $10 to pay for something (I wish I could remember what). Later, the same man stood outside the same building dressed very shabbily. Many more of the people who viewed him as a rich man agreed to give him money. If I remember correctly, the very few who did agree to give the “poor” man money, where given $100.
boobs on August 15th, 2007 5:27 pm

I like the guy who sits on the Hawthorne bridge, dressed in suit playing his music in the burning sun. A much better angle then the freaks and fools that just ask for money or give you some sob story. Work for it!
Rewards and More | MoHDI on August 29th, 2007 3:10 am

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