I probably would have walked back to the pharmacy and if she was picking up a script for an antibiotic I would have paid the $23. Then I would have told her to do the same for someone else when she was able.
I've been known to be behind a group of teens at McDonald's and paying for their meal. Or when I meet a college student give them $20. I had 4 kids in college at once and I know students are all ways broke.
Then I would have bought myself a box of Anna's Ginger Thins.
Kathy G in MI who is just trying to make people see that not every one is the scum of the earth!

I would have gone with her to the Pharmacy and paid for the Prescription.

Gayle

Call me cynical, but it sounds like a scam to me. For one thing, Amoxycillin is commonly prescribed for strep, and that's a cheap prescription. Nothing like $85.

For another, where was the three-year-old? Being watched by someone without cash or credit card? And this woman had bling but no means to pay? Just doesn't sound right to me.

I think she most likely was trouble...... 11 PM the pharmacy isn't even opened at that time is it??? I'm not familiar with Walgreens, are they 24 hour.

I agree with Kathy, go to the pharmacy with her and pay it to the pharmacy, not to her. Also make sure she doesn't get a receipt with your charge account on it.

Sounds like a scam.

There are many Pharmacies that now offer generic antibiotics for $4.00 or less (Publix offers many for free).

I would have gone to the pharmacy and paid the difference.
That way I'd know the money was used for medicine and not whatever.

There's a good chance you were being scammed and had you made your way the pharmacy the woman would have disappeared. If not, you would have helped someone out.

Amoxicillin is a cheap drug but in cases of strep, stronger antibiotics are sometimes needed and they are NOT cheap. Walgreen's advertises a twenty four hour pharmacy and I have not reason to doubt that.

A lot of times I've made up the difference for people at the checkout line. I have to admit, the amount as never been more than a few dollars. Easing the person's distress and embarrassment is worth far more than a few bucks. But then, I hand the money to the cashier. I wouldn't just hand the cash over to the person.

Lori

Once, about 15 years ago, a friend told me she'd been approached in the parking lot of a local supermarket, by a man, who gave her a long, convoluted story about why he needed money. It was a really odd story, very distinctive. And guess what? A week later, I was on vacation, about 200 miles away and was approached WITH THE EXACT SAME STORY by someone begging for my hard earned $$$

When we were on vacation in San Diego some years back, we were catching a quick lunch at McD's. An older blind man approached us asking for money--we didn't give him any--and after he walked away, some women at another table told us he was well-known around town. He was RICH and had a huge home out of town, would be dropped off each day by a big, chauffer-driven limo to ply his trade. I'm sure the man had problems--but apparently money wasn't one of them.

What would I have done? I would not have given money to a stranger with an iffy story. Mind you, I give a lot of money to people in need. People I know have hit hard times, who I know are legitimately in need and trying to get their act together. Although, I give those gifts annonymously, of course.

I, too, think there were too many holes in that story to be believable. Wonder what she'd done if you offered to go to the pharmacist and pay the balance? Even if there was a prescription, I wonder what and WHO it was for. She could be someone who is addicted to prescription meds.

I'm sure that in many cases our reaction to your question is probably dictated by where we live, what life experiences we've had. But the fact is there are a lot of scam artists out there. And there is PLENTY of help for those legitimately in need. My husband works with the poorest of the poor every day of the week, and there is always a place for them to get help (most of them really do live better than many of the rest of us do--because they know how to get everything they desire, without paying for it).

I'm no help - I agree with both sides. I can easily see how it could be a scam.

While in Seattle we were approached by a well dressed woman who said she locked her purse and keys in her car and wanted $20 for a cab ride home so she could get her extra set. We might have given her the money except we saw her ask someone else who did give her money. Back at the hotel we mentioned this to the concierge who said she and her story were well known in the area.

But I can also see how your encounter might be real too. Maybe she didn't have prescription insurance so that's why the fee was high. In any case I would have gone to the pharmacy to see if the story was true. I wouldn't have given her cash at all.

Sounds VERY fishy to me. Plus, I've known people who didn't have the entire amount ask the druggist to only fill half. Maybe it's because I live in a small town, but I never heard the druggist refuse.

Shirley

I would have assumed it was a scam. She would have to show me the paper and if it was legit I would still not have handed her the money but would have paid for it directly. I would also have checked to be sure it was for what she said (antibiotics) and not pain killers or something used to manufacture other drugs.

I would not have helped her. Sounds like a scammer to me. Why did she ask if you lived in the neighborhood? What does that have to do with her need for help? Oldrusty, don't feel bad.

First of all, the time would have made me wonder, second, the bling doesn't match with someone who is really without funds, thirdly, whomever prescribed the medicine could have been called to ask for something more affordable. But being that it was 11:00 PM, changes that. The whole story sounds very fishy. You just don't go around asking complete strangers for this kind of thing.

I'll bet as soon as you headed for the pharmacy, she would have gone out the door.

Sounds like scam to me. Even if there was a prescription, it still sounds like a scam. There are people that actually try to get other people to pay their bills for them even if/when they are capable. Another thing I'm leary of... $85 for an antibiotic for strep? I'm thinking a generic should have been avalible -- and a lot of those well known antibiotics are like $4.00 not $85. Plus the pharmacist probably could have given her a partial amount of medicine until she had more money.

Her mother would have to pay more than she was sending-- tough dodo--- So, because they don't want to fork out a little extra... you, a stranger are going to have to pay $23?

She had a way out..wasn't stranded with no options...She choose to ask for money... sounds like a big old scam to me.

The whole thing sounds weird to me. No, I would have just said sorry, I don't have the money myself to spare. No one hangs around a drugstore 11:00 at night asking for money for the balance of a prescription. Where was she all day long during the light of day?

I had something similar happen--not as much money. She needed to take a cab to the hospital where her kid was....

I gave her $5, and later wished I hadn't.

I realized, when I stopped being so naive, that if she were REALLY in that situation, there would be SOMEONE ELSE she could have asked.

And yes, her mother could have called in a credit card, or she could have used a credit card, or something.

I live in scam central, so I'm pretty darn cynical. However, I might have gone over to the pharmacy with her and if the story was legit, I'd have paid the $23.
Then, asking her to help someone out another time is a good suggestion.

I too can see both sides of the story. Tough call. YOu want to believe the person is honest, but it's hard these days.

If this was a true story, how would you handle it? You're new in town, no friends or neighbors to ask. Mom won't wire money, but your kid needs meds? Most peeps these days live above their means, so she might have been dressed nice and had a cell phone, but no available money and maxed out credit cards?

If she had no insurance, a prescription might cost that much?? Kids tend to get sick at the worst times of day (weekends and nights), maybe the on-call doc called in a script, or she went to a urgent care place. The faster you start the antibiotic the better, and quicker you are not contagious. You were leaving work at 11pm, maybe she was too?

BUT, on the other hand, I'd probably be immediately suspcious of this person. Sorry to be so critical, but I hear of so many scams daily, nothing surprises me!

If you did want to help, walking to the pharmacy sounds like the best option.

I'm thinking it may have been a scam too. But just because she was wearing jewelry doesn't mean she had money. And at 11 pm there was probably no place open that she could get help from. She may have been working all day, got off work, took her kid to the dr & was running around trying to figure out a way to fill the prescription. Maybe it was her mom who didn't want to pay the extra to send the money to her. Oh, another thing. I know a lot of people who don't have a debit or a credit card & no checking account. They deal in cash only.
I would have probably went up to the counter & asked the pharmacist what the prescription was for. This is if the woman went up there with me. If it was on the up & up, I would have given her the money.

I'm a skeptic too, and would have suggested she tyr and work something out with the pharmacist...maybe substituting a generic, or having some samples for her....or I would have suggested she contact a local church...after checking the yellow pages.

Just too many folks out there who need money for needed things because all their available money went for drugs or foolishness.
yes...you'd think 'Mother' could have handled it via phone and a Credit Card...just very fishy to me.

Seeing as I am not working right now and have no money to carry with me, there was no way I could have helped her even if I wanted to. However, I would have suggested (as somebody else said) that she get part of the prescription tonight so her daughter could start her meds, then come back tomorrow after her paycheck is cashed.

Then I would give her a big sweet smile and say something about how awful it is when kids are sick as I wander away with my empty cart LOL.

I would have told her to get half of the presription filled.
Pharmacists do that all the time here.

I'm cynical and I wouldn't have given her any money.

Scammers do what they do because they know that there will always be people who want to give them the benefit of the doubt, people who will give them money just to make themselves feel good ("yay me! I helped someone today!), etc. They're very good at what they do and they know how to sell a story.

I feel bad for the people who truly are stuck in a bad situation but most honest people are rarely in a position to have to ask for a handout. If this woman were legit, better to owe her mom the money it would take to send the money than to ask a stranger for a handout, wouldn't you think? She didn't say her mom didn't have it, right? She just thought the price to transfer it was too high.

If this was a true story, how would you handle it? (if you were the mom)

You'd ask your doctor if he didn't have a sample he could give you, because you couldn't afford the pills themselves right now.

You'd ask the pharmacist if he could sell you just a few of the pills to get you through to Friday.

You'd ask your next-door neighbor, or your coworker.

Did you report this to the manager and pharmacy dept? Please do so they can at least check up on her==she might do this again.

I hate to say I don't trust alot of people anymore. I have helped out a few in the past only to find them buying booze in the same store they begged in front of! I really would love to help people out...if they are not lying to me...but how do you know? Maybe if I had thought about it I would have gone to pay for it with her, but lately my reaction is to say I can't and move on. Sounds like a scam to me too....if it were a few dollars I may have given to her, I don't know. I hate to see someone in need..but I hate to be scammed even more!

I agree with Marilyn. The pharmacist could have given her half of the meds.

I also would have said no and continued with my shopping. There were/are alternatives to asking for the difference in the cost of the prescription from you. She was a scammer. You did the right thing. NancyLouise

At 11 pm,,,where is her child? Why did she not get the meds earlier? Or get the cash from someone who is watching her child....She should have talked to the pharmacist about half a bottle considering her situation. Strep antibiotic doesn't have to cost $85. She should ask her dr. for the wallmart $4 special if it would work for the problem.

There is low cost insurance for children in my state. She needs to look into it. If she's a scammer, I guess she won't!

I can agree with just about everything everyone else has said,but......maybe she was a scammer,maybe not.Maybe she had just gotten off work,maybe she hadn't thought of just having part of the script filled.Some people don't know that can be done.I probably would have taken her back to the pharmacy and paid whatever she needed to get the meds,that is IF I had the money myself and tell her to pay it forward. Last summer DH and I drove into town to get a burger but we didn't want to get out and go in the place to eat it.so we drove a couple of blocks down the street and parked in the Post office parking lot on the main street to eat our burgers and watch the traffic go by. We do that sometime,just to get out of the house.LOL Anyway,I had taken DH's burger and fries out of the bag and handed it to him when a woman walked up to the window and asked if we could give her some money to buy something to eat because she hadn't eaten in a couple of days and she was really hungry.I told her we didn't have any cash,which we didn't but that she could have my burger and fries that I hadn't even taken out of the bag.She said,"Are you sure?,and I told her that she was welcome to it.She thanked me profusely and walked on with the burger and fries tucked under her arm.I don't know if she was feeding me a line or not but I do know that the whole incident had an effect on me that I hadn't anticipated.I started to bawl like a baby,don't know why,it just hit me that way.I told DH that I didn't know if she was really hungry or not but I did what my heart told me to do.If she was scamming us then she was the one who had to live with it.All it cost me was a burger and fries that I probably didn't need anyway,and my sweet DH shared his with me! LOL About a month later we were eating in our favorite hometown restaurant and there she sat with a group from one of the local Churches enjoying a chicken fried steak! So,I really don't know if they were treating her or what but as I said,if she is a scammer she will be the one to suffer in the end.

Look, I was in Paynesville, MN on my cross country trek. My next overnight was going to be at Hayjud's house. It was raining. Had been raining for hours, which means, I was riding my bicycle in rain.

I was looking for a motel. Cheap. Well, I found cheap. Really crappy, to crappy for me to stay in.

Rode on, found the campground, but no one there, to let me know, where I would be able to set up camp. Besides, it was still raining.

I rode back in to town. Stopped at a gas station and asked EVERYONE that drove a pickup, if they were headed to St.Cloud. Nope, no luck.

One fella asked me more, about the why I was looking for a ride, and I told him my $$$ dilema, and that the cheap motel was just to crappy for me to stay in.

Well, he reached in his pocket and gave me $20.00. I didn't want to take it, but he said, go get yourself a room at that nice motel over there. This should make it affordable.

What a GREAT person that was. I did go across the street and got a room. More from that day here: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=3Tzut&page_id=13478&v=44

Yes, I would have gone to the pharmacy window with her, and offered to pay the difference.

I probably wouldn't have given her the $ or paid at the counter. But, that said, if she had only Medical Mutual for insurance (if she had any), Walgreens no longer accepts M M. I tried that one. If I have a short term script to get that I can't mail order, I go to Walmart. I had already had a Z-pak for an ear infection that didn't work. Dr prescribed a different antibiotic that doesn't have a generic. Walmart didn't have it, & couldn't get it. We were leaving town in 2 days. They offered to call it in to Walgreens not far away. Got there to get it, gave them my card and was told they wouldn't take it. It would cost me $120 for that antibiotic. I had them call it in to another pharmacy that takes my card.

Also, my DD had so much amoxocillian for strep that it quit working. She had to be given a stronger one that cost more.

Just giving a few reasons she might have needed to pay $85 for it.

She could have been legit, but feel bad for her or not, no I wouldn't have made up the difference.

Tami

I would have thought scam, not done anything about it, and then let it haunt me for days (or weeks, months, etc.)...always wondering what if. I always want to be the type of person who would help a complete stranger, but it's rare that I believe the story. I do help in many ways, but usually only through organizations or something verifiably legit.

One good thing of all of this...maybe in the future I'll take the time to think in a situation, rather than just shut down. I never would have entertained the idea of going to the pharmacy counter. So thanks for helping me see it doesn't always have to be yes/no.

well...@ least I don't feel like I was taken advantage of. and I did suggest she call the MD back to explain her dilemma and her response was, "I've already done that and the only other antibiotic is amoxicillin and my son is allergic to it" I asked the "part of the script" question to which she replied, "I asked and because the Cechlor is premixed it can't be dispensed in less than a full script" I suggested that she speak with the pharmacist about a listing of agencies in the area that could help...then her phone began to ring and completely get her undivided attention and she walked away....I did make a clerk aware of what happened and she said she would speak with the manager and the pharmacist...so, I feel like I covered most of the bases....besides, that call on her cell phone might have been a decoy....and someone standing near by listening to how the conversation was going and upon realizing, I wasn't falling for the story...the call was a signal to forget it! sorry to be so negative, but my HD is an deacon and you wouldn't believe how many kids get sent into church on Sunday night to ask for money.....

Good point about the cell phone call. She's was ready with an answer for any question. (probably had it rehearsed enough times)
It's a shame when really needy people don't get help, because of scum who scam.

Who wrote the prescription at that time of night?

I would have handed over the money, if I had it in cash. Otherwise I would have gone with her to the pharmacy and paid with bank card or credit card. Worse case scenario? I'd be scammed out $23 that I wouldn't really miss and this woman would be laughing her way to the liquor store or something. But personally, I couldn't chance the possibility that she really was stuck and needed help and I walked away.

I just about always give money to people who need it or ask for it. Am I a big sucker? Likely, a lot of the time. But I'm sure that at least OCCASIONALLY I'm actually helping someone who genuinely needs it for whatever reason at that point in their lives. Mind you, it's not usually anywhere near $23.

I would have gone back to the phar. and found out and paid them. Not her. Amoxicillan is cheap but since she said he was allergic I can see that. Celcor is premixed and it is expensive. And if it was already mixed they I am sure would not have halfed it. I am a truster though and am sure I have been scamed tons but oh well. If I can help I want to and will...Stacy

I guess I would have paid the $23 directly to the pharmacist and went home thinking that I helped someone in need. $23 is a small price to pay for piece of mind and in the end if she was scamming you, she would have been the one to answer for it someday not you. If you give with a good heart, you have not given in vain, no matter the outcome.
Not faulting you in any way for what you did. I live in a small town and always have so maybe I'm not cynical enough.