Pretty much what the title says.
Every now and then when I'm out busking I get a drunk guy or girl walk by, grab a handful of dollars out of my tip jar, and go along their way. Usually they smirk and intentionally let me see, some kind of drunk dumbass challenge.
Other buskers I've talked to say it's a pretty common problem, especially when playing bar scenes.
The knee-jerk reaction is to physically take it back, but there are some complications:
1) For me, I play on the same corner(s) every time I go out to busk. Getting in a fight over a couple dollars when someone *knows* where I'll be next time doesn't seem too wise.
2) Having my gear (~a couple hundred worth of stuff) keeps me from getting involved...no use giving up my instrument/equipment to chase down someone. It could be lost/broken/stolen in the resulting snafu and it'd be a lot worse than losing a few bucks
At the same time, their actions are completely unacceptable.
What recourse can you take when someone outright steals from you?
What would you guys do...considering you can't leave the music gear sitting there and they (more than likely) know where to find you...
Every now and then when I'm out busking I get a drunk guy or girl walk by, grab a handful of dollars out of my tip jar, and go along their way. Usually they smirk and intentionally let me see, some kind of drunk dumbass challenge.
Other buskers I've talked to say it's a pretty common problem, especially when playing bar scenes.
The knee-jerk reaction is to physically take it back, but there are some complications:
1) For me, I play on the same corner(s) every time I go out to busk. Getting in a fight over a couple dollars when someone *knows* where I'll be next time doesn't seem too wise.
2) Having my gear (~a couple hundred worth of stuff) keeps me from getting involved...no use giving up my instrument/equipment to chase down someone. It could be lost/broken/stolen in the resulting snafu and it'd be a lot worse than losing a few bucks
At the same time, their actions are completely unacceptable.
What recourse can you take when someone outright steals from you?
What would you guys do...considering you can't leave the music gear sitting there and they (more than likely) know where to find you...