Oh right an expert in homelessness and the issues of criminal begging gangs in Edinburgh, of course I should have known. Well actually I am a homeless beggar in Edinburgh myself, sitting in MacDonalds on Princes Street right now drinking a 90p coffee bought with my begging money and using their free wi-fi, so I win.
Has McDonalds stopped doing free refills on coffee?
Several years ago I was clearing up after my McDonalds repast. I was about to dispose of my rubbish in the bin when a man came up to me and 'begged' for my used coffee cup. He explained the free refill deal. As I was about to confine the cup to landfill, I was civil enough to hand it to him. Off he trotted to get his prize. Just a tiny bit of recycling.
Going back to Angelo's post, I have stated my first degree was at the University of Edinburgh, unfortunately now many years ago. There was a definite 'beggar on main street' problem then. Some were polite, but quite a few were aggressive. As a financially-struggling young student, I had to work outside of University term, in order to pay for absolute basics, so I didn't have a penny to spare. So the beggars went on a-begging.