Cash seems to be so old-fashioned as begging goes hi-tech

Advancements in technology generally startle me in a good way. But recently, I was in a tech-related situation that I had never been in, and it rubbed me up the wrong way.

I've recently started shopping at a Jenny Lou's supermarket in Sanlitun. I love the selection of imported goods there, particularly the meats, and pasta sauces, and the bread selection is also very good.

During my recent trips, I've noticed a pair of beggars hanging around outside, soliciting foreigners (the primary customers at the market) for money.

I generally overlook them, but one day, as I was adjusting my groceries in my bag outside the supermarket, one of them approached me. He was smiling, with his little bowl held out toward me.

"Meiyou qian," (I don't have any money) I told him, grinning back.

I should've just shut up after that. But I didn't. I rarely carry cash on me these days, preferring to pay for things through the WeChat app just like many Chinese and expatriates here do.

So I was telling him the truth when I said I didn't have any money on me. But for some reason, I felt the need to further explain to this stranger, who had just watched me walk out of the store with a big load of groceries, why I couldn't give him anything.

I held up my phone to him. "WeChat," I said, indicating that I paid for my groceries through the app.

Again, I didn't have to say anything. I don't know why I did. The man smiled at me, and pulled out a laminated placard with a QR code.

My smile plummeted. I couldn't believe it. This beggar had a QR code that enables him to accept money through WeChat? Was he joking? No, he wasn't.

He held the code out to me with a knowing smirk, as if to say "now what's your excuse?" He got me.

Embarrassed that my explanation had exploded in my face, I reluctantly gave him 2 yuan (29 cents) through the app.

The other beggar watched the entire exchange and wanted to cash in, too. He approached me with a placard of his own, but I quickly moved away.

He chased me for a bit, but I ignored him and walked on.

At that moment, I had some mixed feelings floating around inside, and I needed to get away.

That was the first time a beggar had ever approached me to beg money from me from an app. I was genuinely bewildered.

Don't get me wrong, I understood their plight.

The pervasiveness of WeChat as a tool to conduct financial transactions is unlike anything I've ever experienced in the United States or any other country I've ever lived in or visited.

Increasingly, people who live here are doing what I do and going cashless. As a result, beggars have had to adapt. At the same time, it bothers me that such people would take the time to get a QR code made instead of trying to do something more constructive to make money－like find a job.

It amazes me how enterprising some of them can be when it comes to panhandling, but how unimaginative they are when it comes to finding other ways to earn a living.

That is truly startling. And not in a good way.