America: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 2 - : Getting Rich by Collecting Cans

"Alan, why are you wandering the streets?" Dominic inquired.

"Wandering? Why? Why do you ask? Don't I look like an Asian who just came here for a trip?"

Allen thought that he didn't look that obviously like a tramp.

"Look at my clothes, buddy, these are new, pristine redskins.

After all, most characters in survival games start out in just a pair of undies."

"Not really."

Dominic just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Because no one sits by the roadside in beach shorts zoning out for more than two hours, especially in February. Most people are still wearing sweatshirts. You must have come out from a shelter, and if you weren't speaking so clearly, I'd even suspect you were on drugs, considering that the beverages and meals at that shelter are pretty much only provided to people who are out of work."

Allen was amazed and said, "You could be a detective, buddy."

"Wait, you've been watching me for two hours?"

Allen immediately looked at him guardedly, saying, "I am not into that kind of thing, you're not thinking about inviting me back to your place, are you?"

Dominic looked at a loss for words, "I was just interested in the cans in your hand. I always hang around these streets; it's one of my main sources of income."

He added, "I don't have a home anymore, but at least I have a tent to stay in."

"How much money can you make by selling cans?" As soon as Allen heard it was possible to make money, he became interested.

He was now utterly broke and depending on handouts at relief stations was not a long-term solution.

Getting a regular job without an identity wasn't feasible, let alone for someone at the bottom of the food chain with Asian skin. He couldn't outdo the Mexicans at dishwashing, nor outcompete the Blacks at zero-dollar shopping.

Collecting recyclables, opening a treasure box, maybe that was a relatively decent, and comparatively well-paying job for the moment.

Every year in the United States, there are over a million can recyclers; it's a profession that won't leave you starving.

"Each recycling center's location is different, and the prices change daily,"

Dominic frankly said, "At the place I frequent, at the recycling center at 156 16th Street in the Fifth District, a can is 5 cents, transparent drink bottles 4 cents. If you recycle by weight, the price per pound is much cheaper."

"Last time, I spent a few hours outside Sunkist Bar and Carnation Club's back door, collected cans from the trash, and in total made 64 US dollars. I even found a Cartier watch unexpectedly!"

"In the Rich District's trash bins, you can find anything! Gold, diamonds, coco, cigarettes, leaves, US dollars. Brand new electric pots still in unopened plastic film, red wine, daily necessities, and even designer clothes, all picked up and sold to recycling centers."

"I can make about 200-800 US dollars a week just by picking recyclables. If I always find valuable things in the Rich District every time, I can even make up to 2000 US dollars a week!"

Damn.

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Is selling scrap in the United States so lucrative?

Is the treasure box drop rate that high?

Allen was somewhat enticed.

He had previously looked into the local prices; sticking to fast food was relatively cheap, McDonald's thicker Burger King 2.8 US dollars, road-side fast-food trucks' burger hot dogs 1.5 US dollars, a meal set costing 10 dollars could stuff your whole family.

I'm already eating fast food; do I still care about health?

To buy clothes and shoes, you could go to a dollar store or a more upscale thrift shop to sort out all the wearables.

And in discount stores, you can pick two T-shirts for 2.8 US dollars. But alas, Allen's pockets were drier than his face.

He only had a 1 US dollar coin on him, which he picked up from the street; he couldn't really buy anything with it.

The Adidas sportswear Dominic was wearing, being an outdated style, wasn't worth much either, maybe just a dozen US dollars on clearance in a discount store.

Fancy brands overseas aren't faring too well, it seems; these days, every tramp seems to own one.

Just now, he also saw a black pearl girl wearing a full set of Nike gears.

Not sure if she was zero-dollar shopping or what.

"There must be significant competition in this line of work," Allen asked.

"Of course, the Rich District isn't easy to get into, each street has its own homeless occupiers, and people in shelters also collect cans. Typically, I can only go through the garbage cans next to roadside malls and follow people like you, waiting for them to finish their drink and casually toss it aside. The income is really unstable,"

Dominic went on, "This isn't my main source of income, you know. Picking recyclables can lead to conflicts with many people. If you want to do well, you must minimize conflicts. Making money this way isn't easy; it can be quite exhausting."

"There are a lot of addicts among the homeless, lacking patience and strength to do this, so sometimes, my friends and I will choose to take some things from stores or alleys."

He admitted his actions very candidly, as if it were quite normal for a homeless person.

"Ok, I get it. But now I'm homeless, do you know where I can get a tent and daily necessities for free?"

Allen Zhang pulled out a steel coin from his pocket and said helplessly: "This is my last US Dollar, I can't afford to buy anything with it."

Dominic glanced at it and kindly reminded him: "That's a cent, Allen."

"?"

Allen Zhang was stunned.

Then he got furious, "Fxxk!! This is a cent!? Who would be so petty as to even make steel coins out of a cent? Even the cost of the materials must be more valuable, right? Are all you Americans this petty? Or is there actually some profit to be made here?"

Allen Zhang had never seen what a one US Dollar coin and a one cent coin looked like.

Who would care about that? In an era dominated by electronic payments, he had grown accustomed to not using cash.

He couldn't even recognize the currency of his own hometown. The new currency looked obviously fake at a glance.

One US Dollar turned into one cent.

This has added insult to injury for families that aren't rich to begin with.

Dominic, looking at the infuriated Allen Zhang, sighed and said: "Allen, although I really want to help you, I don't have extra money to give you either. Maybe you should try to sell something valuable of yours at the pawnshop and buy a cheaper tent first, otherwise, it will end up being stolen or robbed."

"You make a good point! But look at me, buddy. Come on, tell me, what else do I have on me that's valuable? My butt?"

Allen Zhang spread his hands wide.

He only had a pair of beach shorts on him.

Do you think I don't want to wear clothes and show off my body here? To perform street art in weather that's barely getting into the teens in February?

I don't have clothes to wear, alright.

"If you don't mind, you can come with me today to live under Bridge 19. I have a spare mattress and a tent there, which is a spot of a friend of mine. Shelters also distribute tents and clothes for free every week, or maybe you can think of other ways." Dominic said after thinking for a moment.

"Thank you so much, buddy."

Allen Zhang's gratitude was evident, then he suddenly froze. You really are trying to take me back to your place, huh...

Do you Americans also practice "catching a catty" (solicitation)?

Allen Zhang was inwardly alert and asked: "But won't your friend mind?"

"She got locked up because she got into trouble."

"...oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

Dominic's words shocked Allen Zhang deeply. It also confirmed that he was most likely truly well-intentioned.

After all, tents in California are expensive! The San Francisco government once provided 260 tents for the homeless across 6 camping sites for the sake of sanitation and safety, costing a total of 18.2 million US dollars. On average, the annual cost for each tent was about 60,000 US dollars...

Oh! Shit!!

This damn bureaucracy.

Otherwise, he was definitely going to end up sleeping on the streets tonight.

"It's okay, she'll be out in a while. Because the items she took didn't exceed 950 US dollars, she just had the misfortune of encountering a patrolling officer in the Rich District. Coincidentally, the property reported lost by the owner was found by her in the trash can, and she was charged with theft, needing to pay a 200 US dollar fine or be detained for twenty days."

Dominic didn't take this to heart. California law states that during Zero-Dollar Purchase, offenses are minor as long as no one is hurt and the value doesn't exceed 950 US dollars.

Although Zero-Dollar Purchase is a crime, generally speaking, as long as one isn't caught on the spot and runs away fast enough after taking the items, officers usually won't bother much.

If caught at the scene of a Zero-Dollar Purchase, if it's a first-time offense, one would usually just be taken back to the police station for a verbal admonition.

But if an officer in a bad mood catches a habitual offender, they would find various reasons to impose a fine of about 200 to 1000 US dollars and detain the individual for half a month.

In severe cases, the punishment could even be half a year or more, but less than five years in prison. Bail would also be costly.

Allen Zhang could only lament that the West Coast is truly the land of the free.