Reference by a retailer or landlord (especially by landlords!) to a
person who is chronically impoverished, problematic to deal with, and is considered to be worth little or nothing to the business; usually this
person presents a LOSS to a landlord or retailer.
Retail: This is someone who is
poor but incredibly demanding and
time-consuming customer who doesn't want to
pay and/or haggles a lot. Refers to a customer who buys things that are the loss-leaders or hangs out soaking staff for
time and effort and ends up trying to cadge unauthorized discounts.
Landlords: A tenant who is full of problems and requires a lot of effort or rescheduling to collect rent from. Refers especially to those who are struggling to make ends meet, and is used as an insult. This is the tenant who bounces from eviction to eviction, paying only what is required to get in the
door and then does not pay until evicted.
"Don't waste your
time offering him a coupon; that skinny chicken wants everything cheap.
"I
will be taking that skinny chicken to eviction court next week, ugh, so sick of them stealing
time."