Train station "helpers"

While waiting at Santa Lucia Station for our train, an interesting behavior caught my eye.

I saw a group of three men hovering around the steps leading up to the station.  One of them would approach somebody and help them lift their bags up the stairs.

Upon arriving at the top of the stairs they would pause and look innocently at the person they helped, inviting them to provide some compensation for their effort.

The three friends would regroup and smile about their earnings and go off separately looking for another person to "assist".

Mooches or entrepreneurs?  You decide!