Here is the story. It was early in the morning, and I was attending to the first thing on my schedule (find a tv). This sweet TV was listed on Craigslist. The address was kind of in the ghetto, so I kept thinking that maybe I shouldn't go--because the seller might just be needing money for drugs. I also thought that it might not fit in my car (the guy said he'd even deliver it--further proof of desperation), and that I probably didn't want a drug fiend in my apartment. Anyway, better judgment aside, I brought my roomie (which cut my statistical chance of being held up in half, right?), and we went.
I had called the seller (named Patrick) several times. He seemed nice (not high) enough. So we go, and it's kind of in the ghetto (it was in an alley, across from a liquor store and next to a motel--okay, it was the ghetto). He has a big dog on a chain out front. He also has us wait several minutes before he lets us in. He also has like 4 weight benches out in front of his house. We go inside and (this is a tiny house) there are about 8 massive TVs. I think the transaction was legit though, because he gave me an instruction manual and a remote control (here is another sign that it was legit, I had to pay in cash). He asked twice, "So you guys want anything else?" So I said, "Yes. How about a bench press bar?" He thought about it for a second, asked me how much I'd be willing to spend ($10), realized he only had one rusty one, and then said, "Let me make my calls. I'll hook you up." I got the feeling that no matter what I would've asked for, his response would've been the same.
Later on, a friend with more street cred (she's black)(also, that was her reasoning for having more street cred, not mine, I thought I had more street cred than her because she's from Palm Springs area) told me that this was called hustling. Patrick is a hustler, and apparently a valuable contact. Bench press bars normally cost WAY more than $10. Whatevs. All in all, I really enjoyed the experience. I have since referred Patrick to 2 other people (including my friend with the street cred), all of whom want big TVs (32" Sony with picture in picture for $60). Read More......
