Do I have a sign on my head?

[baltimoron]

Actually, you know where this happened to me? In Zürich. I was walking down the street, I didn't have any items that would have set me apart as a tourist (no visible camera, no gross fanny packs, no high socks.) But I was looking for a new watch. So I go into a store, kindly say "Guten Tag" and start to look around at the watches. The lady comes up to me and says, "Sir, I don't think you'll find what you want here." I, quite perplexed, say "Well, OK, why not?" She smiles in a sardonic kind of way, and says "Our prices start at 30,000 US dollars. Thanks for coming by." I was quickly ushered out of the store. Well, I thought... "WHO IN THE WORLD PAYS "30,000 US DOLLARS" FOR A WATCH!?" So, I went to the local equivalent to a Rite-Aid and bought a cheap plastic thing.

But, also, quite to my amusement, once in Lucerne, somebody obvioulsy thought I was a son of some weathly oil sheik, and REALLY came onto me. He ushered some guy to come up to me and start talking to me in arabic, "Hello, sir, would you like to come inside for tea and to look at our products?" I said, kind of taken aback saying, "Um, sir, I don't know who you think I am, but I can't buy anything in there…" He just laughed and said, "Well, alright."

You know, only in Switzerland has this happened to me. Maybe its the way I dress? I usually wear a neat pair of cargo pants / shorts when its over 40, a neat looking tee shirt, and a pair of Pumas. Does this sound like "Son of Rich Saudi Oil Sheik" to you?!

 

[miketsp]

Well I had something similar happen many years ago in Curacao.
I got off the plane at the airport and stood in line at immigration. When it was my turn to step up, the official asked me what my business was and I said "I'm joining a ship at the port." Anyway he looked down his nose and told me to go to the end of the line and turned really nasty when I objected.
So I went to end of the line and about 2 hours later I got back to the counter.
So he asked me again what I was doing in Curacao and this time I said "I've chartered a ship for some survey work" and laid down a charter contract with 500,000US$ in big letters across the top, which was quite a lot of money in the early 70s.
Anyway, the guy turned bright red & tried to correct his error. He'd taken me for a sailor joining a ship and was abusing his position.
Well, by that time it was dark and there were no more taxis on the rank, the last bus had gone so I made him roust out the airport manager and they had to get an airport van to run me into town.

 

[Hank49]

New money is sometimes called "new bourgeoisie". Or - what better explaines - a joke about "new Russians":
A new Russian stands close to GUM (a mall on the Red Square). another new Russiam approches him and says - I see you got yourself a new watch. How much did you pay?
- 50k US$ - answers the first one.
The second then replies - You stupid, on Lenin's Street you could get it for 80k US $!!!

I do hope that our Russian Sb members will not be offended - I brought this joke from Moscow and I know that you have plenty of them....

Mania

I think we need to differentiate, true "newly rich" (millions of $) and new "wannabe rich"(new car, new boat, Poseidon reg (haha) big house, and a bank owns it all).

 

[MikeFerrara]

Yes, they have this stupid law down here in Brazil as well.
I say stupid because firstly the CC company charges from 3 - 10% of the sale depending on the situation and then the shop will only receive the cash anything up to 60 days later. This at the moment represents an additional financial loss to the shop of 3 - 8% depending on how he finances his working capital.
So how is the shopkeeper able to liquidate stock at attractive prices if all the customers insist on their rights?
I think most people I know would accept this situation to get a cheap price.
I normally try to negotiate a discount if I'm paying cash.

Actually it's all kind of simantics. The way I read our credit car agreements, while I couldn't cahrge a customer extra for using a CC, I could offer discounts to those using cash.

The agreement also said that we were required to display, in plain view, their little advertisement with CC applications. I put it on a shelf in a corner near the cieling and would have charged for advertising space to put it in any other location. And it was in plain view if you pappened to be looking at the cieling in the corner. LOL

It's a racket and I can't believe people go along...the CC company gets a cut from the merchant, the merchant gets a monthly charge if he doesn't meet his minimum CC sales volume and the purchaser pays interest..and sometimes an additional anual fee.

Most busnesses have people comming in every day trying to sell them a new CC service so if some one turns you in for charging CC customers extra, then what? The merchant should be able to charge more because it costs you more to offer the service...and it's more work.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I have walked around many stores from lowly places up to the 5-star type places - anyone who knows me understands that my appearance is extremely casual, hardly even touch an iron nor comb, i have gotten the looks of people who dont earn a third of what i make thinking (but so far not voicing) that i cant afford stuff in their stores. I have also had the unfortunate experience of being around plenty of new-money type people who thought they could rub it in your face in some way - not content with hanging around those types either. One of the useful things is that at 6'3" i can usually actually physically look down on these people, which helps add to the equal disgust look i give them if i can see that "i've got more money than you" look coming from them. I do enjoy being around the old-money type people, they are usually far more down to earth and capable of a normal lifestyle/outlook/relationship than the new-money types.

Once I was out hunting...though I was well dressed for some one who was hunting. I was wearing the latest design in camo and the finest doe urine scent that money can buy. Well, wouldn't you know it...the car breaks down. I'm in the middle of nowhere, it's about 8 pm and I'm about 70 miles from home. It's not like you could grab a cab or something but I find a limo in the area and the guy was willing to make another run (My house wasn't as far as the airport which is the regular run).

The guy pulls up and sees/smells me and before I have time to get in he says "This is going to run $65 do you have that much?".

 

[Lawman]

This is like an AA meeting! Everybody's spilling their guts about being treated
like a bum in stores. Lets face it: divers just don't look....prosperous. Even when
my Papa Hogs Scuba Emporium shirt is clean I still don't get the respect in
Walmart I deserve.

 

[dlndavid]

This is like an AA meeting! Everybody's spilling their guts about being treated
like a bum in stores. Lets face it: divers just don't look....prosperous. Even when
my Papa Hogs Scuba Emporium shirt is clean I still don't get the respect in
Walmart I deserve.

HI Lawman (in chorus)

 

[simbrooks]

Lets face it: divers just don't look....prosperous.

I wonder where all the money goes that might make us look (or be) prosperous?

 

[MSilvia]

On the flip side of the coin, I once went out to see a friend's well known local band immediately after a night dive (no time to shower first), and a woman at the bar inquired about who did my hair. I chuckled and explained that I hadn't had time to wash or brush it since pulling off my wet suit hood, and she smiled and explained that she was a "Best of Boston" nominated hairdresser who worked on Newbury Street (an upscale shopping area). She told me she charged her clients $80 for that look, and another $50 for the products to maintain it!

 

[Mako Mark]

and the finest doe urine scent that money can buy. .

Mike, I am speechless....

This world is a constant source of amazement and wonder to me, and I though I had heard it just about all. I guess there are aspects to hunting that I dont ever want to know more about.

No wonder we dont get good service in stores.