Thread: "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man"

[QUOTE=7thsfsniper;811742]

Originally Posted by JAD_333

Respectfully, I didn't say he didn't know shit. I said he didn't read that book, and that he doesn't know anything(of which he is talking about) which he later admits....

So his entire statement is BS, I just called him on it. I apologize if I came off too strong asking him prove what he claims to know.

7th

Strictly speaking you are right. Sh*t was used in another context. But you did say, "You don't know anything about anything" and that around these parts means "you don't know sh*t".

Anyway, my main point was, saying he knows nothing but not saying what he ought to know or what you know that would rebut what he doesn't know ...well, you know what I mean.

Originally Posted by Double Edge

Builder cousin of mine was grousing over this the other day, odd jobs being estimated for x days of labour and him finding out after they got it done in much fewer. He's been in the business over twenty years and yet he tells me he still learns new tricks every week.


Heh, this is rampant over here. There's no grading done at all, so to get good fruits & vegetables, spotting the proper from the bad is a skill worth learning. Thats about 30-40 different ones each with their own personalities, look, feel, weight, texture, smell etc. Took me a few years to figure out. Mangoes are the worst, they can be damaged on the inside ie inedible due to mishanding but look perfect on the outside.

Yeah, I've been a builder for 20 years, and I can imagine what your cousin was up against. I've seen just about every trick that subcontractors, piece-workers, and hourly employees use to try to squeeze more money out of you. My first 2 years were a nightmare. Now it's like you finally learning what fruit and veggies to pick or avoid. I instantly can tell a fair price from an inflated one.

No one writes books about that stuff unless a big player get caught cheating, and then most of the people who cry foul would cheat you in a heartbeat.

I don't think we grade fruits and veggies either. Bad stuff is usually pretty obvious. Smell and squeeze.

Originally Posted by JAD_333

Yeah, I've been a builder for 20 years, and I can imagine what your cousin was up against. I've seen just about every trick that subcontractors, piece-workers, and hourly employees use to try to squeeze more money out of you. My first 2 years were a nightmare.

A few years go i remember him telling me how he'd get workers doing tile jobs and then near the end they'd just dissapear and extort more money out of him to finish the job. I'd have thought after a few years in the business he'd have figured it out but he said its an ongoing thing, he's speaking relatively of course. It's gotten better as he figured out the old tricks but keeps learning new ones.

Originally Posted by JAD_333

Now it's like you finally learning what fruit and veggies to pick or avoid. I instantly can tell a fair price from an inflated one.

Provided you have an idea what the prices are. They fluctuate daily here, a few days after it can vary by tens of percent. Now that everybody's got cellphones the suppliers know how much the prices are in the next town or even state and fix their prices accordingly. So if you go weekly, last weeks prices are only a rough guide.

Food aside, knowing prices in general is crucial. If its not marked on the product then depending on how confident the seller is it can be anything. Though its still a on a different level compared to pressure sales. That was quite an experience. Was in the grand souk in Istanbul and looking around at stuff and wanted to buy a leather jacket. Checked out a few shops, they all know the trick and quote the high prices so you really get no idea what a leather jacket costs in Istanbul at all. All you know is it just has to be less. Picked a shop and then started haggling. Reached a point where he refused to go any lower. Then you walk out, the moment you cross the door he agrees to your price. I learnt that if he does that there's still more to go. There is a psyche element involved here. Learnt that buying leather anything especially in a market when you don't know what leather is can be a bad idea.

Electronics is another minefield. I never let the salesman talk to me at all, if i want to get something, i'll just research what i want then go in and knock him down. The less he speaks to me the more advantage i have. The usual story is he'll tell you he does have that exact model and why don't you check out this other one, which of course you know nothing about features wise nor price and he'll make it sound very good. Nine times out of ten if you buy at that point you are losing.

Originally Posted by JAD_333

I don't think we grade fruits and veggies either. Bad stuff is usually pretty obvious. Smell and squeeze.

When i was there i could pick stuff with my eyes closed in the supermarkets. It was very easy and it did not matter what time you went, here the earlier in the day the better.

It isn't so much bad from good but better from average. I usually go to the market as there's a selection and its always fresh compared to supermarkets. The problem with fruits& veg is they get plucked before they have time to develop and are artifically ripened. This way there is more shelf life. A big factor here is the climate, its much warmer than where you are so shelf life is shorter. Tell you what we get Washington Apples here, a little smaller than what you see normally but they're always good.

Originally Posted by JAD_333

No one writes books about that stuff unless a big player get caught cheating, and then most of the people who cry foul would cheat you in a heartbeat.

Watched a video of the author talking some time back and it came across as a load of CT to me. As DOR mentioned there is a lot of exaggeration, take it with a pinch of salt.