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The Short Con - Paying a $1.00 for 75 cents.

Image by worldmegan via Flickr

I love the magical simplicity of short cons, especially used by panhandlers.  When I lived in Calgary, there were always several down and out drunks hanging around the wine store.  But, the only one who routinely got my money was one who asked for $3.00 for a cheap bottle of red wine -no ploys about using the money for bus fare, food, or coffee.  "I want $3.00 for a bottle of cheap red wine" and so he got it from me.

Seth Godin relates another interesting short con.

"When there were old-school parking meters in New York, quarters were precious.

One day, I'm walking down the street and a guy comes up to me and says, "Do you have a dollar for four quarters?"

He held out his hand with four quarters in it.

Curious, I engaged with him. I took out a dollar bill and took the four quarters."

Then the guy hits up Seth with the line: "Can you spare a quarter?"

That is very good!  I like the initial trade, four quarters being more than valuable than a dollar bill because of their use in parking meters.

So the first trade involves reciprocation because the panhandler has done you a favour.

Next, he takes away your natural excuse of not having any change.

A trick worth paying money to learn.

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Full post as published by Misleading Advertising Law on February 27, 2009 (boomark / email).