How many of us are familiar with the "bait and switch"? The concept is to advertise extremely inexpensive goods, but when you get to the store, the item has just run out.

"But we have a similar item that costs just a bit more that we can make available to you at a special discount". You wind up leaving the store with a TIVO, Plasma Screen TV, Surround sound and what ever else they can push on a "sucker".

At some time or the other, we have all been victims of false advertising. I remember a very kind gentleman coming into our store. He was selling ads for phone book covers, for which he had a sample available for review.

When he quoted us the price, my Dad and I, having to watch our money, looked at each other doubtingly and the gentleman noticed our reluctance. Not by coincidence, I might add. He walked over to our display area where we had new products and immediately showed an interest in a remake of an old time radio produced by Philco.

He stood there a minute, as if he were thinking, then proposed a greatly reduced price if we would add the radio to the deal. We didn't have very much invested in the radio and the reduced price made the deal too sweet to resist. We agreed.
The man pulled out a yellow piece of paper on which he filled out all our information and gave us a copy, for which we gave him a radio and a check.

He hadn't been gone 10 minutes until I noticed the piece of paper. It was designed with random letters to look like a heading, obscure numbers for a phone number...a perfect piece of well thought out deceptive paper with absolutely no useable information on it...and an idiot holding it.

I have never been taken so badly before in my life, and my father hadn't either. We felt like complete fools, but we learned a valuable lesson. If you came in our store, you would get the third degree. A well-known deaf beggar came in one time needing money. I wrote on a piece of paper that I would let him sweep for six hours at minimum wage. He didn't want that and I didn't see him again.

Learn more about this author, D. J. Poe.
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