douchebag of the year...salesman at pippin vintage

Ok... so I'm in chelsea and I decide to check out some of the thrift shops to see what the buzz is about. I check out "angel street thrift shop" and didn't find anything worthwhile or in my size. I leave and noticed that next door there is a vintage jewelry shop. The name of the place is "pippin vintage jewelry" (at 112 W. 17th Street).

I go in and see a cabinet full of old cufflinks, some are art deco but all of them are cheap (from $10-$30). I see some gold toned, two-sided art deco cuff links that I though were O.K. I look to see if they have any marks that say 14K or anything but they don't.

I look to ask for help and see a thin white guy in his 50's staring at me like a hawk.


I say "hello, are these cufflinks gold filled?".

The guy responds "I don't know, read the tag. you know the tag, the tag...do you know how to read?

I'm thinking WTF, but I only say "I see somebody has an attitude"

He then says "what? I don't have to take that from you. please leave and don't come back to the store!"

I say "you think I'm going to comeback after those condescending comments?"
He responds "get the hell out and don't comeback, If you comeback I'm calling the cops"



So properly I flip him a bird, call him an asshole and walk out. WTF!? did he think I was going to steal $20 cuff links from the 30's that are not even gold?
After I left I was thinking about whether I should go back and tear him apart, but I just kept walking and went to the Hickey sample sale.

Did he think that because I'm young, Hispanic and in streetwear I was too dumb to wear cufflinks and was therefore going to steal something?

In case anybody is wondering, I was wearing some warehouse jeans, Adidas sambas and a uniqlo hoody. Not exactly a thief's uniform.

Originally Posted by blackplatano

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Did he think that because I'm young, Hispanic and in streetwear I was too dumb to wear cufflinks and was therefore going to steal something?

Most likely, yes.

In case anybody is wondering, I was wearing some warehouse jeans, Adidas sambas and a uniqlo hoody. Not exactly a thief's uniform.

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Not a thief's uniform, but you probably didn't look like the kinda guy who's gonna buy cufflinks.
Not that that in any way condones his action.... b/c the guy sounds like a stupid **** who didn't deserve anything out of your wallet anyway.

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

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Most likely, yes.

...Not a thief's uniform, but you probably didn't look like the kinda guy who's gonna buy cufflinks.
Not that that in any way condones his action.... b/c the guy sounds like a stupid **** who didn't deserve anything out of your wallet anyway.

+1 Yeah, I agree with that. That's messed up. They're on the SF **** list now. Do we have one? We should make one if not.

The question you asked was a rather informed one, so I don't get this guys problem.

Originally Posted by blackplatano

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After I left I was thinking about whether I should go back and tear him apart, but I just kept walking and went to the Hickey sample sale.


Yes, you should definitely go back and tear him apart!

Many years ago (early 1970s), I lived in Chelsea on 22nd between 7th and 8th. The neighborhood was good but mixed back then. I have a feeling that it's high dollar these days.

There was also a restaurant called Asia de Cuba on 7th Ave. and it was a good moderate priced neighborhood restaurant. I guess it's long gone. When I googled Asis de Cuba restaurant I came up with a high dollar restaurant that is on Madison Ave. and is highly rated. Definitely a different operation.

Does any older New Yorker remember the Asia de Cuba restaurant that was in Chelsea in the 1970s?

Originally Posted by blackplatano

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.

Did he think that because I'm young, Hispanic and in streetwear I was too dumb to wear cufflinks and was therefore going to steal something?

As others have pointed out, as sad as it is... yes.

Originally Posted by rnoldh

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Yes, you should definitely go back and tear him apart!

I wouldn't go back, I don't see how any good will come out of that. Do you think he'll see the error of his ways?

Maybe he was having a bad day, but screw it. Why waste you time being pissed off with small people?

Besides, if you really want to patronize that store again (don't know why you would), he probably won't remember you in a few weeks.

I was being facetious and sarcastic.

The worst thing you could do is tear him apart.

Just go on down the road and consider it their loss.

Originally Posted by rnoldh

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I was being facetious and sarcastic.


People need to learn this is true in 99.9% of all your posts.

never mind old peeps

Yeah, their loss. Don't worry about it.

If you really can't get it out of your head though, go there in your best suit + tie combo. Walk in, and if the same guy is there say "Oh wait, I remember this place." turn around and walk back out again.

For extra arsehole points, get a friend to pretend to drag you in there. Act like you really don't wanna be there, and put down the quality of everything in the store. Make sure you leave without buying anything.

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

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People need to learn this is true in 99.9% of all your posts.

Right! But what about the other .01%

Go back wit' your Hispanic homeboys and light the place up, yo...

(Yes, that WAS sarcasm)

Don't stress too much about it. You never know what that guy might be going through.

I remember having an interaction like that once - a guy went off for no reason. It was so unexpected and out of line that I was mad about it for a while.

I found out a few weeks later the guys mother had shot herself with his gun, on his birthday no more than 12 hours from when I saw him.

It didn't excuse his actions, but it did make me think twice when encountering somebody who is clearly disturbed - perhaps its less about you - and more about them.

That said, perhaps he's just a low-class pawn shop jockey who has no value in life other than stilting himself up by putting down young people. You're clearly better off brushing off somebody like that as a non-threat, and considering the dribble from his mah as background noise. Even reacting to a schmuck like that gives him some self-perceived importance.

Originally Posted by blackplatano

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WTF!? did he think I was going to steal $20 cuff links from the 30's that are not even gold?

Now, I'm not going to defend this asswipe, but I will say one thing about this: yes, there are people who will steal anything. At a local motel, an employee stole a hose nozel and cement garden gnome. People steal remote controls from motels, the kinds of remotes that only go with those particular TVs. Where I teach, students who complain about the books being boring, unhelpful, too hard, etc., then try to steal them by claiming they had never had them in the first place. One student -- who came from a wealthy family -- had a penchent for stealing our pencils, ugly dirt-orange pencils with our company's logo.

Why? Because much like the man you talked to today, they are assholes.

Seconds after you came in the first robber told the other to "just get rid of him."