Genuine request for help?
I have yet to upload my pics from a recent trip to London and Paris but I just wanted to share a rather bizarre thing that happened to me in Paris.
It was the last day of the trip and I was window shopping in Galleries Lafayette on blvd Haussmann. After walking around the food department which was probably the most fascinating department there (it was comparable to the one in Harrods and Selfridges - we had oohed and aahed at the pretty cakes and gasped at caviar being sold at 100euro per 50g), I'd left my sister to rest her weary feet somewhere and proceeded to walk around the cosmetic and accessories floor alone.
A couple of Chinese women had walked up to me as I moved away from a glass window display. One of them asked me in Mandarin " Do you speak Mandarin?" When I answered that I could speak it a little, she then asked me to help them buy 2 Louis Vuitton wallets, of a particular model. She showed pictures of the model to me. I was curious. Why did they need so many of the same type of wallet? Could they not buy LV goods in China? Apparently this was a model that was only sold in Europe and they had been asked by friends to buy these wallets. However, the LV sales policy limited each person to a maximum purchase quantity of two items if they were of the same model. These women had already bought 2 wallets each but wanted another 2.
I was surprised. Were they members of a cult where part of the uniform was to own this particular model of a wallet? Could they be part of a counterfeiting organisation and were buying these as prototypes? Were they telling the truth or was this a scam? These thoughts ran through my mind.
They smiled and the first woman pressed fourteen crisp 50 euro bills into my hand. Put this into your purse or handbag, she said.
I felt uneasy as these women were strangers to me, but was too polite to refuse. It seemed harmless enough. I decided to do what they had asked. I could not see how it could be a scam and they were probably genuinely buying these for their friends.
The second woman then said to me. "Pretend interest in other items first. Don't ask to see this model straightaway otherwise they will be suspicious and will refuse the sale. We will wait for you here" They then stood in a corner out of the line of sight of the LV shop assistants but where they could still watch me. It was this last remark and the fact that they were hiding that finally swung my decision. I took a few half hearted steps towards the boutique, then turned back.
I could see the surprise on the face of the second woman as I said quickly in Mandarin " I'm sorry but I don't have a good feeling about doing this. Here's your money back". Her face fell but she took the bills and said that it was fine if I could not go through with it. I quickly walked away without looking back. My face felt hot. I located my sister and left immediately. She too, could not decide if the women had been telling the truth.
Later that evening in London, I relayed this story to the friend that I was staying with. She said that their request could well be genuine as LV goods were usually more expensive in China although she wasn't sure if the model was really not available there. Even if they had lied and the wallets had not been for their friends they might have wanted to sell them in China for a small profit due to the price difference.
No matter what their purpose, I feel better having walked away. I suppose I shall never know the true story.
Has anyone else come across such a scenario before? What do you think?
It was the last day of the trip and I was window shopping in Galleries Lafayette on blvd Haussmann. After walking around the food department which was probably the most fascinating department there (it was comparable to the one in Harrods and Selfridges - we had oohed and aahed at the pretty cakes and gasped at caviar being sold at 100euro per 50g), I'd left my sister to rest her weary feet somewhere and proceeded to walk around the cosmetic and accessories floor alone.
A couple of Chinese women had walked up to me as I moved away from a glass window display. One of them asked me in Mandarin " Do you speak Mandarin?" When I answered that I could speak it a little, she then asked me to help them buy 2 Louis Vuitton wallets, of a particular model. She showed pictures of the model to me. I was curious. Why did they need so many of the same type of wallet? Could they not buy LV goods in China? Apparently this was a model that was only sold in Europe and they had been asked by friends to buy these wallets. However, the LV sales policy limited each person to a maximum purchase quantity of two items if they were of the same model. These women had already bought 2 wallets each but wanted another 2.
I was surprised. Were they members of a cult where part of the uniform was to own this particular model of a wallet? Could they be part of a counterfeiting organisation and were buying these as prototypes? Were they telling the truth or was this a scam? These thoughts ran through my mind.
They smiled and the first woman pressed fourteen crisp 50 euro bills into my hand. Put this into your purse or handbag, she said.
I felt uneasy as these women were strangers to me, but was too polite to refuse. It seemed harmless enough. I decided to do what they had asked. I could not see how it could be a scam and they were probably genuinely buying these for their friends.
The second woman then said to me. "Pretend interest in other items first. Don't ask to see this model straightaway otherwise they will be suspicious and will refuse the sale. We will wait for you here" They then stood in a corner out of the line of sight of the LV shop assistants but where they could still watch me. It was this last remark and the fact that they were hiding that finally swung my decision. I took a few half hearted steps towards the boutique, then turned back.
I could see the surprise on the face of the second woman as I said quickly in Mandarin " I'm sorry but I don't have a good feeling about doing this. Here's your money back". Her face fell but she took the bills and said that it was fine if I could not go through with it. I quickly walked away without looking back. My face felt hot. I located my sister and left immediately. She too, could not decide if the women had been telling the truth.
Later that evening in London, I relayed this story to the friend that I was staying with. She said that their request could well be genuine as LV goods were usually more expensive in China although she wasn't sure if the model was really not available there. Even if they had lied and the wallets had not been for their friends they might have wanted to sell them in China for a small profit due to the price difference.
No matter what their purpose, I feel better having walked away. I suppose I shall never know the true story.
Has anyone else come across such a scenario before? What do you think?
posted by meifong @ 16:53
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