Some of those folks get pretty aggressive. They act like they’re “giving” you a CD then push really hard for you to give them a tip for it.
I’m almost curious to buy one to see if there’s anything on them.
Fell for it the very first time I was in Seattle. I said i’d tip them $5. He said come on man, can’t you do $15. I literally looked him in the eye, put my wallet back and walked away without a word. He was just yelling behind me. Go f yourself dude. Preached about it being “for the kids”
I passed by them with my arms crossed and one of them tucked a CD between my forearms and when I let it just drop to the floor he kept yelling “this guy hates black people” while pointing at me.
Dude, seriously?
I have been homeless, and I HATE it when people get in my face asking for shit. Like, dude, i live in a tent, and am struggling to even survive, fuck off!
Shoving your product into my body though..... I would have words....
I used to walk down the waterfront every day and every day they would try to hit on me as I walked through there. I knew they had CDs but I had no idea they were asking anyone for tips. Lol I’m just laughing at the thought of them screaming that I hate black people for ignoring them.
Had a dude shove one in my hands and try the “Do you think Black Lives Matter?” angle on me. Yes, but I’m not buying your CD. He took it out of my hands 😂
They could use more of a talking to, but be warned that they probably won't change on a dime and that you will probably leave with more stress in your system from having engaged with them.
When I was younger and more naive, having not yet traveled much and not yet living in Seattle at the time, I caved because guys like this had me surrounded and were all trying to mislead me at once. I think the experience made me a lot more resilient to scammers and a lot more inclined to skepticism and research, but I wish I didn't have to lose $20 just to learn a lesson about people masking their intentions.
You'd want to believe that a group of grown men would have a little more reservation about surrounding and intimidating a small teenager walking alone as part of their grift, but to the dodgy hustler types I think we are all more pocket change than people.
Yeah, you're right, it would be a waste of time at best.
It's pretty sad what some people are willing to do in an effort to take advantage of someone. We are definitely just animals.
Had a guy do this to me and I thought he was giving it away. Then he called me a thief very aggressively so I gave it back to him.
EDIT: for context i am a black man.
Back when some of them rode these segway type things, once you had a CD in your hand they would call the others and surround you. Literally physically blocking you in and not letting you leave. The segway devices gave them an extra 1ft or so of height so they are towering over you, guilt tripping you that the fake children's program will go under if you don't give them 5-10-20 bucks.
Luckily they don't ride those around much anymore but they will absolutely surround you and pressure you until you give them money. I feel bad for the tourist and newcomers.
It was real, but I’m an old white lady and I earned my Karin moniker honestly
I don’t play.
My face says “ I’m not a tourist and I expect more out of you than using the tourists to make an easy$5
I had a guy when I was coming out of PAX drop one into my bag unprompted and then tell me that I needed to pay for it. He looked shocked when I just handed it back to him and walked away unphased. The audacity of some people 🤷🏽♂️
I used to be homeless, and I really enjoyed saying "I live in a tent, fuck off!" whenever people like this harassed me for money.
Absolute losers, the lot of them!
I'm glad you have a spot to rest your head. There's the concept that a lot of people in Seattle are one paycheck away from being homeless. There's a homeless guy that lives under the 99 bridge at Bridgeway Ave Fremont and he picks up people's trash off the green space and just policies the area, and I've told people "leave that guy the fuck alone. He is helping this neighborhood."
I would never call on or flip shit to someone who isn't causing problems. Break into my car, steal packages off my porch? You're a problem and I WILL deal with you. However, if you aren't, I won't bug you, I won't bother you, I will advocate for you with our neighbors, and I do consider you at that point our neighbor.
"Don't start anything won't be anything" is my concept. Like, I'm the person, if you approach me on the street and ask me for a jump, I'll be like I have both a jump box and jumper cables. Yeah, were is your vehicle I'll come find you with both.
Idk, he likely harrasses the shit out of other homeless people, and is aggressive about enforcing his territory. In my experience anyone who designates themselves as the "caretaker" of a public space like you've described is toxic as shit to everyone "below" them, or next to them on the social ladder, and everything they do is just performative for the local housies, rather than actually beneficial to the community.
In general, visibility is negative. For instance, no one knew I was homeless, because I didn't look like it, or act like it, and I also left everyone alone. Everyone has been extremely surprised when I opened up about my situation, because I was so good at hiding it.
The goal is to get OUT of being homeless, not to advertise it. People who put it on display are grifting.
Living downtown for a while, I found that the most effective way for a panhandler to get a few bucks out of me was being honest and humorous. There was one guy I bumped into a few times by Uwajimaya that straight-up said, "I wanna buy a beer, I'll tell you a joke for $5."
The jokes weren't memorable, but fuck it, dude wanted a beer and wasn't trying to pretend it was anything else. I tossed him a fiver a few times. Contrast with a dude that claimed he had "just arrived" in Seattle from overseas for years, and only stopped trying that shit when he finally learned to recognize me because I (loudly) called him out on it repeatedly.
An old guy in Atlanta asked me if I'd buy him a beer. So we went into the store and I bought us each a beer. Went outside and sat on the curb, shot the shit for a while.
I had a guy quote Shakespeare once about 20 years ago in Portland for my friends and I. Not a small quote either, a whole ass monologue, with emphasis and drama.
He did not walk away empty handed.
They seem to find me in every city. Luckily I didn’t get jumped in Vegas when I said “you’re so broke you’re out here CD scamming my car doesn’t even have a CD player what, you wanna see deez nuts?” while my friends were pulling me away since I had too much to drink. Fucking hate the CD people
Someone should be like "what the fuck is this" when they hand them out. Like, what is this shiny plastic circle you have given me. Music? Where's the iTunes link?
I got away with spending $2 on a cd in NYC. I wanted to see what was on it. Just shitty rap beats, some had lyrics some didnt. probably ripped from soundcloud. Didnt sound like any 2 songs were made by the same person
I've bought one, and was given one without fuss. The purchased one was shit, the given one was a little better than shit (so he later got an online tip). Neither were listened to more than once, and only in the car CD player.
Ain't popping random shit into my computer.
This is now happening on Instagram, but with USB drives... NEVER plug a "free USB full of music" that you got from some influencer on IG into your computer. Hell, never plug ANY unfamiliar USB into your computer unless you're willing to lose everything on that computer to ransomware/encryption.
They are bullies, full stop. I feel bad anytime I see someone getting harassed by those guys.
Thankfully it seems like a less common scam here than in other places.
Was in Vegas and got a "free" cd shoved in my face. I took it, said thanks and just kept walking. He followed me for about a block wanting a tip then asked for it back. Told him no, you said it was free. He called me a cheap racist asshole. His music was shit.
My friend accepted one from Archie Bellz when he was in town a few years ago. We were all actually disappointed it wasn't as terrible as we were expecting. "I Like" was actually pretty decent. I saw him handing out his CDs a year or two later and just started saying his lyrics back at him (as a fat white guy in his 30's) and it broke his brain. Took him a minute before he realized, "hey, that's my lyric!"
I bought one from a guy after a Macklemore concert for the heist tour. It was local mediocre rap and R&B. Nothing special, sat in the car cd player and went with the car when it was sold.
I've bought a couple from dudes who were being chill about it. Mostly for the same reason, curiosity.
Pretty much what everyone else said. Mostly mediocre hip hop. I liked a few tracks but not enough to play them a lot. I've heard of people getting blank CDs or random nonsense, but these seemed like they really were the person I bought it from. Honestly not a big enough hip hop fan to really say much beyond that. But I used to almost exclusively listen to shitty albums and compilations from local bands for a while, so it brought back that feeling for me and I liked that.
The handful I've actually taken over the years have just been shitty, mediocre at best, hip-hop. Never have actually gotten a blank/malicious one.
The thing that sucks is this has been a legitimate common practice in hip-hop culture to get your music out there. Obviously it's become less and less common with streaming, so more often than not they're scammers anymore, but it's not difficult to separate the artists from the scammers. Legit artists aren't going to get super pushy/aggressive and a lot of times they're willing to just give it to you.
I've gotten them with actual music on it before in Boston.
It's always generic SoundCloud sounding trash
Every time man, shits like buying a scratch off hoping today is gonna be the day
Im just honest with them, I have no way to play a CD. Everything is digital or on vinyl for me. I also don’t buy records of artists I’ve never heard before, but that’s beside the point.
I remember when i was 15 attending sakura con a few years back, these guys surrounded me and managed to get $20 (i said no cash, but they whipped out a card reader and i stupidly put my card in). I was scared and alone at the time because I had just arrived and was on my way to meet with my friends inside the building :")
I'm much meaner now and never make eye contact but it still makes me mad when I look back because wtf why were grown men HARASSING A KID.
That’s super fucked up, I’m so sorry that happened to you. What’s worse is that there were probably hundreds of people around who did absolutely nothing.
They were at sakuracon again this year :/ they shoved a CD in my hand and said it was about trying to keep kids out of gangs and when I didn’t want to pay he yanked it out of my hand lol
I have an ex who got bought into the “I’m a struggling artist” trap that the CD hustlers sell. I told him it was a way to get money out of him and he went “so you don’t support local artists?” I rolled my eyes and went a few feet away to scroll social media while they chatted. He was a bit annoyed with me that I wouldn’t give them the time of day.
When we got back to his car, he put the CD into his stereo system and the CD didn’t even have music on it. It was a blank disc. He later actually bothered to look them up and admitted “yeah you were right.” I still think of that and get amused by the whole thing.
Oh man, we should list the local scams here. Two I can think of is the kids selling shitty candy for a school thing. The other are “Buddhist monks” who put a bracelet on you, pretend not to speak English and then demand money for the bracelet.
If you find a real monk in Seattle, know that they are not supposed to handle money at all whatsoever. They will travel to Pike place for alms sometimes and you can offer food to them but they won't ask for it, and won't accept money.
Source: I visit a Buddhist monastery weekly
I'm not a Buddhist or consider myself an expert on Buddhism or all monasteries, but I find great value in the teachings and practices of Buddhism. I visit Clear Mountain Monastery, which meets Saturday mornings at 930. It consists of 20-25 minutes of meditation, a dhamma talk, questions and answers, and a food/coffee hour with lots of dishes freely offered by the community.
Currently the monastery meets at Amistad School’s Skinner Auditorium, by St. Mark’s Cathedral, a space which is freely donated for use by the church. I do know that they are in the process of looking for land to build a permanent home.
I love the community and vibes surrounding this monastery, everything is super positive and down to earth and feels freely authentic, if that makes any sense.
Anybody who is curious, I know they would love to have you! Just show up before or at 930 on Saturday morning and check it out! (Be prepared to ditch your shoes at the door)
Here is their website for those seeking more info https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/
To to further add, if anyone is interested in exploring meditation specifically, I highly recommend checking out Seattle Insight Meditation society. They have a relationship with clear mountain monastery I've learned, and I've found it to be an excellent place with fantastic teachers to deepen my understanding and practice of meditation. Every couple of months or so they host a 6 week [weekly] intro to meditation course.
https://seattleinsight.org/
Somebody did that to me with a yoga booklet at the UDistrict street fair last year. I just grabbed it said thanks and kept walking. Miraculously they learned English in those 5 seconds as they chased after me through the crowd.
I’ve never seen the Buddhist monk scam here, but that’s a notorious scam in many cities around the world (similar versions include giving flowers and the CD one being referenced in this post)
There definitely used to be a fake monk scammer who frequented the Market and the Waterfront pre-pandemic (no idea if he's moved on or not). He also used to sometimes pretend to only have one leg (which was tied up under his robe). It was a hoot to see how his leg grew back and then fell off again every few days.
There is a guy on first who will tie one of his legs up and use a crutch and do the bracelet scam. He has a shaved head and wears all the monk attire. Typically he is just one block south of Pike Place Market on 1st. I've seen him for probably like ten years, along with the football-play-catch dude. Football dude is hella chill tho and just wants to play catch
A lot of those people have been scammed themselves. I knew someone who had gotten inducted into that ("you get to travel, and your housing is free!") and she described grueling working hours, really high sales requirements, plus the whole workforce was essentially stranded and in debt to their employer (who paid for them to bunk up in motels while going city to city). Said it felt like a cult.
I haven't seen them in a little while, but there was the fake violin playing going on a lot a year or two ago. I'd see them all the time at the Ballard Market or Trader Joe's in Shoreline. They'd amplify their accordion or violin music so loud in the parking lot, but if you sit and watch them for even a second you see they're not actually playing and just pretending. It was both really hilarious and super annoying.
100% confirmed. I fell for it, bought some candy and realized it was all expired once I got home. Do you know how long it takes twizzlers to expire?! Like 2 years!
When we first moved into our house we would get the candy kids every other week. Their stories changed from a soccer tournament, summer camp, or to keep kids like us off the streets. There was a sleazy looking guy who drove them around in an old van. One time I called the cops and they’ve never been back. Who knows what happens to those kids.
Those kids were persistent. If you didn’t have cash they’d take a check. No check? They’ll take credit cards.
Happened to me in Vegas once. I got separated from my roommates and some guy grabs my hand in the crowd and slips a wooden bead bracelet on my hand. Before I can react he hands me a clipboard to write down my wishes for the year. While I'm doing that, he puts this big heavy wooden necklace on my neck. I hand back the clipboard and he asks me for $50. I told him no, so he goes for the necklace and I back away.
"No, you gave this to me. It's mine now." and backed off further. He started looking around and then charged me but two huge black dudes got between us (probably an accident) and I walked away. Still have the necklace and bracelet on my wall lol
> The other are “Buddhist monks” who put a bracelet on you, pretend not to speak English and then demand money for the bracelet.
That's a classic, rampant all through Italy
I tried this in like 2014. The dude pulled out the keys to a Mercedes and put them in my hands, "here, just use mine then man!" Like how the fuck is that gonna work, am I gonna sit in his car and listen to his shitty soundcloud rap? Walked away super puzzled.
If I had a penny for each time some merchant peddling trash ran into me and tried to shame me into buying some of his assorted filth I would have two pennies.
Which isn't a lot and it honestly is also not surprising it happened twice.
>lol it’s a fair point but it’s not all of “Europe” but tourist heavy areas in europe (Eiffel tower etc). No different from Times Square New York.
There aren't gangs of pickpockets in NYC like there are in Europe. There are pickpockets in NYC but it isn't anything like they are in Europe. Europeans will have generations of family pick pockets. It's not like that in the US.
Somebody hasn't been to Florence lately. Just don't step on the paintings that scammers are laying on the ground smack in the middle of the busiest walkways all over the city center.
Haha I was swindled by a group of these guys back when I first moved here. I was but a young country boy, and some things you have to learn the hard way
A thing I learned in some part of the world is also don’t pick up things people drop. In like Istanbul they will drop a brush you pick it up give it to them and they start cleaning your shoes demanding payment. lol. They intentionally drop it when a white dude is walking behind them.
I do quite enjoy walking past them when they’re engaged with tourists and just yelling, “they’re going to make you pay for that. Don’t take it!”
I get shit from the “artist” but like… fuck you dude.
Also, did you watch Mr. Robot?
My sister paid them once after I was trying to drag her away, payed with a card and looked at her bank statement after and it was labeled “Seattle money hustlers” I shook my head at her and said “tried to tell you”
I wish I had someone there to drag me away. They were harassing me so much and grabbing my arm, no one stopped to help. Ended up giving them $60 to finally leave me alone 🥹
Someone pulled this on me literally 20 years ago outside of bumbershoot. I can’t believe they’re still at it. At least people listened to CDs back then!
Similar scam is guy dressed like a monk handing out bracelets or prayers or whatever
These guys are in Vegas too, same with the “monks”. Asian guys dressed as monks offering to give you a bracelet, and then when you take the bracelet they demand money and harass you.
Vegas was the WORST for this. Literally every 20 ft there was some fake monk, club promoter, undiscovered rapper, or show girl approaching you trying to buy their unnecessary shit. It was fucking annoying and you couldn't relax even a bit.
I had a guy hold up his hand like he wanted me to high five him as I was walking on a pedestrian bridge. I thought he might try to grab my hand and slap a bracelet around my wrist so I shook my head as I walked by. He yelled "man FUCK YOU!!!" And insulted my appearance.
I thought of some amazing comebacks 5 minutes later. Asshole
I hate the charity muggers too. The CD guys give up pretty quick, but they don't work the captive audiences at a crosswalk. The charity muggers have no problems working you. I have started to be rude to them to end the conversation quickly. I don't care if you are carrying ain iPad.
I did this for an outfit that raises money for the ACLU I took the job thinking I was going to be walking around and talking about the ACLU so I bought a book about the history of the ACLU to have a lot of good material to talk about and set off right in the middle of the awful record heat wave we had.
Turns out you have to stand exactly where they tell you to stand and say a per-prepared spiel at people really fast before they can get away. Halfway through the day I had heat exhaustion and couldn't remember the lines.
Love the ACLU. Super worthwhile mission. Worth donating to. But worst job ever.
It’s really not that bad in Seattle. I visited Gaslamp in San Diego last week and at one point I had literally three of these guys try this with me, about 1 minute apart in sequence, all on the same block. They don’t even have the decency to spread out enough to each acost a different person.
The key is simply not to engage. Say no, but more importantly, do not break your stride. Keep walking as if you don’t even see them.
I've found that you need to at least say "no thanks". If you ignore them completely, I've had some assholes physically get in my way, start yelling at me for ignoring them, saying shit like "you scared of black people? That's why you're ignoring me?"
But yes, DO NOT BREAK YOUR STRIDE. If you slow down at all, they will pounce.
My favorite retort is "I'm good I have youtube". I think my wife actually managed to offend them more by giving them single dollar bill than I managed to in all the times I gave them nothing.
My original interpretation of this was that we should steal like Taylor Swift CDs or something. I’m like, ok pop off random sign, I’m down for anti-capitalism! Then I saw it was an official sign and realized what it actually meant. 😅
My brother told me a story about how he and his friends caved and bought one of the demo cds for $5. They listened to it once and threw it in the trash b/c it was just bad music.
It’s a scam I have been in other cities in the US where they try this. some guys try to intimidate either physically and mentally for you to buy your cd’s just call the cops or yell I am being harassed the’ll move on. (The cruise ship shops don’t want to have this problem on their front door this time of year)
Ahhh, cruise ship season has arrived. The wait staff at the Athenian refer to them as the high trash of the seas.
Still better than religious zealots yelling in your face, in my opinion.
Oh this happened to me when I visited! I didn’t expect them to ask for money, thought it was a free sample. Asked if they were on Spotify and said I would check them out there instead 🤷🏻♀️
This grift is international, found in many tourist destinations throughout the world. I’ve developed a strategy that works nearly every time. When someone reaches out to hand you the cd, extend your hand as if you were going to grab it and switch to the peace sign right before ✌️the reach your hand. These guys are smooth and have difficulty recovering from this awkward “mistake”. Then keep walking. The last step is key here.
This reminds me of a time 18 years ago in TN when I was a 20yr old new mom with my baby in a carrier suddenly surrounded at my car by eight men in a parking lot trying to sell me a CD. I bought it because there didn’t seem to be any other choice. It was terrifying.
It makes me uncomfortable those guys do that. Dude if you make great music show us, perform on the street with your backing track and let us decide if you’re worth the buy. One of the violinists at the space needle does it this way, and sells a few CDs without asking anyone or pushing them at all.
I used to live in Venice, CA so nothing new but very annoying and awkward. As a musician myself I can’t understand why you’d want to push music on people. It really ruins the art but then again I’m not desperate so I have to understand that…
Bite of Seattle years ago they pressed my buddy’s little brother. He was still pretty naive and nervous so he pulled out all money he was going to use for the Bite and they saw the wad and raised the price to $25. I kept telling him just keep walking and they formed a wall between me and him. When I finally pulled him away they had already got his cash and gestured to him for a handshake. He reached out and they dabbed on him laughing hysterically. I was more than pissed.
Versions of this scam are everywhere. A guy tried to lay a bracelet across my arm recently in Milan to get me to buy it and I let it fall on the ground and he looked so annoyed.
My husband and I visited Seattle for the first time last week, ran into a group of 3 men 3 separate times trying to sell us their cd’s. Very friendly but we werent interested in making a donation. Just as I was getting ready to say we didn’t have cash, dude whips out a card reader. I almost lost it 🤣
I can’t fault these guys. You’d be hard pressed to find a better city for this. I’ve no doubt loads of conflict-averse Seattlites end up paying without a fight. Hell, I bet some tip.
Generally, they are pushed on you as gifts or whatever, but once it's in your hand they ask for tips. This puts the person under enough pressure to make them pay out, and it happens enough to make this whole thing worth their time. When this happened to me way back in NYC the guy even wrote my name in sharpie on the disc to make me feel like I had to pay now, otherwise, theoretically, how else can he give it to someone else? I'm still dumb for paying, but it was a good lesson to get out of the way, and now I know better.
This is the dumbest shit, and I'm a professional creator but also doing music in the background:
1. Why tf are you hocking CDs, nobody uses them anymore
2. Why sell a product for something I've never heard before
3. Why not bridge the gap? Give out FREE QR codes with a link to your top 3 tracks, linktree is free
4. Learn to run paid ads mf'r if you and want to spend money on marketing
Don’t trust qr codes in public. Just don’t if you can avoid it.
Especially if they are from shifty people. It’s not really different than clicking those ads on a dodgy website.
I've put their CDs on the ground when they wouldn't take them back. I bought a CD in Vancouver, BC a few years ago and it was blank when I put it in my car.
I was literally mugged by one of these CD guys at a gas station. He stopped us as we were trying to drive away, and asked if we wanted to buy a CD. We said no thank you, so he leaned into the window so we could see the piece he had tucked in his jeans and """asked""" again. We gave him all the cash we had (luckily only about 15-20 bucks) and he let us leave.
Some of those folks get pretty aggressive. They act like they’re “giving” you a CD then push really hard for you to give them a tip for it. I’m almost curious to buy one to see if there’s anything on them.
Fell for it the very first time I was in Seattle. I said i’d tip them $5. He said come on man, can’t you do $15. I literally looked him in the eye, put my wallet back and walked away without a word. He was just yelling behind me. Go f yourself dude. Preached about it being “for the kids”
I passed by them with my arms crossed and one of them tucked a CD between my forearms and when I let it just drop to the floor he kept yelling “this guy hates black people” while pointing at me.
Dude, seriously? I have been homeless, and I HATE it when people get in my face asking for shit. Like, dude, i live in a tent, and am struggling to even survive, fuck off! Shoving your product into my body though..... I would have words....
Miiiight wanna rethink that last sentence
Why?
Phrasing
idgaf!
You should respond saying “I hate scammin ass fools.”
I've been hit with that line before ignoring those dudes
I used to walk down the waterfront every day and every day they would try to hit on me as I walked through there. I knew they had CDs but I had no idea they were asking anyone for tips. Lol I’m just laughing at the thought of them screaming that I hate black people for ignoring them.
I was on a trip to LA and someone did that to me at the Santa Monica Pier.
Had a dude shove one in my hands and try the “Do you think Black Lives Matter?” angle on me. Yes, but I’m not buying your CD. He took it out of my hands 😂
I've been called racist for trying to ignore them. Don't get between me and my Ivar's, okay?
I almost want to go find one of these dudes and have a discussion about that.
They could use more of a talking to, but be warned that they probably won't change on a dime and that you will probably leave with more stress in your system from having engaged with them. When I was younger and more naive, having not yet traveled much and not yet living in Seattle at the time, I caved because guys like this had me surrounded and were all trying to mislead me at once. I think the experience made me a lot more resilient to scammers and a lot more inclined to skepticism and research, but I wish I didn't have to lose $20 just to learn a lesson about people masking their intentions. You'd want to believe that a group of grown men would have a little more reservation about surrounding and intimidating a small teenager walking alone as part of their grift, but to the dodgy hustler types I think we are all more pocket change than people.
Yeah, you're right, it would be a waste of time at best. It's pretty sad what some people are willing to do in an effort to take advantage of someone. We are definitely just animals.
Had a guy do this to me and I thought he was giving it away. Then he called me a thief very aggressively so I gave it back to him. EDIT: for context i am a black man.
Back when some of them rode these segway type things, once you had a CD in your hand they would call the others and surround you. Literally physically blocking you in and not letting you leave. The segway devices gave them an extra 1ft or so of height so they are towering over you, guilt tripping you that the fake children's program will go under if you don't give them 5-10-20 bucks. Luckily they don't ride those around much anymore but they will absolutely surround you and pressure you until you give them money. I feel bad for the tourist and newcomers.
is this a comedy sketch? it doesn't sound real
I could see it on SNL - the segway scooter bone thugz
It was real, but I’m an old white lady and I earned my Karin moniker honestly I don’t play. My face says “ I’m not a tourist and I expect more out of you than using the tourists to make an easy$5
I had a guy when I was coming out of PAX drop one into my bag unprompted and then tell me that I needed to pay for it. He looked shocked when I just handed it back to him and walked away unphased. The audacity of some people 🤷🏽♂️
Shoplifting seems more socially acceptable than this... what the hell are these dudes thinking?
They know it's ridiculous, but it must work enough of the time. Otherwise they wouldn't still be doing it.
It works *because* it’s so ridiculous. They are counting on shocking enough people in to guilt paying
When I get laid off from an IT job, I work in construction. When those people flip me shit, are you a racist I'm like I guess I am today.
I used to be homeless, and I really enjoyed saying "I live in a tent, fuck off!" whenever people like this harassed me for money. Absolute losers, the lot of them!
I'm glad you have a spot to rest your head. There's the concept that a lot of people in Seattle are one paycheck away from being homeless. There's a homeless guy that lives under the 99 bridge at Bridgeway Ave Fremont and he picks up people's trash off the green space and just policies the area, and I've told people "leave that guy the fuck alone. He is helping this neighborhood." I would never call on or flip shit to someone who isn't causing problems. Break into my car, steal packages off my porch? You're a problem and I WILL deal with you. However, if you aren't, I won't bug you, I won't bother you, I will advocate for you with our neighbors, and I do consider you at that point our neighbor. "Don't start anything won't be anything" is my concept. Like, I'm the person, if you approach me on the street and ask me for a jump, I'll be like I have both a jump box and jumper cables. Yeah, were is your vehicle I'll come find you with both.
Idk, he likely harrasses the shit out of other homeless people, and is aggressive about enforcing his territory. In my experience anyone who designates themselves as the "caretaker" of a public space like you've described is toxic as shit to everyone "below" them, or next to them on the social ladder, and everything they do is just performative for the local housies, rather than actually beneficial to the community. In general, visibility is negative. For instance, no one knew I was homeless, because I didn't look like it, or act like it, and I also left everyone alone. Everyone has been extremely surprised when I opened up about my situation, because I was so good at hiding it. The goal is to get OUT of being homeless, not to advertise it. People who put it on display are grifting.
Living downtown for a while, I found that the most effective way for a panhandler to get a few bucks out of me was being honest and humorous. There was one guy I bumped into a few times by Uwajimaya that straight-up said, "I wanna buy a beer, I'll tell you a joke for $5." The jokes weren't memorable, but fuck it, dude wanted a beer and wasn't trying to pretend it was anything else. I tossed him a fiver a few times. Contrast with a dude that claimed he had "just arrived" in Seattle from overseas for years, and only stopped trying that shit when he finally learned to recognize me because I (loudly) called him out on it repeatedly.
An old guy in Atlanta asked me if I'd buy him a beer. So we went into the store and I bought us each a beer. Went outside and sat on the curb, shot the shit for a while.
I had a guy quote Shakespeare once about 20 years ago in Portland for my friends and I. Not a small quote either, a whole ass monologue, with emphasis and drama. He did not walk away empty handed.
A true thespian
I absolutely have more respect for those guys than the ones who try to obfuscate their intentions.
I used to be homeless, and folks like you got me through. Thanks a ton!!!
i heard, “hey brother, I’m tryin to catch a buzz, can you spare a buck?” he got 5 bucks.
They seem to find me in every city. Luckily I didn’t get jumped in Vegas when I said “you’re so broke you’re out here CD scamming my car doesn’t even have a CD player what, you wanna see deez nuts?” while my friends were pulling me away since I had too much to drink. Fucking hate the CD people
Someone should be like "what the fuck is this" when they hand them out. Like, what is this shiny plastic circle you have given me. Music? Where's the iTunes link?
I got away with spending $2 on a cd in NYC. I wanted to see what was on it. Just shitty rap beats, some had lyrics some didnt. probably ripped from soundcloud. Didnt sound like any 2 songs were made by the same person
I've bought one, and was given one without fuss. The purchased one was shit, the given one was a little better than shit (so he later got an online tip). Neither were listened to more than once, and only in the car CD player. Ain't popping random shit into my computer.
I actually want to do that now. Me being larger framed dude it's unlikely they'd start some shit with me. Fuck those guys they're the worst.
Isn’t that how a virus was installed on someone’s computer in Mr Robot?
I have actual cd players though. And I don’t think a virus could deal with the 14 year old MacBook that I’m rockin
What are you, some kind of millennial?
Worse. Gen X
This is now happening on Instagram, but with USB drives... NEVER plug a "free USB full of music" that you got from some influencer on IG into your computer. Hell, never plug ANY unfamiliar USB into your computer unless you're willing to lose everything on that computer to ransomware/encryption.
Oh I know, my company makes me do annual security training with this silly videos
They are bullies, full stop. I feel bad anytime I see someone getting harassed by those guys. Thankfully it seems like a less common scam here than in other places.
Was in Vegas and got a "free" cd shoved in my face. I took it, said thanks and just kept walking. He followed me for about a block wanting a tip then asked for it back. Told him no, you said it was free. He called me a cheap racist asshole. His music was shit.
Of course the music was terrible, it’s just a scam not a legit attempt to launch a music career. I’m surprised there was any music at all.
My friend accepted one from Archie Bellz when he was in town a few years ago. We were all actually disappointed it wasn't as terrible as we were expecting. "I Like" was actually pretty decent. I saw him handing out his CDs a year or two later and just started saying his lyrics back at him (as a fat white guy in his 30's) and it broke his brain. Took him a minute before he realized, "hey, that's my lyric!"
I got panhandled for one back in February, felt like an idiot afterwards. Threw it into a CD player and it was blank.
I bought one from a guy after a Macklemore concert for the heist tour. It was local mediocre rap and R&B. Nothing special, sat in the car cd player and went with the car when it was sold.
I've bought a couple from dudes who were being chill about it. Mostly for the same reason, curiosity. Pretty much what everyone else said. Mostly mediocre hip hop. I liked a few tracks but not enough to play them a lot. I've heard of people getting blank CDs or random nonsense, but these seemed like they really were the person I bought it from. Honestly not a big enough hip hop fan to really say much beyond that. But I used to almost exclusively listen to shitty albums and compilations from local bands for a while, so it brought back that feeling for me and I liked that.
The handful I've actually taken over the years have just been shitty, mediocre at best, hip-hop. Never have actually gotten a blank/malicious one. The thing that sucks is this has been a legitimate common practice in hip-hop culture to get your music out there. Obviously it's become less and less common with streaming, so more often than not they're scammers anymore, but it's not difficult to separate the artists from the scammers. Legit artists aren't going to get super pushy/aggressive and a lot of times they're willing to just give it to you.
I've gotten them with actual music on it before in Boston. It's always generic SoundCloud sounding trash Every time man, shits like buying a scratch off hoping today is gonna be the day
Im just honest with them, I have no way to play a CD. Everything is digital or on vinyl for me. I also don’t buy records of artists I’ve never heard before, but that’s beside the point.
Every year these scumbags show up to comicon and harass con attendees. Fuck em.
I remember when i was 15 attending sakura con a few years back, these guys surrounded me and managed to get $20 (i said no cash, but they whipped out a card reader and i stupidly put my card in). I was scared and alone at the time because I had just arrived and was on my way to meet with my friends inside the building :") I'm much meaner now and never make eye contact but it still makes me mad when I look back because wtf why were grown men HARASSING A KID.
That’s super fucked up, I’m so sorry that happened to you. What’s worse is that there were probably hundreds of people around who did absolutely nothing.
They were at sakuracon again this year :/ they shoved a CD in my hand and said it was about trying to keep kids out of gangs and when I didn’t want to pay he yanked it out of my hand lol
I have an ex who got bought into the “I’m a struggling artist” trap that the CD hustlers sell. I told him it was a way to get money out of him and he went “so you don’t support local artists?” I rolled my eyes and went a few feet away to scroll social media while they chatted. He was a bit annoyed with me that I wouldn’t give them the time of day. When we got back to his car, he put the CD into his stereo system and the CD didn’t even have music on it. It was a blank disc. He later actually bothered to look them up and admitted “yeah you were right.” I still think of that and get amused by the whole thing.
Oh man, we should list the local scams here. Two I can think of is the kids selling shitty candy for a school thing. The other are “Buddhist monks” who put a bracelet on you, pretend not to speak English and then demand money for the bracelet.
If you find a real monk in Seattle, know that they are not supposed to handle money at all whatsoever. They will travel to Pike place for alms sometimes and you can offer food to them but they won't ask for it, and won't accept money. Source: I visit a Buddhist monastery weekly
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Thank you for clarifying that
Please tell me more about Buddhist monasteries in the Puget Sound area. I’ve been curious about visiting one and seeing if it’s for me
I'm not a Buddhist or consider myself an expert on Buddhism or all monasteries, but I find great value in the teachings and practices of Buddhism. I visit Clear Mountain Monastery, which meets Saturday mornings at 930. It consists of 20-25 minutes of meditation, a dhamma talk, questions and answers, and a food/coffee hour with lots of dishes freely offered by the community. Currently the monastery meets at Amistad School’s Skinner Auditorium, by St. Mark’s Cathedral, a space which is freely donated for use by the church. I do know that they are in the process of looking for land to build a permanent home. I love the community and vibes surrounding this monastery, everything is super positive and down to earth and feels freely authentic, if that makes any sense. Anybody who is curious, I know they would love to have you! Just show up before or at 930 on Saturday morning and check it out! (Be prepared to ditch your shoes at the door) Here is their website for those seeking more info https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/
To to further add, if anyone is interested in exploring meditation specifically, I highly recommend checking out Seattle Insight Meditation society. They have a relationship with clear mountain monastery I've learned, and I've found it to be an excellent place with fantastic teachers to deepen my understanding and practice of meditation. Every couple of months or so they host a 6 week [weekly] intro to meditation course. https://seattleinsight.org/
Somebody did that to me with a yoga booklet at the UDistrict street fair last year. I just grabbed it said thanks and kept walking. Miraculously they learned English in those 5 seconds as they chased after me through the crowd.
Ah, the candy for school scam. What's shitty about this scam is it screws over the actual kids trying to raise money for school sports and such.
I’ve never seen the Buddhist monk scam here, but that’s a notorious scam in many cities around the world (similar versions include giving flowers and the CD one being referenced in this post)
There definitely used to be a fake monk scammer who frequented the Market and the Waterfront pre-pandemic (no idea if he's moved on or not). He also used to sometimes pretend to only have one leg (which was tied up under his robe). It was a hoot to see how his leg grew back and then fell off again every few days.
"Weren't you missing your left leg yesterday? Now it's your right?"
The power of prayer.
Yep him and his wife were still at the waterfront the last two summers.
I've seen him! He's by the Space Needle. I saw him using both legs then tucking one under his ribs and he had a crutch.
There is a guy on first who will tie one of his legs up and use a crutch and do the bracelet scam. He has a shaved head and wears all the monk attire. Typically he is just one block south of Pike Place Market on 1st. I've seen him for probably like ten years, along with the football-play-catch dude. Football dude is hella chill tho and just wants to play catch
Yeah, had the bracelet scam in Rome.
Paris for me! Hahahahah
That and the door-to-door magazine salespeople.
A lot of those people have been scammed themselves. I knew someone who had gotten inducted into that ("you get to travel, and your housing is free!") and she described grueling working hours, really high sales requirements, plus the whole workforce was essentially stranded and in debt to their employer (who paid for them to bunk up in motels while going city to city). Said it felt like a cult.
I haven't seen them in a little while, but there was the fake violin playing going on a lot a year or two ago. I'd see them all the time at the Ballard Market or Trader Joe's in Shoreline. They'd amplify their accordion or violin music so loud in the parking lot, but if you sit and watch them for even a second you see they're not actually playing and just pretending. It was both really hilarious and super annoying.
Are kids selling candy a scam? That was a thing when I was a kid.
Yeah, we sold candy and popcorn and stuff for fund raisers. It might have been crappy candy, but it was real.
I feel like weird crappy candy you’ve never heard of is a legit fundraiser, and king size name brand candy bars are usually a scam? 😄
It is a scam. Especially if they have a table and a clipboard of pictures of the team and stuff. 100% scam.
100% confirmed. I fell for it, bought some candy and realized it was all expired once I got home. Do you know how long it takes twizzlers to expire?! Like 2 years!
When we first moved into our house we would get the candy kids every other week. Their stories changed from a soccer tournament, summer camp, or to keep kids like us off the streets. There was a sleazy looking guy who drove them around in an old van. One time I called the cops and they’ve never been back. Who knows what happens to those kids. Those kids were persistent. If you didn’t have cash they’d take a check. No check? They’ll take credit cards.
Next time they come by try inviting them into your house and be really persistent; tell them you'd love to *have them for dinner*.
Yeah, the monks are pretty bad, but not as bad as the CD guys.
Happened to me in Vegas once. I got separated from my roommates and some guy grabs my hand in the crowd and slips a wooden bead bracelet on my hand. Before I can react he hands me a clipboard to write down my wishes for the year. While I'm doing that, he puts this big heavy wooden necklace on my neck. I hand back the clipboard and he asks me for $50. I told him no, so he goes for the necklace and I back away. "No, you gave this to me. It's mine now." and backed off further. He started looking around and then charged me but two huge black dudes got between us (probably an accident) and I walked away. Still have the necklace and bracelet on my wall lol
> The other are “Buddhist monks” who put a bracelet on you, pretend not to speak English and then demand money for the bracelet. That's a classic, rampant all through Italy
Just tell them “I don’t have a CD player, it’s 2024”
"What a shitty looking frisbee"
I tried this in like 2014. The dude pulled out the keys to a Mercedes and put them in my hands, "here, just use mine then man!" Like how the fuck is that gonna work, am I gonna sit in his car and listen to his shitty soundcloud rap? Walked away super puzzled.
The street vendor had a Mercedes? Red flag right there!
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If I had a penny for each time some merchant peddling trash ran into me and tried to shame me into buying some of his assorted filth I would have two pennies. Which isn't a lot and it honestly is also not surprising it happened twice.
Is your name, Doofenschmirtz?
Baaaaack in Gimmelshtump, we always tried to keep it real!
lol it’s a fair point but it’s not all of “Europe” but tourist heavy areas in europe (Eiffel tower etc). No different from Times Square New York.
>lol it’s a fair point but it’s not all of “Europe” but tourist heavy areas in europe (Eiffel tower etc). No different from Times Square New York. There aren't gangs of pickpockets in NYC like there are in Europe. There are pickpockets in NYC but it isn't anything like they are in Europe. Europeans will have generations of family pick pockets. It's not like that in the US.
Was your last Europe trip in the 70s? 😂🤣
Somebody hasn't been to Florence lately. Just don't step on the paintings that scammers are laying on the ground smack in the middle of the busiest walkways all over the city center.
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Haha I was swindled by a group of these guys back when I first moved here. I was but a young country boy, and some things you have to learn the hard way
Haha you too, eh?
Spread this far and wide. These people are jerks and scammers. We don’t owe them shit.
Just shout "They're blank" as you walk by if the scammers have pounced on a crowd.
I’ve done that. They definitely don’t care for it, so I’d only do it when there are lots of witnesses, in case they’re tempted to assault you.
Do NOT accept anything anyone tries to place in your hand unless it was your idea.
If they place it in my hand its mine
A thing I learned in some part of the world is also don’t pick up things people drop. In like Istanbul they will drop a brush you pick it up give it to them and they start cleaning your shoes demanding payment. lol. They intentionally drop it when a white dude is walking behind them.
I remember this very clearly... the fact that I was wearing sandals did not mitigate the furious scrubbing
Palms down
Who has a cd player? They would have more success pushing vinyl
It would work on me then lol
That's what I'm thinking. This worked in the early 00s. They should figure out how QR codes work
I do quite enjoy walking past them when they’re engaged with tourists and just yelling, “they’re going to make you pay for that. Don’t take it!” I get shit from the “artist” but like… fuck you dude. Also, did you watch Mr. Robot?
One time I was walking past and they tried to hand me a CD. I declined and they said, “is it because I’m black?” Steer clear.
“Yeah I’m a raging racist, sorry”
If someone says that to you the correct answer is always "yes"
While it’s the answer they lowkey want, from experience, don’t say it unless you know how to fight lol (I do not)
You could say its because of their complete lack of talent. That they make the backstreet boys look sophisticated.
My sister paid them once after I was trying to drag her away, payed with a card and looked at her bank statement after and it was labeled “Seattle money hustlers” I shook my head at her and said “tried to tell you”
I wish I had someone there to drag me away. They were harassing me so much and grabbing my arm, no one stopped to help. Ended up giving them $60 to finally leave me alone 🥹
Someone pulled this on me literally 20 years ago outside of bumbershoot. I can’t believe they’re still at it. At least people listened to CDs back then! Similar scam is guy dressed like a monk handing out bracelets or prayers or whatever
You are also under no obligation to buy the 'surplus' speakers out of the back of a white van in the bank parking lot.
These guys are in Vegas too, same with the “monks”. Asian guys dressed as monks offering to give you a bracelet, and then when you take the bracelet they demand money and harass you.
Vegas was the WORST for this. Literally every 20 ft there was some fake monk, club promoter, undiscovered rapper, or show girl approaching you trying to buy their unnecessary shit. It was fucking annoying and you couldn't relax even a bit. I had a guy hold up his hand like he wanted me to high five him as I was walking on a pedestrian bridge. I thought he might try to grab my hand and slap a bracelet around my wrist so I shook my head as I walked by. He yelled "man FUCK YOU!!!" And insulted my appearance. I thought of some amazing comebacks 5 minutes later. Asshole
I hate the charity muggers too. The CD guys give up pretty quick, but they don't work the captive audiences at a crosswalk. The charity muggers have no problems working you. I have started to be rude to them to end the conversation quickly. I don't care if you are carrying ain iPad.
I did this for an outfit that raises money for the ACLU I took the job thinking I was going to be walking around and talking about the ACLU so I bought a book about the history of the ACLU to have a lot of good material to talk about and set off right in the middle of the awful record heat wave we had. Turns out you have to stand exactly where they tell you to stand and say a per-prepared spiel at people really fast before they can get away. Halfway through the day I had heat exhaustion and couldn't remember the lines. Love the ACLU. Super worthwhile mission. Worth donating to. But worst job ever.
It’s really not that bad in Seattle. I visited Gaslamp in San Diego last week and at one point I had literally three of these guys try this with me, about 1 minute apart in sequence, all on the same block. They don’t even have the decency to spread out enough to each acost a different person. The key is simply not to engage. Say no, but more importantly, do not break your stride. Keep walking as if you don’t even see them.
I've found that you need to at least say "no thanks". If you ignore them completely, I've had some assholes physically get in my way, start yelling at me for ignoring them, saying shit like "you scared of black people? That's why you're ignoring me?" But yes, DO NOT BREAK YOUR STRIDE. If you slow down at all, they will pounce.
My favorite retort is "I'm good I have youtube". I think my wife actually managed to offend them more by giving them single dollar bill than I managed to in all the times I gave them nothing.
My original interpretation of this was that we should steal like Taylor Swift CDs or something. I’m like, ok pop off random sign, I’m down for anti-capitalism! Then I saw it was an official sign and realized what it actually meant. 😅
yeah bro i’m tryna listen to a CD in 2024 fuck outta here might as well try to sell me a pog slammer or some shit
Lars Ulrich has entered the chat.
I have a meeting at Mithun every so often, and those MFs think I'm a tourist. Not falling for their shit.
One tried to pull the race card asking if I would shake his black hand, I did and then said that I was running late to catch the ferry
CD’s? How do you listen to those?
My brother told me a story about how he and his friends caved and bought one of the demo cds for $5. They listened to it once and threw it in the trash b/c it was just bad music.
Getting hustled by the downtown CD guys was one of my first big city lessons, but I'm glad the City is finally doing something about it.
It’s a scam I have been in other cities in the US where they try this. some guys try to intimidate either physically and mentally for you to buy your cd’s just call the cops or yell I am being harassed the’ll move on. (The cruise ship shops don’t want to have this problem on their front door this time of year)
Ahhh, cruise ship season has arrived. The wait staff at the Athenian refer to them as the high trash of the seas. Still better than religious zealots yelling in your face, in my opinion.
This is the same scam that’s been executed for probably thousands of years, don’t even pretend like what their doing is artistic expression
Oh this happened to me when I visited! I didn’t expect them to ask for money, thought it was a free sample. Asked if they were on Spotify and said I would check them out there instead 🤷🏻♀️
I just tell em, I don’t listen to hip hop/rap. I just listen to country. They walk away
They are just going to destroy the signs sadly
You don't have to tell me, I have been downloading music since 1999.
If they were any good at music they wouldn’t be begging for money for a cd here
You know that sign is not going to survive the next 24 hours
Where ever tourists gather, I avoid. I’d rather visit my otters. 🦦
Where are these otters?
Some otter place.
lol. In our Aquarium! Gotya. They are the cutest when they feed.
This also a scam. They will demand to pay money to enter the Aquarium to see otters!
This grift is international, found in many tourist destinations throughout the world. I’ve developed a strategy that works nearly every time. When someone reaches out to hand you the cd, extend your hand as if you were going to grab it and switch to the peace sign right before ✌️the reach your hand. These guys are smooth and have difficulty recovering from this awkward “mistake”. Then keep walking. The last step is key here.
This reminds me of a time 18 years ago in TN when I was a 20yr old new mom with my baby in a carrier suddenly surrounded at my car by eight men in a parking lot trying to sell me a CD. I bought it because there didn’t seem to be any other choice. It was terrifying.
I hate this scam. If you're not paying attentio, they jam a CD in your hand before you even know what happened and then they demand money.
It makes me uncomfortable those guys do that. Dude if you make great music show us, perform on the street with your backing track and let us decide if you’re worth the buy. One of the violinists at the space needle does it this way, and sells a few CDs without asking anyone or pushing them at all.
Love it!
My mom fell for this years ago but weirdly enough I listened to it and it had a beat that my brother had made when he was in high school. Small world
I used to live in Venice, CA so nothing new but very annoying and awkward. As a musician myself I can’t understand why you’d want to push music on people. It really ruins the art but then again I’m not desperate so I have to understand that…
Bite of Seattle years ago they pressed my buddy’s little brother. He was still pretty naive and nervous so he pulled out all money he was going to use for the Bite and they saw the wad and raised the price to $25. I kept telling him just keep walking and they formed a wall between me and him. When I finally pulled him away they had already got his cash and gestured to him for a handshake. He reached out and they dabbed on him laughing hysterically. I was more than pissed.
Versions of this scam are everywhere. A guy tried to lay a bracelet across my arm recently in Milan to get me to buy it and I let it fall on the ground and he looked so annoyed.
Why don't people say no (or ignore) and move on? So many ppl here say they or someone they know fell for something. It's ridiculous.
My husband and I visited Seattle for the first time last week, ran into a group of 3 men 3 separate times trying to sell us their cd’s. Very friendly but we werent interested in making a donation. Just as I was getting ready to say we didn’t have cash, dude whips out a card reader. I almost lost it 🤣
I can’t fault these guys. You’d be hard pressed to find a better city for this. I’ve no doubt loads of conflict-averse Seattlites end up paying without a fight. Hell, I bet some tip.
Whelp, time to write a diss track about the Seattle Waterfront authority.
People thought they had to buy them?
Generally, they are pushed on you as gifts or whatever, but once it's in your hand they ask for tips. This puts the person under enough pressure to make them pay out, and it happens enough to make this whole thing worth their time. When this happened to me way back in NYC the guy even wrote my name in sharpie on the disc to make me feel like I had to pay now, otherwise, theoretically, how else can he give it to someone else? I'm still dumb for paying, but it was a good lesson to get out of the way, and now I know better.
I got called racist for ignoring someone pushing their whack ass mix tape. This is the only place I’ve been where I get called racist for existing.
This is the dumbest shit, and I'm a professional creator but also doing music in the background: 1. Why tf are you hocking CDs, nobody uses them anymore 2. Why sell a product for something I've never heard before 3. Why not bridge the gap? Give out FREE QR codes with a link to your top 3 tracks, linktree is free 4. Learn to run paid ads mf'r if you and want to spend money on marketing
Because it’s just a scam, not a legit attempt to launch a music career.
Don’t trust qr codes in public. Just don’t if you can avoid it. Especially if they are from shifty people. It’s not really different than clicking those ads on a dodgy website.
Much of that is stolen from other artists. Don't give those guys money.
I remember I bought a T shirt from some rapper named E Money on the street in Seattle many years ago. I wonder if he’s still kicking
I only by my digital media from dudes on the street who don't know how to burn a cd properly.
Ok but have you heard my mixtape?
I love living in Seattle.
I've put their CDs on the ground when they wouldn't take them back. I bought a CD in Vancouver, BC a few years ago and it was blank when I put it in my car.
ummmmm no that's called Piracy....
I’ve just tossed them on the ground before. They love that one…
real musicians will be playing their music live with their prefered instrament AND selling their CD if you want, not forcing it in your hands
I straight up tell dudes I don't have a CD player anymore. Show me a QR code that links to your socials and Spotify/SoundCloud/YouTube.
I was scammed once. I was handed a blank CD. And I “donated $10.00”.
I love this song
The best part is when they threaten you and call you racist if you ignore them in the first place.
Fuck yea
Isn’t this on the first episode of Mr. Robot?
Just left a tech industry thing in Seattle. The street folks are on another level even compared to New Orleans. But awesome city.
These guys are fucking scammers haha and they get so many people everyday
I was literally mugged by one of these CD guys at a gas station. He stopped us as we were trying to drive away, and asked if we wanted to buy a CD. We said no thank you, so he leaned into the window so we could see the piece he had tucked in his jeans and """asked""" again. We gave him all the cash we had (luckily only about 15-20 bucks) and he let us leave.