LOL this talk about pyramid schemes reminded me of something funny from a few years back. When I was 18 I was looking for work because a movie theatre I worked for closed down. This guy from the poolhall that I knew, who wasn't really the sharpest tool in the shed if you know what I mean, told me he could get me a job that payed real well, no experience required. He told me to wear a suit and tie and meet him at the poolhall the following week at a certain time.
I still remember him pulling up to the poolhall in his '85 datsun, looking all excited as he drove up. My friend, a 30ish immigrant from the Phillipines didn't know exactly what type of 'work' we were going to be interviewed for. All he knew is that it promised that you could make alot of money. We drove to a really upscale and extremely tall building on Ventura Blvd in the San Fernando Valley of LA. When we arrived in the parking lot, I remember seeing some guy in a suit and tie on the other end of the parking lot arguing on his mobile (or carphone), while leaning against a beat up chevy with a dent in the side. I knew it was his car because I remember seeing him slam the door.
So we get to the building, and I have to admit that it was an exciting feeling. Me being 18, wearing a suit and tie, and walking on this beautiful marble floor in this building where rich people worked, it made me feel like I was doing something with my life. Even the elevator was pristine. No scratched-in graffiti anywhere, everything was just beautiful and polished. The "interview" was in one of the office suites. When we got to the room, let me say I was less than impressed. About four dozen metal folding chairs in the middle of an empty room with a water cooler and a podium. Sitting on the folding chairs were about four dozen people dressed like my friend and I, waiting anxiously for one of the business reps to make their entrance. The saddest part was how stupid everyone looked. The expressions on some people's faces were as if they had hit the jackpot. They must have felt special to have been 'selected' for this 'interview'.
About 15 minutes later, the same guy in the suit and tie that owned the beat-up chevy, that I saw arguing on his mobile phone in the parking lot, walked in the room and stood behind the podium. His first words were, "We do not allow tape recorders or any type of recording devices in this room. (pause) Hello, my name is -----. How many of you would like to earn six figures in your pajamas?"
To make a long story short, it was a pyramid scheme, and the guy tried to explain why this company was not a pyramid scheme, by drawing a pyramid, and then drawing branches off the pyramid, which miraculously made it totally legit. LOL.
The company's name was Equinox. I think they got busted for something not too long after that. Anyways, I'm glad I didn't fall for it. I'm actually even more glad that I saw the speaker leaning against his beat up chevy hidden in the corner across the parking lot. During his speech, he acted like he was some rich tycoon who drove three Ferraris LOL. If I didn't see the parking lot scene, I might have believed him and bought some of the crap they were trying to sell. Let me tell you, this guy could make anyone believe the stuff he was saying. He was one hell of a speaker. People were nodding vigorously to every damn word he spoke. I felt like I was trapped in hell. I was too scared to get up and use the bathroom. There was this massive surly looking security guy standing at the door behind us. He was probably the lookout if the police were planning a raid.
I feel sorry for those poor suckers that bought into that crap. I actually had to talk my friend out of it, LOL.
