Friday, December 7, 2018

Up a Creek, in Hot Water, with His Feet to the Coals

Remember Hick getting a bargain on 95 fishing poles? Now he's getting more than he bargained for!

Hick has a little gang of Storage Unit Store entrepreneurs that he pals around with. Some are good buddies, some are acquaintances. One of them goes to auctions with Hick, another one trades goods with him for furniture to fix up, and one cuts corners and sells at higher prices. They're a motley crew who generally stick together and abhor (though they don't know they're abhoring) the day traders who show up on Saturdays to park their trailers full of wares in the middle of the flea market for the low, low cost of $10.

Anyhoo...Hick goes up to his Storage Unit Store a lot. He says he's taking new merchandise, or rearranging what's there, but I suspect he is merely admiring his unit (heh, heh says my 13-year-old self) and perhaps walking through, stroking his treasures. When the owner is there, Hick often steps into his little office at the front fence to chat.

They were shooting the bull earlier this week when Hick mentioned that he'd gotten a great bargain on those fishing poles.

"Oh, where'd you get them?"

"From Fishing Pole Dude. I was gonna buy the whole unit, but my wife didn't want me to. I got the fishing poles, though!"

"Well. That's funny. Fishing Pole Dude hasn't paid his November rent yet."

Hick dummied up then. Something that is not hard for him to do. The next time he saw Fishing Pole Dude, a couple days later, Fishing Pole Dude was spittin' mad.

Seems that Fishing Pole Dude was [allegedly] running a little scam. He was moving all his stuff out of his unit, into another unit nearby, thinking he would get away with not paying his rent from November that had been due on November 5th. He didn't have permission to take over the new locker, and the guy who was vacating it owed November rent for it as well. Fishing Pole Dude figured it wouldn't matter if Owner locked up his unit, because he'd have all his stuff out, and then he'd just pay the December rent on the new one, and that's all.

Well. Owner slapped a big red lock on the old unit before December 5, before all the stuff was moved out, going on Informant Hick's accidental intel.

"Somebody told Owner that I sold some stuff, and have money. Now he's on me to pay my rent! I came in today, and saw that Owner put a lock on it!"

Like students against teachers, and convicts against guards...I guess Hick broke the first rule of Storage Unit Store Entrepreneurs. You don't tell the guy who collects the rent that somebody who hasn't been paying his rent sold you 95 fishing poles for $100.

If Hick comes home with stitches...I'll know why.

10 comments:

  1. I think it is up to Fishing Pole dude to say, "Don't tell where you got dem poles!

    Aloha!

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    1. That might have helped, but we know Hick isn't the best at following instructions!

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  2. I'm guessing that Hick didn't know Fishing Pole Guy hadn't been paying his rent, so he's in the clear really. But Fishing Pole Guy better not find out it was Hick who unwittingly put him in the hot tub.

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    1. Actually, Hick and his other buddies DID know about the intended scam. I guess Hick just didn't make the connection that revealing the source of his fishing poles would tip off Owner to Fishing Pole Dude's ability to pay. Hick expressed his shock that SOMEBODY told! We know Hick isn't a very good actor, either.

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  3. Hard to pull off a scam when there are honest people around. Even if they don't know that they are honest.

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    1. Yes, that's Hick. The accidental informant.

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  4. Hick pays his rent and would just assume that everyone else is up front with what they are doing. I have a web of spies here and know stuff about everybody! I reward my spies with baked goods. Even if Hick "knew", did he really "know"?

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    1. Hick had heard of the plan, but I'm not sure he believed it would succeed, so probably just thought the Fishing Pole Dude was wishful thinking.

      In fact, Hick is now paid up through the end of March, so any profits go right in his pocket (or one of the basement safes) if he makes any sales through the winter.

      For baked goods, I imagine Hick would sing like a canary.

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  5. Poor Hick, hope the shed rent-avoider doesn't retaliate. Aw Hick can handle it. Hope he hooks a whopper of a deal on those poles.

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    1. Well, he's probably working on a new scheme by now, so I think Hick is safe. Springtime will tell if this investment was worth it. I'm thinking it was.

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