It turns out, it’s a scam that has worked across the country. Take it away neighbor CV:
Young guy just came to my door and asked if I had a stand up freezer. When I asked why he said that “He just finished his a delivery in this area, and had left over meat to sell, ribeyes, filet mignon – whatever you want.” I said that I’m not interested, and that I wouldn’t buy meat off the back of a truck. He left and came back two minutes later.
I didn’t open the door, but he held up a receipt that appeared to be from “Countrywide Meats.” He said look, this is really legit. Again, I said, look I’m not interested, please leave. So he left for good. I did some online research, and it seems this is a scam. There are numerous stories, that start just like the encounter I had, where the victim ends up buying hundreds of dollars worth of very low quality meat. See: http://www.bing.com/search?q=meat+selling+scam&go=&qs=n&sk=&sc=1-17&form=QBLH Could also be that we was sizing up our house and its contents. I didn’t talk to him long enough to see if there were holes in his story. Just wanted to report this and let the neighbors know to be on guard.
We’ve heard anecdotes from others on the Hill — and in other parts of the city in the past — about this kind of thing. The goal is to get you to sign a contract and stick you with expensive, low quality meat. The meat scammers enter the Hill’s pantheon of wiseguys right next to The Good Samaritan Scammer.
The “Capitol Hill meat scam” usually involves promises of an 8-inch salami.
I’ve never heard of this version.
ppl on caphill eat meat?
All 3 are sold the same way. Usually it’s something about my boss is making me sell this extra inventory, etc. etc. all garbage. My cousin bought the meat once, it was the weirdest cuts you’ve ever seen.
My mother in Michigan bought into this. The prices were low enough for her to contemplate it, but the meat was of really low quality. Every now and then she is susceptible to things like this, or late night shopping on the HSN or whatever. She didn’t sign a contract or anything…it was just cheap meat for a cheap price (lower than supermarkets over there). I think we got catalogs after that.
In the Deano’s era people were reported to come to your front door to offer meat for sale with the (23rd & Madison) Safeway’s labels still on it.
It was also rumored that the kitchen at Deano’s would cook it for you for a fee.
It had “You Can’t Beat Our Meat” painted on the side.
You can always spot a scam if Countrywide is in the name.
Same exact story. It was sometime last summer. I remember thinking “who would buy meat from some random guy in a truck?” It’s straight of a Seinfeld episode.
I remember going up the street to Deanos Market to buy cigarettes back in the early 80’s. That was one of the oddest places. The owner would park his beat up Jag and hang out and seem oblivious to all the drug dealing in the parking lot. I also wondered how a store with little inventory could remain in business for more than a few months.
Its called sales. Lie con and push until your victim, I mean customer gives in. Create the illusion. Make them think they are getting a great deal. You see this all the time on infomercials, TV ads, politics, dating, retail stores etc. The door to door tactic is old school and I think it scares people nowadays, but maybe if there were a meat app people would be raving about the convenience of cheap meat?
Ultimately it is your choice to size up the meat do the math and make a decision. Or answer your door with a gun so the meatman gets the message to leave you alone.
I once sold meat door to door when I lived in Spokane and was taught several tactics to get people to look at my cuts and bite the bullet. The only scam in this would be if the meatman were to lie about the quality of his meats. That would be unforgivable. But to make up a story or pitch surrounding your meat is just part of the sale.
Didn’t they pull this scam (or something similar) on Trailer Park Boys once?
We had the same guy the other day stop by our house in Fremont with the same story.
This scam is nothing new. Only the product they’re trying to unload is. It’s been done mostly with electronics. Drive around in parking lots with a fake Fed Ex shipping tag and a van full of shitty speakers trying to sell for $300 a pair and up. “The shippers messed up and sent an extra crate, my boss doesn’t know about ’em. I want to unload them before I get back to the warehouse.”
I’m selling meat online. Too lazy to knock on your door. If anyone is interested let me know.