Image found at DietzDolls.com
According to our Company Commanders and Career Counselors at Great Mistakes, there were folks in the Lakehurst Mall and North Chicago area who would sell any fella in a ‘Crackerjack Uniform’ three quarters of the known world for 'no’ money down and 48,000 monthly payments with balloon interest rates exceeding the national debt!
I remember a few places like that on Broadway in San dog. It was mothers day and they had genuine gold plated heart necklaces for mom. Cheap monthly payments but u paid it off in almost two yes. Damn scammers
ReplyDeleteYes it sounded so good and she was pretty hot. It only took me 3 years to pay off that $400 camera.
ReplyDeleteTyrell's (spelling?) jewelers in San Francisco (and probably Sad Diego too) was famous for selling cheap jewelry at high prices for dear Mom. Sailors have always been suckers for a slick talking salesman.
ReplyDeleteThey had a Tyrell in North Chicago that was a real rip off outfit. I was Student Affairs Co-Or for OS A School. A young man came to the office to complain that he had gone into Tyrells to get a heart for his Mother on Mothers Day. The salesman and Manager told him that his mother was worth more than that and talked him into something for a couple hundred dollars and he did not know how he could pay it. Told him to give me 15 minutes and I would see him at the store. I entered and was immediately approached and I told them I was just looking and would call when I needed help. The SA came in and asked to cancel his order and was given a bunch of BS. I then broke in and gave them a choice, refund his down payment and ear up the contract or I would have them placed Off Limits. He got his money back and I spoke to each new class that came in, for about 3 weeks when a letter as sent to the school ordering e to cease and desist, from CO NAV STA.
DeleteOSCS Clampit USN Retired
I remember the 7 Seas locker club in San Diego. You could buy about anything in there on credit. I put some things in a locker there in 1969 when leaving on a cruise, got orders at end of cruise and never made it back there. I wonder how long they kept it.
ReplyDeleteChicago had a couple establishments like that. I remember Boot Camp Liberty in Chi-Town. Some good looking gal asked me to come down below the street level to a photo studio to meet her father. She gave me the big come-on while trying to get me to sign a contract for photos! No deal! Left and never got suckered in!
ReplyDeleteI remember buying my Mom a piece of jewelry in North Chicago.
ReplyDeleteNorfolk Virginia. Just outside the Main Gate at NOB Norfolk there was a huge sign for a clothing store. You can owe the Big O. A huge ripoff place.
ReplyDeleteThe Big "O" was a Locker Club for years and took advantage of sailors storing their civilian clothes when the non-rate sailor had to be in uniform to leave base. Any sailor stationed in Norfolk in the 60s will surely remember the Big "O" commercials even if they weren't taken advantage of by the Big "O".
DeleteThe Big "O" was a Locker Club for years and took advantage of sailors storing their civilian clothes when the non-rate sailor had to be in uniform to leave base. Any sailor stationed in Norfolk in the 60s will surely remember the Big "O" commercials even if they weren't taken advantage of by the Big "O".
DeleteI can remember standing gate guard at Great Lakes once the graduating recruits got the first liberty. We had a big box in the guard shack to toss in all the medals and ribbons they had been convinced they deserved by the cons in North Chicago. "You know the Navy was part of the victory in WW2 so now that you are a sailor you are entitled to a WW2 victory medal", etc. There was even one Medal of Honor ribbon, not the medal, in the box but I have no idea who or how that was explained. LOL
ReplyDeleteIn the 80s A guy in my squadron in Jacksonville had a pretty girl in heels knock on his door and sold him $2000 worth of film processing/prints. He didn't even own a camera.
ReplyDeleteI remember that hustle, I talked about it in my podcast. Not exactly the camera thing, but how hustlers and cult recruiters would wait for young naive sailors to walk off base. In Alameda NAS, pretty girls would wait for you off the base and drive up on you in a car asking if you would like to come to a scientology meeting lol. I never got in the car, but it was sure entertaining to see the effort these people made.
ReplyDeleteMy First time underway was to SFO in March '77.My buddy and I (both 18)were in Ghirardelli Square and were approached by 2-3 girls asking if we wanted to attend a party that night. Who could refuse? We were picked up at the pier ( we moored at Fisherman's Wharf) and taken somewhere. The Party turned out to be a Moonie gathering, and, I shit you not, I felt as if I was Jack Nicholson in "The Last Detail" during the party scene. It was the exact same thing damn near word for word! We had no idea where in the hell we were, and forced the guy who picked us up to take us back to the ship. 40 years and I can remember like it was yesterday...
ReplyDeleteGood Lord I'd forgotten about the North Chicago hustlers...I remember breaking up one of those camera scams with a buddy I had, he didn't appreciate it at the time. Had another buddy that became religious with the Church of the World types and wanted my help with an allotment form...SMH...I can't recall what Mary's used to charge for cashing a check but I know I hit that place a few times ��
ReplyDeleteor the $3000 photo package which includes a photo album
ReplyDeleteSomebody in boot camp or somewhere else stole my SSN and got a call from a jeweler telling me you owe 1000.00 of unpaid credit on jewelry at a near by mall near boot camp!
ReplyDeleteI bought one in Orlando in 84...
ReplyDeleteI might be done with payments by this Christmas.
😂