Wondering if anyone else has come across this...
I work in Blanchardstown shopping centre and a couple of weeks back as I was walking through the car park I was stopped by a nice Italian gentleman who was driving a newish car and looking for directions to Dublin Airport. Gave the directions, walked on and a few yards on the guy pulls in the car and asks me do I have a second. Wasn't in a hurry so decided to humour him.
So the guy tells me this story about how he works for an Italian fashion label and was over selling suits to "Brown Thomas". Said that he has to pay tax on any suits he brings back to Italy, would be willing to sell one to me cheap, and was I interested in having a look. Thinking I might get a cut-price Armani I said why not have a look. As it turned out the suits were pretty poor quality so I said thanks but no thanks, have to run to a meeting, ciao arrivaderci. So while I didn't get my bargain suit I had a funny story to tell the lads at the weekend.
Didn't think any more of it till today -- when another Italian salesman stops me in the car park in Blanch and gives me the EXACT SAME story. I actually waited to hear the whole lot to see was it the same spiel. This guy even shows me his Italian passport (to prove he's Italian I guess..) but I didn't bother waiting to see the suits. Running to a meeting etc etc.
Has anybody else come across this? Is it a scam or is this something that happens in the world of international retail? I'm tending to think it's something dodgy.
I work in Blanchardstown shopping centre and a couple of weeks back as I was walking through the car park I was stopped by a nice Italian gentleman who was driving a newish car and looking for directions to Dublin Airport. Gave the directions, walked on and a few yards on the guy pulls in the car and asks me do I have a second. Wasn't in a hurry so decided to humour him.
So the guy tells me this story about how he works for an Italian fashion label and was over selling suits to "Brown Thomas". Said that he has to pay tax on any suits he brings back to Italy, would be willing to sell one to me cheap, and was I interested in having a look. Thinking I might get a cut-price Armani I said why not have a look. As it turned out the suits were pretty poor quality so I said thanks but no thanks, have to run to a meeting, ciao arrivaderci. So while I didn't get my bargain suit I had a funny story to tell the lads at the weekend.
Didn't think any more of it till today -- when another Italian salesman stops me in the car park in Blanch and gives me the EXACT SAME story. I actually waited to hear the whole lot to see was it the same spiel. This guy even shows me his Italian passport (to prove he's Italian I guess..) but I didn't bother waiting to see the suits. Running to a meeting etc etc.
Has anybody else come across this? Is it a scam or is this something that happens in the world of international retail? I'm tending to think it's something dodgy.