5 ms·

It's fun to see this story get rediscovered every 3-5 years. Electronics stores, like car dealerships, appeared to need showboating to stand out, and that appe

It's fun to see this story get rediscovered every 3-5 years. Electronics stores, like car dealerships, appeared to need showboating to stand out, and that appears to be the starter-drug for fraud in a surprising number of cases. https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=crazy%20eddie&sort=byPopularity&type=story https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...

mbg721 5y ago
Who could possibly have guessed that a guy named "Crazy Eddie" might not be entirely honest??
- jstarfish 5y ago
  I can appreciate self-disclosure. With him identifying as such, you're either going to get an insane deal or shanked, and should not be surprised by either outcome. "Honest Eddie," on the other hand-- stay away from that guy.
- skeeter2020 5y ago
  surprised he didn't claim insanity; seems like a slam dunk.
marginalia_nu 5y ago
It's weird how this pattern repeats itself. Madman Muntz[1], who Crazy Eddie emulated, is an endlessly fascinating character as well. Less of a criminal, but still... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_Muntz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_Muntz
- Inhibit 5y ago
  Although I'd argue Muntz, becoming a verb, probably achieved what Crazy Eddie claimed to have done.
  - marginalia_nu 5y ago
    Oh yeah, the impact of Muntz is huge. Both engineering-wise and culturally.
- pmoriarty 5y ago
  Also see this documentary on Muntz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deFlB2G0mH8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deFlB2G0mH8
RicoElectrico 5y ago
Talk about showboating... there's one Polish electronics outlet that always aims for the most annoying advertisements and so is widely hated for that. https://bezprawnik.pl/czy-media-expert-celowo-denerowal-ewelina-lisowska/ https://bezprawnik.pl/czy-media-expert-celowo-denerowal-ewel...
dehrmann 5y ago
> Electronics stores, like car dealerships, appeared to need showboating to stand out Reminds me of the themed Fry's Electronics stores.
- irowe 5y ago
  The space-station themed Fry’s store near Houston, TX recently closed. I only ever visited it in the twilight years where there was so little inventory in such a large footprint that it seemed like a front for something. The architecture and decor was definitely imaginative.
  - _JamesA_ 5y ago
    And Fry’s was brought down due to fraud as well [1]. [1]: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/frys-electronics-executive-accused-of-embezzling-65-million/ https://www.seattletimes.com/business/frys-electronics-execu...
    - jrmg 5y ago
      I don’t think it’s fair to say they were ‘brought down’ due to fraud - that article is from 2008, and the chain only shut down last year.
paulpauper 5y ago
The enduring legacy of Crazy Eddie is people writing articles about it on a recurring basis

mbg721 5y ago

Who could possibly have guessed that a guy named "Crazy Eddie" might not be entirely honest??

jstarfish 5y ago
I can appreciate self-disclosure. With him identifying as such, you're either going to get an insane deal or shanked, and should not be surprised by either outcome. "Honest Eddie," on the other hand-- stay away from that guy.
skeeter2020 5y ago
surprised he didn't claim insanity; seems like a slam dunk.

marginalia_nu 5y ago

It's weird how this pattern repeats itself. Madman Muntz[1], who Crazy Eddie emulated, is an endlessly fascinating character as well. Less of a criminal, but still... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_Muntz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_Muntz

Inhibit 5y ago
Although I'd argue Muntz, becoming a verb, probably achieved what Crazy Eddie claimed to have done.
- marginalia_nu 5y ago
  Oh yeah, the impact of Muntz is huge. Both engineering-wise and culturally.
pmoriarty 5y ago
Also see this documentary on Muntz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deFlB2G0mH8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deFlB2G0mH8

RicoElectrico 5y ago

Talk about showboating... there's one Polish electronics outlet that always aims for the most annoying advertisements and so is widely hated for that. https://bezprawnik.pl/czy-media-expert-celowo-denerowal-ewelina-lisowska/ https://bezprawnik.pl/czy-media-expert-celowo-denerowal-ewel...

dehrmann 5y ago

> Electronics stores, like car dealerships, appeared to need showboating to stand out Reminds me of the themed Fry's Electronics stores.

irowe 5y ago
The space-station themed Fry’s store near Houston, TX recently closed. I only ever visited it in the twilight years where there was so little inventory in such a large footprint that it seemed like a front for something. The architecture and decor was definitely imaginative.
- _JamesA_ 5y ago
  And Fry’s was brought down due to fraud as well [1]. [1]: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/frys-electronics-executive-accused-of-embezzling-65-million/ https://www.seattletimes.com/business/frys-electronics-execu...
  - jrmg 5y ago
    I don’t think it’s fair to say they were ‘brought down’ due to fraud - that article is from 2008, and the chain only shut down last year.

paulpauper 5y ago

The enduring legacy of Crazy Eddie is people writing articles about it on a recurring basis