Today at lunch, I went to the coin & stamp & collectibles place where I occasionally and intermittently order gold coins as one (small) part of my preps. As I approached the normally desolate and little-patronized store, from a distance I was FLABERGASTED to see a HUGE crowd of people, spilling out of the store doors into the mall area.

I thought: "Holy ***t, it really IS happening! The panic has NOW STARTED ! All those people have pulled out all their cash and are attempting to buy gold !!!"

But when I got up to the place and elbowed my way through the crowds, what to my wondering eyes should appear but a sign "NEW BEANIE BABIES - TODAY !!!"

When I finally got a chance to talk to the owner, he told me I was the only person buying gold so far today.

-RC

-- Runway Cat (Runway_Cat@hotmail.com), January 22, 1999

Answers

That's the ticket. Beanie Babies become the new currency post Y2K. I'll be a millionaire!

-- Other Lisa (LisaWard2@aol.com), January 22, 1999.

Thanks for the laugh, Cat.

I've had similar moments. It's just so hard to believe people aren't moving yet...

E.

-- E. Coli (nunayo@beeswax.com), January 22, 1999.

Day after the SOU speech, I listened to "Marketplace" on NPR and heard a market analyst commenting on the Clinton proposal to invest some of the SSA funds in the stock market. He thought it was a very bad idea and finished up by saying, "Hey, forget stocks! Use the funds to buy Beanie Babies! We'll all retire rich!" The host responded, "Or how about tulips!" They both laughed...

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." -- George Santyana

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.com), January 22, 1999.

Cat: ROTFLTIP.

-- Rob Michaels (sonofdust@net.com), January 22, 1999.

RC,

Ain't life grand? You think you've got people figured out and they go and surprise you, one more time.

Chuckles,

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), January 22, 1999.

ROFL RC! It's so darn sad too.

I think I'm getting the meaning of cognitive dissonance now.

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), January 22, 1999.

ROTFL

People are idiots. By the way, what do those beanie babies cost? ;)

-- Leo (lchampion@ozemail.com.au), January 22, 1999.

How much you wanna bet those idiots will be ripping their little treasures open for the beans in due time.

-- a (a@a.a), January 22, 1999.

Check the classifieds under "Miscellaneous for Sale." You'll see Beanie Babies advertised in there sometimes. Last time I noticed (before yard saling season ceased with the onset of cold weather), some of those things were selling for $500 and more. Can Teletubbies (sp?) be far behind?

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), January 22, 1999.

Here's another case of parallel dimensions: gold prices steady or dropping, but sales of gold coins on the rise...

http://www.amcity.com/denver/stories/1999/01/18/story4.html?h=y2k

"Mint cashes in on the millennium"

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), January 23, 1999.

I had wondered if Beanie Babies did, in fact, contain beans, and amused myself with the thought of morons tearing them up to eat the contents. I finally asked a Beanie Baby seller at the fleamarket what was inside, and he said they contained little plastic pellets. So they are completely worthless after all.

-- Pearlie Sweetcake (storestuff@home.now), January 23, 1999.

The best was the post from the woman who went to Sam's to buy rice & beans after becoming a GI. She got there and there was a large line. She too thought that everyone was there to buy supplies for y2k, but it turns out the store had leaked information that they were going to put Furbys out that day. Everyone was there to get the Furbys not rice and beans. Haaaaahaaaaha! Let em eat Furbys and Beanies! $500. for one rag with plastic beads inside or a ton of rice. A fool and his money soon go separate ways.

-- Bill (y2khippo@yahoo.com), January 23, 1999.