Swindlers in the Oak Park Mall

My first week of work, I got taken in by two Israelis selling manicure sets.

We had taken a field trip to the Oak Park Mall. As I wandered along "comparison shopping" I saw two guys working a kiosk. They saw me. I saw them. It was too late to take evasive action. He approached me with a nail buffer and asked if he could give me a demonstration. Seeing as he already had the buffer poised above my nail, I caved.
I told him, "I already have a buffer. A green one."
He said, "Ah, green you know is the color of evil."
"Like my shirt," I said.
"Like my eyes," he replied.

His name was Gavriel and he and his friend were former paratroopers in the Israeli military. They had finished their compulsory service and were now selling manicure sets in the Oak Park Mall. He offered to sell me the whole kit, buffer, lotion, cuticle oil and file for $79. I told him no, I couldn't spend that much. He offered another deal: if I bought one, my friend could come in and get one at half price. Still no deal. As I walked away he said, "Ok. Ok. Tell you what. I'll give you my personal discount. You get the set for $30." I thought about it, figured the buffer and the lotion would be $10 separately, and the cuticle oil, probably the same, so I splurged. I bought the set and promised to tell my friends.

I've always been skeptical of mall kiosk products, but the buffer works amazingly well. I think I got a good deal. I haven't gone back to the Oak Park Mall since then, so I don't know if Gavriel is even still there, but I hope business has been good.