Like fake designer handbags and watches? We have bad news.
NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg is cracking down on purveyors of fake luxury items, closing down 32 stores in lower Manhattan.
Tourists jostle for space at Canal Street’s stores and sidewalk kiosks, bargaining with vendors over sparkly watches, handbags and perfumes with fake designer labels that are sold at a fraction of the cost of the genuine item.But over the past five weeks, like the goods that are not what they appear to be, undercover police officers and city agents fanned out and pretended to be real shoppers in an area the mayor called the “Counterfeit Triangle” — which roughly includes Canal, Walker, Baxter and Centre Streets. They picked up items that included a Prada handbag for $40; a Patek Philippe watch and a Rolex for $80, and two pairs of Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses for $18.
On Tuesday, 32 shops were closed down, a civil lawsuit was filed against the property owner — the estate of Vincent Terranova — and more than $1 million worth of counterfeit goods were confiscated as a result of the more than 40 undercover shopping sprees.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg called the operation one of his administration’s “biggest takedowns ever” against the “easy and sleazy” money derived from counterfeit merchandise.
“Whoever you are, wherever you are, we are going to shut you down,” Mr. Bloomberg said.
Isn’t buying this fake designer crap the main thing tourists do in NYC? No one will visit anymore.
City Agents Shut Down 32 Vendors of Fake Items [NYC]
(Photo: John Marshall Mantel for The New York Times)
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Wow, a police department enforces a LAW and you all are complaining? Pretending that the brands are supposed to do the arresting themselves? What is this crap?
Yes, it’s showy, and yes, there are probably bigger things that NYPD could be working on. But it is still the right thing to do.
Question: Anyone read Gladwell’s work? Particularly his look at graffiti and broken windows?
Enforcement of seemingly ‘small-time’ crime can indeed have a meaningful effect on an overall community.
@TheUncleBob:
Are you suggesting allowing corporations to use force or the threat of force to accomplish their goals?
I don’t even trust the government to do that fairly.
Sure, I get a bit annoyed being barked at to buy Gucci and Prada (the likes of which I’m not even interested in if it’s real, let alone fake), but that’s part of the irritating and over-crowded charm of Canal street. Plus, my out-of-town friends and family eat that shit up.
There’s also the problem, as many have said, of this being ridiculously unimportant in the grand scheme of things, Bloomberg, you fuck. How about sinking the funding for this non-issue into something more important?
Luckily, there will always be the rogue seller, clucking at you as you walk down Mott. As long as my five-dollar-cigarette lady still comes ’round…
@TheUncleBob: Also: I have a hard time imagining that you actually LIVE in New York, because you certainly speak like someone who sees it as a sea of rats and “them damn fur’nurs”. Ignorance is only bliss when you keep it to yourself, pal.
You can usually buy the real deal hot items from those same people who sell the knockoffs. We got a nice Tag and a Rolex that way.
@orielbean: Nice, confessing to possession of stolen property! I hope you find them as nice when someone breaks into your apartment (or mugs you on the street) to replenish the supply. Congrats, you’ve taken us from IP theft to fencing and burglary.
@jomil91: You mean Rolax
, because Seiko is too cheap for vendors to make any profit.
@SuburbanSocialite: A funny thing happened to my friend. She went on a vacation to Italy and bought a Prada bag for almost $1200. After enjoying it for several years, the handle, where it is attached to the body started to come apart. Here is the interesting part of this story; she bought a fake Prada several years before buying the real thing. Well, it is still in one piece and still going strong.
You think paying $1200 for a piece of leather will get you a decent warranty, but NOoooo, they want to charge her for the repair service.
I think buying fake merchandise has become a tourist attraction on Canal Street. It’s a really fun experience (I blogged about buying my first fake Prada bag at retailworkernews.wordpress.com) But I also think it is silly to carry around a bag just for the name. Does anyone know if buying fake merchandise really funds terrorism? I’ve heard everything from funding terrorism to sweatshops with young children? I hope that’s not the case, but I wouldn’t doubt it.
If you don’t buy real prada the terrorists will win!