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The lives of affluent people are undoubtedly different from those of others. A lot of the things that are daily concerns for other mere mortals, like utilities and a 9-5 job, are probably foreign concepts to the rich. Naturally, their social status and financial position can also affect their behavior. Even here on Bored Panda, we have lots of 'rich people' stories that people have shared.
Yet this Redditor wanted to hear some more. So he asked fellow netizens, "What is the most rich thing you've seen wealthy people say/do casually?" From invitations to spontaneous trips to Dubai to living in French chateaus, the people of r/AskReddit delivered.
Bored Panda got in touch with the Redditor who posted this thread. u/CoolCoast7853 was kind enough to answer some questions for us. Read our conversation with the Redditor below!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Well, this may not be a "rich thing", I don't know, maybe an unexpected rich thing, but it was memorable. One year about 15 years ago, I was taking some vacation days right before Christmas. I took my AR-15 down to the Scottsdale Gun Club shooting range, which is a pretty public range that also rents guns. So I'm in my lane with my AR and a few handguns, shooting away. Next lane to me I notice two elderly guys, one in a suit, one dressed more casually. They're shooting a pistol, like a .38 or 9mm. I can't help noticing the guy in the suit looks familiar. 10 minutes later, I realize who it is, it's the self-made billionaire founder and owner of Discount Tire company. I know him because my wife worked there and I'd seen him at their annual company Christmas parties. Super nice guy, first name is Bruce. Basically the richest person in Arizona. So when I next have a chance, I get his attention, and he's all smiles because he's a nice guy, super friendly, shakes my hand, etc. Like an idiot I'm trying to talk to him and tell him my wife works there, etc, which is silly because we're in an active shooting range with hearing protection on and he's like 80. Anyways, I notice as he's addressing me, he keeps kind of peeking around me, into my lane. I notice he's eyeing my AR, which is picatinny'd out, has a bipod, and looks bada*s. Noticing this, I step aside and gesture to him if he'd like to hold it. I give him a quick runthrough of the magazine operation, trigger, charging handle, and safety. He's watching and grinning. Then I hand it to him, and hand him a mag and show him how to load it. By now the other guy he was with has stopped shooting and is now watching us. Mr. Billionaire steps into my lane, squeezes off about 10 rounds at the paper target, his smile increasing with each one. Then he turns, puts down the rifle and turns to me with a huge smile, clasps my shoulder and gives me a vigorous handshake. I give him a quick salute and he goes back to his friend, they zip up their gun and head out of the range area back into the main showroom. So I finish my session, I'm there for maybe 20 more minutes, then I pack up and get ready to leave. As I leave the range area and exit back into the main showroom, I find that the other guy is now there waiting for me. He shakes my hand and starts thanking me profusely, saying "Mr. Halle really enjoyed that." (Mr. Halle is what everyone called him.). He pulls out a small notebook and asks me for my name, my wife's name. So I say, "sure" and give him that info. I then stop to ask him what happened, what was he doing there? What was that all about? He tells me that this is an annual tradition for Mr. Halle. His wife hates guns, and won't let him own one, but once a year, he's allowed to go down to the range and rent a pistol, and fire it, and this was that time. (meanwhile this dude could afford to buy the building we're in 100 times over.) He thanks me and tells me again how much it meant to him, I say, OK, cool, and then we part company. I go home and that evening tell my wife the story, she's like, "That's cool." but doesn't think too much of it. A few weeks go by, and one day she's at work, and her phone rings, it's Billionaire's assistant. "Are you at your desk? Mr. Halle is on his way down." She's frozen with panic and like "WTF?" There's like 2,000 people at that office and why is he coming to see her? So 2 minutes later, he shows up, and he's got a big box of stuff with him. He starts by greeting her and begins telling her the story about me and the shooting range. After she stops panicking, and relaxes, he comes into her cubicle and, pulls up a chair and starts chatting her up about the photos of our kids, starts asking about me, photos from vacations, cruises, etc. and various other stuff. He tells her again how glad he was he ran into me. The box he brought is full of gifts for our kids, toy cars, books, stuffed animals, and other tire-related stuff. Nothing real fancy, just some thoughtful gifts. He clearly had done research because he knew we had 2 boys and he knew where to find her cubicle, so he'd checked it out before he approached her. And that's my story. I guess it goes to show money can't buy everything and sometimes even billionaires could use a little kindness, and appreciate it.
Svelk929 1 year ago
did anyone else see the words "I took my ar-15 down to the shooting range" and begin reading it in a southern accent
David 1 year ago
It's Arizona, second laxest gun laws after New Hampshire, more lax than any Southern State. It's a state where an known black 2nd amendment activist likes to walk around with a AR-15, 2 pistols, and a bandolier of ammo just to show people he can, and the police don't even bat an eye-lash
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Happy to be a wallflower 1 year ago
This is cute but I doubt it happened, or maybe it's just the way the guy wrote it.
Lew k 1 year ago
He’s no longer alive but I’ve done work at their house a few times. Don’t be fooled, he’s just as bad as many on this list. Every year they went up north in the summer for 3-4 months and completely remodeled their huge home. It’s on about 10 acres of mummy mountain which is probably the most expensive real estate in Arizona. We did draperies for them several times. We were always told to over charge by the house manager because even if they liked a fabric they wouldn’t pick it if it wasn’t expensive enough. They also had all the art changed out at the same time and we’re talking 15-20 paintings in the living room each worth 50-100k. Just the drape for the whole house was in the 250k range and we’d also haul away the drapes we put in the year before at the same time. We were told by house manager and on site security that if you saw him or the wife there not to talk to them even to say hi and everyone who worked on the home had to sign a non disclosure stating we would say who lived the
Boo Vaher 1 year ago
You were working on the house, that's usually the wifes domain and choices. Given she won't let him own a pistol, I would say she makes all the decisions in that family. Don't blame the guy here. ;)
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Aballi 1 year ago
This is sweet, and shows that all humans have the capacity for kindness. But in my opinion, billionaires are a**holes BECAUSE they are billionaires. They are hoarding onto so much wealth that could be life changing for other people. I don't think people should be allowed to have a billion dollars. Like the meme says, "once you make $999 million, you get a plaque that says 'congratulations you won capitalism' and have to donate the rest to schools and health services".
Ben 1 year ago (edited)
Is this Billionaire fan fiction? This story seems strange like some of it might have happened. I would thinks its a little creepy if someone brought my kid's toys without telling them I had kids.
Jennik 1 year ago
It's not uncommon for people with personal assistants to ask their PAs to do some research into a situation (in this case the OP's family and interests) so they can make an appropriate gesture. That doesn't make it creepy.
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The inquisitive Redditor who posted this question on r/AskReddit says that the inspiration for this thread came from wanting to be aware of their own privilege. "I come from a well-off family, and I realized there are several parts of my life I find normal that others don't," the Redditor tells Bored Panda.
"I wanted to break out of the bubble of my rich crowd of people and at least be a little self-aware of the struggles people go through, especially since I'm going abroad for college soon and will be interacting with people from contrasting backgrounds."
"Of course, there are instances where some of my friends' experiences are surprising to me too; my parents are not billionaires, but there are people in my system [whose] parents are," u/CoolCoast7853 admits.
RELATED:
#2
So I work part time at a strip club and we have some very rich clientele. Some of them come in all the time and we get to know a lot about them, they get to know a lot about us. Well, one of our security guys died of a sudden massive heart attack. One of the rich clientele just called the funeral home and paid for everything.
Like there was no second thought. We were all taking up a collection to help a bit and he just dropped the whole bill just like that! I mean I see a lot of really rich behavior... But that one was just so mind-blowing. .
David 1 year ago
There are a lot of rich people who give very freely to charity. I know of one case where a charity had gone $5 million in debt over the years, and a rich person dropped them $2 million, and told them he would make up whatever was left after their fundraising campaign on the condition he puts his accountants in charge of fixing the finances. 9 years later, that charity is thriving and fixed a lot of their financial issues and mismanagement. Another case I know of, there was a child from a poor family who needed a bone marrow transplant (or something similar), and they were having trouble finding a donor, so a rich person offered $50 to anyone who showed up to get tested to see if they could be a match, and had a free food buffet at the event. They found several matches quickly. Rich guy read about it in a article, and just decided to take action to help.
Chewie Baron 1 year ago
I’ll get downvoted for this but it was funny in my head, the family also had to dance for it!
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#3
Was at a bar with the multi-billionaire ceo of the company I worked for. He made fun of Oprah for only having one jet, then went on to tell me to never buy helicopters because they are built by the lowest bidder - planes are the better choice.
Bob, my car didn't even have air conditioning...
Panflute 1 year ago
Ah, the classic 455 system, 4 windows open, 55 miles per hour.
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Lotekguy 1 year ago
He's right none of my helicopters have ever flown reliably. Lego is colorful, but vastly overrated on aerodynamics.
TheAmericanAmerican 1 year ago
Example #478987907 of why billionaires and multi-millionaires need to be taxed out of existence!!!
Foffy Skrimshaw 1 year ago
Y s let's give it all to the government. They are so much better at spending money than them pesky billionaires.
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The Original Bruno 1 year ago
Bwahaha! "My car didn't even have air conditioning..." I feel your pain. Little advice for other people who drive old cars: Do you smell burnt rubber when you drive? Is your battery light lit on your dashboard for no good reason? Does your car make squeaking or chirping noises while you're driving? If you have ANY of these symptoms, your serpentine belt might be wearing out. The serpentine belt is just a long rubber-band-like loop that keeps various engine parts in sync. They're cheap, but since they're kinda tricky to thread through all that machinery, they're kinda costly to replace. DO IT. even check it once in a while for signs of aging. (Again.... big rubber band that winds all around your engine.) If they go bad, your AC compressor can go bad, and you'll be without AC and it won't mean simply recharging it. It'll be gone for good. Depending on your make of car, you could also lose power steering, your water pump, your alternator, lots of bad things.
The Original Bruno 1 year ago
So was I wrong about something? People hated the car advice? Or did the roving bands of censors get pissed off at a differnt post and stalk me over to here?
Load More Replies...When we call someone "rich," do we usually mean it in monetary terms? Because a person's social standing can also manifest itself in displays of privilege or entitlement. We were curious to know how u/CoolCoast7853 contextualizes the term "rich." The Redditor says that not all rich people flaunt their wealth.
"There are plenty of rich people [who] don't have outwardly displays of wealth. That does not change their net worth, but it does display an extent of self-awareness towards the rest of society. I wanted to know about privileges that the wealthy believed [were] expected and standard but aren't for the better half of the population," the Redditor clarifies.
#4
Someone once asked me where I summer 😭😭 never felt so poor than saying um… here ?
Using summer as a VERB, is a sign we are not in the same tax bracket.
ColdSteelRonin 1 year ago (edited)
That's not necessarily a wealthy thing but does fall into the well off category. My great aunt and uncle were retired and had a home in Chicago, IL and a condo in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. they would summer in Chicago and take the RV to winter in Florida and see the relatives. Snowbirds is the term Floridians use for people like them. They were far from wealthy but they were comfortable
Panda Kicki 1 year ago
I was assuming it meant where you had your summer workplace, like students do.
Upstaged75 1 year ago
No that's not what it means. It means you have a vacation home and can afford to spend the entire summer there.
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Fellfromthemoon 1 year ago
Or that someone had a different mother tongue? In my language, we regularly use "summering" as summer vacation (independent from where we spend the time.) Where are you summering? We summer at home, cannot afford travelling this year.
BJ Hage 1 year ago
I thought of this too. Not everyone on BP is from America
Load More Replies... #5
It was from an 8-year old! My very wealthy friend got remarried and her son said he wouldn't mind staying with me while they went on their honeymoon. As we took our seats on the plane, he looked so confused. He sheepishly asked, "Who are *all these people* on your plane?". Oh, my little dude...
ILoveMySon 1 year ago
It must have been exciting experiencing something different. Adventures come in all shapes and forms with a positive attitude.
Sobri Kate 1 year ago
Wish we could read more stories of this boy's stay in the wilds of the average person's lifestyle.
#6
My friends bought a house in Palm Springs but the renovation was taking too long so they just bought a second house in Beverly Hills to live in during the renovations. They kept both.
LizzieBoredom 1 year ago (edited)
When I want air conditioning, I tape one of the cardboard box flaps in the 'Open' position.
ColdSteelRonin 1 year ago
When I lived in Jacksonville, FL one of the jobs i had was high end, custom window and door installation. It wasn't uncommon for our customers to have a beach house, an "in town" house and a house on the river, usually all within a 45 minute drive of each other
Gavin Johnson 1 year ago
I used to deliver steelwork to big developments and projects, the area I covered included some of the richest areas of the U.K., this is a fairly common occurrence amongst the moneyed folk. Their other favourite is buying a multi-million pound property JUST to own the land, demolish the house, build what you want / need. A total waste of a decent building but hey, if you’ve got the cash who cares?
As a person from a "well-off family," u/CoolCoast7853 has a bit of a different perception of what “being rich” means. "I suppose I've spent more time than not around 'rich people,' but not adults as much as teenagers. At our age, you don't invest in monetary assets or plan out huge expenditures, so I hadn't experienced drastic displays of wealth, but from wealthy adults my parents know of, most seemed quite humble."
"It is possible that this was just because of the crowd my parents chose to hang out with, however. My parents and their friends spend money, but they don't waste it. I suppose a lot of the responses involved unnecessary expenditures that could have been put to better use," the Redditor observes.
#7
I worked in a sporting goods store in my early 20’s and got absolutely screamed at by an old man for not knowing who he was when I asked him for ID.
Apparently he owned like half the town and others at the store would kiss his a*s. At $9 an hour I wasn’t paid enough to kiss his a*s even if I cared who he was.
I wasn’t from there and had only seen him come in a few times to buy random s**t. But either way, the federal f*****g government requires you produce ID to purchase a firearm and I was doing my job.
It’s been over 20 years and my husband, who has heard the story, will randomly look at me and bust out “you seriously don’t know who I am?!”.
BookFanatic 1 year ago
I did that at my library once. A man came in with a definite entitled attitude. He was annoyed that one of the books he wanted was checked out, so I offered to place a hold on it for him. When I asked him for his library card I got the "don't you know who I am?" line. And that, folks, is how I met the mayor of my city.
Bored Trash Panda 1 year ago
bahahahahaha I did this when I worked at McDonalds with our state governor. Granted I was just 18 and had never voted nor followed politics. He was pretty cool though and we all got our picture taken with him.
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EmBree 1 year ago
I had a guy that hadn't singed his credit card and I asked him to sign it and then asked for his ID. The guy did as I asked, no problem. My coworkers however screamed at me when I got into the backroom. He was the riches guy in town and they couldn't believe that I asked him for his ID. I told them the law is the law. Two months later I saw the "rich" guy in the news. He had lost everything and then some.
Kelly Scott 1 year ago
I had a coworker get asked this once when she was carding for alcohol. She asked the guy if they had been introduced and he knew who SHE was. He said he didn't know. "So how can I know who YOU are then?" she asked him. Shut him up.
Anička 1 year ago
Ha something similar: guy would come into my office to talk to the other people there, never said a word to me. At some office party he was all huffy i didn't know his name: 'i am in your office all the time!' so i asked 'and have you ever talked to me?' Also shut him up. 😂
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The Original Bruno 1 year ago (edited)
I'm changing the name of the athlete, etc. here, but... I once had an interaction at a speech by a future presidential candidate during the Q&A parts. "John McEnroe" at the time was astonishing everyone at the "U.S. Open" for his excellent play at his advanced age. This guy walks up to me and congratulates me, tells me I handled myself excellently, and that he was John McEnroe. I sheepishly looked at him and said, "Uh... great performance at the U.S. Open last night, Mr. McEnroe?" He laughed politely and said, "Oh, I thought since you were into politics, you'd know who I am. I'm the mayor... the less famous John McEnroe."
Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 1 year ago
had a friend who got fired from a pizza place. Because he didn't recognize Dale Earnhardt when he came in. In his defense, he didn't watch NASCAR.
#8
I once stayed at a place that was $10,000 a night, amenities included. Luckily my health insurance paid 90% since I’d met my deductible.
TheElderNom 1 year ago
About 13€ per night last time I was hospitalised, everything is included in that price, food, medicine, surgery, etc. I'm very lucky to be born in a country with universal health care.
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Regina Holt 1 year ago
Health insurance paying that much????? tell me that you don't live in america
Melody 1 year ago (edited)
I live in America. I work at Amazon. I have a $1,000 deductible before my insurance covers anything at all, but Amazon provides a $500 HRA and my out of pocket maximum is only $2,000. (I also have a $500 FSA to simplify budgeting before I meet my deductible.) The most I could ever end up paying for medical care in a year (assuming I stick to in-network providers; not sure exactly what the rules are with out-of-network providers) is $1500. Good health insurance exists.
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#9
I live not far from an old (now abandoned) castle in France. It was bought decades ago by a Chinese couple, they had the staircase taken out and shipped to China and just left the place and never returned. It’s been neglected since.
RosenCranzLives 1 year ago
Bonus points for it being an abbey, not a castle.
Load More Replies... Verena 1 year ago
Antique and fancy and making their friends jelious. They bought the castle to strip the old interiours, not to maintaon a huge house. Most castles in Europe are way smaller than foreigners think. A lot of them are just big, fancy houses
Load More Replies...Friendships can be harder when one friend makes less than the other. Remember that scene from Friends during Ross' birthday dinner? Telling your friend that you don't feel comfortable or simply can't afford a fancy restaurant can be awkward and, in some cases, even humiliating. Friendship coach Danielle Bayard Jackson told HuffPost that this is a common problem she sees with her clients.
#10
My soon-to-be mother in-law asked me and my fiance, her son, if we knew that some people don’t have reliable transportation to get to college, which causes them to miss class and/or show up late. Apparently, her most recent appointment as the chair of a teacher education program at a university has been very eye opening for her.
Lunaofthenest (She/they) 1 year ago (edited)
At least this news distressed her. Many wealthy/sheltered people learn of the plight of others and simply do not care.
#11
I know an almost billionaire who is very very sweet. He kept his oceanfront condo for his mother in law to stay at for like month a year, and went to it every day to feed the stray cats who lived around it. The place is paid off mind you but has high fees, a paid parking spot, utilities ect cost almost 20 grand a year.
Fried Mermaid 1 year ago
Wasn't minding much about "20k a year", then I did the math and that's 70% of my annual income... cries in poor I guess?
#12
Friend’s wealthy parents were going to give me a set of furniture for free—until I wound up moving cross country; couldn’t accept it.
Before I was to take it, I asked for the manufacturer so I could take measurements for my house, to make it all fit.
They responded, “oh, we’re not sure, it’s pretty old.” Here I thought it was maybe from the 70’s.
Yes, it was from the 70s. The f****n 1870s, from France, and it was all handmade Louis XV pieces.
When I showed my home decor-obsessed mother, she appraised it all. Some were north of $5000, just for a small hallway desk.
We’re both upset about it to this day. .
They usually don't come to her with this particular problem, but it does come up quite often. "It's really important to feel connected as friends, and one basic way we do that is to share experiences. But a lot of social activities we engage in are highly dependent on the funds that you have available," she told HuffPost. "We might share common interests, but our access to those are different."
#13
Going to their apt in the city so they have a place to hang out in between shopping at stores. Their apt is only for that purpose.
TheAmericanAmerican 1 year ago
Example #478987908 of why billionaires and multi-millionaires need to be taxed out of existence!!!
David 1 year ago
yeah, screw those blue collar construction workers who get more jobs out of building apartments for rich people in new luxury contruction than anything else in a urban center. Every construction worker I Know (and I know quite a few Bricklayer Union members), love rich people, because that is how they put food on their table.
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DennyS (denzoren) 1 year ago
Damn, an apartment just for resting while shopping, that's just extra rich.
#14
I watched a guy walk into a car dealership and buy a suburban. He literally walks in, goes up to a sales guy, points to the one in the lobby, and goes “I’ll buy it, I don’t want to haggle or any high pressure b******t. I’ll pay sticker and I need to be done in 10 minutes.”
He was driving it out of there 10 minutes later. I asked the other sales guy “who the f**k is that?”
He goes “He owns a bunch of fast food places, pizza huts and KFCs and stuff I think. He comes in every few months.”
“What does he do with the cars?” I asked.
“Sometimes trades even in, sometimes signs them over to friends or family members. He gave our secretary his old corvette. Said it was about to die anyway. Only had like 50k miles on it. She still has it, been three years.”.
Kelly Scott 1 year ago
Not me. I couldn't afford the insurance on a corvette.
Load More Replies... Lunaofthenest (She/they) 1 year ago
At least he's generous with his ridiculous spending choices.
#15
There is a large liquor store near me, they have VERY expensive bottles in the back room.
One Xmas I was standing in line. The man in front of me, had one case of wine, 12 bottles of various variety.
The checker said..... OK that will be $27,455.
WtF??! Guy hands over his Credit card.
Followed him out, Drove away in a Bentley.
Tempest 1 year ago
My dad used to work in a high end liquor store and the receipts from the customers were of similar values and these customers would usually buy the expensive stuff in bulk as well. I can only wonder if they actually taste as how much they cost because I’ll never be able to spend so much for a drink!
Lew k 1 year ago
Wine no, whisky yes. I don’t buy expensive booze in bulk but I’ve had really expensive wine and really expensive whiskies a handful of times. Really old whisky is awesome. Awesome enough I’d pay what it costs regularly? Not in my tax bracket. Wine is a different story. I love wine but I’ve never had an expensive wine that I thought was worth the price. There are so many good wines in the 10-25$ price range I will never again spend hundreds on a bottle of anything.
Load More Replies... BJ Hage 1 year ago
There have been a lot of studies showing the cheap stuff is often rated higher than the expensive bottles in blind tastings. There have also been experiments where tastings had bottles deliberately mislabeled and ppl chose the bottle with the higher price tag as being better when it was actually the cheap stuff. I'm not saying that the high end stuff can be more complex etc. But never be embarrassed to by a bottle of $7 wine. Throw it in the blender for 30 seconds and most ppl wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
BJ Hage 1 year ago
sorry forgot to add a source (fake news is a thing) https://www.sciencealert.com/psychologists-find-cheap-wine-tastes-better-when-it-s-sold-as-expensive
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Author of Change Your Habits, Change Your Life, Thomas C. Corley, found in his research that wealthy people tend to make friends differently. The self-made millionaires he interviewed said they consciously choose to make friends with those they aspire to be like: successful and rich people.
#16
Pay USPS to keep the local branch of their post office open (it had been selected to close) so they didn’t have to drive as far to go to the post office.
Christos Arvanitis 1 year ago
How hard would it have been to find a pic of a post office in the US?
Happy to be a wallflower 1 year ago
Someone near where I lived paid to keep a grocery store closed because they didn't like the bright lights so close to their house
ILoveMySon 1 year ago
Apparently much of the delivery is now contracted out? Correct me if this is wrong, please.
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Aisling O'Grady Hills 1 year ago
Wouldn't it be cheaper to pay someone to drive to the post office for them?
R Dennis 1 year ago
Why not? It wasn't altruism, but it helped everyone nearby and didn't harm anyone... win-win.
Load More Replies... #17
Not taking free expensive stuff given to them because they probably already have a lot and/or they think it's something only poor people do. It's ironic because all these brands try to give those they perceive as rich more free stuff that they don't want or need.
Boo Vaher 1 year ago
Celebs get photographed and articles written about them. They get noticed in places. Due to the fascination sheep show to copying celebs and their habits, it is free advertising. "Oooo, if Taylor Swift has pink sneakers, I have to get them too..." etc.
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Brittania Kelli 1 year ago
I worked at a company that financed store cards and came across celebrity Harrod's (really posh department store in UK) and they have celebrities anything from 20%-50% off, it was almost like the richer the celeb, the bigger the discount. Madonna was in the 50% off club. And no, there was no details about their addresses or anything, the contact was always a finance management company.
Keith Lancaster 1 year ago
Rather than not taking it they should be taking it and passing it onto people who need it.
Dave Baxter 1 year ago
From 'Withnail & I' : "Free to those that can afford it, very expensive to those that can't."
#18
Think that a banana costs $10.
But, as evidenced by this thread, money doesn't always matter in friendships. People can be friends regardless of their financial situation. Yet talking about it is almost always too awkward.
That's because it isn't just about the money itself, Professor Mark Fenton-O’Creevy, a professor of organizational behavior at the Open University, told The Guardian. According to him, people who have money also have security, freedom, power, and status.
#19
I used to work at a jeweler and the stories are endless. Clients would talk about how they just got back from a months long trip on a yacht or some exotic island. I’m just like cool I put in 60+ hours this week and have worked every day of the week lol. The s**t that I wouldn’t get at all is the watch guys. I had a client come in one time and ask for the cheapest watch we had, so he didn’t have to worry about it on his trip. He ended up going with a $800 watch (not the cheapest) and while I was checking him out, he said he was going to throw it away after the trip. I tried talking him out of it and just said return it afterwards , but then he seemed insulted. Other watch guys would pay $1k every year just to get a little scratch on their Rolex that only they notice buffed out. Id explain to them that they’re shaving precious metal off every time and ruining the integrity of the watch, but they dgaf because their egos are so massive. We’d hold private events and encourage clients to bring their friends and itd always turn into a d**k swinging contest of who can spend more. Absolutely wild environment and I was absolutely burnt out after 2 years. Most money I ever made, but most miserable I’ve ever been.
Jason 1 year ago
Seems like interacting with all these rich folks could make decent connections
Mrs.C 1 year ago
Only if they see you as a human being of value and not a part of the furniture.
Load More Replies... Bobert Robertson 1 year ago
Real watch guys aren't like this at all. Sure they'll spend $75k on multiple watches, but they'll likely also have a g-shock in there or some other Casio, and won't just toss a watch regardless of value, and they know that a knick in a rolex gives it character and can add to the value surprisingly.
BJ Hage 1 year ago
This! I read in Millionaire Nextdoor - TJ Stanley and WDDanko- that the truly wealthy (the ones rich enough to not care what others think) go for a trusty watch under $300. (pg 32; 35). I do know from personal experience that if one plays golf, many watches can't handle the motions of the swing, though.
Load More Replies... BJ Hage 1 year ago
fools, yes but generally not the generational wealth set.
Load More Replies... #20
My dad knows a billionaire who had a french chateau disassembled and reassembled in the US. He acted like it was just a normal as building a house. My dads been there a few time and said it’s an insane property with a huge man made lake and huge sprawling lawns. .
Lotekguy 1 year ago
The hardest part was teaching English to the fish. Their schools hadn't included it in the curriculum
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Chewie Baron 1 year ago (edited)
Didn’t William Hearst once do this as well? It’s such a New Money thing to do.
nottheactualphoto 1 year ago
Seriously. These Nouveaux Riches ain't got no couth.
Load More Replies... TheAmericanAmerican 1 year ago
Example #478987909 of why billionaires and multi-millionaires need to be taxed out of existence!!!
#21
When being surprised that airlines will allow a larger-looking backpack in the overhead, he said "Oh, it's been so long since I've flown commercially, I had no idea."
He said it in such a shy manner like he was embarrassed to say he flies privately. This is a 75 year old that looks like he's a regular middle class Joe and gives off no hint that he's extremely wealthy.
Lunaofthenest (She/they) 1 year ago
The president of Kroger visited my location last holiday season. Was dressed like a totally average guy and ate a microwave lasagna for lunch. Really shy, very polite.
Load More Replies... Bobert Robertson 1 year ago
Maybe it's just been a very long time since he's flown commercially.... maybe he worked for like FedEx and was only on cargo flights. This doesn't mean he only flew private.
Otegha Uwagba, the author of We Need To Talk About Money, told The Cut that it's best that friends put their feelings out in the open. She advises to just suck it up and have that awkward conversation. Uwagba even suggests a possible script: "We are not in the same financial position and I don't want our friendship to be based around what we can do with each other that involves spending money."
#22
I once saw Jeff Bezos pay $100,000 to get a guy off the stage at an auction event. The guy on stage wasn’t going to leave until he reached his goal, and Jeff was tired of listening to him. Bye Felicia. $$.
UpQuarkDownQuark (he/him) 1 year ago
I’m only sad he’ll likely outlive me because I won’t be able to p*ss on his grave.
#23
Most of my clients are multi-millionaires, and most of them do *everything* casually.
Especially housing. They have zero concern of what stuff costs, and will approve nearly anything. I once set the alarm off at a clients ski house, and I called them to tell them its just me, i'd never talked to this particular client before andI told them to ignore it. They didn't even ask me to verify who I was and at the time I had no reason to think it wasn't *just* their second home. They were very appreciative of the phone call but said "which house was it?" which caught me off guard and I said "oh at the ski resort" they said "yeah, but which one?" i died inside. It was a 8-ish million dollar home and in the whole 2 years i'd worked for them at that point, they'd never even been here. I later learn their family has expensive homes at nearly every popular ski resort in north america.
Another example is im currently doing a remodel. It is the THIRD full remodel in 10 years at this multi million dollar house/condo. They remodel the house everytime a new kid is born in the family. This is a half million dollar remodel to undue exactly what we did 4 years a go, which was 300k ish remodel. Other clients i've seen replace their full kitchen appliances every 3-5 years. They have to have the absolutely brand new stuff. They're also super crazy and don't want the stuff sold, they're worried about the "PR" so i have to provide proof 30k in appliances were in fact scraped at the landfill.
Our world is broken.
**tbf** about 20% of them are really nice people, introduce themselves, even cook for me. They give great bonuses and are generally good humans, they're happy to have someone they can trust, and they do trust, they let my friends stay at their million dollar Nth homes for free, but these people are almost exclusively the rare rich that are rich through labor. People who spent 40-50 years in law or medicine. Contractors who got lucky. The occasional crypt "bro" who was blue collar, gambled life savings and won. The ones that are cliche rich, the born intos, the fortune 500s. They're a******s, and have called me "the help" more than once.
CK 1 year ago
Destroying items that still have value has a negative impact on the environment and society. Significant deliberate wastefulness can't be criminalized but should be shunned.
JLo 1 year ago
To me, it's a crying shame. Donate them to a charity. Take your $300K and give it to a Veterans charity. What a waste!
Load More Replies... alicia 1 year ago
Umm. they can donate the appliances or even give them away, how the F would that be bad PR, SMH. 🤦♀️
Boo Vaher 1 year ago
Perhaps these were freebies and they don't want the Brand to know they gave it away, or the public to know, as it would tarnish the brand and impact future freebies.
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#24
I had a friend of mine casually ask if I wanted to go to Dubai for a week to do some skydiving training in a couple of weeks. My response was "no, I have to work for a living". Blew my mind when they asked me like it was no biggie to duck out for a week and blow $15k.
Heather Talma 1 year ago
If they're rich enough and really cool they could pay your boss to hold your job for you while you go
#25
My millionaire aunt scoffing at the idea that my single mother taking care of me and my younger brother couldn’t find a place to live because $3,000/month is “easily affordable.”
Edit: $3,000/month being the average rent in the area.
Jason 1 year ago
Housing prices are nuts now. I complain about how much I pay then I find people paying so much more. I'm old my first apartment with 2 roommates we split 400$ rent for a 2br. Was better than being homeless
Lunaofthenest (She/they) 1 year ago
My 1st 2bdrm 2 bath with washer/ dryer included was 645$ a month. I don't get how kids starting out are supposed to do it now?
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Brian Droste 1 year ago
3000 a month is 1000 more than what I get between my social security and a small pension.
#26
Get stressed from a true crime podcast and book a tropical getaway to decompress.
Lydsylou (she/her) 1 year ago
When I get stressed from a true crime podcast I watch Michael mcintyre and then watch another tru crime podcast
#27
I photograph luxury homes and architecture for a living. There’s a neighborhood I do a lot of work in called Silverleaf and it’s probably the most exclusive neighborhood in the valley. The bottom part of the neighborhood is your typical wealthy people's homes. Doctors, lawyers, business owners, etc.. extremely nice houses but still attainable for anyone who wants to put in the effort to work those types of careers.
As you drive towards the back of the neighborhood you start heading up a mountain that's divided into two parts. Upper Canyon and The Summit. There are probably 100 houses up there. The houses start close to 15 million, but several are over 20-30. One of the builders I work with is developing a house he’s asking about 60 million for.
I work Upper Canyon every month or two and even though all of the houses are owned, half or less are lived in. For some, it’s a vacation home they might visit for a few weeks or months of the year, and for others, it’s an investment and a place to park their money.
I photographed a 15-million-dollar house there a few years ago. The owner was selling it because he bought a 29 million dollar house literally 2 or 3 lots up because he liked the views more. He’s a Canadian business owner and spends maybe a few months of the year in the valley if that.
I’m used to it now but for a long time I couldn’t wrap my head around how much money some people have…..
Verena 1 year ago
There is a whole island in Germany, full with expensive houses nobody lives in, apart from a few weeks per year. Locals cannot afford to live there anymore. However, the problem is home-made. I live in a popular coastal village, where everybody is complaining that their children cannot afford to buy houses, because Belgian and German tourists pay crazy prices. But when locals sell their houses, because of moving away (work, family matters, not wanting to take care of the garden, want to live the city life, ...), they do not sell it for a decent price to the children of locals, but squeeze all the money from a tourist. By this letting our taxes explode, which are based on the value of nrighbouring houses.
Scotira 1 year ago
Same in Switzerland. When you look at some of the winter tourist locations. During off season they are almost empty. Local businesses can't afford to stay bc of the lack of customers. Why is that? Bc all those nice picturesque chalets have been sold to people as investments, as 2-week winter residences or unused 2nd homes...for a lot of profit (looking at you Grindelwald). Home made alright. Nowadays there are laws in place when selling houses in such locations but the problem is already there. Lots of locals have moved away, lots of businesses and stores are closed and it's hard to get them to move back in. 😢 sad all around.
Load More Replies... Upstaged75 1 year ago
I live in a fairly wealthy suburb of a major city. (I'm not rich though, LOL!) There is a house on my street that the family only uses as their "weekend house". I guess they work in the city and live there during the week, then spend weekends at their house on my street. But it's not like my town is way out in the country or anything - it's only a 30 min drive to get to the city! I can't imagine the hassle of owning a 2nd house that you only use 2 days a week.
Brian Droste 1 year ago
I hear how how rich some p3ople are here on BP a number of times and hear of people like Jeff Bezo, Bill Gates how rich they are or people willing like a huge amount of money through the lottery. Still blows my mind.
#28
Contactor here. lady did not like the shape of the pool at the new house.Gets the job to change the shape. Does the job. So I tell her we can guarantee the workmanship for 5 years, but not any longer. She says cool, we are only here for 3.
#29
In 1994, I watched the CEO and founder of my employer, with an estimated net worth of at least $100 million, drop a twenty-dollar bill and other bills on the sidewalk. He glanced at it and then kept walking.
bas vdlaar 1 year ago
I'd offer him tot work for him. 100.000 $ a year and i'd follow him to pick up the cash he drops.
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#30
Had one of the outside salesmen drop in and we were talking about clothes for some reason. He said he donates his clothes to charity every year so he doesn't buy the "very expensive shirts"... his shirts are $300 each. Then he tells me he does buy "decent" shoes though. He showed me a company online where most of the shoes cost more than my car. How do we work for the same company and live that differently?
Me 1 year ago
What always surprises me is that many rich people seem to forget that they have wayyyy more money than the average of people around them
ValdaDeDieu 1 year ago
THIS stock photo... There is no one wealthy who would be caught dead wearing brown shoes and black pants. NONE - at least - with taste and/or a stylist and/or a wife (or wives) and/or wealth etiquette.
Load More Replies... Jason 1 year ago
I do spend a lot (to me) on the shoes I do have, but they have lasted 5+ years. Like ~100$
Mrs.C 1 year ago
I have to justify the $100 or so price tag on my boots and work shoes. I also have to take care of them and be cautious about buying new ones when the old ones wear out.
Load More Replies... Tempest 1 year ago
I have a friend who is like the new rich and has resorted to only buying designer clothes. Out of curiosity I once checked the price of a pair of shoes he bought and it was more than what my family earns in a year!
ILoveMySon 1 year ago
Hopefully you are similar in size for "hand me downs". 🙂
Load More Replies... #31
Went to a wedding as a +1 at a mansion in Greenwich Connecticut (the brides parents home). Her father was talking about the landscaping and how his wife liked a rock (which was about the size of a small car) that was at their *other* home outside of Denver, so they had the rock moved from Denver to Connecticut. Seriously, they moved a rock halfway across the country. A f*****g rock.
Bored Trash Panda 1 year ago (edited)
I mean, rocks ARE awesome, but if it's the size of a car, that's a boulder....
#32
A guy I served at a bar paid me to let him keep drinking at the bar after close while he waited for his ride.
Realistic Optimist 1 year ago
If its the US, it is as long as the bartender is on the clock and it's not past the time the city allows open liquor to be sold.
Load More Replies... #33
We used to summer in the Hamptons. From my SO at the time. I said, “We used to summer in a trailer park which was also our home.” .
Upstaged75 1 year ago
The joke is that the OP couldn't afford to go on vacation because they lived in a trailer park.
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#34
Years ago I helped coordinate an event in the Cayman Islands for my job for the companies main clients. I worked closely with a small business that sets up events. Not only did they make my work infinitely easier, but they offered us discounts on several events. Really good people that would work around the clock to make sure everything was getting set up properly. On the island, right before we were going to one of the events, my boss's wife tells my boss (and me indirectly, always got the feeling she did not like talking to me) that we need to get a discount on the upcoming event. She was not involved in the setting up process and didn't even know any details or the costs involved. She just wanted the discount. It was a private catamaran tour which ended with swimming with the stingrays for a few hours and it was for about 20 people. I had to call the company and ask them for the discount while apologizing profusely. The boss's wife wanted to knock $4,000 off the total. After a lot of conversation and back and fourth I got the discount. I was disgusted with the look on her face after I told her we got the discount. For the rest of the trip I stayed away from her, as I knew that she would continuously ask for me to fight for discounts, just because. When she passed, I looked her up and found out that not only was she rich, she was Texas oil baroness rich. Money edging towards the billions. $4,000.00 is nothing to that family, like finding pennies in your couch cushions. My boss and his wife had kids who felt neglected and the oldest would, without fail, destroy something expensive. I was in the room when a secretary told the wife that her son had destroyed another antique roadster (the boss collected them). She barely shrugged her shoulders. I think she just wanted the discount because she was such an empty person, maybe the power trip makes them feel something.
Brian Droste 1 year ago
If they were that rich they could afford the roadster to be fixed. But on the other hand they probably didn't care and probably just junked the car.
#35
My friend asked me to help him take the curtains/drapes down in his hiuse because they block the sunlight. Baffled when i told him they can be opened.
#36
My wife was invited to a spa week with a friend that cost $17K. Do we have the cash on hand, yes. Would we ever waste that kind of money on a spa week? No.
The friend was so nonchalant about it, too. She'd just come back and was going again the next month.
#37
As we are installing a wireless access point in their home theater: “My son crashed and totaled his Mercedes, will you guys be done in time before he gets back? We need to take him to get another one.”.
Lydsylou (she/her) 1 year ago
I notice that only people who have really nice cars would usually mention their car model in a conversation like this. If the son had a Kia or something then they would've just said 'he crashed his car'
#38
I worked a million dollar wedding once, they dumped 50,000$ worth of flowers in the trash after the ceremony. They didn’t even wait til the wedding was over or donate the flowers. I was walking to the portapotties they made the help use, passed the dumpsters and there they were. I thought it was an apt metaphor for the rich.
heidi hunt 1 year ago
I would of waited til the crowd dwindled and I would of had free flowers!
#39
Have a literal bell to call the maids, also an intercom.
Jason 1 year ago
We have one we ring for dinner. Works pretty well when the family is out of the farm and not close to the house.
Upstaged75 1 year ago
Sounds like you ring for the family though - not the help. :)
Load More Replies... #40
This isn’t as extreme as most of the stories in this thread, but my in-laws casually have Chicago Cubs season tickets and attend 70ish% of their home games. Not so crazy, except that we all live in Nashville. I come from a very poor family so the first time I learned that I was absolutely blown away.
What do you think ?
DB 1 year ago
Multi-millionaire owner of the large construction company I worked for as parts manager in one of the maintenance garages. Sees me come into the office on the other side of the building to use the fax machine and asks if mine is broken. Explained to him that we didn't have one. Brand new one got delivered the next day. My boss who had been asking for one for two years was mad.
The Starsong Princess 1 year ago (edited)
A relative of mine married a girl from a billionaire’s family. You’d never know from her except for the amount of travelling they do. Hundreds of thousands dollars of first class travel every year.
RosenCranzLives 1 year ago
Richest guy I ever knew, socially, lived in the 110-yr old 3-br, 2-bath house he'd been born in. When he died, I handled the selling of it, $1.7M - top of the market for that area (Toronto.) He had investments in 9 digits. He drove a Dodge sedan. He had no servants. Did his own gardening. 3rd generation Canadian from Yorkshire (same as me, only I'm 4th.)
Jeevesssssss 1 year ago
I don't have spare money. The friend I socialise most with is financially pretty comfortable (nothing like these posts at all lol, but a very different bracket from me). We are close friends and though mostly when we meet up it's free, every so often she wants to go out for a meal I can't afford. It's never been awkward because she knows I'm skint (I have ASD, and we're both very blunt with each other) - the first time she basically said, if you're up for it it'd be really nice to go to (restaurant), my wish so my treat. I had a really hard time at first with letting her buy my coffee if she wanted to get coffee, having been brought up to always pay my own way, but she sat me down and said it was good ethics but in this context irrational. I told her I didn't want to be a freeloader and she has promised to let me know if I start actually becoming entitled.
Two_rolling_black_eyes 1 year ago
I have a friend who installs high end hardwood floors. His best client is a man who lives in the penthouse of a building downtown who owns the building. He keeps an apartment for his mistresses on another floor. Several times a year, he'll spend $200-$500k to let the newest flavor of the month redecorate her place.
DB 1 year ago
Multi-millionaire owner of the large construction company I worked for as parts manager in one of the maintenance garages. Sees me come into the office on the other side of the building to use the fax machine and asks if mine is broken. Explained to him that we didn't have one. Brand new one got delivered the next day. My boss who had been asking for one for two years was mad.
The Starsong Princess 1 year ago (edited)
A relative of mine married a girl from a billionaire’s family. You’d never know from her except for the amount of travelling they do. Hundreds of thousands dollars of first class travel every year.
RosenCranzLives 1 year ago
Richest guy I ever knew, socially, lived in the 110-yr old 3-br, 2-bath house he'd been born in. When he died, I handled the selling of it, $1.7M - top of the market for that area (Toronto.) He had investments in 9 digits. He drove a Dodge sedan. He had no servants. Did his own gardening. 3rd generation Canadian from Yorkshire (same as me, only I'm 4th.)
Jeevesssssss 1 year ago
I don't have spare money. The friend I socialise most with is financially pretty comfortable (nothing like these posts at all lol, but a very different bracket from me). We are close friends and though mostly when we meet up it's free, every so often she wants to go out for a meal I can't afford. It's never been awkward because she knows I'm skint (I have ASD, and we're both very blunt with each other) - the first time she basically said, if you're up for it it'd be really nice to go to (restaurant), my wish so my treat. I had a really hard time at first with letting her buy my coffee if she wanted to get coffee, having been brought up to always pay my own way, but she sat me down and said it was good ethics but in this context irrational. I told her I didn't want to be a freeloader and she has promised to let me know if I start actually becoming entitled.
Two_rolling_black_eyes 1 year ago
I have a friend who installs high end hardwood floors. His best client is a man who lives in the penthouse of a building downtown who owns the building. He keeps an apartment for his mistresses on another floor. Several times a year, he'll spend $200-$500k to let the newest flavor of the month redecorate her place.
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