Have you heard that Tide laundry detergent is the hottest thing on the black market. Seems pretty odd to me but it seems the reason why is because it’s relatively expensive(about $10 for a small bottle, $20 for a large one), it doesn’t spoil, you can’t trace it, and it’s the most popular brand of something everybody needs. And, more importantly, it’s relatively easy to resell for a quick profit.
Odder still is that the thieves are trading it for drugs on the black market. Kind of takes the idea of money laundering to a whole new level. Transacting a drug deal with a bottle of Tide? It’s true, and it’s happening all over the country. In fact, it was reported that some CVS pharmacies are keeping their Tide in locked glass cases. Next thing you know, we’ll have to show ID to keep our clothes clean.
But, what’s the story underneath the story—what’s really going on? I’ve been racking my brain how this all started—who was the first to say, I don’t have money but I have Tide. How long did it take to decide this was a worthy deal?
It started me dreaming about what might have happened the first time the concept of money was introduced. Can’t you just picture it? “You want to give me a token for my cow instead of 4 goats? You’ve got to be kidding!?” But then they were enticed by the idea of what that token could bring and how much better that token would feel in their pocket instead of dragging around 4 goats? Did they start feeling the intrinsic power in that small piece of paper?
Is that how money first got its power? Interesting to think about it. But really, if we start trading money for Tide, what’s next? Goats? Does that mean we’re losing faith in the almighty dollar?
What do you think? Lots of room to imagine.
