kids, teens, and college students all find unique ways of making money or obtaining "contraband" items in schools.
A relative of mine ran a gambling ring in junior high, for example, and that was how they (and so many of their classmates) obtained all the candy and chocolates they could stuff their faces with. This same relative has since paid for their black market wits with numerous visits to the dentist over the years.
You win some, you lose some, right?
People were all too eager to share after Redditor Alice_exists asked the online community,
"What was the "black market" at your school?"
"My school banned..."
"My school banned soda. I used to keep a cooler full in my car and sell them for $2 a pop."
jsmys
Look at you, you little entrepreneur!
"So she'd constantly..."
"My mum owned a sweet shop and sweets were banned in our school as we had to have healthy meals and all that. So she'd constantly give me bags of sweets to smuggle in and sell every day at dinner. Made an absolute bomb."
skraii
Your mum owned a sweet shop, huh?
Can you say "privileged"?
Well, you certainly got a leg up!
"I'd burn a bunch of copies..."
"I used to sell bootleg movies in high school. Not the kind of bootleg where you take a video camera into a theater, but I knew someone who kept getting early versions of movies that I guess are sent to theaters (they had some message about it being for screening purposes only/internal use - I don't remember exactly) and giving them to me."
"I'd burn a bunch of copies and sell them to people for $5. They were high quality and still early in theaters."
Cheese_Pancakes
The bootlegs which were nothing more than someone taking a video camera into a theater were the absolute worst.
"In 5th grade..."
"In 5th grade, I sold fairies to every single one of my classmates for $1 each. I gave them names and backstories and drew little portraits of each then would toss them an invisible fairy and then collect from the next sucker."
venuscries
WHAT?
Clearly I was not doing the right thing. You sold people imaginary crap?
"Teachers punished us..."
"Teachers punished us by making us write 'I will refrain from extemporaneous vocalization during valuable pedagogical opportunities' 50 or 100 times as homework. So over the summer, we would do up a few hundred sheets of that, and we could sell or use them, as necessary."
FlavoredCuDispenser
Now this is clever. I love everything about it.
"A porn ring."
"A porn ring."
"Kids would find their dad's VHS pornos or magazines and sell them to this kid. Then he'd turn around and sell it for profit."
"Funny thing is that when the principal caught wind of it and found all the porn in his locker but the money wasn't there. The kid used the locker under his and hid it all in the bottom."
"The porn hustler dude is now a cybersecurity analyst. I asked him at our reunion how much he thought he made back then. He claims $900 in 4 months."
HelpMyBunny1080p
Now the porn hustler dude probably makes sure people aren't spreading viruses with all the crappy porn sites they visit while on company time.
"In high school..."
"In high school, there was this game/fad where people would try to stealth zip tie other people's bags to their desks, shoes together, whatever so they'd be stuck when the bell rang. One guy sold the heavy-duty zip ties and another sold mini scissors for easy escape."
SaSaMei
I think I would hate it if someone did this to me.
"The most popular..."
"In elementary school, it was flavored toothpicks. The most popular were soaked in cinnamon oil. First time I tasted Fireball whiskey took me right back to first grade."
SignificantStuff4930
I'm just imagining you sitting in the bar sharing this anecdote while all the other drinkers around you get a wistful look in their eyes and just nod silently.
"Everyone wanted them..."
"In elementary school, my friend had a sticker maker, and we pumped out hundreds of stickers with Neopets on them."
"Everyone wanted them, we were making away like bandits before teachers started to get pissed they were showing up all over the desks/walls/etc."
"Eventually we got called into the principal's office and had to stop."
colorabro
Aw, the teacher and principal were absolutely no fun!
"The one that stands out..."
"The one that stands out is marbles."
"Marbles were banned at the school, because kids were getting into arguments over them, as well as digging up the gardens making marbles tracks."
FormalMango
Have you lost your marbles??
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Well, it's clear after reading all of these that my black market hustle was severely lacking. Now as an adult, I have to figure out how to obtain such infamy.
Just kidding. I have bills to pay now.
Have some stories of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
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