Intelligence is a package that does not come to everyone, it is a sad observation but I assure you that it is true. This does not mean that one cannot live well without this quality, for example I believe that I lead an average life which includes its few moments of joy without being more intelligent than a trout. However, some people are much smarter than others and have managed to enhance their lives with a good idea.
1. The “traveler” who ate by eye for a year
On an unusual morning, an employee at Xi’an Xianyang airport (China) discovered that a first-class plane ticket had been purchased and canceled more than three hundred times, which seemed a little suspicious. After checking he realized that it was not a bug at all but that a man had found a perfect scheme: he bought a first class ticket which allowed him to enter the premium lounge where the we serve free meals every day, then he gets his ticket refunded (free of charge) once he’s finished eating. And he came back the next day to eat for free without anyone realizing it. At least for a year.
2. The employee who automated their work for a year
While you were playing on the console instead of telecommuting, a law firm employee developed a little software that allowed him to automate all his work. In the end he only had 10 minutes of work a day and his program took care of the rest, all for a whole year. Where the guy was smart is that he installed his program on his computer, so that if his employer fires him, he also loses the program.
3. The people who built an island so they could drink and get around a law
It was in 2017 that the town hall of Coromandel (New Zealand) decided to ban the consumption of alcohol outdoors to avoid the overflows of a drunken New Year. But a group of friends had every intention of getting together on New Year’s Day and decided to build a small island in the middle of the estuary and set up a small table there to party and celebrate. the new Year. And when the cops showed up (which they expected) they justified their mischief with international waters, which was true. Suddenly they were arrested but released without prosecution or fines, because they had exploited the right loophole.
4. The restaurant with only one table
Located in Italy, the “smallest restaurant in the world” can accommodate two customers altogether. He has a single two-seater table and charges 500 euros for the meal. The thing is that it works well, people book well in advance and the owners therefore know what they will earn in a night before they even open. In addition, it is much less hassle in terms of dishes, service and cooking time to make food for two people.
5. The man who entered the discount coupon matrix
Everyone has their heroes, mine is Norwegian and is called Norbert Verswijver. Good old Norbert had started keeping discount coupons valid in the Blokker store, which offered him 15% off on one product, and 20% on another. But he realized that at no time did the coupons prohibit stacking for the same product. So he started keeping them all, organizing them and he went to Blokker to buy 50,000 euros worth of electronic and high-tech products for a total of 60 cents. But on top of that he also found a loophole in a frozen food delivery catalog and had them delivered (for free thanks to vouchers) to people in need. Truly a hero.
6. The wine brand that successfully circumvented prohibition
During the Prohibition era in the United States the sale of alcohol was completely prohibited and was only done illegally. This had inevitably impacted the “legal” brands of alcohol which could no longer sell their products and it was there that several brands including Vine-Glo began to sell bricks of grape juice and cans of grape concentrate. . The product was unsurprisingly absolutely disgusting, but the Vine-Glo brand added two things to its products: yeast pills and the following warning statement: “Warning. Do not pour the contents of this brick into a bottle, do not add water and sugar, do not cover and do not let stand for a week or an illegal alcoholic drink will be created”.
A masterstroke that boosted sales of the product and allowed thousands of people to make their own wine.
7. Iranian female supporters who have proven their superior intelligence on the government
It was in 2014 that several Iranian volleyball players tricked themselves into attending national team matches. The law did not allow them to attend matches but did not prohibit the possibility that women could travel to the stadium to support the opposing team. When the Brazilian team came to play a game at the Tehran stadium, the group of female fans put on Brazilian team jerseys and managed to pass as a group of foreigners to watch the game, which was a real stroke of genius. In 2019 the Iranian government (finally) allowed women to go to sporting events.
8. The woman who rented a cheap hotel room for 32 years
Right on Fifth Avenue in New York, Fannie Lowenstein had put her luggage in a nice hotel during the Second World War, taking advantage of an offer of $500 a month. Except that she never left the room and continued to pay this price for 32 years, which became a pittance for this part of town and this type of accommodation when the prices started to inflate. But a contract is a contract, and she really fucked everyone.
9. The owner of a strip club managed to circumvent a law against nudity
We are in the United States in the state of Idaho (not literally, it’s in the anecdote don’t panic) and a law prohibits showing naked women in establishments unless the purpose is artistic. This is where the owner of a strip club found an interesting loophole: after being informed by the police about this law, he began to give drawing pads and pencils to each customer who entered his establishment by passing the shows off as evening classes in nude drawing.
10. The video store customer who found a way to see all her movies for free
It was the golden age of video clubs, those incredible places where you could rent all the movies you wanted. A chain customer Blockbuster had found a way to rent all its films for free thanks to a loophole: the channel undertook to give you a film for free if the one you wanted was unavailable, a nice offer after all. Except that the chain had also set up a display which indicated the films which were no longer available, do you see the trick coming? The client went to check which films were unavailable, showed up at the counter and asked for a copy, which was refused to her, and left with the film of her choice free of charge. A beautiful flaw that she exploited for a few years.