EVERYONE is a drug dealer

[CommonOrNot]

Bear with me…

I have name changed for this for seemingly obvious reasons. Yesterday, I was at the hairdressers getting my usual weekly services chatting as usual to my hairdresser - who every single week I’m there is dating a new drug dealer. She is very much a “glam” type. Neither of these things are uncommon in my city.

She then turns to the woman next to me and starts chatting about said woman’s partner and when he’s going to be on day release from prison and how he’s getting XYZ done cosmetically but it’s ok because the prison thinks he has a business so the money won’t be from dealing. (In other words, he’s still very much running an enterprise from behind bars). Again not uncommon in my area.

it got me thinking, in my city almost everyone has some sort of connection to dealing drugs. at all levels. I’m not exaggerating, I can’t think of a single person that doesn’t either deal themselves or is close friends with someone who does. All the women are dressed head to toe in designer, surgery, etc. the males have big cars, watches, designer clothes. It’s quite rare to see anyone under 30 without this aesthetic.

the 35+ generation maybe not so much but I would say all people I know in this age bracket absolutely have ties to someone who is a dealer.

before anyone comments that people may have the money for this aesthetic through legitimate reasons, I myself have a “flash” car, designer clothes, cosmetic procedures etc. but through running businesses and my partner being a well payed professional. I’m talking specifically about people that I know are dealers, and when I was thinking about it last night I was actually baffled how there seems to be so many.

PS I know there are people that work to have what they have, I’m talking about my city specifically being particularly dense with criminal activity and I’m wondering if it’s a regional thing or not. Where you are, is this the case?

SpidersAreShitheads

I grew up in a time when many woman went to the hairdressers every week, it was part of life. Nothing unusual about going to the hairdressers. Go to Manchester City center and there are blow dry bars, where you go and get a blow dry or an up do, along with woman walking round the city center with rollers in their hair on a Saturday afternoon

Yesterday, I was at the hairdressers getting my usual weekly services chatting as usual to my hairdresser - who every single week I’m there is dating a new drug dealer. She is very much a “glam” type.

I wonder what percentage of the population as a whole make weekly trips to "glam hairdressers" who talk about their drug-dealer boyfriends.

You are not exactly encountering a broad cross-section of the population as a whole here. Are you really surprised most of those you encounter are linked to drug dealing.

My bosses wife never washes or blow drys her hair. She goes to the hairdressers every week (not sure how many times) and she's quite posh.

When I lived in Manchester in my 20s there were a lot of people dealing casually. Now I’m older and living elsewhere I don’t here of it at all.

My mil never ever washed her hair, she went to the hairdresser every Friday after work.

It's the north-west?
I'm shocked, SHOCKED!

My dads neighbour in the most suburban suburb was a dealer but we only knew when he got sent down for it.
He was part of a huge family business and it didn't seem like he lived far beyond his means.

In my day to day life I don't know any, but we regularly have a weed dealer sat outside Sainsbury's local.

I used to have a job which meant I went clubbing in many UK cities and Liverpool was pretty unique in this - but everyone knows each other or is a friend of a friend so it does feel like everyone is a dealer or going out with one 😬

@NoraBattysCurlers "Glam" probably means looking like they've come out of Love Island, spiders on their eyes, a pout like Ariel the mermaid, plastic talons, "designer" labels on everything. I'd hazard a guess that they have dogs and what sort too.

I live in London and yes, I know drug dealers but they’re not that glam flashy rich type, but more counter culture, live on a boat and are artists type. I know these people because of the friends I used to have, not because they’re everywhere. It obviously depends on your social circle. I know zero flashy car type dealers.

@ItIsTrue I'd get the hell out of that friendship as fast as possible.

I am aware of that, which is why I said she lives just outside Liverpool.

Those people saying they don't live or associate with drug dealers probably just don't know. They'll live in your street, be at the school gates picking their kids up. I live in a 'naice' area on the outskirts of Merseyside and it's full of them. Some are ordinary looking people with regular jobs.

There's a lot of the more higher up organised criminals who buy the big houses in the area, do them up and stick a big wall around them. I used to work in a little rural tea shop and all the gangsters would come and do their business. They were good tippers! One of them had his house fire bombed and was then attacked at Asda.

It's also well known that dealers have legitimate businesses like hair and beauty salons to wash their money through. Usually run by their girlfriends or wives.

If I could afford it I’d go to the hair dresser twice a week! I’d also get my nails done every week instead of every other.

Jeepers! You clearly don’t live in a posh town just outside Cambridge. Everyone here is a physicist or Mahler enthusiast.

It can get quite boring, and we could probably do with a bit more dark underbelly to fizz things up a bit.

I live on the outskirts of Glasgow. I don't know anyone who deals drugs or takes drugs. I think anecdotally there are a couple of kids in the kids' school whose dads have moved to the "nice" area to distance themselves from the dodgy drug dealing but nobody I know dates a dealer, is a dealer, is friends with a dealer.

I'd be moving house OP, who wants to live surrounded by scum like that?

When I was in my late teens 40 years ago there was a fair bit of weed around but other than a bit of speed and acid not much until you were a smackhead

Nowadays there so much different shit around - and the synthetics like Crystal Meth and Fentanyl are the worst - and it's out in the small towns

I go at least twice a week when I’m working in London. I have the most beautiful salon I visit where I get luxury treatment and the best wash and blow dry going. I very rarely wash my own hair 😂 people can’t imagine experiences beyond their own.

I was originally mystified by the fact our city has four barbers shops all lined up next to each other, and a few others dotted around the same road, I was wondering how they all made money! Must be really annoying if you are a legitimate barber's shop. We also have a pizzeria just opened up and we are not convinced it sells pizza either! A money laundering operation has just been cracked in a very nice little village right near us.

Unfortunately in cities and towns, it's very easy to see dealing all around you. I've taught my teens not to stare if they spot it. I even saw a deal outside my (then) children's primary school. You only need one bad apple to move into your area (we had one house in a close used for that purpose) and it's like moths to a flame. When they cut and ran, the problem largely went away.

I would have guessed Liverpool or Manchester from your description - there are way less under 30's of that aesthetic in other cities.

I've lived in 2 big cities and had a very different experience. Less flashy in terms of big hair and cars but with more 'up market' areas than NW cities I've spent time in.

Maybe the drug dealers aren't as noticeable if they don't have Turkey teeth 😁

It's ridiculous for people to suggest you should move away to avoid association - ALL UK cities have a big drug/crime problem, it's just maybe a bit more subtle elsewhere. I now live in a rural location and we have a county lines issue in a local spa town. It's EVERYWHERE!

My only concern, in your shoes, would be the spill over of gun crime we've seen in recent years in relation to Northern OCGs (nod to the Line of Duty fans, there), especially when innocent bystanders have been killed.

A friend's barber was offered 20k to allow a 100k to go through the books. There's so many barbers round here it would need most blokes to have 4 or 5 heads

Is it Chester by any chance?

Wow! I'm 45 and have clearly lived a sheltered life. I don't think I know any drug dealers or anyone who has been to prison... It's an alien world to me, which I am thankful for.

To be fair, the twice weekly visits to the hairdressers pretty much pins it down to Liverpool (or surrounding areas, Birkenhead etc). We have family there and I have never seen so much botox, lip fillers, fake tan, fake nails, fake eyelashes and make-up in my life - and I live in Glasgow.

Orange County