My vote for “Prank of the Month” (well, last month) goes to the New York-based Improv Everywhere crew for flooding a Best Buy department store with around 80 people dressed almost like their staff.
The full report on this prank shows how the store management couldn’t cope — they didn’t like it, and people get nervous when confronted with something “different”.
It’s also interesting reading the comments on Bruce Schneier’s write-up of this event, where so many commenters fail to see the difference between a “threat to the store” and a “threat to the perceived authority of the store managers”.
In the late ’80s, Pizza Hut rendered itself immune to such Situationist pranks by issuing its male employees a unform so vile that nobody would wear it unless they absolutely had to.
It comprised a red checked shirt (think ‘Glen Campbell album cover’), and hideous, stretchy, beige polyester trousers that came pre-impregnated with the stink of tomato sauce and garlic.
This being the ’80s, most blokes would finish off this ensemble with white leather trainers.
Yes, I wore this uniform (apart from the white leather trainers, which were a bit too ‘Bon Jovi’ for me). As Geri Halliwell said, I was young and I needed the money.
It’s a shame we don’t have a photograph, Richard…