Originally posted by Common De-mominator
Hmm I suppose it would depend on the specific variables involved.
I'd bring a friend but I'd pick a somewhat populated public place to feel them out initially, which also works for making everything feel safe.
I arrive 30 minutes early to scope out the spot, make sure they arrive after I do and I have control of the field exactly as I want. I'd probably plan out a driving route so as to remove them from the planned spot and take them somewhere else while feeling them out.
They get into my car in the passenger seat, my friend sits behind them while we talk.
I don't bring the product with me if this is just an introduction, or if I need to provide a sample then I might bring a small amount of product, place it in advance and do the ol' "you can find treasure behind that bush" thing, but only after they're out of my car and the meeting is concluding. If the expectation/plan is for me to sell them the goods at that meeting then I'd probably hide it in my wheel well or something and figure out a dropoff. But they don't touch the product until they're out of my car either way, and I don't drop it off in sight of them. I get the money, then they pick up the product. If they don't like the way I conduct business then too bad.
Nice. Yeah you pretty much passed. Of course I'm not ex expert by any means.
I went from getting shorted and robbed more then I would've liked- to being pretty much problem free by putting them in the passengers seat. When people don't know what's going on behind them, they're WAY less likely to do anything sketchy. By that same token, I always jump in the back. Even if something does go down and there's another dude in the back row with me, it's a hell of a lot easier to deal with one person to your side than one to your side and one behind you. One time I didn't even need a gun to subdue a guy. Being in the back seat, you can use something as simple as a belt to pull around their neck in between the headrest. Granted, he broke the dashboard and fucked up the reclining thing on the seat, but it's better than getting stabbed or robbed, or taken for $2000 worth of product.
The main reason I'd drive someone around is to watch the rear view. Cops don't work alone. And generally they don't want to be out of sight for too long. I've had people say "why are you driving so far?" You got someplace you need to be dude? And then of course the samples can be anywhere. Like I said before- a good one is a particular garage sale sign or Missing animal taped to a telephone pole. It's easy to spot and take with you, and you don't have to look sketchy and dig around for it.
But yeah- you done good.
A lot of times, you just have to acknowledge that your not dealing with very smart people. And if you want to get paid, sometimes you have to compromise. The assist I gave the other night was some of the stupidest shit I've seen in a long time. I recommended going to an all right burger spot down the block. It's on a corner. It's bright. There's always people around. You have plausible reason he be there. The guy my friend was meeting wanted to meet at the abandoned car wash a couple miles down. Not fucking kidding. Dark. Razor wire everywhere. One gate in/out. Just absolute dogshit. I told him to tell the guy change of venue, but the guy said there were "too many people and cops" by the burger spot. I mean you can do a drug deal in a car NEXT to a police officer. As long as you're laughing and talking and comfortable and not looking all weird and sketched out, flashing money.,..you're cool. If 3 cars are parked in an abandoned car wash with lights off, map light on, when a cruiser rolls past....you're getting searched. End of story.
Obviously it turned out well, but I've had situations like that a bunch of times where I just had to create some plausible deniability and then bite the bullet.
E: Buying some cheap dollar menu shit to have in a bag next to you in a car, so you can say you just pulled over to eat....has worked more times then a care to admit. And not even the most seasoned officer is likely to paw through the cold, wadded up remnants of a beef and been burrito looking for heroin.