Pawnshops: They're a barometer of troubled economic times
The Toledo Blade
Jordon Reichenbaugh works in a store filled with other people's dreams — electric guitars, high-top shoes, personalized jewelry. It's a place where a 46-year-old woman comes to pawn her wedding ring for 20 bucks just so she can buy some gas. "Need a loan?" Reichenbaugh asks as she walks in. "I always do," she replies. This is the fourth time the woman has pawned the same ring, and like clockwork he can expect her back to reclaim it before her husband notices.More

BBB offers advice on pawning items
WSMV-TV
A lot of people are visiting pawn stores and antique shops to turn their old items into cash during the tough economy. The Treasure Hunters Roadshow is currently being held at the Gaylord Resort in Nashville, Tenn. The Better Business Bureau advises anyone planning to buy or sell at this show, or any similar place, to already have an idea of what your merchandise is worth.More

First Cash raises Q4 profit view
Reuters
Pawn and payday lender First Cash Financial Services Inc. raised its fourth-quarter earnings forecast, helped by a better-than-expected performance of its pawn operations in the United States and Mexico. The company, which sold its West Coast payday lending and check-cashing operations, projected fourth-quarter earnings of 42 cents to 44 cents a share, up from its prior outlook of 37 cents to 39 cents a share. More

Resolve to raise your profits in the New Year
Dillon Gage Group
Heading into a New Year is the perfect time to review how you do business and look for ways to improve your profits, particularly during these challenging economic times. The emergence of scrap gold as an excellent resource is no surprise. What might surprise you is that there are very real differences in the choices you have for refining that precious metal.More

Reality series focuses on pawnshop
Toronto Sun
"Pawn Stars" is a strangely transfixing combination of Antiques Roadshow and American Chopper. Talk about worlds colliding. Making its Canadian debut with back-to-back episodes on History Television Tuesday night, "Pawn Stars" is a reality series a la American Chopper, focusing on a pawn shop in Las Vegas. It is run by three generations of the Harrison family: Richard, Rick and Corey, from oldest to youngest.More

Shrinking U.S. labor force keeps unemployment rate from rising
Bloomberg via BusinessWeek
An exodus of discouraged workers from the job market kept the U.S. unemployment rate from climbing above 10 percent in December, economists said. Had the labor force not decreased by 661,000 last month, the jobless rate would have been 10.4 percent, according to economists including David Rosenberg at Gluskin Sheff & Associates in Toronto and Harm Bandholz at UniCredit Research in New York.More

Pawnshop celebrates 100 years
The Sacramento Press
Sacramento's oldest family-run pawnshop in California will celebrate 100 years in business with a jewelry raffle. California Loan & Jewelry Co. will raffle $30,000 in diamonds and gold. About 5,000 people have entered the drawing, which ended Dec. 31. "It's a way to thank our customers for keeping us in business for 100 years," said Warren Anapolsky. He who owns the store with his brother Larry. The brothers' grandfather and great uncle opened the store in 1909.More

Indiana city pawnshop sales might be reported
WTWO-TV
Anything you sell to a Terre Haute, Ind., pawnshop could be reported to police. Detectives have asked the city council to consider using a Web site called LeadsOnline.com. Pawnshops and scrap metal businesses would be required to post their inventory daily. Then police can check the Web site for stolen items. Indianapolis and Fort Wayne already require online inventory, and their theft rates are lower than Terre Haute's.More