What's Hot at the Pawnshop These Days
from MSNBC
It's not your father's pawnshop anymore. The idea of the local pawnbroker running a business where people from the other side of the tracks go for fast money is falling by the wayside. The nation's economic struggles are sending a whole new crop of clientele to pawnshops across the country. More

Forget eBay, Pawnshops Give Cash in a Flash
from WCPO-TV
Pawnbrokers have been the lenders of last resort since ancient times. Their customers would admit to being broke as they offered possessions in return for quick cash. But now, local pawn shops report seeing a higher class of borrower, one that might describe themselves as in a "negative cash flow situation" instead of admitting they're broke. More

Turn Gold Into Cash Without Getting Taken
from WCVB-TV
With gold trading at record high prices, many people are looking to turn old, unwanted jewelry into cash. “I have three bracelets and four rings. And I have about three pairs of earrings,” said Audrey Burchell of Boston. She said they’re all beautiful pieces that have little sentimental value. Burchell is hoping to turn her unwanted jewelry into cash. More

Economy Driving Some to Pawnshops for Quick Cash
from KTAR-TV
Tough times mean that some people are walking into pawn shops for the first time hoping to sell something. People are walking in and giving up their gold. "Anything from class rings to old gold teeth to gold charm bracelets. Just anything that's gold," said Bill Jachimek, owner of Central Pawn in Phoenix. Gold prices are at an all-time high, and people are hoping to cash in. More

Pawnshops Boom in Tough Times
from CNN
With credit hard to come by, some people turn to pawn shops for loans. "In the last four to five months, we’ve given out about 20 percent more money as compared to this same time last year," New York Pawnbroker Blain Messigner told CNN. More

Gold May Rise on Demand for Dollar Alternative, Survey Says
from Bloomberg
Gold may rise for a second straight week as the slumping dollar boosts demand for the precious metal as an alternative investment. Twenty-one of 28 traders, investors and analysts surveyed from Tokyo to Chicago advised buying gold, which rose 2.8 percent last week to $956.20 an ounce in New York. Five said to sell, and two were neutral. More

Pawnshops Spreading Rapidly
from The Press Association
Pawnbrokers could spread across UK high streets at a similar rate to coffee chains, the head of the UK's largest pawnbroker has said. John Nichols, chief executive of H&T Group, said the industry was expanding rapidly as its image became more mainstream. He said H&T, which currently has 106 stores in England and Scotland, plans to more than double its outlets in the next four to five years. More

Pawnshops See High-end Possessions
from WTVT-TV
Doris Sempert and her husband Bob like coming to Capital Pawn in Tampa every once in a while. "I am here to get a little extra money today," Sempert said with a smile. Times for them, like a lot of other people, are tough. Sempert is hoping to get a few hundred dollars for a gold ring she's had in her jewelry box for a while. More

'I Wanna Pawn This'
from New Hampshire Union Leader
Paula Spang has been here before. Even so, Debbie Mackey needs to be sure that the Compaq laptop Spang slides across the glass top counter at Once a Pawn And Time pawn shop in Derry, N.H., is still in good working order. Mackey plugs it in and tries to remember how to click through the Microsoft Vista information boxes. Then she casually asks Spang, "How much do you need?" More

Online Pawnshops to Avoid
from The Hartford Courant
The Connecticut Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to steer clear of two online pawnshops operated by Austin, Texas-based Rerun Media. The Web sites, DVDPawn.com and GamePawn.com, instruct consumers to send in their old DVDs and video games and promise to send them money the day the merchandise is received. But the bureau has received complaints from consumers who say they sent in games and DVDs but were paid less than they were promised or were not paid at all. More

Do Pawnshops Really Deserve That Bad of a Rap?
from Budgetsaresexy.com
Cuz I gotta tell you, I'm not that against pawnshops these days. The whole thing seems fairly legit to me: Person A needs money fast. Person A goes to pawnshop with valuable stuff. Pawnshop gives Person A money in return for valuable stuff. Person B comes in and buys goodies at a cheap cost. What's so bad about that? More

Short-term Cents: Recession Brings New Business to Pawnshop Owners
from Herald & Review
Since gas prices shot up to $4 last year, Perry Lewin has seen a boom in his business. Lewin is the owner of Decatur Jewelry & Pawn in Decatur. The flow of people is constant every day at pawnshops, and with the country in an economic slump, the service pawnshops provide is becoming more in demand. More