Need cash? Pawnshops edge into the mainstream
The Associated Press via Google News
Pawnshops are beckoning from the shadows. At a time when banks have shut their doors on those with bad credit, a growing number of borrowers are pawning their jewelry, electronics and other valuables to make ends meet. Consumer advocates say the development is concerning because the interest rates on loans from pawnshops can be as high as 20 percent a month. But pawnshop operators say they provide a critical lifeline to a group with few other options. More

The surplus shopper: Have yourself a scavenger's Christmas
The Salt Lake Tribune
Do you yearn for a shopping paradise that offers an intimate relationship with a small-box merchant who understands money is tight and is willing to work with you on price and layaway? And might even be open to a little price dickering? ... Pawnshops aren't just about broken-dream loans on jewelry, guitars and guns. About half their business is in retailing jewelry, tools, electronics and wonderfully weird items.More

Pawnshops buy gold for Black Friday
WALB-TV

Pawnshops call themselves the poor man's bank, but it's not just poor people. Rich, poor, all kinds of folks are pawning items for holiday cash, but store owners say selling gold is what they see the most. Dawson Road Jewelry and Pawn in Albany, Ga. said customers are selling gold, adding they have the holiday spirit in mind.More

Wheeling and dealing at Bangkok, Thailand's pawnshops
CNN International
Bangkok's pawnshops are distinguished by double doors — one at each end of their frontage — as if they are providing a separate entrance and exit. The double doors are, in theory, to allow people in Thailand to discreetly enter and exit without having to bump into each other and risk embarrassment, but many people just use whatever door is closer and convenient. More

Fund set up for pawnshop shooting victim's widow
WVLT-TV
A fund for the widow of Larry Snellings, the Tennessee man shot at a Clinton Pawn Shop earlier this month, was set up at Regions Bankm according to West Side Pawn's Susan Sherrod. Donations will be accepted at any of its branches under the name "Friends of Larry Snellings."More

Gold and silver prices continue to climb
Beacon Equity Research
Gold prices have risen to a one-week high in trading as worries about the sovereign debt crisis in Europe eased a little. Silver prices have also extended their gains in mid-day trading. Gold and silver prices rose sharply as the U.S. dollar fell after reports that European policymakers will implement fresh measures to contain the euro zone debt crisis. More

'Pawn Stars' offers jobs to NBA players
UPI
The owners of the Las Vegas pawn shop featured on History Channel series "Pawn Stars" are offering jobs to out-of-work NBA players. The family that owns Gold & Silver Pawn in downtown Las Vegas said it would love to hire NBA players who have found themselves without work during the lockout.
Editor's note: The NBA players and owners have reached a tentative deal to end the league's months-long lockout and begin play by Christmas Day, but a few hurdles still remain to be cleared. Both sides need to endorse the tentative agreement. More

Full pawnshops a sign of the times
KRQE-TV
The tough economy is turning people's personal belongings into their last remaining lifelines. In Albuquerque, N.M., ground zero in this emerging trend are pawnshops, and business has been booming all over the city. More

New rules adopted for pawnshops in Massachusetts community
GateHouse News Service via Enterprise News
Pawnbrokers who open shops in Middleboro, Mass., will find tighter regulations after selectmen voted unanimously to support rules proposed by the police chief. Police Chief Bruce Gates said tighter rules were necessary to protect the public. More

Oakland, Calif., freezes pawnshops to combat gold thefts
San Francisco Chronicle
Oakland, Calif., has put the brakes on new pawnshops amid fears that the growing number of secondhand dealers are conduits for crime. With the price of gold surging and economic troubles lingering, elected officials say the businesses are a destination for those who want to launder stolen gold into cash. More