I found this show by accident one day and have been hooked ever since. To start with I am a Pawnbroker from Australia, which from my review may come to feel like I am a little bias, but on the other hand means I have a far greater understanding of both sides of the counter than most.
I can tell you with 100% honesty that this is a very realistic portrayal of pawnbroking. This store operates on a much much larger scale than my own but the situations and deals these guys make are very similar to my own.
There are a few things that you need to remember/know about this business. Number 1 is that the pawn shop is there to make money just like any other business, not charity! Do you really think any other store buys anything for the same price it sells it for? No and neither does a pawnbroker.
Number 2 is that yes they often deal with people in a lower socio-economic background but a lot of the time this is often a result of their own actions, mainly being Gambling, Drugs or Alcohol or simply spending more money than they have and dodging creditors they have screwed over and therefore and ruined their credit rating. Examples of this are shown in a couple of episodes where people have lost all their money at the casino, borrow more money and head straight back to "flip it"
I have had many of the same encounters as portrayed in this show and find the similarities amazing. Fair enough there is a bad side to it that you cant ignore but this is what its like. You have try to be fair to the customers but in the same moment doing whats best for the business which at times can be tough and makes for a very high stress environment. Having to try and know something about everything is very hard and anyone that thinks they can do better really should try it first. Buying, Loaning and even trying to sell 2nd hand goods is extremely challenging and full credit to these guys for making it work in the large scale they operate in.
I have yet to see the other show Pawn Stars that everybody seems to be comparing it to and this is on my ToDo list, but you need to watch a show for what it is rather than what other shows its like, because in all honesty just about everything now-days is a rip-off or spin on some other existing show.
Like most family business orientated shows it does sometimes focus a little too much on the family relationships as opposed to the business aspect of it but this also shows the stress that the business can cause and adds a little bit of depth to the people involved. Overall its a great insight into the world of pawnbroking and it does seem to be getting better as they go along.
I can tell you with 100% honesty that this is a very realistic portrayal of pawnbroking. This store operates on a much much larger scale than my own but the situations and deals these guys make are very similar to my own.
There are a few things that you need to remember/know about this business. Number 1 is that the pawn shop is there to make money just like any other business, not charity! Do you really think any other store buys anything for the same price it sells it for? No and neither does a pawnbroker.
Number 2 is that yes they often deal with people in a lower socio-economic background but a lot of the time this is often a result of their own actions, mainly being Gambling, Drugs or Alcohol or simply spending more money than they have and dodging creditors they have screwed over and therefore and ruined their credit rating. Examples of this are shown in a couple of episodes where people have lost all their money at the casino, borrow more money and head straight back to "flip it"
I have had many of the same encounters as portrayed in this show and find the similarities amazing. Fair enough there is a bad side to it that you cant ignore but this is what its like. You have try to be fair to the customers but in the same moment doing whats best for the business which at times can be tough and makes for a very high stress environment. Having to try and know something about everything is very hard and anyone that thinks they can do better really should try it first. Buying, Loaning and even trying to sell 2nd hand goods is extremely challenging and full credit to these guys for making it work in the large scale they operate in.
I have yet to see the other show Pawn Stars that everybody seems to be comparing it to and this is on my ToDo list, but you need to watch a show for what it is rather than what other shows its like, because in all honesty just about everything now-days is a rip-off or spin on some other existing show.
Like most family business orientated shows it does sometimes focus a little too much on the family relationships as opposed to the business aspect of it but this also shows the stress that the business can cause and adds a little bit of depth to the people involved. Overall its a great insight into the world of pawnbroking and it does seem to be getting better as they go along.