Down here at the pawn shop
"... it's a nifty way to shop..."
So yeah, one day a week now, I work at the pawn shop. This is why I was in the bad section of town the other day, because that's where I work, North Philly. My job is to eBay the various items. I enjoy it. I don't work with the customers but I generally sit right near all the action and overhear everything.
Black lady: "Did they close down the Popeye's Chicken across the street?"
Staff: "Yeah."
Lady: "When did they do that?"
Staff: "Last month."
Lady: "Don't they know black people love fried chicken?"
Black dude: "You gotta give me five more dollars. I'm Jewish."
Jewish staffer: "Really? OK... what's the prayer we say before opening the Torah?"
Dude: "Uh..." (and he makes the throat-clearing sound, you know, the bit between the L and the Chaim in "l'chaim".)
Staffer: "Not good enough. Not good enough. Everybody knows it's a phlegm-based language."
I would love that job. I'm going to start haunting porn shops, too.
I will do that when I'm dead.
(pawn and porn are discernably different in pronunciation in most of the US. Not so much in the UK). Yes, playing chess caused a little discomfort for a while back in those first few years.......
Black dude: "You gotta give me five more dollars. I'm Jewish."
Jewish staffer: "Really? OK... what's the word we say before opening the Torah?"
Dude: "Uh..." (and he makes the throat-clearing sound, you know, the bit between the L and the Chaim in "l'chaim".)
Staffer: "Not good enough. Not good enough. Everybody knows it's a phlegm-based language."
That's fricking hysterical.
Long ago and far away, I worked at the main headquarters for EZPawn, doing low-level tech support for all the stores nationwide. And when I say low-level, I mean, "That thing is called a mouse. This is how you reboot the system." But they were usually really nice people who called in, lots of joking. I think you have to have a personality like that to be successful in a pawn shop, don't let the customers realize their dreams are being crushed in front of them.
Sounds like the kind of job I could love -you don't interact but you get to here all the stories.
And clodfobble again hits the nail on the head with the broken dreams bit.
I would love that job. I'm going to start haunting porn shops, too.
So, many of you know what the 'pull tickets' are, like you get at an Eagles or a Moose club, for gambling. They're folded and you unfold them to see if the ticket is a winner.
One unfold, two unfold, done. (I've provided the best picture I can find of unopened ones, for illustrative purposes. Unfortunately I can't find opened ones.)
Back before our Eagles closed, they had 5 or 6 jars of different kinds of tickets people could buy from. I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to them but there was a new set one week called Pork Chops. (The sets always have some sort of name and theme...this one you probably find a picture of a piggy and win a hundred bucks or something.) From the angle I was sitting at I read the sign as Porn Shop.
I told the bartender and he pretended like he was unfolding one:
one unfold, two unfold, three unfold, four unfold, five unfold...
Maybe you had to be there. :rolleyes:
Today was guitar day at the pawn shop. eBayed five guitars and one bass. I felt 'specially proud to do it, since I could write a really good evaluation of them. Often I have no idea what the item is about - last week there were a bunch of industrial tools, where I have no idea what they actually are.
Today the shop had a few interesting customer events. During the first one, a customer attempted to sell a PSP, but one of the buttons didn't work, making it worthless. She then made a phone call, right in the store, and had a loud discussion with her boyfriend.
Customer: "They wouldn't take the PSP. No. No I tried what you told me, I said exactly what you told me, but they check the buttons."
Staff: "Sorry your scam didn't go as you planned."
The racism in North Philadelphia is exquisite. One gentleman was unhappy at the offer he had been dealt and told everyone that "You are out of your goddamn white brains." We speculated that both his and our brains would actually be a sort of gray-pinkish color.
But I thought you northern folk were s'posed to be nice to the 'coloured' folk? lol
I wonder exactly what he told her to say?
It's about damn time we got a replacement for the nuthouse threads. We need more dwellars with interesting jobs!
One of the most interesting things about the pawn shop is that it's actually sort of colorblind, and simply has to be in order to survive. Even though the owner and half of the staff is Jewish, and 90% of the customers are black, all that is irrelevant: items are worth what they are worth, period.
I should note.
Some people are kind of anti-pawn shop, because they figure people are taken advantage of, and figure the shops are doing that.
But I dunno about you, but I get dinged for $35 when my bank balance goes below zero, which winds up being a higher percentage than just about any interest rate going, including pawning things.
At the end of the day, poor people get a pretty raw deal all around. It's not just bank fees, it's all kinds of things like this. The economy is built on the middle class; the poor people get screwed. The pawn shop just sits at the edge of all this economic desperation, and provides one additional way for people to get by.
I agree with you, UT. To make matters worse, the middle class threshold just keeps getting higher and higher, while wages don't.
It's about damn time we got a replacement for the nuthouse threads. We need more dwellars with [strike]interesting[/strike] paying jobs!
First things first.
Else UT is going to have to pawn the cellar.
I enjoyed perusing pawn shops near stateside military installations while I was in service. They had the usual fare plus individual soldiering equipment (e.g. uniforms, canteens, backpacks...etc.) which was nice for civilian pursuits like camping and such. My co-workers and I; however, would periodically check them out in search of military issue professional equipment.
Some GIs figured out that they could arrange to "lose" professional equipment while on local field training exercises. It could "accidently" happen in rough terrain, during parachute drops, water crossings and other higher risk operations many of which are performed under cover of darkness. The GIs would cache the equipment, note its location, report it as lost, retrieve it later and pawn it. If the GIs could come up with a convincing story, it would be chalked up as an operational loss and they'd get away with it. If the loss was determined to be due to negligence (their story wasn't quite good enough), the cost of the equipment could be deducted from their paychecks. To them it was worth the risk whether it turned out to be a freebie; or, a lump sum cash advance now from a pawn shop against military payroll deductions later.
Once the loss was settled, no one was looking for the equipment. The pawn shop could sell it and it was perfectly legal to buy as long as it wasn't a restricted military item. I've purchased some military issue medical equipment/instruments that way and got great deals. I've seen military issue specialty equipment in pawn shops where the staff didn't even know what it was let alone what it was worth. They just bought and sold the items as novelties. Good times.
And people bitch about welfare fraud.:right:
Today was guitar day at the pawn shop. eBayed five guitars and one bass. I felt 'specially proud to do it, since I could write a really good evaluation of them.
Are you successful selling on Ebay? I've tried, with little success. I really really want to be successful.
what kind of guitars are they? link to the auctions?
There were some kind of shitty ones, then there there was a really nice Ibanez hollowbody:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ibanez-hollowbody-electric-AG85-TRD-12-01-with-OHSC-/220970473369?pt=Guitar&hash=item3372ddd799#ht_809wt_1043
An Ibanez "acoustic electric" almost new, which had a lot of nice pearloid inlays:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ibanez-EWC30QHERLG-1201-Acoustic-Electric-Guitar-/220970508592?pt=Guitar&hash=item3372de6130#ht_638wt_1043
Here are all of the pawn shop's current auctions. Many things sell immediately:
http://www.ebay.com/csc/diversifiedauctions/m.html?_ipg=25&_from=&_nkw=&_armrs=1&LH_Complete=1&rt=nc
Are you successful selling on Ebay?
Yeah. The trick is to sell things Buy-It-Now, with Best Offer. To set the price, you go into Completed Listings for what you're selling, determine the "going price", and offer it at $5-$50 lower (depending on how pricey it is).
Then, if it still doesn't move after a while, and there are no offers, lower the B-I-N price over time.
In some categories, people are actively seeking items priced a little too low, and they set up and watch feeds for certain things and pounce on them. iPhones, for example, sell almost immediately. An iPhone 3G 16GB will fly if it's under $100. Even if it's listed as "for parts/not working", doesn't hold a charge, the sim card door is broken off, the bezel is rusty, and the back is cracked and broken.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item4ab4e7206b&item=320862625899&nma=true&pt=Cell_Phones&rt=nc&si=fmIDmujUJz1UfSKOfiQ3MGzWcOQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_547wt_1043Yeah. The trick is to sell things Buy-It-Now, with Best Offer. To set the price, you go into Completed Listings for what you're selling, determine the "going price", and offer it at $5-$50 lower (depending on how pricey it is).
This is exactly how I buy things. Find the going price and then look for newly listed buy-it-now items that are a little under the going price.
Yeah. The trick is to sell things Buy-It-Now, with Best Offer. To set the price, you go into Completed Listings for what you're selling, determine the "going price", and offer it at $5-$50 lower (depending on how pricey it is).
Then, if it still doesn't move after a while, and there are no offers, lower the B-I-N price over time.
In some categories, people are actively seeking items priced a little too low, and they set up and watch feeds for certain things and pounce on them. iPhones, for example, sell almost immediately. An iPhone 3G 16GB will fly if it's under $100. Even if it's listed as "for parts/not working", doesn't hold a charge, the sim card door is broken off, the bezel is rusty, and the back is cracked and broken.
Thanks.:thumb:
And now you know -- it's fair game to make offers too...!
One thing I really enjoy is when a pawn item has no going price. It's unique and there are no Completed Listings, or it's a few years older and no online retailer stocks them. Then it becomes my job to make up a price.
This week there was a pool cue and nobody knew anything about it. I researched it and found out it was made by a guy who only makes like 80 cues per year. We put it up at $599 because that was what some guy on a forum somewhere paid for his. The damn piece of wood went on an offer of $355.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item4ab4e80f60&item=320862687072&nma=true&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&si=fmIDmujUJz1UfSKOfiQ3MGzWcOQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_544wt_1043The guy that made the cue bought it for $355, and then sold it for $1,200
Win win win
I saw this
pawn shop article on CNN.
Pawn shops' popularity rises with TV shows, down economy
For years, pawn shops have had a seedy and hopeless connotation: people pawning items for short-term loans because they can’t get a loan from a bank or don’t qualify for mainstream credit. But over the past five years or so, pawn shops have had a whole new light shed on them.
In this down economy, especially with high credit-card and bank-loan interest rates, pawn shop business is up. Pawn popularity also is up because of reality shows like the History Channel’s "Pawn Stars."
"Pawn Stars" features the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas and its owner, Rick Harrison, who says pawning is banking at its most basic.
"You give collateral on a loan; (if) you don’t pay it back, you lose your collateral, and that’s the end of it," Harrison said. "There is no turning you into a credit reporting agency. There’s no suing you, no garnishing your wages. It’s just that simple."
...
This part might be in error:
Still, pawn shops can charge much more. In New York, pawn shops can charge up to 4% per month in interest, which would come out to a 48% APR,
If it's not compounded, then it is 48% APR, but if it's 4% compounded monthly, that's about 60% per year.
Hush now, you don't want the po' folk hearing that.
I pawned my Tag Heuer watch a number of times.
This was in the days before internet "payday" loans.
On one occasion it was days before my friend got married in Tuscany and I found out that my passport had expired. Bloody idiot.
I had to go to Peterborough to get my passport renewed by same-day service; about £70 I think. What with the return rail ticket and fees I was wiped out. I was also waiting for the Evil Ex's cheque to clear; he sent a cheque by post, rather than transferring the money - made no difference to him, completely fucked me up the arse budget-wise (money he owed me, not a gift)
I had four hours to kill. That's a long time in Peterbro'.
So I pawned my watch.
This was the most frivolous time I admit.
I got £50 (it was all I asked, I'd been paid £120 before) and was able to buy various travel items including a guidebook to Siena to peruse it over a long slow lunch.
I posted (mailed) them the fee when I got back from the wedding and they posted me the watch.
I can't remember what I paid, but for me that day, with no debit or credit card and no chequebook, it was a great deal.
I still have the watch. I just can't afford to have a battery fitted these days :(
Black dude: "You gotta give me five more dollars. I'm Jewish."
Jewish staffer: "Really? OK... what's the word we say before opening the Torah?"
Dude: "Uh..." (and he makes the throat-clearing sound, you know, the bit between the L and the Chaim in "l'chaim".)
Staffer: "Not good enough. Not good enough. Everybody knows it's a phlegm-based language."
It would have been simpler for him to ask him for the secret handshake...oops, I've said too much.:p:
Of course he could have also asked for the guy to prove that he was circumcised. A lot of non-Jews are, but it might have been worth five bucks to see the reaction.
I still have the watch. I just can't afford to have a battery fitted these days
So pawn the watch and buy a battery, silly.
I still have the watch. I just can't afford to have a battery fitted these days :(
Do you know what type of battery it uses?
Play.com do them. The cheaper ones are £1, dearer types about £3 - and even the postage is free in the UK!
http://www.play.com/Search.html?searchstring=watch+battery&searchsource=0&searchtype=ELEC
Fitting couldn't be easier.
Today was a nice day and the shop was relatively event-free. During the afternoon there was a long transaction with an ancient Italian woman. I was present for the last part of it, in which she spent a good two minutes thanking the store owner for his patience with her English.
I asked him whether that isn't more than a little heart-warming, when this old woman is so thankful. But he said no, he's seen enough people trying to warm up to him in order to play some scam of some kind.
The store owner is a patient guy indeed, unless you suggest he is fraudulent or unfair, and then he has no time for you. Last week there was a long transaction, too long to document here, where an onlooker began interrupting and saying that the shop was going to underpay no matter what. The onlooker was just having some keys made, but he was thrown out, his money given back, no keys made.
The one thing that did happen was that the shop ran into its eBay seller limit: $12000 per month. They have to wait until the 22nd to call eBay again to raise this limit.
In the weeks that I've been there, my average is $3500 per 7 hour day eBaying items. I generally go through about one item in 20 minutes, taking pictures and such.
By hosting images on my own server I have proven to be a big benefit to the owner. eBay charges for additional image hosting; I do it for free and thus save the shop a few bucks each day.
Today the most interesting item to me was a
year old Dell laptop, 14" screen that should fetch about $300. Having run a bunch of laptops through eBay, I find now that I would not want a 15.6" screen as people are all going these days. 14" is fine and it saves on battery life.
Also I would never buy such a thing new. My gawd I have seen some perfectly good items go through my fingers at this point. Some of them there was nothing wrong and in fact, for the 14" Dell laptop, there is even some factory warranty left so if the item arrives wrong you can fix it via Dell for free.
Well yesterday the owner's eBay limit was raised to like $20,000 per month. That meant today was work day. It wasn't much fun... but since it's the season, this is when the golf items should go. So I had to list all the contents of three different bags of mixed clubs, and several individual irons. Tedious, and hard to photograph.
A lot of serious tools come through. I like the heavy-duty stuff. I particularly like it when I have no idea what they're used for. That means, when I write the description, I have to be...
creative
How about an immense circular blade, hooked up to a big-ass gas motor, on tiny wheels? I looked it up and found only that it is a "concrete cut-off saw". I guess if you have too much concrete, you have to cut some of it off. It even shpritzes water on the saw, so the saw doesn't get too hot. That's some mighty shit right there.
Available for sale and heavily used is this Hilti DSH 700 concrete saw. Melted/etched into the chassis is "NBC" and "5209" but that doesn't effect how this mighty industrial saw will cut through any concrete you need to be cut.
Fuck it, whoever is looking for a Hilti DSH 700 is gonna know what it is and why they need to pay at least $500 for one. They are going to be having too much concrete, and will need to cut it right off.
I didn't hear any really interesting customers today. I think there was a guy with a big plasma TV and he was unhappy about how little pawn value it had. Here's the thing, though: big plasma TVs are a pain in the ass to store. They're just big and awkward and can't be taken downstairs. So there's not much the shop can do, but offer like $120 pawn value for a 55-inch plasma. This in turn makes some people think the shop is just ripping people off. No, it really is that some things have less pawn value, for reasons you didn't think of.
It is only in the last few years that I really got the point about shelf space/volume.
How much space is it going to take up in my shop? How long is it going to take to sell it? What else could go in that space for that time? How much mark-up will I need for this thing to justify its presence?
Not only that, but big TVs have fallen in price a lot over the last few years. I paid about $1200 for my big TV and I now see ones the same size with better quality for sale new for around $600. :right:
Are you actually able to sell golf clubs out of there? I have a set of nice, clean ones, ladies' Cobras, with photos that I could pass along. I've only used them a few times, but they are about 10 or so years old.
I love them, but I don't have much chance to use them.
I've seen saws like that used to make relief cuts in concrete pads so they don't crack.
Any archery items? I'm looking for parts of a compound bow to build a crossbow.
I guess it's the wheels that make a concrete saw different from a tile saw. I've seen tile saws that do the "water on the blade" thing, but they all have a table surface for the tile to sit on, like a miter saw would.
FWIW - The water is used so the blade doesn't get to hot and warp. Also keeps the fine dust from getting everywhere.
Those blades have diamonds on them and are VERY expensive.
So far almost none of the clubs have gone, but that may be because I priced them too high. We start with a higher price and work down.
So far zero archery items. I don't know that the shop takes weapons.
Golf clubs are weapons. We need a permit to own them here.
There's a lot of second hand sporting goods places around where people can inspect larger items like golf clubs firsthand. Seems like it would involve a lot of good quality pics to provide that same buyer information online.
Staff: Oh, that item is not silver, that's white gold.
Gal: Oh OK
Staff: I just didn't want you to be confused.
Guy: She's always confused.
Staff: (laughs)
Gal: OK thank you very much! (they start to leave)
Gal: Some day you're going to stop picking on me.
Guy: And some day, you're going to be one inch high.
That made me smile.
I love goofin' with folks.
If it makes me laugh it goes here.
Staff: Oh, that item is not silver, that's white gold.
Gal: Oh OK
Staff: I just didn't want you to be confused.
Guy: She's always confused.
Staff: (laughs)
Gal: OK thank you very much! (they start to leave)
Gal: Some day you're going to stop picking on me.
Guy: And some day, you're going to be one inch high.
kid at my buddy's gold buying store: I got this ring.... I know silver isn't worth much, but what'll you give me?
Buddy: How's $35
kid: wow, cool. thanks
kid leaves
Buddy: that's why you keep your mouth shut
me: huh?
hands me the ring.... 10K inside the band
me: It's not silver.
Buddy: White gold.
me: you prick.
Buddy: fool and his money.
Woman: Can I get an item out without a ticket? I have this letter.
Staff: Sure, with your ID.
Woman: OK.
Staff: Oh this item is not under your ID.
Woman: *sigh* (long pause) I'ma be honest with you, this is my jewelry and I believe my boyfriend pawned it without me knowing. I asked him if he did that and he said no, but he didn't know there would be a letter. (note: the shop sends you notice of your item's status at some point.)
Staff: If it's under his name, we need him to come in with his ID.
Woman: Can I just bring his ID?
Staff: No, it has to be him.
Woman: Can I see the jewelry?
Staff: We're not even actually allowed to show you it legally.
Woman: So I can drag him in here...
Staff: Not at gunpoint please. Just hold on to his ear and bring him in.
I'm hoping this happens today while I am here. Sorta.
Hmmm...what if she reported the jewelry as stolen and gave the police the possible location (pawn shop)? Would she be able to retrieve it then?
Dude (to the staffer working with him) (with a sense of humor about it): Next time I come in I want to deal with that guy. You look like a Jew. (pause, looks at the other staffer) Actually you're probably Jewish too.
Staffer: Yes and you're probably black.
(Dude was wrong: the guy he was working with is not Jewish. The second guy is.)
I don't know about the legal bits yet. But there's one thing I forgot. When she was told not to bring him in at gunpoint she answered
"Don't worry about that... I like my freedom."
I think if she pressed charges the cops would take it as evidence.
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2
Still at the shop, although they don't need me as much as they thought, because I get shit done and sell things fast. Today was laptop day as 5 different laptops needed to be documented and sold. There were not many customers because the sidewalk in front of the shop is being reconstructed, which caused business to fall about 50%.
The only funny customer today was one gentleman who decided to sing lead vocals to a song on the radio, and pretty much did the whole song. And he was great! I didn't know the song so I still don't know which song he did, but I completely welcome this kind of thing.
Still at the shop, although they don't need me as much as they thought, because I get shit done and sell things fast.
So, how many other pawn shops are there in your area?
Up here at the pawnshop...
I am a regular customer at my local pawnshops, though I am only a buyer, not a borrower. I've gotten tools, toys (same thing pretty much), electronics, etc. I have an idea of something I want and I just troll through the local pawnshops and thrift stores, keeping my eyes open for the item(s) I want. Most of my visits I leave empty handed, but sometimes I find the thing I'm looking for, or sometimes I find a new thing.
I've been looking for a new bicycle. Well, stopped by the pawnshop, the bikes are outside of course and there was nothing of interest to me. Little bikes for littler people, fancy bikes for affluenter people... nothing for me though. I went inside, made a circuit of the store, nothing today, nothing unusual. As I walked out the door onto the sidewalk, there was a guy walking toward the door... pushing a bike.
"Hey, you want to buy a bike?"
"What do you want for it?"
"$150."
I look over the bike. It is very clean, not new, just clean. Lubricated, tightened, it looks ridden but well maintained. The guy is into his spiel as I'm checking it out and I decide I'll take it.
"I'll give you $120 for it."
"$135."
"Ok."
Turns out I have only $130 on me... a little embarrassing. But after raiding the ashtray for my parking meter money, we seal the deal (with the last five dollars paid in gold dollar coins). I ask him for the combination to the kryptonite lock, he gives it to me and demonstrates how to operate it. We shake hands practically on the threshold of the front door of the store, which feels a little weird.
I roll the bike to the car, remove the front wheel and manage to store the bike and the front wheel in the back seat of the car. When I get home, I take it out, reassemble it, take it for a nice ride, check it all out. It's in great shape. I look up this model on the internet and I almost have a heart attack. The top hits for a Gary Fisher bike are in the low $2000 range. Ho. Ly. Crap. But this turns out not to be one of those bikes, merely one of the $350 models. Which is still fine, I like the bike and it likes me.
Here's a link to a detailed description of the bike.
Am I the only person who reads pawn and immediately thinks prawn instead?
Prawnshop. Still raises a grin every time.
I always think of pwn, myself. The pwn shop is the place where 10-year-olds frag and swear at each other.
Some customers are "not all there". There is an opiates clinic down the street. Sometimes customers will reek of alcohol. Or they may just be morons. It's always an adventure.
Dude: Do you have any idea?
(It sounds like idea to me, and it sounds like idea to my boss, E)
E: Idea?
Dude: You know, idea?
E: I-D-E-A?
Dude: Do you have idea?
E: I don't know what you're asking.
Dude: Do you have any shopping carts?
E: No, we don't have those.
Dude: Because I have to get a shopping cart first. You sell those movies?
E: The movies are behind you. You're looking into a mirror.
Dude: Why do you keep the movies behind glass?
E: Where would you like us to keep them?
Dude: No, why do you keep them behind glass?
E: I said, where would you like us to keep them?
Dude: I need to find a shopping cart first.
E: We don't have any.
And, some notes from earlier that I didn't share before. I wrote these down on my phone and never got around to sharing.
Two guys came in trying to sell a Verizon set-top cable box. They laughed long and hard when told it had no value.
and
Porn buyer was really loud about "nice big black tittays".
Today I learned that we do not buy porn DVDs from the general public, although there are some stocked. Someone told a customer "We don't buy it, the porn comes directly from the distributor." This statement led me to many questions. Our main expert buyer said that used porn DVDs are a gross idea, but I didn't really understand, because buying your porn from a pawn shop is already plenty of notches down on the social etiquette chain. Here's to thinking that the boss, a more moral and better man than I, just doesn't care to traffic in the $1 profit per buy. Even bordering the ghetto, there's a type of customer you don't really need to attract.
I bought second-hand porn in Amsterdam.
It was part of a buy-and-exchange scheme. You brought back DVDs you had watched and got money off those you wanted to buy. It was much cheaper than buying online.
Hey UT, do you buy Mad Magazines or vinyl albums?
No, the shop is really a bad place for collectibles. Pawn Stars it ain't. You'd get good money for the former on eBay, I don't know about the vinyl market.
(I should, since I have about 500 LPs headed for storage in a few weeks)
(I can be hired to do eBaying)
How much for an Ebay?
Current market capitalization is $64.1 billion.
How many magazines are there and what are the general years of publication, and what condition are they in?
How many magazines are there and what are the general years of publication, and what condition are they in?
I think there are 70ish, starting in 1954 (in fact there are a couple of copies of Mad's precursor, "Maniac" IIRC), including many special editions. Condition is "read, then stacked or packed".
My question, though, is how do you charge? Do you take a percentage? Or a per-item fee? Or something else? Would you sell anything? [SIZE="3"][SIZE="2"][COLOR="Silver"]Well, anything legal... I have this 21 year old daughter that I might sell, but that's a different story.;)[/COLOR][/SIZE][/SIZE]
Yah eBay won't take daughters, you gotta go to Craigslist for that.
Turns out it's only the older mags in excellent condition that are worth anything, and even then, it's not an antiques roadshow lottery winnings kind of deal.
To give you an idea, there was a lot of 3, 1953 #3 #6 #8 that went for $187. But it falls right off the cliff, in condition and era: a set of 12 from 1955-1960, in average to poor condition, went for $40.
It appears collectors want individual issues, and it's ALL ABOUT THE GRADE.
Individual 1955-57 goes from $20-$50 depending on grade. 58 and on, the floor price for an individual issue goes all the way down to $3. By 1959 the average price is $15 with shipping.
It takes me a good 15 minutes per listing to scan/photograph, write it up, and list, and I like to get $15/hour. If I take a percentage and they sell for an average of $5, it wouldn't be worth it to either of us!
So!
What I would do is go to the
eBay guide page on comics, read the grading scale from mint to poor, and then evaluate only the early editions 1954-1959 for grade. I would not go Buy-it-Now on these, I would set a reserve at an estimated value minus $5-10 and see where it goes.
If you do that and let me know what the grades are, I'll come up with a plan for how I can eBay them for you and get reasonable value for both you and me. Howzat?
We can do this on my eBay account if I'm in charge of shipping. I have a 100% eBay rating for about 170 items. Also, actual scans of the magazines is best for this kind of thing. I have a good, but slow scanner...
The only Mad that gets antiques roadshow levels is #1, 1952. If you have that one, you should get it encased in plastic straightaway. One in Very Fine grade got nearly $1000.
I guess all of mine from the 1980s will continue to sit in my attic until I'm much older, then.
I guess all of mine from the 1980s will continue to sit in my attic until I'm much older, then.
Oh, I'm falling in love with you again all over. You dorky, nerdy geek.
Howzat?
I'll work on it. Thanks.
I've done real well selling on Ebay over the years but when I started I had some bad experiences. I sold some big items from my studio, big light stands and a huge boom light and I way underestimated the shipping and took a bath on those items. I find it best to try to take good pictures (not a problem for me as I shot tons of catalogs in my past life) and have good descriptions. Last month I sold the last of my darkroom gear, some of which was pretty thrashed. I also had a Canon lens which was in great shape and with camera stuff I always save the boxes and paperwork. I ended up making about $1500 and turned around and bought another lens; a Tamron 24-70mm with IS (which Canon's version does not have). Loving the lens!
I've mostly bought guns and camera gear from pawn shops and only once sold to a shop. Actually I guess I took a loan out against the item as I could get more for it. It was my first 10 gauge shot gun, a Spanish side by side that I shot many many geese with. It was getting barrel bulge down at the end of the barrel from shooting steel shot which it was not designed to do and is rather dangerous as the barrel can eventually explode. I got $350 for it, the pawn shop never checked the barrel or saw the bulge. I took the money and went and bought an Ithica 10 gauge automatic shotgun, quite possibly the best gun ever made for goose hunting. Big and heavy but absorbs all the kick.
I got $350 for it, the pawn shop never checked the barrel or saw the bulge.
:redcard:
Hi, remember me?
I'm enjoying this thread. Since I left you last, I've opened an antiques & vintage shop and selling on eBay is something I do every damn day. :)
I really enjoy it; it works very well for me and keeps me afloat during slow times at the shop. I want to know, however, how do you properly ship a guitar? Seems complicated. Anything bigger than a large USPS Priority Mail box I generally make people pick up in person. Largest thing I've shipped was a 1950s heavy-duty sewing machine, but that wasn't particularly fun to do.
I don't actually do the shipping part, but I do know the boss has special guitar shipping boxes he uses.
Hi, remember me?
HI JUNIPER!!!! :waving!!!!: I thought of you recently. Glad to hear you're doing well. :D
Only six laptops today, and they were all monstrous pieces of crap.
My favorite item today was an Acer 10" tablet that would only boot every third time it was powered up. Good luck with that. I also sold an old sampler, a brand-new Dewalt 18V drill/impact drill kit, a brand new Beats headphone that someone will overpay for, a powerful Nikon flash, an old Sony 4-track recorder that records to Minidisk, a concrete cut-off saw and a DJ controller unit that you plug into a Mac.
Today I listed approximately $3000 worth of items. Some days I list more, some days less. I think the highest-priced item I've listed was some sort of high-falutin' audio processing studio gear. Either that or a designer watch.
You mean like a Swatch? ;)
Do you deal in guns? Antiques (pre-1899) are exempt from regulation
I don't think we do collectibles or antiques of any kind. Pawn Stars is fake...
I don't think we do collectibles or antiques of any kind. Pawn Stars is fake...
No, no...you mean
porn stars are fake.
A customer just came in and gave a USA Today newspaper to our man behind the counter.
Free of charge, he didn't want anything, wasn't shopping, wasn't pawning, just wanted to give someone his newspaper to read.
Only problem is, it wasn't today's edition. Or yesterday's.
This worked out OK because we use newspaper to pack items for shipping.
I sell a lot of iPhones in various states of disrepair. Just now I was given a broken iPhone 3GS to sell. It wouldn't slide to unlock and it was thought the screen was broken. I pressed a few other buttons and got it to unlock. Before erasing it, which we always do before selling any electronics gear, I figured I would take a look to see if there was anything illegal on it, because that can be fun. Went to the gallery and the first shot is a dick-pic, a dude with his junk all hanging out.
~ erase all ~
probably a prank by one of his buddys.
I do that any time someone leaves their phone in the bathroom. but i use my ass crack for the offensive photo. and then I make it their wallpaper.
good times.
So, I stopped at that pawn shop yesterday and replaced my son's laptop. he's stoked. and he owes me 12.5 hours of labor.
It was a good thing that Thinkpad was still around, because there were no new laptops for sale yesterday due to the short week after the storm.
Alan, the guy who runs the shop, was considering taking that laptop for his wife, but an even better one came off pawn this week. You got a good one!
We should have gotten a picture of us at the shop. WE R NOT SMRT
Aw, man, no picture? Bummer.
Aw, man, no [STRIKE]picture[/STRIKE] [COLOR="Red"]evidence[/COLOR]? Bummer.
FTFY :haha:
They had to let another guy go at the shop. So...
It turns out that I am going to be getting a lot more shifts at the pawn shop and I'm gonna be a part-time pawn broker, at least through the end of the year.
this is a good thing
I guess
Well, I guess I'm happy for you.
I feel utterly and completely sure that I'm sort of happy for you, I think. ;)
Six more steps forward and you can turn into a queen!
New experiences are good ... mostly. This one hopefully will be!
Soon you'll be setting up a new broker site in your home, cleaning up on college kids dumping hardware for beer money.
congrats on your new additional half job!
Soon you'll be setting up a new broker site in your home, cleaning up on college kids dumping hardware for beer money.
Doooo eeeeeet! Their parents bought them that computer anyway, they'll be happy to trade it for $20 in weed.
Awesome. This can only mean more, and funnier tales to be told in this thread!
Plus, you'll make lots of money!
what about Other People's Money?
Other People's Cash Money ... the BEST kind!
No great stories so far although the guys here say that weird behavior is so common that you just get used to it. The strangest thing here so far is that a rat, or something, crawled into the space between the floors and died, and the smell in the back room is really bad. Meanwhile I just learn and learn how things operate.
a dead rat in a wall or floor is going to smell rough for a week. you need to catch a few rat snakes and turn them loose. they'll take care of the mice and rats, plus they will scare robbers away
Blegh. That's an all-too-common odor in my neighborhood, with all the restaurants.
Grill some onions in the back room, that will cover up the smell.
Yesterday we had a gentleman indicating that he wanted to buy an adult DVD for a bachelor party. Since the pending wife was Asian, he specifically wanted a porn where a black guy had sex with an Asian woman. I accepted the task of looking through our meager selection of about 100 DVDs, for black-on-Asian porn. The only Asian title included a white man and a white woman double-teaming an Asian. The gentleman found this to be acceptable.
In the meantime I found that our selection included five MIDGET titles. I don't know whether this is because they were the only movies that didn't sell, or whether we in fact specialize in midget porn.
I don't judge.
This is my favorite thread
I'm thinking an infographic of the shop's DVD selection would be a good thing.
Hey, I remember those porns! They must have made their way to North Philly after we closed our video store.
Today a woman asked my coworker to pick an adult title for her.
He asked if she wanted "regular" or "weird". "Regular."
He said he's had many guys ask him to pick one and this was the first woman to ask.
Also today we had a game of "Retarded or High" as a gentlemen arrived at 10am and took a good 10 minutes to decide whether he should buy two DVDs or three. (movie DVDs, not porn.) Since I have to actually pull the DVDs from the shelf, this was a terrible inconvenience for me.
He had a lot to say about how he might make his selection, but I only understood about a third of what he said. His eyes were permanently half-closed but it wasn't a weed sort of look, more like his eyelids were just too heavy to make full mast.
Once I gave him his change he took another two minutes to actually leave, still lingering around the DVDs he could have picked but didn't. We're going to say High this time, because of his slurred speech and complete lack of focused direction, but it was really a tough call.
Most alarming this week was my foray into eating in the hood. I got a chicken fried rice from the Questionable Chinese Place "Happy What-the-fuck-ever".
Many Chinese places have faded, lit signs of food that kind of resembles what you might get. At this place, one of these signs was labeled "Fride Scallops". I will try to get a pic next week... if I have the guts to go back.
Three people were waiting for food when I arrived to pick up my order, and the Chinese lady behind the nasty plexiglass literally yelled at everybody "NOT WEADY! NOT WEADY!"
I really have to remember to pack lunch. There are only iffy places to choose from, and my coworkers seem not to mind so much that these places don't have well-paid suburban health inspectors coming around at regular intervals to check whether the fry grease has been changed out in the last month, or, ever.
"Retarded or High"
Nice. This is even better than Dead, Canadian, or Wife-Beater.
... the Chinese lady behind the nasty plexiglass literally yelled at everybody "NOT WEADY! NOT WEADY!"
Maybe she was bummed because her porn career didn't take off.
a dead rat in a wall or floor is going to smell rough for a week. you need to catch a few rat snakes and turn them loose. they'll take care of the mice and rats, plus they will scare robbers away
My BIL and SIL have had a dead squirrel in their bathroom wall for several years. It still stinks in there.
My BIL and SIL have had a dead squirrel in their bathroom wall for several years. It still stinks in there.
I wonder if its being moistened occasionally by the plumbing or poor ventilation?
My BIL and SIL have had a dead squirrel in their bathroom wall for several years. It still stinks in there.
Goodness, for several years??!!? Why don't they just tear the wall out and take out that stink?
Today I was listing things and not behind the pawn counter, but a milestone occurred anyway. A black woman called me "baby".
"Hey baby! Remember I was here yesterday! I tole you I was coming back!"
She was, and she did. I gave her a big grin and thumbs-up. I'm 48 years old and she called me baby. I love that.
Goodness, for several years??!!? Why don't they just tear the wall out and take out that stink?
It's a plaster and lath wall with wall paper. That may be the reason. It's a sore subject with them so I avoid it. My nose is super sensitive to smells and is easily offended, if it were my house it wouldn't have been a week before it was torn open.
On today's edition of "Retarded or High", a woman could not comprehend the price of having two keys made.
We duplicate keys for $2 each, and after digging in her pockets and bringing out all her nickels, the woman found that she only had $3.50. It took me about three minutes to explain that either I could make one key for $2, or she could come back with fifty more cents and I could make both keys.
In this case she was ruled Retarded. About 10% of our customers are profoundly uneducated and moronic. That part of the job is pretty sad.
And I know we're not supposed to use the word "retarded", but I'm on the fence here because these people are just amazingly fucking retarded. I'm not sure how they get through their day.
And I know we're not supposed to use the word "retarded", but I'm on the fence here because these people are just amazingly fucking retarded. I'm not sure how they get through their day.
I think it is clear to fluent, native English speakers within the span of several generations that we can broadly define as our cultural peer group, that the word "retarded" is, at this point in time, 1) NEVER used to mean a person who is developmentally delayed due to some genetic or physiological condition, and 2) ALWAYS used to mean someone who made a bone-headed decision, or even has semi-permanently stunted their own cognitive capacity via some poor lifestyle choice such as heavy drinking or religion.
But seriously, we all know what it means. Right now I am spending a lot of time with a close friend of ours whose daughter is severely developmentally delayed. You don't use the "R" word around Mama bear simply because you don't want to get the lecture. Immediately afterwards, when not in her presence and there is no imminent argument-causing subjects hanging over your head like a grand piano, cultural normalcy and the accepted meanings of words in the English language resumes.
Sorry folks, words have meanings. We don't get to force a custom dictionary on the rest of humanity.
Sorry folks, words have meanings. We don't get to force a custom dictionary on the rest of humanity.
Of course we do. The N word used to be in common use, and now it's not.
But, I want to use the word Nutritious.
Of course we do. The N word used to be in common use, and now it's not.
The "N" word is patently offensive and was conceived of and understood to be as such.
Help me understand the relation to decommissioned medical terminology such as moron, idiot, and imbecile...??? These are no longer defined in the diagnostic lexicon, and are universally understood to have a non-medical meaning. Retard is the latest word to enter into this harmless category. I believe that there is no misunderstanding about what is meant to refer to someone or something as retarded. You can force the conflict, but you have to distort natural discourse to get there.
If it's not offensive to some people, then why are we talking about it?
I tried to find a clip of Louis C.K. doing his rant about "The N word" from his show, Chewed Up, but they all had ads in front of them. Which sucks because they are stealing his content and monetizing it. Steal it and put it up for free, OK, but earning ad revenue? fuck you.
Anyway, look for it.
Nevermind, here's the transcript:
...The thing that offends me the most, is every time that I hear the “N” word. Not “nigger” by the way. I mean the “N” word, literally whenever a white lady on CNN with nice hair says: “The ‘N’ word.” That’s just white people getting away with saying nigger, that’s all that is. They found a way to say nigger. “N word.” It’s bullshit cause when you say the “N word” you put the word nigger in the listeners head. That’s what saying a word is. You say the N word and I go oh she means nigger. You're making me say it in my head. Why don’t you fucking say it instead and take responsibility, with the shitty words you wanna say. Just say it, don’t hide behind the first letter like a faggot just say it, say nigger you stupid cunt. I don’t know I don’t care. Somebody will kick my ass.
I mean all this sh!t goes on in my head. I don’t – really – like: I thought the word nigger the other day – I’m gonna tell you this story and it wasn’t racist it wasn’t even a race even connotation, let me tell you what happened. I went to a coffee place and it was a – cool a cool indie coffee – I don’t like Starbucks anymore cause you go there and they – they don’t care anymore, they just press a button and some old ladies diarrhea comes out and they give it to you. So I go to a young people cool coffee place with a like: My band’s playing notices on the wall. And it’s like called The hollowing do-whatever thing. The dude behind the counter has got a tight t shirt and a ponytail and he’s ah: “What’s up man?” And I was like: “Hey could I get a cappuccino?” And he’s like: “Ya, right on, ya.” Really like. He’s amazed that he could help me like. “Oh ya, I got all the stuff right here.” “That’s awesome.” And so he starts making my coffee just so, he works so hard, he ground the beans, just that one cup and put em in the thing and tamped them with this old thing, he click clacked and click and fuckin and then he took the milk and he frothed it for like an hour and then he banged it on the counter, I don’t know why – it was awesome, he scooped it in, and put a little Cocoa on it. And then “Here you go, man.” And I was just blown away. For some reason as I left there the thought in my head was: “That nigger made the shit out of my coffee.” I don’t know why. He wasn’t black. It was what was in my heart for some reason. Was that nigger made the shit out of my coffee. I don’t know. I don’t care.
Yeah. I agree with him. But at the same time, I have a hard time bringing myself to type the actual word.
Glatt, we're talking about it #1 because UT mentioned it; but I get your point, he mentioned the thing that exists, that we're talking about. The question to me is, not why are we talking about it by why does it exist? I think that a large part of the reason is that as a modern, enlightened society we get into a sort of competition to find things to be offended by--it's a way of showing our refined cultural acumen, and as we all know, people love to show off and look superior.
Now, when making that effort, we have to pretend to forget what words mean, I draw the line. Because, to me intellectual honesty is more important than a semantic pissing contest.
Our society moves forward at a blistering pace, with new information and modes of communication developing overnight, leading us to Kurzweil's predicted singularity in 2045, for which known sociological models cannot make predictions. In this context, I am baffled that as I discuss this topic on the magic box in my pocket which sends my thoughts all over the world in the blink of an eye, I might have to walk on eggshells because someone is arbitrarily choosing word definitions from a paper copy of a dictionary from before I was born!
Which is it? Are we moving forwards or backwards?
I don't know. Sometimes a word will cross over the line and become hurtful and I don't like to be an asshole and I don't want to hurt anyone. On the other hand, retarded is such a useful and colorful term and people should buck up and stop their whining. I don't know.
My lecture begins...
IMO, the written or spoken use of the "N-word" and "retard" points to
the character of the speaker, not the person or behavior, or the listener.
For parents and relatives of individuals with disabilities, the word "retarded"
is not just some simple, clean, description of some silly/immature action.
It's has become a degrading, prejudiced word that conveys that
the speaker has little or no respect for their child.
... particularly since that same kind of "retarded behavior" can/does
come about through accident or illness, not just mental maturity.
The word used to be in the name of the national organization,
the ARC, Association for Retarded Children. As those children grew older,
the group changed the name to Association for Retarded Citizens.
Now, due to inappropriate schoolyard use of "retard", the organization
has become simply, The ARC of the Untied States.
The Wiki description of "Euphemism treadmill" with respect
to Disability and Handicap is worth reading (
here)
Ironically, parents originally used the word "retarded" as a word of hope !
... their hope that with time their child catch up and eventually be "normal" for their age.
But the degrading use of the word by others prompted the changes in the meaning of the ARC.
If you're not a Black-American or a relative of a person with disabilities,
you are probably not feeling the real pain the use of such words can/does inflict.
My bottom line is in my signature below...
A black woman just called me "sweetie". It is a good day.
But my mama reports that she hates being called "sweetheart" sort of names by clerks and such. She reports that, as an old woman, there are more and more people calling her things like that. She's quite miserable at times, and really good at casting things in a negative light. Sometimes I must pay her no heed or the negativity sinks in.
I don't know. Sometimes a word will cross over the line and become hurtful and I don't like to be an asshole and I don't want to hurt anyone.
I agree with this.
On the other hand, retarded is such a useful and colorful term and people should buck up and stop their whining.
I see truth in this, and yet I think that "retard" has not only crossed over into being hurtful, it was probably hurtful all along, and I think that trumps any literary color the word imparts. I think there are other colorful words that offend nobody.
A quick Thesaurus search:
idiot, blockhead, clod, dunce, fool, imbecile, moron, nincompoop, nitwit, dimwit, bonehead, dolt, dullard, ignoramus, numskull, simpleton, twit, birdbrain, buffoon, donkey, dope, dork, drip, dunderhead, goof, goof ball, half-wit, knucklehead, lame-brain, lightweight, ninny, oaf, pinhead, scatterbrain
well, maybe clodfobble would be insulted by one of those.
We enjoy using the epithet, "Knucklehead" freely.
I think you are all a bunch of retarded n***** c****.
Well there you have it. I spoke that into tapatalk. It censored the bad ones. Use retard as much as you want to.
I thought retarded just meant you got new tires..?
I now say reTARD like fat jesus.
I consider myself both a geek and a nerd; these used to be degrading insults, but no longer, as we grew up and realized that we are okay. Other really bad words, like "queer" and "nigger" have been co-opted by a purposeful campaign to "take back" the words and remove their power. Other bad words lose their impact through attrition, falling by the wayside of common usage or understood meaning.
The ones that stay in the spotlight, never go away, and never get defused, stay "bad" --but is this the word's fault, or the way it is handled, having its power and "badness" actually championed and perpetuated by the very people who wish the word would simply vanish in a puff of collective amnesia?
I guess self-proclaimed geeks, nerds, queers, and niggers are speaking for themselves, whereas the citizens against calling things retarded are erring on the side of caution in the defense of a protected class.
And I understand that, but it doesn't mean they aren't doing the exact wrong thing.
I have been on the fence about cloning "what makes you a tad apprehensive..." with
"what makes you, a tard, apprehensive..." But I think it is in poor taste.
Every day a story at the Shop. No, every hour really.
I'm feeling a little out of my element today because I'm still learning, and there is an infinite amount to learn. I'm making little mistakes a lot because there are all these little different ways of doing everything. It's dizzying.
Today I really got into identifying gold. The test for real gold is interesting: you scratch the item on a slate, and put a drop of nitric acid over the visible scratch mark. If it disappears, it's not gold. The acid eats away anything else. This method has been known for centuries, and is the origin of the phrase "stand the acid test".
I also learned which drawer in the safe you shouldn't open, because it contains nothing, but triggers a silent alarm. Glad they taught me that on my fifth day.
idiot, blockhead, clod, dunce, fool, imbecile, moron, nincompoop, nitwit, dimwit, bonehead, dolt, dullard, ignoramus, numskull, simpleton, twit, birdbrain, buffoon, donkey, dope, dork, drip, dunderhead, goof, goof ball, half-wit, knucklehead, lame-brain, lightweight, ninny, oaf, pinhead, scatterbrain
well, maybe clodfobble would be insulted by one of those.
No way, my username is intended to imply a certain amount of self-deprecation.
My personal preference is "shit-wit." But for the record, I do say the word "retarded" all the time, myself, and I really should stop because I'm sure I have accidentally said it among friends who are offended by it.
Every day a story at the Shop. No, every hour really.
Sorry i can haz hijack ur thread, broseph. My bad.
:::non-gay ass slap:::
Good hustle, good hustle.
Put on you rally caps--we're still in this!
[COLOR="Red"]A black woman just called me "sweetie". It is a good day.[/COLOR]
But my mama reports that she hates being called "sweetheart" sort of names by clerks and such. She reports that, as an old woman, there are more and more people calling her things like that. She's quite miserable at times, and really good at casting things in a negative light. Sometimes I must pay her no heed or the negativity sinks in.
Well, if that term makes you feel good, I'll call you that from now on, sweetie. ;):D
As a response to your mom, I find being called "sweetie," "sweetheart," or of such a tad insulting. Not sure why, but that's how I feel. It's like that person, an older person, kinda looks down on you, like you're some kind of child. I don't really get upset though. I don't really have a grasp of what or how I feel exactly. When I can get it in words, I will come back with them. :D
In fact I may struggle to know how much to post. As in, I could post a lot more because there is weirdness and craziness ALL THE TIME.
My day today started on the way from the parking lot to the shop, when a bat-shit crazy old white woman was yelling BEANERS!! and other angry horrible things to the young Mexican women walking in front of me. They paid her no heed. This is my new normal.
My worry now is that I may be too sensitive to handle this. Today a desperate woman spent a good half hour fuming in the shop because I told her on the phone that we might take her home entertainment unit -- and her home entertainment unit turned out to be a piece of crap and we would only buy it, not pawn for it. She didn't even have the bus fare to get herself home without selling it.
But of course that could have been just her nature, could have been lies, making drama at every turn. We just don't know.
Crispy critters = stoned
Ingredient R = retarded
Why can't UT just admit he wants to work in a psych ward?
I'm curious about how pawn shops work. My experience with pawn shops is limited.
Let's say I have a widget that cost $300 new, and on ebay, they go for $100 used. What does the pawn shop pay me if I try to unload it? And I understand the pawn shop will give you a loan on something if you request it, and it's not crap. Is what they will loan me less than what they will pay me to buy it?
Is there any thought at all given to the possibility that stuff is stolen? If so, will the pawn shop turn it down, or does physical possession of something imply ownership? I suppose if records are kept of who drops stuff off, then if something is stolen the cops can track down the thief. Do people ever come in looking for their stolen stuff?
What are some of the most commonly pawned items, and what are your best sellers?
Does the pawn shop look for good deals and bargains, playing on sellers' lack of knowledge, or is it more like a financial institution that tries to determine the actual value of an item and everything is disclosed to all parties?
Lots of questions, I know! But I'd really be curious to hear how one of these places works.
It really depends on what the widget is, because the shop has to hold the item for at least 3 months in a buy, 5 months on a pawn. So we are taking a risk on some items, such as laptops, that the item will not lose value quickly. This is why the pawn shop is not the best place to sell things.
But on average we would probably buy it for $50, pawn it for $20.
My co-worker points out that if a large black man comes in with a iPad and it says "Brittany's tablet" and has a bunch of pictures of white girls at their sleepover, it's stolen. But we can't judge. We don't really know. We may use that kind of information to get a better deal for us and we might just buy it for $20.
What happens then is the person who got robbed files a police report, and the police regularly come around with items and descriptions and ask to see certain things. If they can identify it, the person can come around and buy it back from us at the rate we paid. Cops come around all the time with their lists and the system works pretty well.
First day I worked full time, there was a cop at the door looking for a PA system that a guy robbed from a church. He was positively delighted not only to identify the system, but we had video of the guy who pawned it. The cop took the video on his thumb drive, the items were recovered and the dude was arrested. It turned out he was on parole from being jailed for theft, and now they have a perfect evidence trail of this theft, and a judge will hear that he robbed this from a church and he'll go back in for a long while.
The most pawned item is jewelry. The ghetto folks treat their jewelry as their savings, their emergency money, their safety deposit box. It's good for us because the item is small, and we can quickly evaluate it, do a deal and put it in a massive safe.
We absolutely try to do the best deal for us and there are tricks to getting that done, which I'm learning. The opener is to ask what the person wants. If they have an expectation that their ring is worth $300, because they paid the massive markup at a department store, we often tell them we're not even close because the shop is only in it for the gold. Everything is melted down after 90 days or when it goes out of pawn.
I've only been in pawn shops a couple times, and both times I was looking for bargains. But everything was pretty expensive. I was expecting flea market prices, but the pawn shop had ebay or higher prices.
Yeah, if you think about it from the store's POV, if we can sell it and ship it on eBay and get more than we can fetch in the shop, why would we ever put it out for someone to buy? That would be monumentally ret- I mean, idiotic.
But here in the ghetto, we are selling to people (and buying from people) who don't even know what eBay is! Also, it's nice to have the items because it reminds people what they can bring us. And in cases like musical instruments, it's better to buy locally, because then you can test it out. We have a few interesting basses in right now and I hope to buy one for a backup instrument.
Musical gear, definitely looking for a unique item you can hold in your hands and evaluate. Anything less than retail is helping your pocketbook.
There's a lot to be said for buying local too.
ebay *can* be local, somebody's selling it from somewhere, of course. But I know where the pawnshop's storefront is. Or the
Trading Musician. Or
Dusty Strings. Or
American Music. Or the
Guitar Store.
Today is a good day because it's rainy out and that seems to keep the crazy people away. We've been open for two hours and so far no crazy people. Also, because there's less volume of people, I get to Cellarize in the down time.
Rain turns my commute into an hour and a half though, and I had to do some crazy driving to be here on time. I was hydroplaning it pretty bad.
scary! better late than dead, eh?
No, the manager is one of those sorts who is really fixated on lateness. I figure I can't be late. Which is really a PITA because the commute is already a bitch and it's hard to know how broken the roads are.
ah.. good to know. then just adjust for the worst possible commute, add some constant and make that the baseline leave the house time any earlieness can be spent cellarizing or coffee drinking or sitting in the parking lot. whatever. knowing a manager's third rail like this is very valuable
You got that right! Also I think the previous guy in this position started to become notoriously late, probably being passive-aggressive about it because it was a thing, so my guy is a little paranoid and I can see that this is something he hopes to avoid in people in the future.
Yabbut living a little far from the pawnshop is a good thing. You're less likely to bump into the crazies and get recognised by them when you're chillin' in your own 'hood.
I think I mentioned a double bass earlier but I can't find where. Today the pawner of the bass came in. It's the son of the guy who originally owned it, and he was a kinda
well-known Phila bassist who was even on the Cosby Show playing jazz at one point. His son was so pleased to hear that a bass player was at the shop watching over the instrument.
Many customers smell bad. About a third, actually. It can be really bad.
My suggestion was a bottle of Febreeze hooked up to the door, in such a way that whenever the door opens, a little spritz should spray out and they walk through it.
It would be an important service for a lot of people.
Get an ultrasonic humidifier and dump half a bottle of Ozium into it. They could walk through a cloud of that.
Yesterday was my first angry incident with a person whose pawn went beyond their 5-month limit.
A woman calls on the phone, starts at volume 9, and then goes to straight to 11 on being told that her precious jewelry had been melted and broken down to its component metals. I held the phone away from my ear, and everyone in the store could hear, but there was no explanation that could possibly soothe her and she merely had to vent until her adrenaline levels reached maximum and went down.
On good advice, I hung up on her several times, and each time she called back at volume 9 and went to 11 inside one sentence.
Thankfully, she demanded my manager. This was a chance to hand off to someone with 22 years experience in dealing with immense assholes who can't manage their lives. Who want to scream at others, instead either getting their shit together or starting an opiate addiction. They say opiates are bad for people, but I think this woman would live longer if she was on them -- as opposed to going nuclear, which one expects she does pretty much every day of her life.
I pretty much like to avoid conflict at any cost, but the guys explained that this is not conflict. She is not really yelling at us. She is ghetto-ignorant and probably slightly sociopathic, and doesn't really expect a result from this ranting. She is living inside her own skull and isn't even acknowledging that anyone else is involved in her horrible world where her jewelry no longer exists.
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Guy just came in and asked if we sell the modems for computers. After some back and forth it turned out that he was talking about the computer itself. As in, not the keyboard, mouse or monitor, but the black box that sits next to them. The computer.
The ignorance, it can be remarkable.
Oh, you mean the "CPU" ... yeah.
You should have sold him a nice 300 baud dial-up for a couple of hundred. After all, the customer is always right - even when stupid.
The ignorance, it can be remarkable.
In the same vein, we opticians are often told that the medicine ran out of the lenses, and get asked if we could put more in.
Of course, because you need a prescription , right? Those are for medicine. Duh.
In the same vein, we opticians are often told that the medicine ran out of the lenses, and get asked if we could put more in.
Perfectly logical.
... just like when you find a coke bottle that fell from the sky.
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UT, was it Jill Kelley whose jewelry was consigned to the fire?
yes. tell me yes.
no. tell me no.
Sorry, some people are just that ignorant.
This morning between the parking lot and the shop, as a counterpoint to the white woman who was yelling "Beaners!" last week, a black man was yelling "Fuckin' nigger!" to every person passing him on the street corner.
He did not yell it at me.
Just now a man came in and told my compatriot that his wife had died and his daughter had gone blind. He said this while bargaining for an iPod Touch. A gift for his daughter.
Not asked was how the daughter could possibly operate an iPod Touch if she is blind.
maybe he thinks the 'touch' part of the name means it in braille?
The doctor was his mother!
A few good things happened today. First, a woman came in and just like LJ's We Buy Gold guy, told me her rings were silver and wanted to sell them. I took a look and they were 14k white gold. Light, but gold. Bought them for $40 instead of $5. She was astounded... and happy. Boss says to be honest about this sort of thing.
Second, a couple came in to buy a bass and bass amp for a family member for Christmas. I was able to help them work out which bass they should get, and then I could talk about the things intelligently and of course demonstrate it. That's about the happiest thing I could do here, sell someone a bass at a good price and really help them with it.
Second, a couple came in to buy a bass and bass amp for a family member for Christmas. I was able to help them work out which bass they should get, and then I could talk about the things intelligently and of course demonstrate it. That's about the happiest thing I could do here, sell someone a bass at a good price and really help them with it.
I hope you gave them a business card for the band.
This is becoming my Very Favorite Thread.
I used to have a lot of stories about the stupidity of the public-but, it's been so long since I've left my cottage made of candy in the forest...
I do recall a woman asking me if she should give her six year old child with a fever of 104 "some tylenol or something," or if she should NOT so that when the child came in to see the doctor he would have empirical evidence of said child's ailment.
I also remember a woman who was admitted to the psych ward on the day we Spring Forward the clocks. I worked 7p-7a so of course, at two o'clock am we put the clock to three o'clock a.m. She, naturally being awake at the time (hypomania) insisted we were all wrong and it was Spring Back, Fall FORWARD! until about 6 a.m. when she finally fell asleep.
I had a dude smear his own feces on the wall of his room. But that's for another day.
I need business cards for lessons, is what I need, except that there are not enough hours in the day.
Lessons?
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Lessons?
[YOUTUBE]HDaFMZfIsV4[/YOUTUBE]
Awesome reference. Best sketch comedy show ever.
This is becoming my Very Favorite Thread.
Word. This is cool.
I need business cards for lessons, is what I need, except that there are not enough hours in the day.
Nice reasonably lucrative side job, seems like a nice fit for you.
I've spent a fair amount of time in pawn shops in the Houston area, sometimes to shop or just kill some time looking around. I've purchased a few shot guns, some camera gear and an awesome recently stolen Toro self propelled lawn mower. I figure it was stolen because every other lawn mower they were selling burned oil really bad and this one looked brand new.
Once I needed a 6 x 7 format camera for a big photo shoot I had gotten and I was broke as it was just after my during my divorce I had sold mine. So I went to this one pawn shop that sold a lot of cameras and bought a nice Mamiya RB67, 3 backs and 2 lenses for a pretty good price and the job more then paid for the gear.
I've bought and sold plenty of tools, either ones I needed to do some work or to sell for cash when I was broke.
When my old favorite goose gun, my Spanish 10 gauge side by side began showing signs of barrel bulge from shooting too much T size steel shot I began to worry that one day the barrel would just explode so I took it in and pawned it since you get more for a pawn than selling it as I recall. The guy never felt the end of the barrel or he would have known something was weird about the gun and I think he gave me $150 for it. I threw the pawn ticket out after I left as I never had any intention of going back to get it and later that day I took the $150 and some more of my savings and bought a Ithica 10 gauge automatic which is about the best goose gun ever made.
I wonder if Craig's List has cut into the pawn shop's market share? Seems like you can get a lot of the same type of stuff for about the same prices. Of course it isn't like pawning which is sort of like a loan against an item, on Craig's list it's a buy sell market.
Haven't seen any pawn shops here in Australia, maybe they don't allow them.
We just had a woman come in with a full, bushy mustache.
Every day is the carnival at the shop!
I didn't tell the story about the midget on my first day. It wasn't that important, but there was a midget in. And he was tailing this woman who was looking to try to sell us the world's worst student acoustic guitar. For five minutes I thought it was her kid in tow, and so did my coworker. But no, at the last minute we realized it was a midget.
(And every Friday is Black Friday...!)
Yesterday an elderly gent came in and paid the last $25 of many regular layaway payments on an alto sax.
He was overjoyed to have made the last payment, and gave me a fist bump when I handed him the instrument.
As he walked away, I turned over the last layaway receipt he got, the one we gave him last week, that showed he had one final $25 payment to make.
Hey, you got any pogo sticks?
Not unless that's code for something?
Lol, no ... Ripley put it on her list... Theyre not cheap!
... He was overjoyed to have made the last payment, and gave me a fist bump when I handed him the instrument. ...
Sounds as though to him it was a horn, a cornucopia. ;)
Uplifting. :)
Thanks for sharing, UT. I love this thread.
Lol, no ... Ripley put it on her list... Theyre not cheap!
We find them at the transfer station. I'll keep an eye out for one.
What's a transfer station?
My middle niece (of the younger set) got a pogo stick for christmas last year and she spends HOURS on it. We'd laugh so hard, we'd be inside and there would be S's little head bouncing up into sight of the window. Boing boing boing.
What's a transfer station?
You pay me to take your trash away, and
I'll charge the citiy/county to give it to someone else.
Sort of.
Here, it's you buy a ticket (2.75) to take your trash to the transfer station (recyclables are free) and then you pay a boatload of taxes to have the trash sent to a burnplant.
Can anyone go to the transfer station?
A guy comes in and wants $5 to get to the Children's Hospital to visit his son. He attempts to get us to buy an ancient boombox. We don't take it.
He comes back with the boombox that he uses in his kitchen. It's newer, but it's covered in grease and the antenna is broken off. I explain that we have to be able to resell these items and so a boombox covered in grease is not something we will take in pawn.
He comes back with a highly scratched adult DVD, and a copy of the 3rd season of Martin. We don't buy adult DVDs and we give him $1 for Martin.
He's still out there somewhere looking for shitty items to bring us. But I don't think his son is at CHOP. I think he wants a bag o weed.
This occurs every hour of every day.
Isn't CHOP rather a tactless nickname for a children's hospital?
Well, it could have been Children's Hospital University of Metropolitan Philadelphia... or CHUMP.....
He's still out there somewhere looking for shitty items to bring us. But I don't think his son is at CHOP. I think he wants a bag o weed.
He is not looking for good weed, for $5.00.
Isn't CHOP rather a tactless nickname for a children's hospital?
Yeah, they probably sell stolen kidneys and spleens and what not. Bones with the serial # ground off.
shit, i could smoke five bucks worth in two, maybe three hits.
i was about to say i would never be so desperate as to spend five on weed but... i've been scraping res-hits for a couple days now. I guess I am pretty desperate.
yes, we know. we've been meaning to talk to you about that.
Can anyone go to the transfer station?
Yes. Anyone can go. And unless you pay someone to pick up your trash, you will go too.
Earlier this week a guy came in selling GPS units. We rejected them because they didn't have the windshield mounts. The dude asked me a weird question: is there any limit on the number of GPSes they can sell to us? Uh, no (but why are you asking?)
Today our main police contact came in and looked at a bunch of GPSes and put one on hold, which means they figure it's stolen and are picking up all the evidence. They described the guys ripping off GPSes.
At the end of the day this pair came in and had mounts and two more GPSes. My coworker realized these were the guys that the cops are looking for.
We did not buy their GPSes.
In today's game of "Retarded or High?" a light-skinned black woman came in with a man, who picked out DVDs, while she looked at engagement rings. She spoke extremely slowly and seemed pretty out of it. She said she doesn't like round diamonds, only square or other shapes, and then immediately asked to see a round diamond, and liked it. We decided the answer to "Retarded or High?" today is BOTH.
I have a friend who refers to exceptionally strong people as being "retarded strong." Maybe she was "retarded high."
[youtube]qL6jOqKOJtY&start=79[/youtube]
Victory is mine
I helped an old man out looking at rings. He picked one out, asked for it to be cleaned and put in a box, then announced he'd be back with his debit card.
The guys relentlessly agreed that he was never coming back.
Five minutes later - in walks the dude! And the guys had to admit that victory was mine.
(It was OK because not an hour earlier, I spent 10 minutes with a guy helping him look at Nintendo handheld games systems, picking out games for his son, only to find at the end of all that that he wouldn't buy it unless we provided a warranty. Well there's precious time wasted... unless it isn't)
high five on the victory!
hm
local pawn america (I think, they've recently changed to some franchised name) offers 7 day moneyback guarantee on electronics and other stuff.
For store credit, or cash?
good question.
I'll call them and ask.
just got off the phone. it's thirty days, not seven. and the refund is made in the same way the purchase was made, debit card, cash, credit card, etc. I asked about a nintendo gameboy as an example. I spoke to Rachel.
CashAmerica
10526 Aurora Ave N
Seattle WA 98133
206-957-7107
So, those GPS thieves, did you snitch on them to the cops? Or it the store policy the Sargent Schultz motto of I see nossink! I know nossink!?
My co-worker Sammy handled it. He figured that the cops were going to put on hold every GPS unit these boys came in with. Taking the units in and out of storage was going to be a big pain in the ass for us. So he just rejected them.
Sammy is not his real name, but I can't take it any longer. There is a real interesting dynamic in the shop between myself, Sammy, Alan and the old man Leonard.
too bad you don't deal in guns. i have picked up many great bargains on guns in pawn shops. i also use one as a transfer dealer for weapons i buy off of gunboker.com
And I must say that's a fine return policy and I advise you to buy electronics from them.
I don't think 30 days would have satisfied my customer. He seemed to say that Walmart would offer him 6-7 months on such an item. You must understand, my customers do not think like we do. They are of an entirely different culture, and I am just the anthropologist sent in to document their various customs and behaviors.
The real reason it came to this was because, when he came into the store, I treated him with respect and listened to his story and offered a serious kindred spirit sort of remark.
This meant that he felt he had to display respect for the store -- and that meant to consider buying a bunch of shit, and then depart without buying, by any means that seems to be reasonable.
In turn, that was what was remarkable about our ring buyer. He chose an item, considered it a little bit, and then left for some reasonable reason. Sammy and Alan said there's no way that guy is coming back in. I felt in my gut that he was serious. I knew he had asked me if we do debit, so when he left for his debit card it made sense.
Sammy says I should not interact with the customers so much. He says it's too much of a waste of time to show them item after item, explain the different Nintendos to them, etc because they never really buy. They leave saying they're going to do research, but they never really do, and are basically incapable of any level of research.
But I have been smiling at them, listening to their stories, paying everyone my utmost respect, because I am an emotional dude, and I can't see treating anyone any other way. If they want to make whitey work for them a little bit, I kinda feel like I'm happy to do it, if I can connect with them personally. If it's just a grin of agreement.
Sammy sounds like a bit of a misanthropist.
He is. He's very cynical about the customers -- but the question is whether he was always that way, or has he been broken by the shop.
I'm certain the shop can break you. It's intensely negative in many ways, and just developing a hardened exterior is an easy way to deal with that. It's business and it's in the jungle. People are desperate, crazy, retarded and high, and you have to tell them no, over and over again.
Sammy has been at the shop for a year. He's hilarious. I really like him because he's smart and super-funny and we are getting to the level where we can riff.
In today's game of "Retarded or High?" a woman came in with a man, who picked out DVDs, while she looked at engagement rings. She spoke extremely slowly and seemed pretty out of it. She said she doesn't like round diamonds, only square or other shapes, and then immediately asked to see a round diamond, and liked it. We decided the answer to "Retarded or High?" today is BOTH.
Spencer loves his laptop. It's faster than his hp was, and he can play sky rim with no lag. Thanks again!
Sammy is not his real name, but I can't take it any longer. There is a real interesting dynamic in the shop between myself, Sammy, Alan and the old man Leonard.
What do you mean you can't take it any longer? Are you quitting?
No, I mean, I have been holding off talking about the other pawn shop dudes, but they are a big part of what makes it all interesting, so I have to give them names and personalities. Sammy's dealings with the customers can be the most hilarious part of any given day. Alan is a button-downed super-normal person with no freak about him, and he's the guy who runs the shop. Leonard is his dad, the old guy who originally started the shop.
In fact, this is the only part about the place that is exactly like "Pawn Stars" - the configuration of the four guys and their role in the shop.
He's still out there somewhere looking for shitty items to bring us. But I don't think his son is at CHOP. I think he wants a bag o weed.
Can one get a bag o weed for $5? (Serious question, asked out of the greatest ignorance.)
Historically yes ("nickel bag") but today not really. Inflation and all that.
Today is the first weekday after the 1st, and so it's "redemption day" as everyone comes in to get their stuff. I like this because it's straight-forward and fewer people are asking me to buy their shitty stuff. People come up with their yellow slips and their cash, and I go get their change.
They ask "can I get my stuff back with a debit" and we have to say no, it's cash only on these things, because it's not worth it to take on a debit charge on something with two bucks interest. Then they say "oh so I have to use my cash money", which is what they call it.
They also say 'inkpen'
have you noticed?
I have not caught that one. The guy in the parking lot always says he likes me because I bring him the "direct change", not the exact, but the direct.
Good one just now, and -- well this is what happens all day long.
Crazy woman comes in and says she pawned a ring two weeks ago and would like it back. Does she have the original pawn ticket? No, they didn't give her one.
Well we give a yellow pawn ticket to everyone who pawns something. It's all very carefully controlled. She now says she sold it to us. Well, I explain, if she sold it to us it is not even here. It's in our storage facility which is off-site.* She demands that she MUST have her ring. "You puttin' one over on me!"
She spends a good five minutes going through her wallet full of crap. This is another thing with these folk: the wallet stuffed full of papers, receipts, and other crap. Every single customer has this, and they all spend many minutes looking through it.
She produces one of our cards with the details written on it. We gave her $4 for a silver ring. That too is typical. Silver goes for a lot less than gold, and when we give people a number for silver jewelry, they usually hate us. It's just based on what the stuff weighs, we weigh everything, and we give everyone the same price on the same amount of silver. A sterling silver ring is simply not worth shit. It will weigh nothing, have no value and we will be doing the people a favor by paying them for their shitty silver ring.
And when we give someone a card, it means they sold the thing to us and wanted some documentation. There's no receipt on a sale. (We actually get the receipt, since we are the ones who bought it.)
So I explain three times that her ring is long gone and she only gets madder and thinks we swindled her. As she leaves she says "I ought to sue your asses!" and I say "We welcome your attorney's phone call."
In this case the store was full of people and I could tell they all understood what was going on: that this woman was profoundly ignorant and crazy and had no idea what happened. The next guy in line wanted a money order and he just shook his head and muttered, "crazy woman."
*Now here's the thing: the ring is definitely here, in our massive safe. By LAW, we have to keep all goods sold to us for 90 days. And there is no storage facility. That is a polite lie, because if they think their thing is here, they get even more indignant. We tell people that a whole different set of guys pull all the stuff and melt it down immediately. That makes them angry at an imaginary crew and lets us off the hook.
You don't really have to hold it for 90 days do you? I think it's 3 weeks to the moon for gold or silver.
If you had to hold for 90 days, and you bought gold. by the time you sold it, the market price could have dropped below what you paid for it.
Yup, it's regulated that way. This is so the cops have a chance to come around and find the stolen stuff. This is also why pawn shops offer much less than you can get on eBay. We store it, keep track of it all that time, and we take the risk that it will be worth much less when we can actually move it.
It's worse on a pawn where we sit on stuff for 5 months. That's why a pawn shop is not the ideal place to sell your stuff... unless you want fast money. We HAVE to offer much less than eBay or Craigslist, or anyplace else really.
And if ya think gold is a risk... think 50" TVs, or tablets like the Nook or Kindle. The price on all that is dropping fast.
Victory is mine
I helped an old man out looking at rings. He picked one out, asked for it to be cleaned and put in a box, then announced he'd be back with his debit card.
The guys relentlessly agreed that he was never coming back.
Five minutes later - in walks the dude! And the guys had to admit that victory was mine.
(It was OK because not an hour earlier, I spent 10 minutes with a guy helping him look at Nintendo handheld games systems, picking out games for his son, only to find at the end of all that that he wouldn't buy it unless we provided a warranty. Well there's precious time wasted... unless it isn't)
Good foy you!
Reminds me of a time back in the day when I had a gig at Sears selling electronics on straight commission. I was the newbie sales associate and the long time employees always got to do the really good sales while they threw me a few crumbs.
One evening it was pretty slow and we were all standing around shooting the breeze and watching the clock for quitting time. A couple of hispanic guys, still dressed in their grubby work clothes, wandered in and started looking at TV's, talking to one another in Spanish. My coworker rolled her eyes, and said to me "YOU go watch them and make sure they don't try to steal something."
So I went up to them and trotted out my 10 words of Spanish. They answered in kind and I finally figured out that not only had they just gotten paid, they wanted to buy stuff to take home to their families across the border - $4,000.00 worth which was a lot of money at the time - with an added sweet commission because I even got them to buy product protection plans. Don't think Sears has a Mexico branch, but it was cool by them and REALLY cool by me.
I laughed all the way to my paycheck. :D
Yup, it's regulated that way. This is so the cops have a chance to come around and find the stolen stuff. This is also why pawn shops offer much less than you can get on eBay. We store it, keep track of it all that time, and we take the risk that it will be worth much less when we can actually move it.
It's worse on a pawn where we sit on stuff for 5 months. That's why a pawn shop is not the ideal place to sell your stuff... unless you want fast money. We HAVE to offer much less than eBay or Craigslist, or anyplace else really.
And if ya think gold is a risk... think 50" TVs, or tablets like the Nook or Kindle. The price on all that is dropping fast.
Huh. Must fall under his pawn license rules I guess. My buddy that buys gold only has a 5 day hold in pa. 3 weeks in nj... Then it goes to the smelter.
He has to fingerprint and photograph his sellers now, though.
Hes still fighting the cops over $3500 in confiscated gold that he didn't have documentation for.
He was able to contact the lady who sold it and get the paperwork, but a day late.
Ah hell, you know, sometimes the items are amazing. A guy just came in with about 8 old 10" 78 RPM records in GREAT condition. Among them was a set of 4 albums from Sidor Belarsky, Yiddish folk singer. They looked awesome. But the shop doesn't generally deal in such things, unless it can prove a value - and I just couldn't find a value on them.
He only wanted $10. I was just about to do the deal for myself, but I can't even afford to transport them around this week.
The most exquisite racism exists in the ghetto. This morning a woman comes in and right in the middle of her transaction, she asks where the horns are. Well we have a few saxes over along that wall, and -- oh. She means the horns on top of Alan's head since he is a Jew.
~
This afternoon a bunch of young punks comes in wanting to sell things. We can't deal with anyone under 18 so we tell them they are out of luck. They leave us with a hearty "fuck you". We hate the young punks but it is not possible to just throw them out whenever they appear.
~
In today's game of "Retarded or High", a gentleman comes in with four keys and wants one copy of each. He speaks VERY slowly and deliberately, as all RorH contestants do. Of course I am very careful when making keys, and I make his copies and lay them out in front of him. "The gold ones, on top, are the copies." He takes forever to sort out which are which because he doesn't want to mix them up. Five minutes later he's back. "I only have 3 key copies, I asked for 4." At this point I make an executive decision just to remake his fourth key again, and not charge him, because he won't understand anyway, and probably doesn't have another $2 for another key. I am labeling this gentleman Retarded.
The retarded ones always need a lot of keys.
they have a lot of girlfriends.
Well now I know where to get my keys copied.
Down at the Pawn Shop [COLOR="SlateGray"](to the tune of Under the Boardwalk)[/COLOR]
Oh when the people come in and try to pawn something used
And their tempers get so hot, you wish you were weren't so abused
Down at the pawn shop, you must come and see, hey
Behind the counter with my laptop, I'll be listin' on eBay
(Down at the pawn shop) Prices second to none
(Down at the pawn shop) We'll be havin' some fun
(Down at the pawn shop) People making appeals
(Down at the pawn shop) We'll be making deals
Down at the pawn shop, pawn shop
From the front door you hear the happy sound of a ringing bell
Mmm hmm, anyone can come in and buy the good things we sell
Down at the pawn shop, you must come and see, hey
Behind the counter with my laptop, I'll be listin' on eBay
(Down at the pawn shop) Prices second to none
(Down at the pawn shop) We'll be havin' some fun
(Down at the pawn shop) People making appeals
(Down at the pawn shop) We'll be making deals
Down at the pawn shop, pawn shop
Biddin' on a clock on e-bayyyy
watchin' tiiime roll away..
There are a couple things that it's hard to learn, and one of those things is the values of things we bring in to pawn or buy.
After many years, Alan knows what he pays on every single thing. Student clarinet? We buy em at $50. Garmin Nuvi? $15. A Milwaukee right angle grinder? $75. 32-inch TV? Pawn at $50, buy at $80, don't take without remote control. Gift card? Buy at 50%, except JC Penney 30%.
To even know what each thing is, and where its values are headed and why, is really kind of remarkable. To catch up in a month's time is impossible, and that's why I goofed this week when I offered a guy $75 for his student clarinet.
The clarinet itself may go on eBay for $150, or may sell in the shop for $140, so it's not a terrible error. But we will probably lose profit and take a risk due to my error.
Alan also knows what he'll be looking at before the people get to the window. He just looks at them, and looks at how they've packaged their item to carry it to the store, and he'll know that what they're about to offer is worthless. This is a type of ghetto savvy that I haven't picked up on yet.
My job at this time is to not pay attention to the various stories and dramas that people offer. As often as not they're acting, they're writing, they're inventing all kinds of crap to tell us in order to sway us into giving them more money.
Some of it is true. But not the girl who called in with the pretend meek voice, saying she needed money for her cancer medication. Not the guy who just needed enough money to get gas to get to his new job and then turned around and bought a DVD. And not the white chick who needed to get $50 for her rent and could only get $30 for her shitty tools... and proceeded cry in front of us. Although I noticed... no actual tears.
After the weepy chick, Alan asked me whether I was affected by that one. No, I didn't really care, and I figured she was acting anyway. And I prefer weepy to insane.
The people I believe are the ones who offer their story after the deal is done. "Yeah I'm gettin' a Septa pass to get to my job." or "Cool, I just need $10 more on my water bill." But if you tell me your story before the offer comes down, I don't need to hear that, and it doesn't affect the numbers any direction anyway.
Well, I just had my first snatch-n-grab theft: a guy stole a PS Vita I was showing him, by just running out the door with it while I was demoing it to him.
I was too far from the door locking switch when I realized what happened. It was my fault, although figuring out what to watch and when and why is a learned skill that I don't have. Well now I do. You demo only from the window next to the switch.
We have video of it but I don't know whether this event will be taken to the cops. It pretty much ruined Alan's day and mine, although part of the reason it happened is because Sammy called in with his kid being sick so we were short-staffed.
Alan is pretty pissed about the whole thing, the loss of about $200 was about what the store brought in today, and I feel like crap because he feels like crap.
I'm pretty sure now that I'm becoming immune to the every-day madness that comes through our door. It makes me think, as does pretty much everything these days, that I can't sustain this. I was not built for this. It's an assault. And yet it's something that I must go through, to get to another side. It's penance. It's just how things are in the new economy. It's ageism. It's my own failures as a human being. It's IT management failure. It's systemic.
Who knows.
When you posted that stuff about the guys trying to sell obviously stolen GPS units, I wondered to myself whether the shop could/should have done more in the way of helping the police catch them.
But I figured, what's the benefit for the shopkeeper in that? He's a busy man, there'd be a heap of effort and time involved, paperwork, maybe court visits, and at any rate having cops and cop cars at a pawn shop is probably bad for business. For this, the shopkeeper gets to live in a society with one less petty thief, for a few months, at best.
It doesn't seem worth it.
Yet that very story just had a loss to a petty thief.
.... but ... but ...[Marge Simpson moment] ... if everyone dobbed in petty thieves, pretty soon it would cease to be viable to be a petty thief.
It's one of those collective action things, about the standards of a community as a whole. It isn't worth an individual's while to be the Lone Ranger. Or the Loan Ranger, if it's a pawnshop.
No, no solutions offered. Just remarking on the human condition.
A few months ago the store trapped a similar thief. Sammy was demoing an ipad to a guy and he tried to just run with it. But Sammy was demoing it by the door lock switch, and he simply locked the door. Dude was trapped. He gave back the ipad and then cops were called and took the dude away. The video of the event was not taken. The store never heard another word about it. Alan guesses that the dude probably spent a night in jail.
It gets weirder than that. Every other day the cops come in and check for stolen stuff. While they were there last week, the guy stealing GPSes actually came in and tried to sell a GPS. Alan tried to signal to the cop that this was probably the guy they were looking for. Either the cop didn't catch the signal or the rules of engagement meant they couldn't just arrest him right there and ask questions.
What're ya gonna do? Nobody is risking their life for a GPS thief so he can spend a night in jail. And that's right, because there are much bigger crimes happening all the time. Armed robberies, shootings, murders.
Other day a guy comes in with a pristine Windows 8 laptop. When I turn it on to test it, it's halfway through the Windows 8 setup process. Guy tells me he just had it under his bed and didn't want it any more. Yeah right. We buy it in for a ridiculous low price and sure enough, when the cops come in a few days later this is one of the items they ask to look at. I tell them the story.
I also learned that when people come to the shop to buy back their stolen stuff, they are reimbursed through "restitution" when (probably months later) the thief is officially sentenced.
Today a guy called in with a homebuilt PC with awesome specs. Says it was built for him 2 months ago for $2500. He knows he's gonna take a hit for it not being a name brand. Over the phone, I say to him:
You won't get the best deal at a pawn shop. But you will get the fastest deal.
...because that's my new saying, to people who might have the capacity for reason. And because it's the truth.
The pawn shop is the place of last resort to sell most items, unless you need money fast, and/or can't get together any other way to sell the things.
So when white guy from out of city limits shows up with this master-big PC, with an elite case, elite components, big monitor, latest video card, on the day before Christmas and is offered about a fifth of its actual value, what does he do?
He *fumes* about it, in the shop, for a good half-hour.
You won't get the best deal at a pawn shop. But you will get the fastest deal.
What he doesn't know is that both Sammy and I are both drooling over this system from the moment he put it on our counter; and both of us intend to take it home if we bag it. But Sammy has seniority, and so it's Sammy's, before any deal is on its way.
Now, this dude's system has been on our counter for a good long time, while he fumes, and it takes up more than half of the amount of plexiglass opening we have to deal with people. At some point, he can continue to fume, but his PC must go.
Now, because it's the holiday, Alan's big brother David is in the shop. David runs his own shop in another part of the city, but he's in the house today for the morning rush. David is watching this whole thing go down, and he decides to have some fun being the alpha male.
With a discussion about how this needs to wrap up because the counter space needs to open up on the day before Christmas, he bullies the guy into the deal.
I've heard LJ mention how someone can do this, and sure enough, here it goes. David knows that because the guy has fumed so long, he must be in a position where he can't refuse the deal, but he needs to be pushed into it. David firmly gives him ANY good reason to move ahead, and presses the deal on the table. The guy gives in -- with such lack of confidence that I'm uncertain whether he's totally okay with it, right up to the point where he signs for the deal.
So did the closer get dibs on the puter?
No he prefers guitars. Sammy will get it once the cops have had a few rounds to show it isn't stolen
I'm pretty sure now that I'm becoming immune to the every-day madness that comes through our door. It makes me think, as does pretty much everything these days, that I can't sustain this. I was not built for this. It's an assault. And yet it's something that I must go through, to get to another side. It's penance. It's just how things are in the new economy. It's ageism. It's my own failures as a human being. It's IT management failure. It's systemic.
Who knows.
that is EXACTLY how I felt about me being in Healthcare (there are a lot of really horrible, serial-killer types bitches in healthcare who will drive you mad with their woman-ways of spitting on your soul whilst smiling at your face) but it WAS a learning experience (though I got PTSD in a smaller, lighter form than real PTSD) and a penance. but now I"m done! and I get to live again! and so it will be with you.
No he prefers guitars. Sammy will get it once the cops have had a few rounds to show it isn't stolen
You'd prefer to roll yer own anyways
yabbut... for 20 cents on the dollar, I'd be willing to compromise
Now, the word "jawn".
This word has been used in Philadelphia for a very long time. My first spotting of it was in 1991.
It means "thing". As in, "This jawn over here, do it come wif a remote?"
The j is pronounced with either a hard J or a soft J, or anywhere in between. But it isn't pronounced "John". "Zsahwww" would be more acceptable.
I now resent the word, because it comes from ignorance. If you don't know the real word for something, you have this substitute word you can use without admitting you don't know the real word.
"thing" and all derivative forms (thingamajig, thingamabob, etc.)
are hereafter banned from the language of commerce.
So Hershey's Thingamajig candy is banned from the groceries.
But in some suburban communities, "Whatchamacallit" may be substituted.
I now resent the word, because it comes from ignorance. If you don't know the real word for something, you have this substitute word you can use without admitting you don't know the real word.
If you don't know the word for the thing how on earth would you know if it needed a remote?
Or are remotes some sort of status symbol among your clientele?
"I here gots me a genuine imitation diamond ring; and it's got a remote!"
when they refer to a jawn, then you refer to that same thing as a jawn... give it a good whitebread over pronunciation, and then refer to all objects in the conversation as a jawn or jawns.
try it.
Jim, you're a beautiful fool, you know that?
What I also find interesting is that the word hasn't made it out of town. Most ghetto terms are stolen by the white man.
Now, the word "jawn".
This word has been used in Philadelphia for a very long time. My first spotting of it was in 1991.
It means "thing". As in, "This jawn over here, do it come wif a remote?"
The j is pronounced with either a hard J or a soft J, or anywhere in between. But it isn't pronounced "John". "Zsahwww" would be more acceptable.
I now resent the word, because it comes from ignorance. If you don't know the real word for something, you have this substitute word you can use without admitting you don't know the real word.
I don't remember hearing it with the "n" at the end.
What I also find interesting is that the word hasn't made it out of town. Most ghetto terms are stolen by the white man.
nah, that's an old one. jawn and it's derivatives. Joint, Jirnt, Jammy.
Definitely never heard it down south. We have all manner of doohickeys, though.
lot guy just came out the back door, and the wind grabbed the door...
"damn, that Jawn almost ripped the door off!"
What I also find interesting is that the word hasn't made it out of town. Most ghetto terms are stolen by the white man.
It has made its way out of the ghetto, at least...I hear Hipsters forcing it into their conversations now and then.
I'm with the others, UT. Great thread.
I've never heard "jawn" but I'm all about ozay:
http://www.comedycentral.com/video-clips/csnlba/the-sarah-silverman-program-ozay-on-the-street
That's more about dotnose and kangamangus, but I couldn't find the clip about the genesis of ozay.
I haven't heard jawn and i work with many a ghetto folk. I thought i'd heard them all. Huh. The city where i work even sucks at being ignorant. That is no small feat. Or: that ain't no smell fit, know whu'm sayin'? Look, hey, lookie...you gwan give me a dill on that? Is it rill? Ain't fillin' it, you steel sayin' it?
my favorite, from an intern working the ED:
ghetto woman comes in with complaint of "fireballs in her eucharist"
(fibroids in her uterus)
and the white ghetto people who say their arm is 'all swolled up'
then the gems that would come into the clinic and say only this: "Why does my arm hurt?" no other exposition; no expansion; just 'why does this particular body part hurt?'
It hurts when I do this.
Don't do that. ;)
my favorite, from an intern working the ED:
ghetto woman comes in with complaint of "fireballs in her eucharist"
Mrs. Z worked in an ER in St. Louis city when she was in high school. Some guys would come in with "a problem in my pants" - an STD.
Mrs. Z worked in an ER in St. Louis city when she was in high school. Some guys would come in with "a problem in my pants" - an STD.
An ex-Army guy told me they would go to the clinic and say "my nose is running" when they meant STD.
We don't take jawns this old. There's just no resale value on it. We're only taking them if they are two years old or newer. I'm sorry I couldn't help you today.
I've never heard "jawn" but I'm all about ozay:
http://www.comedycentral.com/video-clips/csnlba/the-sarah-silverman-program-ozay-on-the-street
That's more about dotnose and kangamangus, but I couldn't find the clip about the genesis of ozay.
Probably:
http://www.kancamagushighway.com/Today I took a guy, and felt good about it.
Dude comes in with an iPhone and says it's an iPhone 5 and he doesn't need it any more.
It's not so easy to immediately tell the difference between an iPhone 4 and a 4S. The 5 is larger, so you can see that. So I know it's a 4 or a 4S. I say no, it's just a 4, and then I turn it over and look at the model number.
The model number is in very small type, at the bottom of the back of the phone. This one is A1387, which means it's a 4S.
So the gentleman has stated that the model is the latest, but told it was a 4, he didn't question it.
The gentleman does not have a charger cable, and the phone is not charged. I explain that we can't buy the phone without starting it to see whether it works, and can I charge the phone for 10 minutes? Sure. I take it to the back where we have an iPhone charger. But after 10 minutes, it isn't charged enough to boot. This means it's probably not holding a charge.
I return to the guy and show him the not-charged-enough symbol, and say with that sort of problem we can only buy it in for $40. I insert into his mind the idea that all pawn shops will have the same policy. He takes the phone back and then -- turns around, and says, well we might as well do that.
I knew he'd do the deal. He either stole the phone, or he found it somewhere, maybe even discarded due to its bad battery. He doesn't know what it is. He doesn't have the charger that any legitimate phone owner has. He doesn't know it couldn't hold a charge. He doesn't know that a dead battery is not a big deal.
This phone currently sells on eBay for $300 in "For Parts or Not Working" status. Chances are 50-50 that the cops will come looking for it -- but since it doesn't hold a charge, they can't power it on to see if it comes up with someone's information.
Dude is a criminal or at the very least a terrible liar. I took him for every penny I could, and I was proud.
Oh and if it was stolen? Because I took the guy, the actual phone owner can pay less to get it back, or have a better chance of getting it back via restitution once the guy is caught and charged.
This phone currently sells on eBay for $300 in "For Parts or Not Working" status.
No shit? Mine works fine, but is just a glorified iPod right now. I will be hitting up eBay this afternoon :)
Oh my gawd Pawn Shop Toad you are soooooo hot and smart and hot and stuff. I want to sell you all my iPhones and computers and maybe even a solid silver spoon and some pooky and stuff. And I gar-0n-tee it's all 100% real and not stolen...top o' the line, you know. :pant:
;)
I had no idea they were worth that much. You see ads for the new iphone 5 for $200 with a contract. And for the 4S for $50 with a contract. You forget how they screw you with the contract.
No, actually I don't. My butt still hurts from the last time.
do what you got to do.
----Hannah Mckay; Dexter's love.
Tony...they say buyers are liars. Sellers are worse. Fuck anyone who judges you for beating a crook. He lost nothing. Anyway, a fool and his money were lucky enough to get together in the first place.
The danger of working there is dealing with a constant flow of dregs. Like cops that deal with ghetto thugs every day, you risk getting your humanity eroded away little by little, day by day.
Tony...they say buyers are liars. Sellers are worse. Fuck anyone who judges you for beating a crook. He lost nothing. Anyway, a fool and his money were lucky enough to get together in the first place.
I don't feel that Tony "beat a crook". It was a transaction - Tony made an offer, the guy accepted. Done deal. He didn't have to accept the offer, but he did. I don't think Tony did anything unethical.:2cents:
In this case, I agree, since the guy was a crook. But if my mom went in and tried to sell something, and the person working the counter lied to her about what she had and paid her less than it was worth, I'd think that was unethical. But I have no problem with taking a crook.
It's the lie about what the item is that makes it unethical. And the price depends on the lie. If you can negotiate a good price without the lie, there is nothing unethical about that.
About half the people who come in have a story about their item. If they tell us the story before the deal is offered, they are generally lying.
People turn down our offers all the time. And they accept low offers all the time because they want the money, more than whatever it is has gotten into their hands. Our offers are always low, generally about a third to half of what eBay does. If he had the charger, the 4S was clean and worked, we probably would have offered $100-$120.
Remember, we have to store it 90 days at the very least, the cops can take it away at any time, and technology items only drop in price. Tablets and TVs are a particular problem in that way.
We have to make a profit or what is the point of opening the doors? And we have gotten burned from time to time too. So as I think I said before, the pawn shop is never the place to get the best deal, just the fastest deal.
One thing I don't enjoy is having a gun pointed at me.
Even if it's an antique, and the guy is looking to see if we buy them.
We don't, and please take it off the counter where I'm looking at an open barrel, a foot away from my abdomen.
The amount of shit we turn down at any price would amaze you, but you can't take everything or you would be inundated with crap in no time.
Today a gentleman walks in with a combination VHS-DVD player. It's 7 years old, which means we wouldn't take it. But also, he's broken off the door to the VHS part, which means it has no resale value AT ALL.
When we tell him we're not going to buy his broken piece of shit, he starts a retarded routine:
Dude: Just give me twenty dollars.
Sammy: No. We aren't going to make an offer.
Dude: Aw man, what about ten dollars.
Sammy: I told you, we're not interested, we're not going to buy it from you at any price.
Dude: Just five dollars! Help a brother out!
Sammy: We could go down to one dollar and it would still be no.
Dude: Four dollars. Why you gotta disrespect?
Sammy: What disrespect? It's not about respect, it's just that we can't buy stuff like this.
Dude: Aw man, two dollars. Just two dollars!
Sammy: No!
And the guy walks off all dejected. But is it over? No it's not. A half-hour later he walks back in with it.
Dude: What about we swap, I need the cables for a PS2.
Sammy: *sigh* We don't swap things and we don't sell PS2 stuff.
Dude: Aw, man!
why you holdin the brother down, whitey?
One thing I don't enjoy is having a gun pointed at me.
"Don't point that thing at me, it might go off.
You might go off.
In fact, I wish you would."
-- Groucho Marx
UT, you describe a classic example of asymmetric information. You had information about the value of the item that the seller did not, and you used that information to your advantage. It is much less common for the buyer than the seller to have less information in most transactions like this. Imagine two private parties negotiating the sale of a used vehicle, the seller is likely to have far greater knowledge of the true quality of the car, its maintenance record, what's maintenance is imminent, etc. while the buyer is much more in the dark about the history of the vehicle.
Asymmetric information in exchanges like this can lead to unethical behavior and other problems. There are two classes of problems like this, problems that happen before the exchange like in your example; these are known as Adverse Selection problems. Problems that happen after an exchange are known as Moral Hazard problems, like a person who behaves recklessly after getting insurance. Presumably, they knew better about their behavior than the insurer, thus an asymmetric amount of information.
Precisely
And that is part of what makes it dramatic. On Saturday a young lady came in wanting to sell us her 42" Visio TV. I hooked it up to the cable and plugged it in. While I walked around to the other side, our cable comes winding back at me. Turns out the cable connector came off the TV.
Well this is tense, because now I can be accused of breaking it. Many ghetto people will grasp onto whatever they can to try to gain some advantage. Luckily Sammy went out and examined the part. He noticed that there was glue on the end of the part. Someone had broken it off and just glued the part back in place instead of actually repairing it.
The advantage of knowledge. Did she know it was broken and so wanted to off-load it to us? Because when we found the glue, the advantage flipped! Sammy asked her, pleasantly enough, whether she knew about this issue. She claimed that she'd bought the TV second-hand (Manufacture Date: Feb 2012) and was unaware of the problem.
...
To make the story more complicated, when the woman walked in with the TV, another customer tried to poach the deal, by being all interested, asking if she wanted to sell it to him, and kinda waiting to find out how our offer went down. This is something we don't allow, and we kicked the guy out. But on the way out, he told her that he'd be outside.
She left with her TV, cable connector in her pocket. We watched her leave from the video cameras we have trained on the street. We don't think she found the guy outside. Ghetto people, they don't have time to wait the 10 minutes for all this to go down. They got stuff to do on a Saturday.
And all that is one of the reasons pawn shop offers have to be low. Some things you can evaluate fairly 100% of the time, such as gold and diamonds. Electronics you can almost never evaluate fairly, because you can't test everything. Does the input switch on the remote work? We didn't check for that.
Frinstance, on laptops, people will sometimes set a password on the BIOS, which can't typically be fixed. This means we can't honestly sell it on eBay in any category but "For Parts or Not Working". So of course the return goes way lower, and we wind up burnt on a deal.
A good day for me is when someone buys an instrument and knows how to play it. A guy came in looking at basses. He asks to see one of them and kneels down and starts playing it, without an amp.
Well just the other day, I declared that we should take a little tiny amp and keep it under the counter for such times. When we have to evaluate a guitar or bass, or when someone wants to try something out, we have it all ready.
So I pull out this little amp, put it up on the counter, and hand him the instrument cable. The guy grins.
He finds a problem with the first bass he tries out. One of the pickups is bad. I agree with him. He selects another bass and starts playing Stanley Clarke's "School Days".
Sometimes, when a bass player comes in, I say hey I'm a bassist too, and then we have a moment. In this case, I didn't tell him. For some reason, I didn't tell him. But here he is, playing one of the great modern jazz bass pieces that fellow bassists all know... the first bass record I ever bought...
So I grin a huge big grin, and I say, "School Days".
And he grins a huge big grin, "You know that!!" and gives me the fist-bump.
When I get the fist-bump I know it is a good day.
He bought the bass, we gave him a huge discount, and everybody was happy. That is a good day at the shop.
One more post here to close out the day. One thing that is really kind of funny at the shop is how some people get upset over things that cost so little.
We make keys. Keys are $2. I gave that price to a woman the other day, and she gave me a "Oh HELL No" and walked away indignantly.
Today a guy asked for a money order for $1100. Because the maximum you can put on one money order is $500, these have to be broken up into three money orders, of $500, $500, and $100. Because there are three money orders instead of one, it's $3 extra for three money orders. And this guy today was just pissed off about that! Walks away with his $1100 in money orders, all fuming... that he had to pay two additional dollars for them!
Shoulda made them for $400 $400 & $300 lol
This week Alan is on vacation, so I'm not taking a day off, I'm working 6 days in a row. It's kinda rough.
There's an ebb and flow about the shop. For example, Mondays are always busy. Also, around the 1st of the month is always busy. People get their checks and want a lot of transactions. We do money orders, and right after the 1st of the month, people are all coming in for money orders to pay their bills.
But around about now is a cycle where desperate people show up. It's pretty depressing.
Now is when people bring us things that have no value. They bring us things that we just don't buy. Used heaters. Old cordless drills. Playstation 2s. Shitty phones. Old and shitty brand DVD players. Brands like Coby, Emerson. I say "Emerson pieces of shit."
But it is my job to not care, and turn them down. Nine out of ten offers today I merely had to turn down. I generally apologize for not being able to help them, and sometimes people say, no problem. But there is desperation in the air: and it's hard for a sensitive person to ignore.
Today the only music-related item that I dealt with was the sale of one pair of drum sticks. I told the gentleman to make beautiful music with them, and he said that he would.
Also, when it comes to trends...
Yesterday I wrote about the antique gun being pointed at me... today, within the space of an hour, two *replica* guns were offered. Nice antique pieces. Now I've gone 6 weeks doing pawnbrokering and within the space of two days, turned down 1 antique gun, 2 replica guns and a Japanese sword...
...is this something I should be concerned about?
Now let me say there are a few very SIMPLE things that I really enjoy!
- Making keys. Goddamn, I love making keys. You go away from the ghetto world for a moment, and use a loud machine to mill a replica key for somebody. The machine drowns out everything for a while. And everybody is happy when they get a new key. Sometimes I get to ask whether they want a gold or a silver key for the new one. It's such a tiny little thing, and yet so important. I take a weird pride in the keys that I make. $2 each.
- Running money orders. It's the simplest thing in the world! Enter password. Enter amount of money order. Press print. Wait for printout. Tear off money order. Separate store copy from customer copy. It's mindless, and yet I know that these folks are paying their bills and doing their business, and I'm a little cog in the machine.
- Tilling money. Now I must sound addled, but I totally enjoy the process of putting in bills and making change. As long as you have to do it 50 times a day, why not refine that skill? And so I've recently taken to pinching the bills in a certain way, where I can pinch out 3 or 4 bills or whatever number is needed.
pinching money from the till?
I'm sure you could word that better. Not funnier, but betterer maybe.
Making keys ~ You're getting a tiny taste of what it's like to be a machinist or tool&die maker. The pleasure of creating something useful, or just cool looking, from a blank. Fun ain't it.
Running money orders ~ May be mindless but you can relax for a few seconds because you can do it confidently and not worry about fucking it up, like you might with the million other things you have little or no experience with.
Tilling money ~ It's amazing how recalcitrant money in the drawer can be. Depends on how worn the bill is, or maybe how much coke residue is on it. Then somebody throw a $2 bill or $1 coin at you. :haha:
You're taking to this like a duck to water, UT, good job.
My first thought was machining as well, but woodworking does the same thing creating a little bubble reality. I actually prefer the feeling without the noise like when you're doing chisel or draw-knife work.
chisel or draw-knife work.
Damn straight. The draw knife is my favorite tool. I just this instant realized this with your post.
Today was a bad day.
A) I had to tell a known jewelry thief that we were not taking his stuff any longer. This is a guy I bought gold in for five times in the last three weeks.
I lied and told him I didn't know why, but his account was locked, and the only boss who knows why is on vacation. He seemed obviously sad that he could not do business, and not at all ponderous about why. The cops are hot on your tail dude and this is your wake-up call. Last week they came in and already had your name and the five other places you pawn, including some places far away. Your ass should be burning red hot about now.
B) In the last half hour, a crazy racist woman came in. Entirely negative the entire time. Pitched a thorough fit that we were not giving her what she wanted for her Nintendo DSi. Threatened us with legal action. Ranted and raved for a good five minutes. Walked in and out of the store several times. Wanted to do the deal and then didn't. Made unreasonable demands at top volume. Finally when she walked in the fourth time, wanting to do the deal, the old man came out and said "TD that lady." It means Turn Down. We informed her that we were no longer interested in her DSi.
At that point her crazy fever went up to 12 for another full minute and we wondered if we would have to call the cops in order to get her to leave. Finally she walked out for good.
I really hope I can capture some of the audio of this shit. It's unbelievable.
Sounds like having days off is fairly critical.
you can still get nickle jawns in philly of dirtball weed. in cali its 'igh grade for a nick because there is a surplus.
Welcome to the cellar TomJonze. I've been meaning to ask, what's new, pussycat?
does I know you bigV? this relates to how i answer what is new. if I do then not a lot since we probably stay in touch. if not really, then a lot as I moved to San Francisco and have numerous new tattoos.
(Tom is an old friend of mine and is hilarious)
The cops came in today and took pictures of everything that jewelry thief stole in the last two weeks. (The guy I had to turn down last week)
It was about $800 worth of stuff. I bought in at least half of it.
Are you both missing the song reference?
Since you bought it in does that make you at all liable? To either the court or the shop?
I did not get the reference. My name is in reference to mixing Tom Jonze and Spike Jonze and was given unto my by a female friend. She might know Tom Jones music better than me. I just use the name as a way to be weird on the internet and not have it tied to my government (as they refer to it in the hip hop vernacular.)
No, I can bring in all the stolen jewelry I want, but we want to avoid it in many cases just because it's a ton of work for us.
Well, I know you *now*. I'm just being friendly. Y'know... we are a visual bunch here (I'll leave the funny to my betters, you're welcome) and we have picture threads of everything. Really. Pics of my food, pics of my pet. Pics of my pot, pics of my guns, pics of me (the royal we, all of us), with clothes and without. Pics of bruises. Now there's some color. But we don't have a thread about pics of tattoos! You could start one, hm? I am sorry to say I have nothing to contribute, being a needle virgin and all.
Anyhow... nice to meetcha, pics or no.
Are you both missing the song reference?
it's not unusual...
Are you both missing the song reference?
Why, why why?
Sent by thought transference
I thought we DID have a tattoo thread, though...
I found a tattoo thread
here, but it's a pretty short thread. Surely dwellars have more than five tattoos between them?
i'm not gonna jack UTs thread so lemme just say i posted on that tattoo thread if yinz wanna see the newest finished product.
Ute, you got any cheap left handed guitars? A buddy wants to learn to play
Nothing left-handed at this time.
I'm considering building a section of website where we show what guitars and basses are available. So that non-ghetto people don't have to come to North Broad to find out.
I do love this thread.
Ut, you are a cool one. When that lady came in hollering and junk it would've made my blood boil and idda jumped over the counter to rip her hair-did off.
Yeah. But the problem is, I can't handle conflict, and it just all tenses me up and fucks with my day.
The slow decent into madness is really getting me down right now. I don't know how long I can take it. Every day I drive out of paradise, and into an assault of trash, madness, ignorance and desperation.
Sammy says people deal with this in different ways. One guy just wound up numb and would only answer yes or no to most things. One guy just became a relentless racist.
This is what happens to people who have to deal with other people at their worst on a daily basis. It's so stressful it generates its own PTSD. Those in the crucible have to find some way to deal with it (often not a healthy way), but eventually they all have to get out.
This is what happens to people who have to deal with other people at their worst on a daily basis. It's so stressful it generates its own PTSD. Those in the crucible have to find some way to deal with it (often not a healthy way), but eventually they all have to get out.
Exactly
the average time an RN spends in the ED is five years. That's all they can take. Same with psych nurses, etc. That's why the police flip out and beat people with sticks....why does humanity suck so bad?
Yeah. But the problem is, I can't handle conflict, and it just all tenses me up and fucks with my day.
I'm the same way. It's a big reason I can't deal with being in management.
gotta start meditating. Practice letting go.
"It is What It is"
the Tao of Pooh.
all that. sounds dumb but it helps.
That is absolutely true Tril... absolutely true, and yet it's the hardest thing to remember, in the moment.
When I'm strong, I feel like this is something I should try to press on with, and conquer in some way. Learn to handle without losing dignity or losing my head. Could it be this is what I was meant to do? Maybe it will strengthen some muscle inside me, some resolve, that I could use in the next chapter of my life.
I been wussy too long. And you can't be a wuss at the shop.
Exactly
the average time an RN spends in the ED is five years. That's all they can take. Same with psych nurses, etc. That's why the police flip out and beat people with sticks....why does humanity suck so bad?
In the same way, ER docs get burned out seeing 60 patients/shift, all of whom are stressed and not at their best, some of whom are dying, and many of whom are looking for a fight. You always have to be prepared for a situation to turn aggressive. And police flip out, and first responders have to quit ... you make allowances as far as you can but eventually the stress takes its toll.
Learning to cope with aggressive customers could be good in terms of developing a manner of response that doesn't turn on the adrenaline jets, but once you feel that burnout starting it's probably better to look for something healthier. Just my 0.02.
"It is What It is"
the Tao of Pooh.
all that. sounds dumb but it helps.
I like this, from Dune:
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
Except I substitute "anger" for "fear".
I thought orgasms were the little death.
Ute, come hang out at my new jawn friday night. I'll give you a pep talk. We can do a little pottery, maybe too.
I like the Tao of Pooh and I like the Litany Against Fear from Dune, really.
But.
Fear is an inescapable element of our humanity. Someone who has no fear is an incomplete human, possibly dangerously so. And the same is true about anger--a necessary, useful, elemental aspect of being human. A life without anger is alien, not human.
What. I. Do. when I'm angry is all that I can control, all that matters.
There's not nearly enough evidence here for me to suggest "what to do" in any example we've talked about. But I would humbly suggest that ignoring anger, ignoring fear, these are responses that might be acceptable in the short term but they are unhealthy if taken to the extreme. Fear and anger are reactions, emotional reactions and my response should be to the cause of my reaction. Addressing the cause is ultimately a better solution. Sometimes, just the mere examination of the reason for my anger makes the unpleasant reaction disappear. Harder to do, sometimes impossible in the moment (Run, Forrest, RUN! The zombies are gaining on yooooouuuu!!), but it's still a better answer, when I can do it.
We can do a little pottery, maybe too.
[YOUTUBE]LW8j818w-qE[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]LW8j818w-qE[/YOUTUBE]
the same image popped into my mind too.
do you think they'll wrestle over who gets to play Whoopi?
I thought orgasms were the little death.
Ute, come hang out at my new jawn friday night. I'll give you a pep talk. We can do a little pottery, maybe too.
I can do this, PMs sent
do you think they'll wrestle over who gets to play Whoopi?
last time i wrestled someone over playing whoopi a loud whistle went off and i was forced to talk to the police for days on end.
I thought orgasms were the little death.
Ute, come hang out at my new jawn friday night. I'll give you a pep talk. We can do a little pottery, maybe too.
this is why I love you, you beautiful fool.
I like the Tao of Pooh and I like the Litany Against Fear from Dune, really.
But.
Fear is an inescapable element of our humanity. Someone who has no fear is an incomplete human, possibly dangerously so. And the same is true about anger--a necessary, useful, elemental aspect of being human. A life without anger is alien, not human.
What. I. Do. when I'm angry is all that I can control, all that matters.
There's not nearly enough evidence here for me to suggest "what to do" in any example we've talked about. But I would humbly suggest that ignoring anger, ignoring fear, these are responses that might be acceptable in the short term but they are unhealthy if taken to the extreme. Fear and anger are reactions, emotional reactions and my response should be to the cause of my reaction. Addressing the cause is ultimately a better solution.
I'm beginning to see what the problem is with us, BigV. You take pleasure in discounting anything, anything at all, that some people have to say. UT said he hates confrontation and I suggest a little strategy for coping, a little tiny piece of amethyst, and you turn it into a big fucking deal about the nature of human beings, short-terms, extremes...jaysus.
you're a stylist in the worst way. no matter what you're espousing the subject is always yourself. You're always teaching us the Gospel according to BigV. It gets old and it gets boring. yes, we see you there, waving. hello, bigV! Grant us your wisdom before the tide washes you away again!!
UT's unpleasant feelings while dealing with crap humanity isn't a dangerous slippery slope leading him to shoot pedestrians from a tower. Little ways of dealing with nuttiness are helpful-they don't herald the end of civilization. I'm not advocating he 'ignore anger, ignore fear' I'm advocating that he control what he can which is his own response to these things in a way that will make him feel calmer and more in control. If there was REAL danger, like a guy walking into the jawn with a gun, I'm sure UT would figure out what to do without even having to think about it.
sheesh.
this is why I love you, you beautiful fool.
Did I mention that I have not one , but TWO swords displayed on my hearth?
I'm beginning to see what the problem is with us, BigV. You take pleasure in discounting anything, anything at all, that some people have to say. UT said he hates confrontation and I suggest a little strategy for coping, a little tiny piece of amethyst, and you turn it into a big fucking deal about the nature of human beings, short-terms, extremes...jaysus.
you're a stylist in the worst way. no matter what you're espousing the subject is always yourself. You're always teaching us the Gospel according to BigV. It gets old and it gets boring. yes, we see you there, waving. hello, bigV! Grant us your wisdom before the tide washes you away again!!
UT's unpleasant feelings while dealing with crap humanity isn't a dangerous slippery slope leading him to shoot pedestrians from a tower. Little ways of dealing with nuttiness are helpful-they don't herald the end of civilization. I'm not advocating he 'ignore anger, ignore fear' I'm advocating that he control what he can which is his own response to these things in a way that will make him feel calmer and more in control. If there was REAL danger, like a guy walking into the jawn with a gun, I'm sure UT would figure out what to do without even having to think about it.
sheesh.
tl;dr
trilby--fuck. off.
that would hurt if I gave a rat's ass about you.
Now YOU go fuck off. I'm sure you're much better at it than me.
Trilby seems to have hit the nail on the head...
Okokok.. Easy now.
Did I mention that I have not one , but TWO swords displayed on my hearth?
...
Down at the pawn shop
Down at the pawn shop
It's the kinda shop where you can sell a jawn there
They hate you, you hate thieves
This is part of society
FSM have mercy on a guy that's
Down at the pawn shop
"Is it real?" "Yeah... real fake."
People come in with all kinds of gold. Most of the time there's a small mark on it somewhere that says what amount of gold is in the item. 10K is 40% gold, 14K is 60% gold, 18K is 80% and 24K is 100%.
I have yet to see anything 24K. Most simple jewelry is 10K and if there is a real stone or an item of real importance, it will be 14K.
If it's sterling silver, it will usually be marked 950.
Lady comes in with a chain, saying "It's real! Oh it's real!"
"I believe you ma'am, but I have to examine every item."
Look at it through the loupe, and sure enough: "14KGP" which means it's Gold Plated. Not solid gold.
"No ma'am, this is gold plated, we can't do a loan on it."
She takes it back in silence and leaves the shop with her man. And once the shop door closes, we hear a shit ton of screaming and yelling.
The poor old man probably never told her. Oh well.
"Is it real?" "Well, it has mass, that's a good sign."
One thing I don't enjoy is having a gun pointed at me.
Even if it's an antique, and the guy is looking to see if we buy them.
We don't, and please take it off the counter where I'm looking at an open barrel, a foot away from my abdomen.
This guy came back, and told me that his antique gun sold to a collectables shop for $2000.
What was his purpose in coming back? Letting you know you guys "missed out" somehow?
I bet they probably bought his 40 Watt Phased Plasma Rifle too.
At that point her crazy fever went up to 12 for another full minute and we wondered if we would have to call the cops in order to get her to leave. Finally she walked out for good.
Banner day today. BANNER day. She came back in just now and apologized. She said she was totally drunk.
What was his purpose in coming back? Letting you know you guys "missed out" somehow?
No he had a few more items to offer, and only brought that up after everything else was done, so it was just conversation.
I would love to deal in antique items, which we don't do, and coins, which we don't do. But there has to be a limit.
...
I can **promise** you limey that I will never cross swords with jim, not even if he brings both swords.
A crazy woman comes in and sells us her computer. In the middle of the transaction her man ? comes in and tells her to pay the taxi driver.
Out of nowhere she goes apeshit on him. He's trying to get her to pay. She's yelling at him that he should pay out of the money that he owes her.
She's at about an 8 out of 10 and at one point she pretends to go to hit him. The guy doesn't flinch, he just looks over at us and says "Guys, I box for a hobby." And it's clear he sees her as no present danger, and isn't going to do anything, but she goes on screaming, even saying "call the cops on me if you want!" She's cussing all over the place, "Mother fucker, I ain't payin', you pay, you mother fucker!"
The battle goes out and back into the shop. At one point the taxi driver makes an appearance. He's an old guy. It sounds like she took the taxi to the store to get her computer here, then asked her man ? to come retrieve her.
Why she doesn't want to pay is unclear. She's now been given $65 in cash for her computer, so she does have money; and we are speeding to try to get all of her transaction done.
In the end, we think she just wanted to not pay the taxi ever, and developed this scheme to not pay: call her man ? , make a big fuss, get rid of the heavy computer and then just walk.
Because this fracas does not involve us, we think it is just funny, and behind the plexiglass we are laughing and our other customers are laughing too. Crazy woman, if she is not attacking your ass, is just entertaining.
One time a doc was examining a prospective employee and I was there in the room with them. Doc sees a scar, says, "What's this?"
Dude says, "Wife stabbed me,"
without missing a beat the doc said, "They do that sometimes,"
It happens. Crazy happens- a lot of crazy happens. It CAN be rather entertaining if you aren;t involved.
UT I saw you post that people can only pawn 950 silver? I was looking at the silver I have because I was sure 925 was the definition of sterling and that seems to be the case except some of my silver is Mexican silver which is supposed to be 950 but its stamped 925. I am metally confused..
UT simply misspoke: sterling is .925. Mexican silver in jewelry ranges from .925 (typically) to .999 and is stamped accordingly. Pawn shops and other bullion value [BV] metal buyers usually deal in coin silver [.900] or better fineness. US buyers often accept Canadian silver coins [.800] and US transition coinage [.400]. Anything else less than .800 usually isn't worthwhile (considering smelting costs); unless, there's considerable volume.
It sounds like you need a taser. If you lit a few folks up, I bet they wouldn't be as rowdy in the shop. Or, I do have a double barrel 12 ga with rubber buckshot
I watched Loopers last night and the guys were being paid in silver ingots, would you guys re-smelt that sort of thing or are there restrictions?
I watched Loopers last night and the guys were being paid in silver ingots, would you guys re-smelt that sort of thing or are there restrictions?
On one of those shows where people buy the contents of unpaid storage "rooms", the buyer melted down all the silver and gold to resell it.
We would happily buy it in and melt it. I've made loans on them before. How big were the ingots?
But we don't have to actually melt anything personally. That would be a pain in the ass. We just sell it to the smelters.
How much value was that supposed to represent?
One life. It appears to be a literary reference to Judas' thirty pieces of silver. The Loopers live a very fashionable existence in a fallen society. The Loopers execute folks from the future who get in trouble with the mob and are sent back in time for disposal. Those targeted for execution are bound and packaged with an unspecified number of bars (maybe thirty) and sent to a specified time/place for execution. Very interesting movie with (as always) some logical holes created by the timeline alterations. Spoiler: [COLOR="White"]The real fun starts when the Looper pulls gold off the body rather than silver. That means he has just executed himself.[/COLOR]
... Every day I drive out of paradise, and into an assault of trash, madness, ignorance and desperation. ...
Sounds like the IT I work in - and there I was, thinking insurance companies had quality, well organized IT :yelsick:
~ Some (about half) of the stuff we turned down today ~
Ladies watch, possibly antique, but nothing to us
DVD player, not a brand we deal in
Gold, but you don't have your ID, we need proper state ID
Tool kit w/cordless drill, cheap ass kit of no-name brand, too shitty for us even if it's new
HP Deskjet 1000 new in box, too low-end of a printer for us
Bracelet, alleged silver, but not stamped
DVD player, another brand we don't deal in
Blackberry phone, too old, we only buy iPhones and the newest of other brands
Playstation 2 games, too old, we only buy PS3
Ring, fake, stamped 14K but not actually gold
DVDs, we have stopped buying them because we have too many
White XBox 360 - we don't take the white ones, they are too old and tend to die
Gold-plated silver rings - not enough weight in silver for a pawn
Xbox 360 games - too scratched
I know the Salvation Army store in Old Greenwich, CT are a great place to pick up extremely valuable antiques for a song, I wonder if there are pawn shops that cater to a better class of pawners?
My theory currently is, if the people of the neighborhood can eBay, it will not support a pawn shop.
C'mon UT, how can you deprive these poor people their anti-freeze in this weather. :lol2:
How did you know the ring wasn't gold?
How did you know the ring wasn't gold?
The sellers finger had a green stripe around it.
Pete, google acid test gold
I hope to take pictures of the test to show you guize.
Pete, google acid test gold
Huh. Interesting.
Poor Richard.
He fell in love with a Yamaha digital piano in the shop. (I did too. It's such a beautiful thing. I hope to have one some day.)
It's $299. He came in two months ago and put $100 down in a layaway on it.
But hard times have fallen on Richard, and he's getting evicted. He has a temporary job and is going for a better permanent job. But now he's just hoping he can stay with a friend for a while until he gets back on his feet.
He came in yesterday with $13 to his name and put $10 down on the keyboard to keep hold of it. He needs it; it's as important to him as life. I know this; I helped him set it up when he tried it. I saw how he felt about it when he heard it.
The problem is that he told all of his story to Alan, the shop manager who has been there for 22 years. Alan has no sympathy; he's remarkably unmoved by any story at all.
Alan is not a sociopath, although his upbringing made him turn inwards, like an only child might do. But when Richard started buttering him up, saying "You've been as good to me as anyone in my life except my sister," this only made Alan freeze up a little. Made him uncomfortable.
Alan figures that Richard is putting it on thick because he is desperate to keep that keyboard. Alan has heard every story, and he is numb to it. He has to be, in order to do his job.
Right now there are thousands of dollars held up in layaways, and everybody who has one wants special treatment. At some point, if Richard doesn't come through, his layaway is going to become unprofitable for the shop, and the piano is going to go up for sale. And someone is going to buy it, because everyone wants that piano.
We don't like white people at the shop. It's one thing we all agree on.
95% of the customers are black. When white people come in...
A third are coming in via the methadone clinic down the block. These are troubled people, and may shake or be unable to speak correctly.
A third are ghetto people. White people who have somehow wound up living in the ghetto. These are troubled people, and may shake or be unable to speak correctly.
A third are suburban people who have Googled us to find a pawn shop, and want to sell us their expensive items because they like the idea of a pawn shop.
Last week a trio of serious white professionals, jackets and ties, came to the store with a bag of Taylor-Made golf clubs. An excellent brand. They wanted $1500. We offered $300. They left annoyed.
Now, I report to you this cultural phenomenon. At the pawn shop, you can get fifty cents on the dollar for many gift cards. White suburban young people have figured this out, and they come to the shop with their Home Depot cards that they got for Christmas. So gramma, understand that if you are giving junior $100 in Home Depot to outfit his apartment, he is just selling it at the pawn shop for $50 for weed or whatever.
Yesterday a guy comes in with his $100 Home Depot card and knows it's $50 at the pawn shop. But before he closes the deal, he says haltingly, "I know this is weird but can I get 50 dollars and 50 cents for it?"
Unpredictable last-minute dickering of the lowest quality. He is denied.
fifty cents denied?
that is one tough pawn shop my brother. Or should I say 'my jawn'.
It's not about the fittycents. It's about the bullshit pushing of the rules. Next time he'll push for $50.75, or $51.00... the thing people forget about negotiating is that you're not facing a computer. You're facing a real person who has the ability to be pissed off. This is the type of guy who tries to talk his way out of shit with the police, and eventually gets tasered because he just kept wanting to "explain."
If this is a regular customer, I would have refused to buy the giftcard at all. Tell him to come back next week and try not acting like a dick next time. (Well, I wouldn't have done it myself, because I'm terrified of in-person confrontation and could never work in a place where negotiations of any kind were a standard part of business. But I would have supported a business policy as such.)
Sounds like
someone's got an early case of the Mondays...
... Yesterday a guy comes in with his $100 Home Depot card and knows it's $50 at the pawn shop. But before he closes the deal, he says haltingly, "I know this is weird but can I get 50 dollars and 50 cents for it?"
Unpredictable last-minute dickering of the lowest quality. He is denied.
Next time you might say "Only if you'll take the entire amount of $50.50 in pennies." I'd give him the 4 bits out of my own pocket just to see the look on his face.
Aww, C'mon, bro, like, it's not the money, it's the feeling of having WON against the system.
You could have said, yes, provided you take it as a money order. Then charge him a buck for the MO.
Could he have needed change for a parking meter/vending machine?
If he actually wants to negotiate, he should go to some round number like 55 or 60. A lot of people figure they have to negotiate, although our number is almost always final.
So he probably did have some special reason he wanted 50.50, but just acting all weird and asking for it awkwardly doesn't hold any sway. If he wanted meter reimbursement, he could have said so, and maybe we would have believed him and told him no anyway.
Since everybody knows a $100 card gets $50 at the shop, getting $50.50 would carry bragging rights, while just asking for just 50¢ isn't likely to piss anybody off enough to get him banned or anything.
Yes children, I'll tell you the story about how I got $50.50 for a $100 card, way back in '13, before your mamas were born. :haha:
Sounds like someone's got an early case of the Mondays...
Yeah, sorry about that... I think I've mentioned before, one of my first real jobs was doing low level (and I mean
low level) tech support for a chain of pawn shops. I am intimately familiar with the environment UT has been describing in this thread. I'm the kind of jaded that UT is trying not to become. :)
If he wanted meter reimbursement, he could have said so, and maybe we would have believed him and told him no anyway.
This is what it boils down to. There was absolutely no universe in which the kid was going to get the fifty cents, and I believe he already knew it. Assuming he did, he's just wasting everyone's time. A pawn shop is not a therapist, and they do not want to hear your sob story.
I'm getting jaded working with a similar clientele in education. The complete lack of foresight, integration with civilization, and human decency just wears you down.
I'm getting jaded working with a similar clientele in education. The complete lack of foresight, integration with civilization, and human decency just wears you down.
I'd like to hear a bit of that story, Griff.
I said the same thing to my friend who was working in Social Services in Baltimore 20 years or so ago. What he told me couldn't be unheard. I'm going to hide behind confidentiality on this since a full accounting could lead right to the children involved and frankly would keep anyone with a shred of human decency awake at night.:thepain:
But Griff, there is a major difference between the intent and basis for working in Social Services,
and what UT and Clod describe as their experiences working in pawn shops.
The former are there to promote more humane lives of their clientele,
but it sounds as though squeezing the last penny from each customer is the only goal of this pawn shop.
I realize pawn shops fill a certain (limited) need, and must make a profit,
but as a job UT has made his place sound completely soul-killing.
The $ can't be that good, and I'd soon be looking for work elsewhere.
I'm getting jaded working with a similar clientele in education. The complete lack of foresight, integration with civilization, and human decency just wears you down.
The high school I taught at was one of the poorer ones in the area and had the highest percentage of homeless students in the county. It was soul crushing. As much as I wanted to help the kids, I felt like I couldn't keep my head above the drowning misery. Only three years in I found myself growing more and more cynical and was hardening my heart against what I saw every day. 'S why I made the choice not to go back next year.
Thanks Choc, I can identify with that. Next time I feel whiney I'll take it to a more appropriate thread.
Anything cool come into the shop lately?
I realize pawn shops fill a certain (limited) need, and must make a profit,
but as a job UT has made his place sound completely soul-killing.
The $ can't be that good, and I'd soon be looking for work elsewhere.
You have to take UT's background and personality into consideration.
To him, traveling to this job/place in the morning requires crossing the river Styx.
To someone with a more aggressive personality and less empathy, it could be a challenge, a game.
To quote the great philosopher Randall Graves -
"This job'd be great if it wasn't for the fuckin' customers."
Gold test: scratch the gold on the touchstone
Apply a drop of nitric acid. If the scratch remains, it's gold. Any other metal is et by the acid.
Don't get the acid on your fingers.
The cool thing is this test originated with alchemy, in like the 13th Century, and we still use it.
I'd worked out the meaning of touchstone from the context it's used in, in books.
But I've never heard it actually explained.
Thank you.
I am wiser for reading this post.
And more puzzled by some of the movies that production company Touchstone have put out.
At the end of each year, can you wash the stone and somehow collect all the gold dust and GET RICH?
Or just decorate your hands and sell them as modern art?
So, tell them how you distinguish between 14, 18, 24K gold.
There are different strengths of the acid for 10,14, 18. I haven't seen any 24K yet. I expect I would be able to verify that just by looking at it. The real stuff scratches differently on the stone so a lot of it you can tell just be feel.
Many pieces are stamped in various ways, such as "10K" or "417". If its from this country by law it's supposed to be stamped, but I see a lot of fake stuff stamped, and I see a lot of real stuff not stamped.
If someone leaves a business card on our counter while looking for their pawn ticket, it's just as likely as not to be something like this.
that reminds me...I really gotta call Hedy one of these days.
CHERRY HILL?
Can't you get a Nissan there as well?
[youtube]aEAmMFWvFyY[/youtube]
Yes, yes you can!
If you can't get it in Cherry Hill, you don't need it. :haha:
If you can't get it in Cherry Hill, you don't need it enlarged. :haha:
Just had a woman come in and ask if we have any double-D batteries.
We don't, but you know, a good pair of double-Ds will last you a long time.
We have a bunch of electronic scales at the shop, but we're having a hard time getting rid of them. It turns out they are only accurate to 0.1 gram.
Just had two college kids come in and look at them but reject them for that reason. We speculate that they need this level of accuracy for powder-type drugs. We speculate that if they are selling weed they don't need that level of accuracy.
We had a huge laugh at the notion that they are doing some sort of science.
We have a bunch of electronic scales at the shop, but we're having a hard time getting rid of them. It turns out they are only accurate to 0.1 gram.
Just had two college kids come in and look at them but reject them for that reason. We speculate that they need this level of accuracy for powder-type drugs. We speculate that if they are selling weed they don't need that level of accuracy.
We had a huge laugh at the notion that they are doing some sort of science.
Those would be great for weighing out hops. What's the max weight?
I've got a nice digi darkroom scale that weighs in grams, grains, ounces, and drams. You really only need oz and g for hops. I bet if you listed them on ebay as homebrewing supplies they'd fly off the shelf.
Here they are
"weighs up to 500g at 0.1g increments. It also weighs in oz, ct or gn at the press of a switch."
So far, we have only used our electronic scale for pinewood derby cars and for science fair projects. That's honestly the reason I bought it, but I thought we would also use it for food.
(FYI, OXO makes one of the best kitchen scales. The display is removable on a wire that pulls out, so if you put a big bowl on the scale you can pull the display out to read it. On most other scales, a large bowl will cover the display, blocking your view of it.)
Dueling thugs.
I deal with thugs every day people. Guy comes in with his posse and he has put down $30 in a layaway on a camcorder. Then he says, he bought the same camcorder somewhere else and would like his $30 back.
But it doesn't work like that - a layaway is painful for us, because it means we can't sell the item and have to just sit on it for 90 days, and we have to track the item carefully, etc.
So we don't just give people their money back. We give them store credit. So his buddy, on his behalf, starts going off and getting really loud, saying shit like "Now you got a problem, I ain't leaving this shop until we see $30 and you can call the cops if you want." Being vaguely threatening, you know.
His friends are now trying to calm him down because they don't want any shit, but at the same time they're all complaining, they don't want anything in the shop.
Now another pair of gentlemen come in with a Toshiba laptop. They've stolen it. I tell you, after a while you know what's stolen and who's stealing. Every day I see it. Thugs. This pair offers up the reason why they are selling the laptop today: "Tired of it."
But now, you know, there's a new dynamic in the shop. Thug group #1 wants to continue to cause trouble. But thug group #2 prevents this, because they are motivated to do business. This immediately causes group #1 to settle down and my co-worker sells them on the idea of getting some video games for their store credit while I take my good old time buying in the laptop.
Fuckin' thugs. I am so tired of these fuckin' thugs.
Good luck with your new reality TV show - The Real Thugs of North Philly.
Thug Stars on the History Channel.
"One thing I've learned after 30 weeks in this business is, you know a couple of thugs are going to walk through that door."
Fuckin' thugs. I am so tired of these fuckin' thugs.
Porn movie title:
Fuckin' thugs. I am so tired of fuckin' these thugs.
Special interest pron website: Thugs with Jugs
(FYI, OXO makes one of the best kitchen scales. The display is removable on a wire that pulls out, so if you put a big bowl on the scale you can pull the display out to read it. On most other scales, a large bowl will cover the display, blocking your view of it.)
Yes! This is the model we have. I use it everyday, but obviously I'm unusual. It's only accurate in 1 gram increments though; now I feel inadequate compared to the drug dealers.
OXO is completely dead to me.
From today's clientele I feel that most north Philly people are Niners fans. We have a lot of males this morning who are downright angry and, as usual, with no justification.
A gentleman insisted that his tiny ring should be pawned for more than $10. He insisted that he bought it here. We give much more pawn value to jewelry bought in the store but we suspected that his jewelry was not.
We told him we would give one-third of his purchase if he could produce a receipt. He went directly home and searched for it, and returned with a receipt from Littman Jewelers. This is a large nationwide chain with 350 stores. It is, however, not us.
Please if you understand anything about what I write... it's that many of these people are just stone-dead stupid. They were raised in shit, went to school in shit if at all, and they continue to live in shit because it's all they know.
Now this guy swore up and down that he paid $135 for this ring and also that someone here said they would pawn it for $30, which is not what we do. Either we pawn for the weight of the gold, or we pawn 1/3rd of the purchase value. Therefore nobody from here ever could have told him that he could get $30.
He insisted on having a long, annoying argument about it. But discussing the issue with these people is useless. He truly believed that his Littman receipt would bear some meaning at the pawn shop. No amount of reason would convince him otherwise.
Who the fuck buys jewelry at a jewelry store anyway? 900% mark up.
Um.. guys that use pawn shops.
Who the fuck...
... stone-dead stupid.
Pay attention, Footsie.
Between the belligerence, stupidity, and greed, I really would find that job crushing. Good luck with withstanding it until you can find something better.
Please if you understand anything about what I write... it's that many of these people are just stone-dead stupid. They were raised in shit, went to school in shit if at all, and they continue to live in shit because it's all they know.
It's reverse natural selection. Their parents were stupid. and so were their parents. too stupid to work their way out of the ghetto. so they stayed and married .... well... mated with ... other stupids, and made stupid babies....and neglected them into ignorance on top of their stupidity.
That sounds really harsh... but it is probably fairly accurate in many of the Family Trees in any ghetto that's existed for more than 100 years.
So, Tony... I need a powered Subwoofer. My receiver is the Sony 7.1 5 hdmi
you got anything that might suit?
No subwoofers. We have some 7.1 receivers, some complete surround systems (Sony, 5.1 speakers and Blu-Ray, $249 amazing deal), but right now there are no individual speakers or subwoofers.
reverse natural selection
You cause me to go deep here, I have considered the question very carefully, and I believe that what we are seeing is culture in operation, over many generations.
As in "Trading Places", I now believe that upbringing is 99%, genetics 1% in determining our intelligence.
(It may go further than that: what we believe intelligence is, and what importance we place on it, is mostly cultural.)
What WE are is informed by what our culture taught us. We have no idea how big the impact of our culture is. But consider that all first-world drama is informed by Shakespeare, who worked from late 1500s - early 1600s.
Culture is so critical to who we are. We don't want to believe it. We try to deny it. But if there is a unifying "force" a la Star Wars, it's culture, which goes so far as to inform us what musical scale sounds "right" to our ears.
Culture tells us how often to wash our hands, whether we value hard work, whether we value education, what importance we place on charity, what importance we place on raising children.
All humans are identical, genetically. Race is an expression of as little as 25,000 years spent developing separately. But in the 100,000 years we have been wandering the earth, no group of us spent enough time apart to develop into a different species. We all have roughly the same capacity for intelligence. When an African is raised in western culture s/he seems western, identical to the rest of us, save for the racial characteristics.
What confuses us is that we don't see how valuable our cultural background is. We don't realize that our cultural differences develop in the same way as genetics... slowly, over many generations. What if, instead of Shakespeare, we had three centuries of slavery?
Our cultural differences APPEAR to be genetic, because they happen over so many generations of time that we can't see where the changes happened.
And what do Tiger moms think of us? Are we belly scratching slackers?
Well, I have to say that my oldest boy Aden is so much like his father in so many ways. Not just physically. Emotionally, and psychologically as well. I see so many of his fathers traits in his behaviours, and he's barely been influenced by his father. Mav is much more 'Australian' in his behaviours and psychology, so, more like my side of the tree, genetically speaking.
I'd always been a proponent for nurture, but now I'm reconsidering the nature side of things purely because there's really no other explanation for it.
There is a concept about of the "third helix", which is culture.
Just because it isn't genetic, or in the DNA, doesn't mean it isn't inherited. Language, religion, general attitude, daily behaviour of role models are all examples.
But doesn't that come under nurture? Or am I missing something?
Yeah, I was more engaging with UT's post.
I think nature is a bit more than 1% ... it would even vary from individual to individual. As in, one kid has lots of mental flexibility, so nurture = 99%. Some other kid, malformed brain lobe, never develops empathy, ends up sociopathic: nature = 99%.
I could only suggest Aden had more imprinting from his dad (or other sources of that type) than you realise.
What confuses us is that we don't see how valuable our cultural background is. We don't realize that our cultural differences develop in the same way as genetics... slowly, over many generations. What if, instead of Shakespeare, we had three centuries of slavery?
Our cultural differences APPEAR to be genetic, because they happen over so many generations of time that we can't see where the changes happened.
Beautifully put, UT.
There have been recent studies showing that our DNA changes in response to stress. That DNA is inherited by descendants even though the stress has changed.
Basically, evolution.
By stress I don't mean a tough day at work, but any type of stress put upon a person. Hunger, learning, emergencies and so forth.
It is probably true about other human experiences but I don't think that's been studied, but it stands to reason. We need to think of DNA as "a living document" not something cast in stone.
Ummmm.....I'm not so sure.
Such "stress" would have to specifically affect the DNA of a person's sperm or egg cells,
not their somatic cells, for inheritance to take place, and even then
inheritance would happen only rarely and randomly
... in a comparatively miniscule number of pregnancies.
When the stress of pregnancies during the severe starvation and war time conditions
at Stalingrad during WWII was investigated for birth defects, the effects could not be shown.
I think UT's emphasis on "culture" is important, not in the food/water sense of "nurture",
but in the overall sense of societal support and traditions.
Unfortunately, some of those traditions are not always beneficial to the individual.
Our cultural differences APPEAR to be genetic, because they happen over so many generations of time that we can't see where the changes happened.
Hence the idea of "memes" evolving similarly to genetic evolution, and for the same reason - cultural groups are separated mentally like evolutionary groups are separated geographically, with some mixing along the borders, and imperfect duplication and a changing environment causing change over time.
Woman comes in and sells us a Wii game and an xBox game.
She looks 13, so I'm about to ask whether she's 18 since you can't buy or pawn unless you're 18.
She hands over her ID for the transaction. She's 32.
I've had this happen several times. Black women, they can look young!
So my (new) coworker leans back and sighs, he's got some back pain going. She offers "I could give you a massage, my massages are great."
Don: What do you massage?
Woman: Oh, you know back, shoulder, legs...
Alan: How much do you charge?
Woman. Twenty dollars.
Alan: Happy ending?
Woman: The whole ordeal.
It was not a surprise that a young lady was offering her sex services in the shop, but it was a surprise that buttoned-down Alan, who never says anything sex-related, would ask whether she was offering.
"ordeal" doesn't exactly sell it.
She should've had a good-looking man sucking her face off. That would've sold it!
would that commercial have been more gross or less gross if the woman had been similarly unattractive?
[YOUTUBE]EQTyxNTQTtk[/YOUTUBE]
Answer: same amount of gross. Don't get that defensive 'ugly women don't like it' attitude.
Remember humor?
I only asked because it occurred to me that it would be less gross if the woman was on a par with Walter. I don't really know why.
Ummmm.....I'm not so sure.
Such "stress" would have to specifically affect the DNA of a person's sperm or egg cells,
not their somatic cells, for inheritance to take place, and even then
inheritance would happen only rarely and randomly
... in a comparatively miniscule number of pregnancies.
When the stress of pregnancies during the severe starvation and war time conditions
at Stalingrad during WWII was investigated for birth defects, the effects could not be shown.
I think UT's emphasis on "culture" is important, not in the food/water sense of "nurture",
but in the overall sense of societal support and traditions.
Unfortunately, some of those traditions are not always beneficial to the individual.
As I remember the (I think it was a National Geographic video about Sapolsky's work) video stated that the researchers followed the children who were born of those pregnant mothers and those children had inherited the changed DNA in their somatic cells. Perhaps it was only a change that was passed on to fetuses. I don't recall if the children of the starvation victims then had children with the changed DNA.
Maybe I have to watch it again and take better notes, drink less beer, or fewer beers.
@jim: Look at me regressing and being the defensive one. :blush: Sorry.
For me, I just can't stand that noise on television. Even if it's a show I like with people I like...the slurpy thing just gets to me like fingernails on a blackboard get to some people. And of course it was exaggerated just for that effect, but it made me oogey.
But I also get the creeps from certain suspended ceilings and other holey textures like that. And wet yarn. Can't stand it. Yeah, I'm weird. ;)
Well that ceiling tile looks like its covered in roaches. So yah.
And you should come have lunch with my counterpart. Gawd. Chews with his mouth open. Mack, Mack, Mack! Bleurgh...
EDIT: and I hope you don't identify as an 'ugly' woman. you've got such a pretty face.
There have been recent studies showing that our DNA changes in response to stress. ...We need to think of DNA as "a living document" not something cast in stone.
*** de-cloaks***
Yes, this field of study is called epigenetics.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/epigenetics.html :
Program Description
Once nurture seemed clearly distinct from nature. Now it appears that our diets and lifestyles can change the expression of our genes. How? By influencing a network of chemical switches within our cells collectively known as the epigenome. This new understanding may lead us to potent new medical therapies. Epigenetic cancer therapy, for one, already seems to be yielding promising results.
and
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/
WHAT IS EPIGENETICS?
The development and maintenance of an organism is orchestrated by a set of chemical reactions that switch parts of the genome off and on at strategic times and locations. Epigenetics is the study of these reactions and the factors that influence them.
EPIGENETICS & THE ENVIRONMENT
The genome dynamically responds to the environment. Stress, diet, behavior, toxins and other factors activate chemical switches that regulate gene expression.
are two good places to start for info if you want to know more.
Sometimes, it really is yo mamma's fault.
***returns to lurker status***Holy fucking fuck... *waves at LabRat*
*** de-cloaks***
…
***returns to lurker status***
It's like a super-power. *awe-struck*
I know, right? I iz in aww.
Holy and entirely Mackerel!
set De-cloaker on stun!
So, 2 w00t points for me.
1- being right
2- enticing labrat out like punxatawney Phil
When the stress of pregnancies during the severe starvation and war time conditions
at Stalingrad during WWII was investigated for birth defects, the effects could not be shown.
Changes in DNA are not birth defects.
Yeah, I meant to mention that.
Pretty authoritative lurking!
You know, i really wish i could lurk for ages then just say something about something i knew i knew more than anyone else about. Unfortunately i cant help but spew bullshit most of the time instead. Sorry. ;)
Lab Rat please come back, we love you!
'Cause wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'
Plannin' and dreamin' her posts will start
That won't get her into the thread
There are many good things about the shop, and sometimes I don't point them out enough.
Today I was listing items on eBay, and the last item I put off until I can give it enough time to do it correctly. I realized it was my next item when I only had about a half hour to go. I think this one deserves about an hour of time.
It's a Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar, and it is... some years old. Where some is probably more than 30. It's in the original Gibson case. What I realized is that I didn't consider dating the guitar via the serial number. If this is something old, or rare, it could be worth...
Yeah: dot dot dot!
The pawn shop experience is definitely not Pawn Stars, but once in a while there is something like this, where we get something cool or interesting.
Like it or loathe it, shops like this provide a necessary service to people who rarely have access to any other form of in-time financial assistance. Better that than a loan shark.
It was an epiphany when I realized that my bank fees were much MUCH greater than the pawn interest fees. Around here the middle class is being raped in bank fees.
Perhaps you would like to
place an offer on a 1957 Gibson J-200.
I know I would, but at least now I know what it's like to tune and play one.
Another good thing about working at the shop.
That is so pretty. Not much wear?
Very little for a 56-year-old instrument! I tuned it up and played it and IT WAS LIKE BUTTA I TELL YOU
Most beautiful tone of any acoustic I've played... which is about 20 of em, but anyway!
Very little for a 56-year-old instrument! I tuned it up and played it and IT WAS LIKE BUTTA I TELL YOU
Most beautiful tone of any acoustic I've played... which is about 20 of em, but anyway!
Calm down, Brando.
Today was hate whitey day at the shop.
There is a weird rhythm of the shop. I've mentioned this before. Some of it is the monthly checks that are received, which create a flood of people buying money orders and reimbursing their pawn tickets.
Those are the good days. But somehow, today's rhythms led to hate whitey day, where every deal I suggested was met with being accused of ripping people off. I even got a reaction to the $2 key duplication price. $2 a key! That's pretty much the going rate, and if you're pissed off at $2 a key, there's something more than the price of a key that's pissing you off.
Well it could have been predicted that at 2pm in the afternoon, somebody was pissed off about the price of $2 per key duplication.
Was it because today was Lincoln's birthday, not recognized as a Federal holiday until next Monday?
Or is it just a normal cycle of desperation, one that happens until the 15th of the month?
Lincoln's birthday? I don't think so. I doubt any customers at the pawn shop know Lincoln's birthday. They probably don't even know President's Day, since they don't have jobs and won't get the day off.
I bet it's the weather. Yesterday was the first kinda nice day after several days of crappy weather. So people were out and about and carrying that cooped-up bad feeling with them.
On Friday night a guy got shot and killed a half block from where I park. I left at 5:40 pm, the guy got shot at 7:40 pm.
Yesterday as we left there was massive police activity across the street from the store. Like cops running in, cops running out, 5 cars, couldn't find any information on it but it looked like it was in or next to the Chinese place where we get lunch.
Good times!
On Friday night a guy got shot and killed a half block from where I park. I left at 5:40 pm, the guy got shot at 7:40 pm.
This would concern me depending on the nature of the shooting. Was it a robbery gone bad, or was it a dispute between two people who knew each other? I think most shootings in a city are between people who know each other and there's a reason one wants the other dead. Not a cause for immediate personal worry.
If it was a robbery gone bad, then I would be very concerned, because that could be you.
Today was hate whitey day at the shop.
There is a weird rhythm of the shop.
Look to the moon
Bingo! New moon was on the 10th
I had two people pick up glasses late Monday. Both whined about their new vision
it MIGHT be the moon (I always swore it was when in nursing practice) but it's more likely that the windfall of the 1st of the month is down to beans for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
when you only get paid once a month it's very hard not to run out and buy all the things you need/want right away and save a bit for the last two weeks.
I just paid a guy 53.50 to tell me the flap on my furnace filter was what was making the buzzing noise in my furnace. A less than one second job. I feel like a fool. but I know NOTHING about home ownership----and housecalls from tradespeople ususally start at 100.00 just for showing up. I have a non-working disposal, non-working dishwasher, and two leaking faucets. No landlord. He's 85 and a psychokiller [ psycho killer qu'est-ce que c'est ]
UT- I sincerely hope you don't get shot or otherwise maimed while at job, walking to or from said job and I hope you don't lose your sense of humor over it. Working with pawn people is probably a lot like working with the mentally ill----hell, they probably ARE mentally ill---a good portion, anyway.
I am trying. I am really, really trying not to be a psychopath-----(thanks, Dana, for the reading suggestion)----but it's hard once you've been around the wrong side of the tracks one too many times. It begins to wear off on you, like a stink you just can't get rid of and before you know it...well, for me, I was becoming LIKE THEM. Also, the culture of health care in this nation is such that you don't want to know. Lunch? uh.....take a bite of sandwich in between patients. Sometimes I was still swallowing my turkey bite when I entered a pts. room.
I kinda wish the END was near. I was very happy floating about space being nothing and unconscious. Like I've said before---mafioso in another life. I pay. I pay. As do we all.
I was being fast and loose with the metaphors up there in that post.
all apologies. "once you've been around the wrong side of the tracks one too many times..." sounds like a hobo ho.
what the hell kind of saying is that?
"Now I got the earrings, now you can get you some pussy."
-- woman leaving the shop with her man yesterday
Happy Valentine's Day!! People are coming in for VD jewelry today.
"What's the cheapest engagement ring you got?"
-- man on Valentine's Day last year, before even approaching the ring section
"Now I got the earrings, now you can get you some pussy."
-- woman leaving the shop with her man yesterday
Ah, love is in the air.
Hey, Undertoad! Can we go pawn shopping?
What, what, what, what...
Bada, badada, badada, bada...
I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I - I - I'm hunting, looking for a come-up
This is fucking awesome
Nah, Walk up to the club like, "What up, I got a big cock!"
I'm so pumped about my junk from the pawn shop
Ice on the fringe, it's so damn frosty
That people like, "Damn! That's a cold ass honkey."
Rollin' in, hella deep, headin' to the mezzanine,
Dressed in all pink, 'cept my gator shoes, those are green
Draped in a leopard mink, girls standin' next to me
Probably shoulda washed this, smells like R. Kelly's sheets
...
(vid nsfw)
[YOUTUBE]QK8mJJJvaes[/YOUTUBE]
People are coming in for VD jewelry today.
Wha...oh, like for a Prince Albert?
Today a woman came in all completely high and was just freakishly happy. She wanted to look at guitars, but what she really wanted was to freak out and have a fun interaction with somebody. I enjoyed helping her get her freak on by playing her a few chords on an acoustic while she made up some lyrics on the spot. She told me, secretly, that she likes country music. "Don't tell nobody around this neighborhood!!" Then she wandered around the store, and looked at shiny things with "Ooh shiny" sort of reactions, and left after doing no harm.
We guessed crack, but there's no way of knowing for sure.
is that the same as or different than not stacey?
It would be, but not really in favor in this neighborhood.
I always have more difficulty selling in the week leading up to the new moon. The week before the full moon, the fish tend to jump into the boat.
A white guy and a black guy walk into the pawn shop. This is not the beginning of a joke.
They walk in with a 32" Emerson TV. White guy asks how much we would pay for such a thing.
Firstly, Emerson is amongst the brands that is well understood outside the ghetto to be a piece of shit. Although if you, the reader, own any Emerson-branded goods, I mean no disrespect to you. You made the calculation you needed to make when you bought it. I myself have been there.
We have a general protocol for dealing with people who want to sell things. We try to ask the person how much they're looking for, early in our interaction. If they have a DVD player and they want $100 for it, we will turn them away before evaluating their stuff. They may become irate when told it's worth $10 to us.
In this case the guy suggested that it should be worth $200. And it should be, because any used or thrift goods shop selling such a TV would price it at around $200.
So when we told him we were nowhere near that, and were closer to $50 on such a thing, he immediately asked how much we'd sell it for.
Now, typically this question is confrontational and we deflect it. But this guy wasn't confrontational, he was more curious. OK, we'd hold on to it for 90 days by law and then try to get $200 and probably end up making a deal for $180.
Cool, white guy says, and they leave with the TV.
Alan, the veteran, immediately understood what had just happened. They never intended to sell the TV to us. White guy was trying to sell the TV to black guy, but they had to figure out what the right price was. Once they got some information, they moved back out to the street to make their street deal.
Alan is happy with me these days...
One of the first things I evaluated for purchase was an expensive acoustic guitar. A really important model, one that's been made for decades.
We intended to sell it on eBay for $3000 because that was about what the average that model was generally getting. But when I looked closer at it, I realized it was MUCH older than we'd figured. I used a serial number tracker to figure out that it was a 1957 model. We had it up for sale for the last two weeks, with an accurate description and 40 pictures, and Alan finally accepted an offer of $6000 for it.
That totally makes up for that $200 Vita I let get stolen at Christmas.
That was the a 1957 Gibson J-200 you posted earlier, yah?
I was going to ask how much it finally went for - and how much you guys paid to start with.
Can you tell us?
Hey, how much can I get a current model xbox fo?
Do you have any Wii (Nintendo, not The Big War) or Wii parts?
I don't think it's polite to ask a guy about the size of his parts.
We paid $500 for the J-200. So that was a good deal. In the end I tuned it up and played it a little and it was awesome, amazing sound, worth every penny. Elvis played a J-200.
We sell the used black 4GB xBox for $150 with one controller and all needed cables. I think we have one in right now. They are always coming in and out -- we buy 1-2 every week and sell 1-2 every week.
We sell complete Wiis (I forget the price -- $70? This is my day off) but we don't sell any individual parts for any systems.
People ask for individual parts all the time, and specifically they ask for every charger for everything ever made. We don't carry these things, only because it would be exhausting to manage.
There's a thrift store near here that has a huge bin of used wall worts. It's like $2 per charger, but if you look through it, there is nothing in there you would ever want.
How much are the Wii bits? Do they have a separate Wii bin, like mounted to the wall off to the side?
The ghetto is a very different place from the place than where you and I inhabit. The problem with "regular people" going to the ghetto is that we don't know the rules. Even after years and years of working there, Alan doesn't know all the rules. He can sense danger in the shop, but not on the street.
And so the one-block walk from the shop to the parking lot is always unpredictable, occasionally scary, and we must pretty much ignore the surroundings as much as possible. It is like watching a movie. The stuff happening before your eyes is not happening to you. You go through it and drive out the other side.
And so it was when, yesterday night, in the middle of the walk, there appeared an unaccompanied 4-year-old boy in the middle of the sidewalk. A boy starting to show alarm.
Three of us stood and asked a few basic questions of the lad, until a black woman came and asked whether that was his mom, a half-block away. She sort of took over, but not really, and ushered the boy towards the lady.
The boy looked well-kept, and was properly dressed and prepared for the nighttime cold air. His hoodie was pulled tight and tied. Did he come from the day care right nearby? Did his mother pick up 5 children, and forget one in all the confusion?
At this point, if it is not the ghetto, you might take an interest and make sure things end OK. In this case we overheard that the woman at the end of the block was NOT the child's mother and thus there continued a dilemma. So, things were NOT OK.
But we do not know the ghetto rules, and thus we don't know the different ways we could be put in danger ourselves. The boy looks like someone in trouble, but so do we. We don't know the different ways people will victimize you or take advantage of you. In any other place in the city, we stay with the boy and call 911. In the ghetto, the boy seemed to be in somebody else's hands, and so we all drove briskly away with no known resolution to the situation. Even after one of us overheard that the woman was not the boy's mom.
Fucked up - oh you bet.
On the very other side of this situation, a few weeks ago a white suburban lady came to the shop, and while she figured out whether she was getting a parking ticket, she boldly left her infant on the store counter for five minutes. We looked at the baby and the whole situation in amazement, because in the ghetto you never ever ever leave anything unattended that you don't want to be completely ripped off and/or destroyed. We briefly discussed putting the baby behind the counter until mom came back, but instead just watched it. In amazement.
, because in the ghetto you never ever ever leave anything unattended that you don't want to be completely ripped off and/or destroyed.
This was generally me experience of living in the UK, you couldn't leave anything out, even behind the house that wasn't locked up, somebody would nick it. Even if it was locked up they would probably bust it .
We lived in some low rent/student areas, but even in later years this was true in the nice area my folks lived.
Unlikely to get shot, but the constant wariness of petty crime was a grind.
This was generally me experience of living in the UK, you couldn't leave anything out, even behind the house that wasn't locked up, somebody would nick it. Even if it was locked up they would probably bust it .
We lived in some low rent/student areas, but even in later years this was true in the nice area my folks lived.
Unlikely to get shot, but the constant wariness of petty crime was a grind.
This was true in various areas of Ontario I lived in. People built high fences with locks and alarm systems and if you didn't, too bad for you. You could expect to be ripped off. Thugs drew knives on kids in the local high schools with impunity. Police didn't respond to calls; they were stretched too thin. I never felt unsafe while living in the US, but I felt unsafe every day during our last stint in Canada.
Taint like that in the part of town where I live.
The Evil Ex's family lived in a part of Nottingham that was like that. Then again his older brothers had been to prison (armed robbery and GBH) and his younger brother was known to the police for vandalism and anti-social behaviour so they fit right in.
Never lived anywhere like that though.
I wouldn't leave anything I valued outside overnight in the rougher parts of town, but I'd consider that taking care rather than fear of crime. Talking an unlocked bike etc, not Christmas lights or a BBQ out back. There's occasional vandalism (telephone boxes, bus shelters, new trees) but it's not yet endemic. And not common even where I live - which isn't considered high class.
In some ways I think the farmers get it worst because they are easy targets with expensive machinery sitting in isolated locations. Farmers might be armed, but it doesn't seem to help much. You simply cannot stay up all night, every night when you're working the land. And those are organised gangs as opposed to petty criminals.
The part of Salford J and I lived in for a while in the early 90s was a bit that way.
Think: Chatsworth Estate, a la Shameless. But less lovable.
We lived in (rented) reclaimed and redeveloped council flats. They'd been bought up, painted up, gated and given security guards etc, and sold to people under the pretence that they somehow classed as the new Salford Quays development. They weren't. They were the outer edge of Salford's notorious Ordsall estate - cheek by jowl with the people that the fence and guard were intended to stop :p
One of the memories of living there that always sticks in my mind, was walking at night down to the little precinct to use the cashpoint machine. And yes...it was to buy drugs :P
Along the way I walked past a patch of wasteground on which small children were whooping and squealing and having a jolly old play time on and around the still smoking wreck of a burned out car. The only adults in sight who appeared to be taking on some kind of supervisory role with them were the four or five assorted unleashed dogs of Scary Fuck breeds.
A few nights later, the Ordsall riots kicked off and they burned down the big Carpet Warehouse and a few other places. We watched the smoke rising in the sky from our window.
Ha! Found a news clipping from a couple of years after that about 'No-Go Britain':
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/nogo-britain-where-what-why-1370749.html
Ordsall Estate, Salford
Pop: 7,079
Problems: Drug-related violence. In July 1992, rioters shot at police and firefighters following 18 months of trouble including arson and car theft.
Unemployment: 21% (whole ward)
That's one of the reasons I left the city. I like that peple can leave their stuff out around here.
I think I already posted about one time my BIL came to visit and saw a huge pile of carpenters tools on the grass near the curb in front of my neighbor's house. He asked me what was up with the tools. I told him someone borrowed my neighbors truck and took the tools out.
At lunch, they were still there and my BIL was surprised. At dusk they were still there and he couldn't have been more amazed.
The only thing that was stolen from my yard in 12 years was a raccoon trap. WTF?
Organized gangs going after farm equipment? Yikes. I read about a farmer who tried to defend himself against a home intrusion and ended up being charged rather than the intruders. That's what happens in Canada as well.
Although the firearm death rates may be lower in Canada, the predicament of not being permitted to defend yourself coupled with the high incidence of violentl crime (and no legal recourse) was what made me feel unsafe in Ontario. No one was looking out for the law-abiding folks; if you became a victim people figured you hadn't been careful enough, or shrugged and said, 'What can you do?'
My father, who is 79, has had his home robbed twice in the past few years (nice suburban area of the nation's capital). The second time he returned home to find the criminals loading a small truck with his belongings. He pulled across the driveway to prevent them leaving and they drove across the lawn, digging up his garden with their tires. When the police came by a few days later to take a report, he told them he'd thought about pulling into the driveway and rear-ending their truck to disable it. The police told him in that case they would've charged him, and not even to think about it if he didn't want to be arrested. Not because it would be unsafe to confront criminals! But because they would consider him a criminal. You're expected to lie down for this kind of thing and do the Canadian shrug.
For Dana - ah, memories....
http://youtu.be/8eswiifPgi0For Dana - ah, memories....
http://youtu.be/8eswiifPgi0
Oh, bloody hell. Ha! Indeed.
Surrounding Salford Crescent train station (a bizarre little no place station that feels like it is entirely separate from the world around it) are a slew of 1960s tower blocks. They'd been renovated some by the time we were living near, but a few years after they were built to house the residents of streets cleared in the slum clearance project, the conditions were so bad that the residents co-operated in sending a message. Spelt out with a letter per window, running across the blocks was the message: Get Us Out Of This Hell!
The flats we lived in were lovely. nice little places. We had the ground floor. They weren't high rise, but maisonette type flats, with four floors.
But by christ some of the housing we were surrounded by was truly appalling.
In February so far, 3 of the 7 homicides in Philadelphia happened within 10 blocks of the shop.
The only thing that was stolen from my yard in 12 years was a raccoon trap. WTF?
Azaban's litter was due soon, and he thought it make a good nursery addition to the den.
In February so far, 3 of the 7 homicides in Philadelphia happened within 10 blocks of the shop.
Do you wear soft body armor to work and if not, can I take a life insurance policy out on you?
This, combined with the light threats issued regularly by thugs, means I am not long for the shop. I just can't take it. I don't know if I'll be out in 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, but I have to find something else to do.
maybe you can open your own pawn shop and cater to the college kids near your home?
Or better yet, a prawn shop, so the thread title will finally mean what I read it as, every time I see it.
Hahahahah.
Imaginary Like to that post!
Selling and supporting computer systems to the college kids?
As you are probably aware, the black community has gone mother fuckin' insane with the naming of their children. Today a new winner: "Orphialasertrell".
Or you'll asertrell what?
As you are probably aware, the black community has gone mother fuckin' insane with the naming of their children. Today a new winner: "Orphialasertrell".
As you are probably aware, the black community has gone mother fuckin' insane with the naming of their children. Today a new winner: "Orphialasertrell".
That's my mom's name!
;)
As you are probably aware, the black community has gone mother fuckin' insane with the naming of their children. Today a new winner: "Orphialasertrell".
Phoenetically, please?
I speak jive:
orphia: of or having to do with dead parents
las: lost
er: her
trell: trail
So: Orphia lost her trail, which symbolizes the love her adoptive parents have for her, having put her on a new trell, I mean trail, in life.
I would suggest Orf-EE-ah-LAZE-er-trell.
But that's just a wild stab in the dark. Which is similar to what her mother gave her by landing her with a name like that.
The black children at my school with African names actually have African parents. And I don't mean their parents moved to this country 250 years ago. The mothers are proper African mothers - hot on education, hard slapping and attend church for a couple of hours or more every Sunday.
You gotta love immigrants, the majority are bloody tough. The real problems come when cultures collide and especially when the people come from dangerous places - warzones and oppression as opposed to Australia. Different rules of behaviour apply when you live like that, and it's hard to leave them behind.
Never mind. I have great faith in the civilising influence of England.
We'll have them sipping tea and inviting the Vicar round for sherry within a few generations.
The black children at my school with African names actually have African parents.
Most of these names have no trace of Africa in them, but are instead challenges of how many syllables can be thrown together.
Some former students:
Myson (cuz he was, you know, her son)
Shakeitha
G-money
D'Errica
Kyshaun
I'm forgetting most of the good ones now that I've been out of the classroom a while...
there's a poem by a Jamaican woman living in England who is bewildered by all the meals/rituals English people live by. I can't get my paste/copy to work but it's called What Fee Call I' by Valerie Bloom. It's really witty. Google it if you're interested.
It's written in pidgen.
wow. This is way, waaaaaay off topic.
I hope you don't get stabbed in the dark like OpheliaMonsterName did, Toad. Who'd watch the cellar then?
eta: IMHO people who give their children names like that aren't doing the kid any favors unless said kid is unbelievably beautiful when he/she grows up.
Phoenetically, please?
Would that be the Phoenician phonetic?
well, didn't the Phoenicians invent the alphabet?
Phoenicialee Phoenicialah
Le-a
Pronounced, Lee dash ah. :rolleyes:
That's one of the reasons I left the city. I like that peple can leave their stuff out around here.
I think I already posted about one time my BIL came to visit and saw a huge pile of carpenters tools on the grass near the curb in front of my neighbor's house. He asked me what was up with the tools. I told him someone borrowed my neighbors truck and took the tools out.
At lunch, they were still there and my BIL was surprised. At dusk they were still there and he couldn't have been more amazed.
The only thing that was stolen from my yard in 12 years was a raccoon trap. WTF?
Have you seen a raccoon? They look like banditos with that little mask. And those little hands? I think we all know who took your trap. Means, motive, and mask. Guilty!
Not too many raccoons around here, actually. Woodchucks, skunks, and possums. I think it may have been a rainbow coalition of them.
The woodchucks have been warned...
As PTSD sets in, the beginning of the day becomes no fun. I wonder what shit will be thrown at me next.
This time it starts with the first phone call of the day. A woman asks if we take leather. I say no, that's not something the pawn shop deals with. She says, slowly and deliberately, sarcastically, in her bitchiest of old croney voices, "That's - not - what - your - advertisement - says !"
I say sorry, and hang up.
Except for the website, the shop does not do advertising of any kind.
~
At the end of the day a guy comes in with a tablet. What you need to know: the low-end market has been flooded with cheap 7" Android tablets. They suuuuck. The touchscreens are shitty, the plastic cases are flimsy, the displays are horrible. We call them "Shenzhen specials" -- because that's where they're all made, then sold at shitty dollar stores for low prices and people get suckered into buying them.
This guy has one of those, and we notice that this model has sold for under $50 on eBay. We have to wait 90 days to sell it, so we are probably not going to even get that. It's a risk. So we might buy it for $10, but not a dollar more, and it would be the least interesting deal of the day.
This reluctant offer freezes the guy. He's in some weird position now where he really REALLY wants to sell it, but claims to have bought it at $150 days earlier, and is trying to piece together how his situation has come to this. Is the pawn shop trying to rip him off? I try to explain how the risk comes into it for us, but it seems beyond his level of intelligence. Did he get ripped off when he bought it? Partly yes, and maybe he bought it on the street or from a person rather than a store.
"Can't I get 20 for it?" "It's not worth that to us." "Aw man can't I just get 15?" "Look, if I thought I could turn around and sell this for 50 I would be an idiot not to offer you 15. But I'm not offering you 15. That should tell you something about what it's worth."
We continue this retard dance of questions, befuddled reasoning, and "It is what it is" that goes on for 30 minutes. I do not exaggerate. It involves mostly me, but also Alan, who figures he should tag team me for a while so I get some relief. I should say that the guy made a five minute phone call to a friend, in the middle of this, trying vainly to understand it all and figure out what to do.
By the end of it, the guy seems to believe us when we say we are not in the business of ripping him off. But he still can't understand it all and doesn't know what to do. He morosely leaves the shop with his shit tablet, and we all high five that the guy has finally left us. We speculate on maybe just never buying in any Shenzhens if the people just don't understand that they are worth nothing.
But fifteen minutes later, and ten minutes before closing, THE GUY COMES BACK IN... and starts annoying us further with retard logic. Finally I point out that we are closing and what does he want to do? He wants to sell it. And we buy it. Ten bucks, deal done.
This time it starts with the first phone call of the day. A woman asks if we take leather. I say no, that's not something the pawn shop deals with. She says, slowly and deliberately, sarcastically, in her bitchiest of old croney voices, "That's - not - what - your - advertisement - says !"
Just tell her to bring the ad with her. :haha:
when you're drunk or on crack or what have you it's hard to read the adverts.
This joke has never failed to crack somebody up.
Customer: I wanna get one of those adult movies.
Alan's brother Dan: No problem... right-handed or left-handed?
~
This happened just now:
Woman: Do you carry engagement rings for men?
Sammy: Where would those be worn... on the finger?
Pawn Stars Philli
This is a great thread. I can almost see the people coming in the shop and hear you politely tell them their stuff is useless and of no value.
Pawn Stars Vegas has Chum-Lee. Pawn Stars Philli has the Undertoad.
Well put-together woman (to me): arrtig muh namma .. p I can't - I can't -
Me: Take your time
Woman: I cann talk - I used to have those kynna camera - I work with these people have this big camera -
Me: Like a film camera?
Woman: No the first camera I had - I'm givin’ away my AGE here - a Pentax
Me: Yeah, an old film camera. We don't even take those here.
Woman: No but I'm saying, I like one of those big cameras? Not like Ashton Kutcher. I hate those Ashton Kutchers.
(Toad's note: she means the Nikon Coolpix point-n-shoots that Mr. Kutcher advertises.)
Me: Oh right, you like the bigger professional cameras.
Woman: Yes, I work with people who have those, what they called - not those camera but a different camera -
Me: A DSLR?
Woman: Yes. Because time goes so fast, you know, sometimes you see a picture of yourself with a funny face and you say, when was that? What was I doing? Like on 9/11. Time goes so fast.
Me: Oh I know. I'm 49 and for me, every year of my life takes about three months.
Woman: I'm 39! I'ma be 40 next month. This is my momma.
(Toad’s note: they both look 10 years younger than their age)
Me: She's the one who’s gonna turn 39. You're gonna turn 19. You aren't fooling me.
Woman: No haw haw haw
After some discussion, the shop decided that she was on benzos. Xanax. Couldn’t even speak at first, but got it together enough to have a conversation, which went from topic to topic really fast and had no actual point.
This is looking more and more like a Nuthouse training job.
I wonder in what (in)capacity she works with people who use DSLRs?
Things went crazy this morning when there was a triple witching hour:
- It's Friday
- It's the 1st of the month
- A shop down the street that normally does money orders had their machine go on the fritz this morning
The first two mean people got their pay and their checks and are coming in to get money orders to pay their bills. The last means we got double the money order people on a busy money order day.
So the morning was so busy that we had everyone working full-speed at the same time. It was pretty amazing and the day does go faster when there is a lot of shit going on.
The good thing is that when people have money again, they are generally happy. They are coming in and retrieving their items, and the stories turn positive. Despite a busy day, there have only been two rude people so far.
~
I think I have remarked on the terrible hygiene of the ghetto people. There's no way a germophobe could ever work here. Here's a new level: the other day a woman could not get her rings off her finger to pawn them. So she stuck her entire finger in her mouth and SUCKED THE RINGS OFF HER FINGER. And then she proudly handed them to me to pawn.
I don't care, I just go wash with the anti-bacterial soap. But you always have to keep track of when you need a scrub-down. Like, before eating a sandwich for lunch. This is the only place I may wash my hands BEFORE going to the bathroom.
The first two mean people got their pay...
Mean people suck. :p:
yeah today is pretty fucked up here, too.
understaffed because everyone worked their day off during the week...
and Duke's an asshole.
Mean people suck rings off their fingers. :p:
I don't care, I just go wash with the anti-bacterial soap. But you always have to keep track of when you need a scrub-down. Like, before eating a sandwich for lunch. This is the only place I may wash my hands BEFORE going to the bathroom.
And train yourself to never, ever touch your face. While at work, anyway.
Like the 3 rules of plumbing:
1. Water runs downhill
2. Payday is Friday
3. Don't put your fingers in your mouth
I thought the first rule of plumbing was don't talk about plumbing...?
I think I have remarked on the terrible hygiene of the ghetto people. There's no way a germophobe could ever work here. Here's a new level: the other day a woman could not get her rings off her finger to pawn them. So she stuck her entire finger in her mouth and SUCKED THE RINGS OFF HER FINGER. And then she proudly handed them to me to pawn.
"Ma'am, with skills like that, the pawn shop is not your only option..." :lol:
Hygiene wise, that job is high risk. I used to work as a desk clerk at a uni library, and would have snotty sneezing undergrads borrowing books quite often. One obviously had a cold, was carrying the book in one hand, and her handkerchief and library card in the other. Sniff, wipe, hand card. :greenface
The next person in the queue had a short wait while I went and washed.
Working with junior school children carries a similar risk.
But bloody hell, I wish I was back there.
Literacy coaching in a mandated programme for the terminally unemployed had its moments.
I spent a college summer doing GED training with adults, I might be wearing my rosey shades but it seems much more rewarding than large group classroom work.
Were your students forced to attend under threat of having their welfare stopped?
Were your students forced to attend under threat of having their welfare stopped?
Groan...
It all came under the banner of 'Basic Skills' and then later, 'Skills for Life'.
Literacy, numeracy, jobsearch skills, living well skills (how to follow cooking instructions, how to prepare vegetables, how to manage money).
The skills that weren't mentioned on the course description included how to wash clothes, how to button up a shirt properly, how to tie a tie, how to access housing support, how to get in touch with the emergency shelters in cases of domestic abuse, how to 'manage our anger' for people with behavioural issues, and how to use notes and coins without getting ripped off.
Terrifying how many adults are out there with barely functional literacy and numeracy.
Not all our students were unwilling. Many took the opportunity to try and resolve something which had been blighting their lives since childhood. And we had a range of abilities from total illiteracy, as in unable to point out own name on a register, to gcse level (High school completion) who'd somehow been directed our way, all together. Some with a few issues around basic literacy, some with dyslexia, and some with more complex learning disabilities.
There was an American on the news last night. He invaded Normandy on D-Day, won 13 medals, was married with children for 62 years. Now his wife is dead and he's in trouble, because he can't read a lick... not a damn word.
What always used to upset me, were people struggling along on scant benefits just having to trust the shopkeeper and the bus driver and the windowcleaner to give the right change and not to take too much when they proffer a handful of coins. It's their vulnerability that gets to me.
Or the ones who just got put off by early schooling and then labelled 'stupid'. 50 year olds still caught up in this image of themselves that was set when they were tiny children. And for all their coping mechanisms, the one thing they can't get around is the moment when their child asks them to help with homework.
Were your students forced to attend under threat of having their welfare stopped?
I don't think so but that was back in the 20th century.
Nanny and Grandad were functionally illiterate.
Dads is dyslexic - he can read a book (slowly) but forms and paperwork baffle him. If Mum died I'd be his reading eyes.
He left school at 14 - legal then - but he missed quite a bit of school because he had to be put in quarantine; Uncle Charlie had TB. Didn't help him, he caught TB himself at 21. Still - he quit smoking and proposed to his nurse... No, not my Mum! Dad was engaged THREE times. Cheeky beggar, just wanted to get his end away.
Terrifying how many adults are out there with barely functional literacy and numeracy.
From The Economist of 16 Feb 2013:
Here is a test. Suppose you had $100 in a saving account that paid an interest rate of 2% a year. If you leave the money in the account, how much would you have accumulated after five years: more than $102, exactly $102, or less than $102? ... But a survey found that only [slightly more than] half of American aged over 50 gave the correct answer. ... it is hardly surprising that they struggle to deal with the small print of mortgage and insurance contracts.
The solution seems obvious: provide more financial education. ... A survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland reported that "Unfortunately, we do not find conclusive evidence that, in general, financial education programmes do lead to greater financial knowledge, and ultimately to better financial behaviour."
(The authour was clearly British.)
A problem is traceable to something even seen here. Eyes glaze over when numbers are provided. Many foolishly believe car loans are acceptable. Having an outstanding balance on that credit card is acceptable behavior. But the problem is even worse. Essential is to retrain so many into what is necessary to know anything. Always want and demand numbers. Ignoring ‘perspective’ is akin to illiteracy.
Again The Economist:
The survey found that one in every five American households is "underbanked" meaning they have a bank account but also rely on alternative solutions - typically high-cost products such as pay-day loans, cheque-cashing services, non-bank money orders, or pawn shops.
Not all the unbanked are poor, nor do all poor people lack bank accounts. But the rate of the unbanked among low-income households (defined in the FDIC survey as those below $15,000) is more than three times the overall rate. The proportion of poor Americans without an account compares particularly badly with other rich places.
UT describes Norristown as the ghetto. Norristown is the county seat for one of (if not the) Pennsylvania's richest county. Norristown is far from a ghetto. It is typical of what happened to so many American towns after 2000. Eliminate the super rich from numbers. Left is vast numbers of Americans who are impoverished. A great income disparity.
46 million Americans now live below the poverty line. Numbers that have not been seen since Johnson's war on poverty. And numbers that are actually only now reporting what was happening four and ten years ago. A legacy of trickle down economics. And a trend that can only change when income disparities start decreasing. (A higher minimum wage is one part of a solution.)
Poverty is defined by a family of four living on $20,000 (12,800 pounds or 14,800 Euros) annually. A larger percentage of those poverty numbers include young kids. Perspective provided by numbers explains why Norristown - the ghetto - represents what was happening to large parts of America after 2000 when America stopped growing (except with the super rich).
Many are encouraged to use a 'trust me' attitude. Everything in life must involve perspective. Too many do not automatically demand hard numbers, in part, because so many are encouraged to think in terms of black and white. “We will tell you what to think.” Extremist can enrich and empower themselves by mocking those who provide facts with numbers.
Banks think their purpose is profits; screw the customer. Making banks little different from the mafia. Banks routinely ignore innovation that would reduce costs. To make possible services to the poorest Americans. Their ‘profits’ attitude from business schools leave so many consumers dependent on money orders, pawn shops, pay-day loans, and no savings.
Those who least afford the most expensive financial services are stuck using them. Payday loans are money borrowed at 300% interest. Who created these payday services? Investigations discovered that when banks were banned from offering them, then banks simply created shell companies to provide payday loans at 300% interest. Because many banks are little different from the mafia – that also does loan sharking; screw the customer.
Norristown is not a ghetto. But it reflects today what was created after Clinton left office. A legacy of ARMs, tax cuts, wars, blame the workers, and trickle down economic myths. Made worse by institutions and politicians that encourage everyone to know by ignoring numbers. Who even approve of shorting pension funds to make profits look better.
How many appreciate the foolishness (perspective) of a credit card with an outstanding balance? Anyone doing that is only enriching the rich at their own personal expense. Why, by percentage, do Americans more than any other nation not even have a bank account? Many no longer learn in daily activities that everything has perspective defined by numbers. No wonder some argue over $2 for a money order when bill payments via a bank account should be and could be free.
Only one reason why Norristown, county seat of a richest county, acts much like a ghetto.
Here is a test. Suppose you had $100 in a saving account
that paid an interest rate of 2% a year. If you leave the money in the account,
how much would you have accumulated after five years: more than $102, exactly $102, or less than $102? ...
But a survey found that only [slightly more than] half of American
aged over 50 gave the correct answer. ... it is hardly surprising that
they struggle to deal with the small print of mortgage and insurance contracts.
<snip>
TW, that's not a fair question... you didn't specify which bank held the account.
If half the people had their account with Bank of America (or it's ilk),
there would be less, not more, and certainly not the same amount left,
after all the monthly service fees and cashier charges were deducted.
.
UT describes Norristown as the ghetto. Norristown is the county seat for one of (if not the) Pennsylvania's richest county.
Serious reading comprehension error.
I describe the Logan/Olney section of Philadelphia as the ghetto.
I do not work in Norristown. I would love to work in Norristown. I have never mentioned Norristown in this thread.
OMG. Olney is the ghetto?
I'm buggered then.
Olney is indeed the name of the neighborhood and sorry to say you wouldn't want to visit.
Olney is named after the estate of Alexander Wilson (not the ornithologist), who resided on Rising Sun Avenue, near Tacony Creek. Wilson chose the name for his residence because of his love for the poet William Cowper, of Olney, England.
The residents of north Philadelphia prefer to pronounce it with three syllables, "Awl-uh-knee"
Well given the spellings I've received on letters, Awl-uh-knee isn't so bad.
I know it's not as run of the mill as Smith or Jones, but personally, if I'm taking an unfamiliar name over the phone I ask for the spelling/.
Mail marked Sherry Allnow goes straight in the shredder.
Sad to know I'm ghettoised though...
I do not work in Norristown. I would love to work in Norristown. I have never mentioned Norristown in this thread.
Never mind.
I mean, not to say the rest of what you said isn't true.
I lived on the border of Norristown for five years... I got punched out in Norristown in the early 90s...
If half the people had their account with Bank of America (or it's ilk), there would be less, not more, and certainly not the same amount left, after all the monthly service fees and cashier charges were deducted.
When a bank hates innovation, then costs increase. So a business school graduate invents charges and service fees to cover those costs ... that do not exist when a bank innovates.
Classic example. A teller transaction costs about $1.25. An ATM transaction costs $0.50. A bank that was patriotic (innovative) would have installed ATMs. But American banks refused to do so until ten years after they were throughout Europe. So their costs were higher.
Later, banks charged an ATM fee rather than a teller fee. If a teller service is free, then why not an ATM? A responsible banker would have charged for the expensive teller. Encourage customers to use a less expensive ATM. But his purpose is profits; not better services.
The poor are denied proper banking services because bankers are classic MBAs. Believe their purpose is only to maximize profits - like a mafia family. When WalMart tried to cut into their racket, the banks united together in fear. Because WalMart has a long history of harming corrupt competition by providing the customer with better services.
Poor Americans are stuck with the most expensive banking services because many banks (ie Bank of America) are about harming American to maximize their profits. BoA has numerous banking fee, in part, because BoA management should be paid like a utility company employee. But MBAs claim they actually do something productive - just like a mafia family.
Easy to identify companies that are or will be corrupt. They fear innovation. When did Bank of America implement smart cards that are routine in Europe? But profits are significantly higher on credit cards. Implement the more expensive and more profitable credit and debit cards. Don't innovate. Because, on a spread sheet, innovation appears only as an expense.
In America, 12% of all adults and 25% of poor Americans have no formal banking services. Must rely on pay-day loans, money orders, and pawn shops. In Britain, those numbers are 4% and 4%. In Canada, those numbers are 5% and 8%. In Estonia, the numbers are 4% and 6%. In Sweden, 1% and 1%.
Bank of America and other 'too big to fail' institutions are the problem due to bankers who want profits rather than earn their profits. They fear innovation. Therefore have higher costs. Then the poor get screwed. Americans who have no formal banking services must rely on pay-day loans, money orders, and pawn shops. In Britain, those numbers are 4% and 4%. In Canada, those numbers are 5% and 8%. In Estonia, the numbers are 4% and 6%. In Sweden, 1% and 1%.
Bank of America and other 'too big to fail' institutions are the problem due to bankers who want profits rather than earn their profits. They fear innovation. Therefore have higher costs. Then the poor get screwed.
I mean, not to say the rest of what you said isn't true.
Been to some parts of Philadelphia that leaves me asking, "How do they live this way?" One example is an extended family of maybe ten adults and infants. With at least two cats and a dog. Living in a two (or three) story house that is only ten feet wide. And maybe 50 feet deep. Most of the infants are mothered by unmarried 'near twenty' teenagers.
However. Curious is how happy they all are. One was excited to show me his new cycle. It looks like a scooter. But runs on rechargeable batteries. (He claims it cuts off at 80 MPH.) He no longer had to ride a bicycle to work.
Here are some images of the area in 2008-9
Looks kinda nice during the day.
That's just a block north of the Olney Transportation Center...I used to transfer there between the subway and the bus for my work commute.
Not my favorite part of the city! Very run down, but it's a high traffic area at least. I felt like it was about as safe as Center City.
Not to say that CC is completely safe...:neutral:
what would be really funny would be if someone were to photoshop a stripped google camera vehicle in the background of one of these images.
To me, at any rate.
A block south of that that last view was the homicide that happened at 730pm a few weeks ago... and also where the lost kid was noticed by us
East or west side? Was it a firearm homocide? Knife? Pop-rocks?
And...is this the chicken place that black people like that was closed?
Slang!
Good to see you, chap!
Slang!
Good to see you, chap!
Hi Sundae, thanks. And you! This is where I hang out nowdays, the pawn shop thread.
The Church's Chicken that closed is directly across the street from the shop.
I describe the Logan/Olney section of Philadelphia as the ghetto.
Hmm. My brother and sis-in-law lived in Olney (she grew up there) and now live in Lawncrest. It's bad, but in my mind Olney is nowhere near as bad as Tioga or North Philly.
It isn't. Logan's pretty sucky but Olney is not the worst ghettoish section. This is because people get richer as you get further north, until you get to East Oak Lane which is practically middle-class. We are in the lower-class section though.
I once heard an observation that most cities have their airport in the southern part or south of the city, mainly because that's where the poorer folks lived, and they can't afford to fight it.
Odd. The South side of Aylesbury is the closest we get to the ghetto here.
Mum & Dad were housed there when they first moved from London in the 60s. It wasn't all that nice then, TBH.
Welcome to today's game of "RETARDED or HIGH".
30-year-old man comes in mumbling, mumbling, mumbling. He slowly meanders over to the window, mumbling mumbling. Once he gets there he starts reciting his information: "Name Charles Mumford, address 474 Hanes St, phone 2155554746..." I wait and he does not give me the critical information of social security number with which I can look up his stuff. I ask "Social?" In his mumbling he manages to tell it to me without too much trouble.
He has no current pawns. He has two items picked up yesterday.
He manages to say he doesn't remember this, and believes that he did not go out yesterday. But he can't communicate beyond that -- although he is saying many words, most of them are incomprehensible.
I tell him over and over that he has no pawns with us, but he does not understand.
I go about my business, which is writing this post, and he drifts over to the DVDs. He looks at them for a while. Finally he drifts back and seems to ask about his pawns again.
This time I tell him, slowly and loudly, that his items have been picked up yesterday, if not by him, by someone who had the tickets, and we have no remaining business and he can leave.
This time he gets it enough to understand that he has no business, and leaves with a final mumbled "Have a blessed evening."
It is 1:40pm in the bright afternoon.
Now the critical clue: co-worker Ron reports that he came in yesterday, lucid, with a massive wad of cash and picked up all his stuff.
If you had "HIGH" you have won today's game.
Question: Could the correct answer at some point be both retarded AND high?
:D
If I try to tempt Sammy with a game of Retarded or High, he will always answer back, "AND".
Once went to a pawn shop to get a game of chess.
Today, clients think chess is something on the front of a woman.
Times change.
You should hear what they think dictate means.
You should hear what they think dictate means.
It's a bit embarrassing to ax, but....
what do they think dictate means?
How my dictate to you last night, Charlene?
I'm waiting on a regular customer when he walks away without his change. It's $12.85.
That amount is not a trivial amount in the ghetto, so I take one of the paper envelopes we use for jewelry items, and I put the money in and write on it "Donald Moore's change". I put it up on the counter where we all generally see it, and we remember that Donald Moore is due his change on his next visit to the shop.
Here's the thing. The ghetto is no place to be charitable, or it would suck you dry. But in returning Mr. Moore's change, I wasn't being charitable, just honest. It wasn't my money, it was his.
When Mr. Moore returned, OH! LOUD PROCLAMATIONS! I was in the back of the store, so I only heard it, and didn't realize at first what it was. He was given his money.
At first, he outright didn't believe it. Impossible. Money out of nowhere! It must be a trick of some kind! After receiving the explanation several times, that he had left it behind and we had kept it for him all this time: well, he loudly praised us to the ceiling for a good minute or so.
Now the other factor! Mr. Moore is not just a regular customer. He's a regular asshole. He comes in and is grumpy and indulges in all kinds of rudeness. So this honest moment has only annoyed Alan, who complains that I've done this nice thing for an asshole.
In my mind, I turn that around: doing this nice thing for an asshole means it's even more nice, even more honest. And might it make him less of an asshole next time around? I guess we'll find out.
~
Later that day, co-worker Ron has marked an envelope with "Guy who buys a lot of porn's change".
Yes, the guy who has bought 6 porn movies a day for the last four days has left behind $2.35.
We all facepalm, and agree that this is going too far. We agree that lost change should be held for one day, and then go into buying us lunch.
I feel like I should say at this point that every single event I have described in this thread is 100% true, and there is absolutely no exaggeration at all. Only the names have been changed.
It definitely feels real. The thread is also sparking a cultural interest in me. From where I sit the huge negatives of ghetto culture are easy to see but what are the advantages, that takes a little more thought.
I feel like I should say at this point that every single event I have described in this thread is 100% true, and there is absolutely no exaggeration at all. Only the names have been changed.
So, that $2.35 actually belonged to
Girl who buys a lot of porn?
Here's the thing. The ghetto is no place to be charitable, or it would suck you dry.
But in returning Mr. Moore's change, I wasn't being charitable, just honest.
It wasn't my money, it was his.
Good on you, UT...
Later that day, co-worker Ron has marked an envelope with "Guy who buys a lot of porn's change".
Yes, the guy who has bought 6 porn movies a day for the last four days has left behind $2.35.
We all facepalm, and agree that this is going too far. We agree that lost change should be held for one day, and then go into buying us lunch.
... proof this shop is a soul-sucking place to work, and you're falling prey.
Find a place to work that is worthy of you.
.
I feel like I should say at this point that every single event I have described in this thread is 100% true, and there is absolutely no exaggeration at all. Only the names have been changed.
You couldn't make up shit like this. :D
... so I take one of the paper envelopes we use for jewelry items, and I put the money in and write on it "Donald Moore's change". ... Later that day, co-worker Ron has marked an envelope with "Guy who buys a lot of porn's change". ...
~
... Only the names have been changed.
And vice versa.
~
And vice versa.
Ha! Clever bugger.
:overmyhead:
Only the names have been changed.
~And vice versa.~
Only the change has been named.
(e.g. "Donald Moore's change", "Guy who buys a lot of porn's change".)
Sorry, it was a stretch.
An excellent stretch and nothing to apologize for!
Only the names have been changed.
~And vice versa.~
Only the change has been named.
(e.g. "Donald Moore's change", "Guy who buys a lot of porn's change".)
Sorry, it was a stretch.
No, it was awesome. I'm not firing on all syllables lately.
I feel like I should say at this point that every single event I have described in this thread is 100% true, and there is absolutely no exaggeration at all. Only the names have been changed.
You should write a book.
This American Life had a segment on recently comparing the stress in the life of a soldier in Afghanistan with a dealer in downtown Philly. Lots of shootings. Constantly having to be on guard, etc.
Thought about what stress you might be living with, UT.
Only the names have been changed.
~And vice versa.~
Only the change has been named.
(e.g. "Donald Moore's change", "Guy who buys a lot of porn's change".)
Sorry, it was a stretch.
I got it.
You couldn't make up shit like this. :D
"I couldn't make this shit up if I tried!" was a regular interjection in storytelling amongst my teacher friends.
**
I kinda wish "retarded or high" was like a game show, where the audience could vote and then we'd see how many people got it right.
**
While I'll be sad to lose the interesting stories, I do hope you're able to get out of there soon, UT, before the place bruises your heart and soul for good.
"Constantly on guard" is exactly it peetz. And paranoid: every customer will run out with an item if you let them; everything brought in is probably broken; everyone is trying to get one over on you.
And everyone believes you are getting one over on them. Everyone is suspicious of you.
Maybe your next job could be in law enforcement. Seems to have some similarities.
Or may----bee you could do both at the same time. Two fer.
You might as well come sell cars, bro.
I have a feeling about half our clientele matches yours...so you could come here too!
You might as well come sell cars, bro.
Yabbut sometimes I need Saturday nights for the band.
In today's game of Retarded of High, a gentleman comes in mumbling, mumbling mumbling... gives me his pawn ticket and gets out his heavy-duty impact drill. As I give it back to him, he's still mumbling, but manages to say "I work for this... you know Rite-Aids? I work on them. I don't just get high all the time."
If you had BOTH, you have won today's game. I don't know why some people feel compelled to give whitey an excuse for why they are high in the shop. The dude is all high and feels guilty about it. Hey man, I don't judge. As long as you get it together enough for us to do business, we are 100% cool with whatever it is you are on.
Hey man, I don't judge. As long as you get it together enough for us to do business, we are 100% cool with whatever it is you are on.
Needs to be on a big sandwich board outside the shop. With illustrations and red circles and red circles with slashes.
youse guise should all get baked one day and see if that helps you unnestann what they be sayin, nomesayin?
Yabbut sometimes I need Saturday nights for the band.
if you're a salesman, you can duck ups after 5pm on the Saturdays that you have gigs.
Well,... no, it's a compelling thing still, and I thank you, but I'ma try to find something local. A commute over a half hour really gets me angry. I don't know how you could stand it all that time.
you can sell cars anywhere, holmes. i was just drawing a parallel, really anyway
youse guise should all get baked one day and see if that helps you unnestann what they be sayin, nomesayin?
Luckily for us, the cameras were rolling...It did occur to me that you might now move to job in a regular retail store, preferably musical instruments, maybe with a bit of second hand sales, but no pawning. You have the knowledge of the stock, and now know enough about retail. It would probably suck a lot less.
Yeah, man. Go put in an application at George's!
More likely I'll be at the meat counter at Wegman's. It could happen. I'm getting tremendous customer service skills. Also I feel hardened against any weirdness or insult that might happen in suburbia.
Dude (looking at DVDs): Do you know where I could find "Menace 2 Society"?
Sammy: I dunno, look in the mirror?
Me: I'll buy your laptop for 80 bucks.
Woman: Can I get 90? It's running Windows 8.
Me: That just means we'll have to install Windows 7 on it. 80.
Dude (looking at DVDs): Do you know where I could find "Menace 2 Society"?
Sammy: I dunno, look in the mirror?
Me: I'll buy your laptop for 80 bucks.
Woman: Can I get 90? It's running Windows 8.
Me: That just means we'll have to install Windows 7 on it. 80.
Oh Snap.
and
Oh Snap.
For fuck's sake. A gentleman just attempted to get me to buy his decrepit DVD player by showing me his colostomy bag. I didn't need to see that with no warning.
The obvious question is, would a warning have made it any better?
The other obvious question is how did he think that would influence you?
"Man, come on, 25 dollar...Papa needs a brand new bag."
You just can't make this stuff up! UT your job entertains me but I am glad I am not there!
Infi that was damn funny! :haha:
People always try to tell me why they need money, in the hopes that it'll get them an additional few bucks. In this case the guy was stinking drunk and came in telling me that he needed money for his mama, who wanted a drink on her birthday. In the middle of it he wanted to show that he was in difficult medical situations.
Yes, sir, you're full of shit, but I'm not taking the piss...
A laptop new enough to be running windows 8 only fetches $80? I'd feel a bit short changed too!
Pawn shop's not the place to get the best deal, just the fastest deal.
You need that on a sign that you can just point to repeatedly throughout your day.
If I had the time, energy and money, I'd come into your shop dressed as Bobba Fett and try to sell you Han Solo in Carbonite. When you start haggling, I'll pull a thermal detonator out of my pocket...
It was
Boushh who did that[COLOR=white]*[/COLOR] (Fett was impressed).
[COLOR=white](but not really)[/COLOR]
Pawn shop's not the place to get the best deal, just the fastest deal.
Conversely, its not a bad place to buy one.
It was Boushh who did that[COLOR=white]*[/COLOR] (Fett was impressed).
[COLOR=white](but not really)[/COLOR]
:smack:
Boushh, selling Chewbacca.
Ach, for shame...
Sammy and I are strongly considering doing a Pawn Cast.
We have a bunch of good gear, we have resources, we are talented... it could be a thing.
(His real name may be revealed!)
It was a fine day today at the shop. I measure my days by whether someone has been rude or threatening or pissed off in general, and the first half of the day, nobody like that appeared.
Just now a woman came in to retrieve her ring, which was a beautiful item, and she paid the $15 due and got it out of pawn. She was happy and pleasant and admired her own jewelry, which was beautiful.
But as she was about to leave, her man comes in and starts cussing her out in horrible ways. He was super-angry that she let the ring accumulate $2 more in interest over the last two months. And super-loud: "mother fuckin bitch you almost lost this ring like you fucked up the last time your sorry mother fuckin ass is fucking up again..."
I just sat there and said nothing which is my role in such situations. Of course you dream of setting both their shit straight: man, do not ever be angry at your partner like this, and at least shut your fucking gums when you are in public. Woman, leave this dickhead as fast as you can because the ass-whoopings you are undoubtedly getting are not worth it, ever.
But I just sat there and said nothing, and cursed another day where I would encounter this kind of foul beast.
... Just now a woman came in to retrieve her ring, which was a beautiful item, ... She was happy and pleasant and admired her own jewelry, which was beautiful. ...
I'm curious UT, what is your guesstimate on the percentage of people pawning things, that you consider to be nice stuff, who come back to get it out of hock?
Probably 96% get their stuff back.
Maybe half treat it like a payday loan to pay their bills; these people get their stuff out in a week or two. Those are the people I respect the most; they are doing standard ghetto business, and the interest they pay may be less than what we middle-class people pay in bank and ATM fees..
A guy came in and did a pawn and we realized his name is
Cleveland Brown. He noted that he gets this often and no longer found it funny.
Next time don't bat an eye and say Hi I'm Peter [or Quagmire]
Had a library client years ago named Lisa Simpson.
I was just browsing an article earlier this week about the
poor bastard whose name is Harry Potter.Dude: Hey you know that phone I sold you today
Me: Yes
Dude: I want 5 dollars more for it.
Earlier in the day, the gentleman had sold us a minor iPhone, for which we paid him $50. He signed on the deal, on a contract that we keep with the goods.
Me: You want 5 dollars more?
Dude: Yeah.
Me: No, that's not how it works.
Dude: Why?
Me: We made you an offer, you agreed to it, the deal is done.
Dude: But the phone is worth more than that.
Me: We offered the same amount we offer to everybody.
Dude: I need five dollars more.
Me: It doesn't work like that. You can't just come back in and ask for more.
Dude: You know you can do it.
Me: I can't do it. The boss would kill me.
Dude is staring at me, trying to intimidate me.
Dude: You know you can help out.
Me: I help out all the time. This is not one of those times.
Dude: It's just five dollars.
Me: The deal is done. You agreed to it.
Dude: But I need more.
Me: You didn't need it then!
Dude: You can do it, you know you can do it.
Me: If you would have asked for five dollars more when we made the offer, we wouldn't have done it.
Dude: I need five dollars more.
Me: You are wasting your time. You are wasting everybody's time.
He is relentless because he is ignorant.
Dude: It's just five dollars.
Me: It is what it is.
Dude: You know you can do it.
Me: I won't do it. This is ridiculous.
Dude: You know the phone is worth more than that.
Me: I have no idea what it's worth in 90 days when we can sell it.
Dude: You know you can do it.
Me: I can't do it and I won't do it. I give everybody the same deal on that phone. You are wasting everybody's time.
This goes on for about three minutes until he finally gives up and leaves in disgust.
Perseverance
By Edwin Carp
Somebody said it couldn't be done,
But he with a chuckle replied,
"Maybe it couldn't, but I will be one,
Who'll never say 'No!' 'til I've tried."
So he buckled right in,
With a trace of a grin
On his face, if he worried he hid it.
And he tackled the thing that couldn't be done,
And he couldn't do it.
That's beyond ignorance. Once the deal is done, and you've signed and left the shop ... that's it, bro. Now he's just doing targeted begging.
I'm still far enough away from your reality to feel sorry for these poor people. I would *really* struggle to work there. Hurry up and get yourself a better job, Toadster. You got skillz, you know.
They're just doing what larger businesses do.
For example, drilling companies pay property owners a pittance
for the rights to drill fracking gas wells on their land.
Later the owners find out their property was worth more,
but by then the damage is done.
The corporate managers tell their friends:
Those dudes must be retarded or high to sign those contracts.
It's not personal... it just business.
One kind of people we encounter regularly here, that you don't find in real life, are those who do "clean-outs" of abandoned houses. They will come in with stuff they found down some rat-hole and want to know whether it's real gold, etc. It's the side-benefit of doing that job, which in the ghetto must be highly unpleasant to say the least.
Well one of those guys just came in, and told us that he did a clean-out yesterday, and in the house were 62 pictures of Barack Obama. "In the kitchen, in the bathroom... everywhere."
As long as they're not of his kids...
What was Obama doing in the kitchen - cooking?
What was Obama doing in the kitchen - cooking?
Only the books...
UT, having read this hugemungous and fascinating thread over the last couple of days, I was expecting to read you had quit the Pawn Shop in, I dunno, 2012?
I think anyone reading this who has ever worked in retail (me included) must marvel at how you are still there!
I think I would have lasted about an hour!
P.S. I think the fact that banking is free in the UK and there are no ATM fees means that Pawning is rare. We do have a huge problem with Payday Loans here, though.
Welcome to the Cellar, neilt0. :welcome:
I doubt if many of these people have anything in the bank to draw on. They live in a cash world, except for benefits cards.
I now like how my job is something very few people would actually do. I like collecting the stories I tell here (and soon, in podcast form, if all goes right).
It's the dangerous aspect of it that makes me want to leave, but I'm proud that I have taken on this thing that I was really afraid of. So far, in my life, I've been really desperate to avoid conflict. Now that I get conflict almost every day, I'm a stronger person for it. I think.
I think you should wear a sword on your hip when you walk to and from your car. And a three musketeers hat.
It's the dangerous aspect of it that makes me want to leave, but I'm proud that I have taken on this thing that I was really afraid of.
How does the shop owner deal with it his entire life? Or do pawn shops have high turnover rates?
The owner lived through the neighborhood's better times. The manager has been there 21 years and not been shot or stabbed. Maybe that's the bottom line -- but I don't like the odds.
Turnover is high from what I've seen, but I don't know much history.
Not to beat a dead horse, but there are other injuries that are occurring daily that aren't inflicted with a knife or gun, and have insidious ways of presenting themselves.
Write that book, cast those pods!
A guy comes in on Saturday with a
carpet kicker. This is an item that I was previously not aware of, since I have never installed carpets. You actually apply pressure with your knee to stretch the carpet out to the edges of a room.
The selling price of a Harbor Freight carpet kicker is $19.99. There are better ones for like $80, but this gentleman's carpet kicker was very old and not very nice. It's just a piece of metal and a piece of rubber and an edge with hooks on it.
He wanted $25, and we would only buy his piece of shit for $5 and not pawn for it at all. But sometimes people complain when we don't buy their stuff. This gentleman's method of complaining was to stare directly at me and ask over and over again for a $25 pawn. For like 5 minutes. Wouldn't leave the window. Just stood there and stared at me and asked over and over why we wouldn't loan him $25 on his piece of shit item.
See, this is not a very compelling story, when it comes to the pawn stories, but there are as many of these stories as there are compelling ones. It's the regular minor indignities of dealing with people who are truly uneducated and ignorant and uncultured... or high.
Because just now, the guy comes back in with the same carpet kicker, and asks for $25 again. I tell him with a degree of firmness, "We don't take carpet kickers, that's not something we deal in," and
he walks away, leaving without complaint.
Can you explain it? That's your goal, in today's game of Retarded or High.
You're going by the price of a $20 piece of shit from harbor freight. If the kicker he had was old and worn, then it was probably a good one costing $100. Now he's got that number in his head, and was willing to give you a bargain at only $25. He's probably completely unaware that kickers are available in a range of quality/price these days, and befuddled by your refusal.
After all, he's been planning in his head, going there, getting the $25, and what he was going to do with each and every penny of it. Now you've brought his plan to a screeching halt, and he doesn't know what to do with the rest of the day.
How does it feel to crush the hopes and dreams and rest of the day, of the little people. :lol2:
I recognize this type of behavior from dealing with kids. If they think the issue is open/negotiable they will continue to negotiate/whine.
You have to indicate by word or tone that the issue is closed. One method I have used to good effect is to repeat the exact same phrase. Do not vary in the slightest. By the third time, they normally get the picture.
I want …
We're not buying that.
*negotiation
We're not buying that.
Etc.
It's worth a shot.
I used to make the mistake of trying to reason with people, al a Bruce's advice,
"See, I know this is a good carpet kicker, really quality stuff, but you can get a new carpet kicker for 20 bucks at Harbor Freight, so unfortunately I can only give you $5 for this."
I can't say, when I worked retail that reasoning ever worked, but I was much younger then and I think I had the stamina to wear them out.
Retarded or High
"Neither" is not an option :D
high.
so high, he forgot he'd come in earlier. he left easily because that jogged his memory, and he knew staring at you wouldn't work.
Maybe he changed his voice and thought you'd think he was a different guy?
He came back in at 4pm . :facepalm:
I told him no again. But this time I found a better answer:
"You should try the pawn shop on 5th Street. They might have different policies than we do."
The guy brightened up considerably. The idea of trying to sell his piece of shit somewhere other than my shop had never occurred to him. He smiled, and said thanks, and left immediately.
If you had Retarded, you are a winner today.
Diversion is another excellent technique with kids.
He is relentless because he is ignorant.
He is relentless because the heroin is cut deeper than from his regular dealer and he needs an additional bag to keep from "getting sick."
Please PM me for a link if you would like to be in the preview audience of the audio podcast. Our "show #0" is just under an hour long. It's a downloadable MP3 or you can just listen to it in your web browser. It's 95% ready (it needs a music tag to end it) but I was thinking maybe a couple of y'all would like to listen to it and give me some feedback. If you have an hour to waste. I mean if you don't like it after 15 minutes, you can bail, just openly tell me why you did. Thanks in advance.
I'm listening while I work.. This is pretty cool, Tony. you racist bastard.
I listend this morning. That job would make me a raciest.
Sounds racist, maybe. Is racist? Not really. it's more about drug culture than it is about black culture.
I loved it. UT and his cohort play well off each other, and I loved the statement that "reality" tv pawn is the pro-wrestling of pawn.
Pawn Stars is really about the desperation of Vegas. Hardcore Pawn is a family soap opera that happens to be set in a pawn shop. HP is probably a mite closer to the real deal. Only Bigger. I don't recall ever driving past (never going in, heaven forfend) a pawnshop in Philadelphia with that kind of square footage.
It's causing a minor drama at the shop because Alan, the manager, is super uncomfortable with the idea of podcasting the shop's business. He has dedicated his life to keeping everything about it super-secret.
He feels like he can't say no but wants to find a reason to say no.
If he does, it's two weeks notice time for me...
You're not identifying which ghetto you are in, not indicating the name of the shop, not saying anything identifiable ... What I might consider is not using your own names. You could become a hit amongst pawn shop employees as well as regular folk. Shop owners everywhere will be trying to figure out which of THEIR employees is telling their stories because of the commonality of experience.
It looks like this will not be happening.
I am terribly disappointed...
Mine was the only real name used.
I've given notice. The thread dies here! Goddammit.
More or less what I said on FB
Sent by thought transference
Bummer.
Probably best for you, UT. But it was certainly entertaining and educational.
I've given notice. The thread dies here! Goddammit.
Was that, like, a 2 hour notice?
2 hour decision, 2 weeks notice
Damn. Sorry, UT. Maybe a solo podcast?
Well the thing is, a solo podcast is always less compelling; a conversation is just much more interesting for the listener, than one person ranting about stuff.
Hm. But you write so well, I figured you'd do well with a monologue. Not ranting, more a series of vignettes. The material speaks for itself.
Yeah, I agree with Ortho. You could do so much with your voice and your insights. One thing I really like about this thread is how you can go from Retarded or High, to sensitive and compassionate social analysis of your customers followed with a rousing rendition of WHY WE'RE NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU FIVE MORE GODDAMMED DOLLARS FOR YOUR P.O.S. JAWN.
You have an elusive adjective perspective. Not unique.
So, how much did you get for your 2 weeks notice?
Sorry, ^it^ had to be done!
I get the feeling that just as "Alan" feels like he can't say no but wants to find a reason to say no, you've felt like you couldn't quit but found a reason to quit.
I think your instincts have served you well. Good luck UT.
That's a shame, but I admire your commitment to stand for your principles.
Dude: I got a friend, man, looks just like you, only a little bit heavier.
Me: Really? (pause) Well, tell him he's only the second best-looking guy in the world.
he's probably thinking of Seth Rogan
I get Michael Moore when I wear a ball cap.
At some point, if Richard doesn't come through, his layaway is going to become unprofitable for the shop, and the piano is going to go up for sale. And someone is going to buy it, because everyone wants that piano.
Richard just called and said he'd be in Friday with a big payment.
Go Richard Go. I am rooting for you man.
It's 10 AM. A gentleman who can't really speak English has found himself in the sex toys section of the store.
Through universal sign language, I have explained what the "whacker" tool is used for, and what the "gun oil" lube is.
I have helped him to realize that the 8" black wang he has decided to buy does not need batteries.
And now, because my co-worker is being dense, I have to either walk to the other side of the store, or yell at him from 15 feet away: "DO WE HAVE ANY OPAQUE BAGS THAT CAN HIDE THIS GUY'S BIG BLACK DILDO?"
I decide to walk over. It's 10 AM. If it was 4 in the afternoon maybe I would shout.
Maybe you have covered this before, but the sex toys are new, right? You don't sell used sex toys, do you?
UT, having read this hugemungous and fascinating thread over the last couple of days, I was expecting to read you had quit the Pawn Shop in, I dunno, 2012?
I think anyone reading this who has ever worked in retail (me included) must marvel at how you are still there!
I think I would have lasted about an hour!
P.S. I think the fact that banking is free in the UK and there are no ATM fees means that Pawning is rare. We do have a huge problem with Payday Loans here, though.
Hi neil! Welcome to the cellar
Just one little thing though: not all banking is free. Most banking costs at least a small amount, only the 'basic' accounts carry no charge and some building society accounts. The ATMs in the centre of town are free, as are the ATMs in the train station or the supermarket.
But the small ones attached to the shops in housing estates tend to charge £1.90 per transaction.
And there is a significant pawning industry in large towns and cities, usually run alongside a payday loan service. Old friend of mine is the manager of one in Bradford. Though they've moved up in the world in recent years and have concentrated purely on loans alongside pawned gold and silver jewellry (that's all they do now, they don't do any electricals etc).
Funily enough, that's the first time I've thought about Ash in connection with this thread lol. Bizarre. he's been at that place about 12 years :P
Oh yes, there are a few things that are ONLY sold new: sex toys, adult videos, and hair clippers.
I just saw the bit about you giving notice.
Sad as I will be for the stories to end, I'm pleased your heading out. A hair's breadth from brutality and violence is not a good place to be my friend.
Oh yes, there are a few things that are ONLY sold new: sex toys, adult videos, and hair clippers.
Although upon further consideration, I figure some people would prefer used sex toys. Extra kinky. It would be interesting if you sold both and you could compare the popularity of of each kind.
A hair's breadth from brutality and violence is not a good place to be my friend.
What would be a good place to be your friend? Not trying to insinuate myself into friendship with you, just asking out of curiosity.;)
Woke up desperately sick Friday morning. I blame the ghetto: the previous day, I'd gone all day without handwashing due to the lack of a sink, as the bathroom was being remodeled.
Desperately sick meant a full reboot of my digestive system, which meant losing my stomach and intestinal contents every two hours, until nothing remained at either end.
I wound up sleeping all day Friday, all night Friday, and waking up Saturday morning feeling like... like... like I'd been sleeping, puking, and peeing out my asshole for 24 straight hours. No, there is no metaphor.
I blame the ghetto. I'd had Wawa chicken strips and mashed potatoes for dinner, but that couldn't have done it. It had to be the ghetto.
By Saturday I could start taking in nutritious food again, and get my system booted to the point where I could bathe and dress myself. J came over and nursed me with ginger ale.
In younger days I could have gone in by Monday morning, but this time when Monday morning hit, I wasn't ready. It took a full 'nother day to recover.
So the second thing I did at the shop this morning was to help a gentleman remove his earring, with the screw-on back, that I sold him about three weeks ago. This meant holding his earlobe and screwing off the back. It took about a minute to do. Co-worker Ron grimaced, and got the hand sanitizer.
At least the guy didn't smell bad. But even more bad news came 15 minutes later, that the sink that was bought for the bathroom remodel didn't fit, and thus we would not have a sink to wash in today.
Do they have dollar stores in the ghetto? Those places sell wetwipes and if you're really lucky -ones designed for hands rather than babies' bottoms. Unless you like to smell like that.
There are nothing but dollar stores in the ghetto. I might check that out, although I just figured out that I can take water from the cooler and actually wash with soap and pour it into the toilet.
Just one little thing though: not all banking is free. Most banking costs at least a small amount, only the 'basic' accounts carry no charge and some building society accounts. The ATMs in the centre of town are free, as are the ATMs in the train station or the supermarket.
But the small ones attached to the shops in housing estates tend to charge £1.90 per transaction.
I've had an HSBC current account since 1986 and I don't pay fees on it.
Of course the plastic cash machines in corner shops and lapdancing clubs charge you! But the real ones (the bank ones) don't.
I understand some people (in the ghettooooooo) might not have a bank nearby, and that is unfortunate.
A woman came in who I'd dealt with before. She put one ring in and took another one out, and when we were done she said, "I just wanted to mention, you're always such a pleasant person. I know you hear a lot of bad things, I just wanted to mention something positive."
I said that was nice of her to say. And then internally I gave myself a high-five, because that's a win as far as I'm concerned.
Part of what I've done here is to figure out how I could possibly do customer service in the ghetto.
There is the racial aspect of it: if I give a black person a happy, helpful transaction with a white guy, that's like a drop of currency in the bucket of how are we're all gonna figure out how to get along.
There is the idea that this is the right way to live: if I'm going to do business with strangers, it's kind of my duty to be generally positive. That's like a drop of currency in the bucket of negativity of the ghetto.
There is the building of a skill, just like mastering pulling the right number of bills out of the cash drawer. How do you deal with people who are crazy? How do you deal with people who are angry? But, how do you deal with people who are normal? All this is a learned skill too.
Then there is the really difficult question of how are you going to let the shop change you? In order to stay myself, I made it a crusade. I would treat people with respect when they had no self-respect. I would treat people with insistent kindness even when they don't deserve it.
I believe this is the root of charity, and means just as much as or more than monetary charity, which I don't have to give in the first place.
If it's a regular toilet, you can wash your hands in the tank.
I rather think it'd be a better world in general if everyone ascribed to this philosophy.... kudos to you for making your little corner of it a wee bit more civilized.
A woman came in who I'd dealt with before. She put one ring in and took another one out, and when we were done she said, "I just wanted to mention, you're always such a pleasant person. I know you hear a lot of bad things, I just wanted to mention something positive."
I love moments like that at the rehab.
Rare, all the more reason to cherish them.
It's three days left full-time at the shop, and as I wind down I'm confident that this is exactly the right time to end my tenure here.
Right now I'm doing eBay listings, as I'll continue to do one day a week; and I'm insulated from the insanity, as I'm tucked away around the corner of it. As it was at the top of this thread, I can hear half of what's going on.
A guy comes in who's been here four times in the last four weeks. We forgot to give him back his ID, and since then he's been on a permanent mission to yell at us about it.
We actually kept it in our shop for the first week, in case he returned for it. After that, we put it in the mailbox; and how that works is, the post office sends it along to the nearest delivery office, and they send it to the person, postage due.
But he wanted to find reasons to yell. The last time he came in, I was his target, and that wasn't a satisfying effort for him because I hit him with something he didn't expect: a sincere, heartfelt apology.
"Sir, I'm sorry that this has been inconvenient. We tried to do right by you, and by circumstance we have accidentally done you a little wrong. I'm really sorry about that. I'm sorry it's come to this, you must understand that wasn't our intent. I feel terrible that it's worked out this way."
That day he walked out as angry as he was when he waled in, but disarmed. I'd hoped that would send him away with a lesson, but no, today, a week later, asshole is back to yell at Ron, who wasn't aware of what ever happened and has nothing but shrugs for him.
As he walks out the door he threatens "I'm never coming back this fucking place again!" and of course we all gather to compare notes on his ignorance and hope he makes good on this.
The unexpectedly nice person technique ... mental judo at its finest.
But he wanted to find reasons to yell. The last time he came in, I was his target, and that wasn't a satisfying effort for him because I hit him with something he didn't expect: a halibut.
FIFY
Next time, give him the Spanish Inquisition.
It's three days left full-time at the shop,
and as I wind down I'm confident that this is exactly the right time
to end my tenure here.
<snip>
Today is the best day of your new life... :thumb:
Next time, give him the Spanish Inquisition.
Yes. He won't expect it.
As he walks out the door he threatens "I'm never coming back this fucking place again!" and of course we all gather to compare notes ....
So what notes will they exchange when you walk out the door?
Now that he said, "I'm never coming back this fucking place again!", well, what will (did) you say to top that?
To the jerk who says he's never coming back again, you say, "thank you!".
All the best in the next phase, UT.
Got a text this morning from Alan. "We're opening late today my car is stuck in the garage!"
Sent back: "I thought Saturday was my last day?"
Yes, somehow he had assumed I was staying on for a while. But No. His brother had asked me to, and I said I would think about it, but I only said I'd be willing to work shifts here and there if they were desperate, and then the once-a-week eBay listings.
It feels good to be wanted. But it feels way better to not start the morning by driving to North Philly.
Got a text this morning from Alan. "We're opening late today my car is stuck in the garage!"
Sent back: "I thought Saturday was my last day?"
Yes, somehow he had assumed I was staying on for a while. But No. His brother had asked me to, and I said I would think about it, but I only said I'd be willing to work shifts here and there if they were desperate, and then the once-a-week eBay listings.
It feels good to be wanted. But it feels way better to not start the morning by driving to North Philly.
But dude...you were getting street cred yo!
As this thread slowly comes to a close, I just realized that the thread title should be sung to the tune of
Down in the Boondocks.
Mr. Oblivious
Close but no cigarette! You may skip the sexy intro and forward to 1:14 to hear the lyric as done by Sublime:
[YOUTUBE]rGvR6s0yF3k[/YOUTUBE]
Every time you think you're out, they pull you back in...
woot!
You're in control.
2nd this. You're in the rare instance where an employer feels the need (or is compelled) to explicitily acknowledge your value to the organization. In layman's terms, they're "sucking your dick" atm ... ... They don't read this, do they ... ???
Control? Ha ha ha... all I had to do to get "control" was to leave a low paying job I didn't like?
That's not control. It would have been control if I'd been able to negotiate to keep the job and do it on my terms, but leaving it is no level of control except over my own life.
Which is nice, but it only means I figure I have the capability to get another low-paying job.
Music store dude. I mean it!
Not an option mon frere. Here's the deal: independent music stores have all but disappeared, killed by the Internet. Guitar Center and Sam Ash survive by doing so much volume that they can compete, but in order to do so, their droids are paid fifty cents more than McDonald's closers. I'm shooting for more like $14/hour.
Teaching bass is an option, and I would be great at that, being the humble educator I would be. But that's more of a part-time thing. I could have like 4 part-time jobs... but I'm shooting for one full-time and one part-time.
George's in Spring City? Maybe you can work there AND give lessons. I went to the music store I bought my first guitar from for my initial instruction.
Hmm. Hmm. That could work
Put your best hat on and go talk to them.
The place I go to here in my town is a local place, and my son took lessons through a guy that pretty much "leases space" there.
Has anybody done "Down here at the prawn shop" ...?
Hmm. Hmm. That could work
Sounds like a workable hybrid. I wonder if a music shop with an internet presence wouldn't be viable built along the lines of the pawn shop?
Dude comes in and is immediately very demanding. He wants to get a grinder, and he's antsy about it, barking at both Sammy and Alan. There are two grinders in the front window.
Dude: I want the DeWalt and I want to haggle on it.
Alan: How much are you looking to spend?
Dude: 50 dollars. And no more than that.
Alan (quietly, to Sammy who is fetching it): What's the price on it?
Sammy: 49 dollars.
Alan (to dude): Yeah, we'll take 50 for it.
Dude: Done deal.
that's not customer service. dude said he wanted to haggle. you should have started him at $75 and let him work it down. He'd have been better satisfied.
So was this overheard during your weekly eBay postings, or did they convince you to work up front again?
I'm eBaying one day a week.
~
Not more than two hours later.
Other Dude: I want that grinder in the window.
Alan: That's our last grinder.
Other Dude: Can I pay $50 for it?
Alan: It's marked at $70.
Other Dude: Can you help me out here? (long story I didn't overhear) Baby's going without milk this week.
Alan: Are you paying cash?
Other Dude: Yes.
Alan: Well I could give it to you for $60, and no sales tax.
Other Dude (fumbles in his pocket): I have $56 dollars.
Alan: Sorry, $60 is the best I can do.
Other Dude: (fumbles in his pocket, takes out all his change, takes a long time): $59.25. That's all I have.
Alan: $60 is our final offer.
Other Dude: That's all I got! You can't give it to me for that?
Alan: No, I've already come down in price!
Other Dude: Seventy-five cents? All I need is seventy-five cents!
Alan: No.
Other Dude: That's crazy, man... (rants for a while)
Alan: It's our last grinder. If you don't buy it somebody else will.
Other Dude leaves with some sort of plan, and in about a minute he is back with 75 more cents, and the deal takes place.
What the hell kind of grinders are these?
Handheld deals, did you ever see the grinder girl on Letterman, like 10 years back?
Oh...like a cut off grinder. I was thinking it must be some kind of drug paraphernalia. Like to grind up your weed or heroin or something.
Do guys do a lot of used tool sales?
Those grinders are critical for stealing stuff...
We do a shit ton of used tools. It's probably the second-most sold item behind jewelry. Today I am eBaying like 20 different heavy-duty tools.
Oh and someone came in just now looking for a grinder. "Sold out, sorry" Must be grinding/stealing weather.
Ive hit pawn shops forcheaper tools , tip dont leave with out fireing them up, if the pawn folks dont want to let you test them out walk out the door
Grindr
Why do they not show the parts that do the grinding? What kind of tools are these guys? Commercial grade? Or just demo models?
Greeted Saturday morning with a dead groundhog out front of the shop.
They say it was upside down on Friday, with a cigarette in its mouth.
The question I always have is, is there a plan? Does someone come around and collect a dead animal body on Broad Street?
Signs point to NO, there is no plan and this thing will simply rot.
I'm not seeing any shadow, does that mean six more weeks of winter?
Put a sign next to it.
"FREE GROUNDHOG"
Perhaps, "Rare Ground Hog"?
I'm not seeing any shadow, does that mean six more weeks of winter?
Irrelevant if you can see its shadow. Relevant is if it can see its shadow. It's dead. It can't see anything.
I put my snowpants away. It better not see its shadow.
TW are you allowed to be funny for more than one day a year?
Because that really cracked me up. Again.
Chris - stop being so handsome.
I'd hate to have to wrestle your wife in the old-fashioned Highland way, bare-breasted and each carrying an 8lb baby...
And UT :shock:
I don't know if groundhogs are good animals or bad animals (bad = pest, and/ or bitey) but the sad little drag marks on the pavement make me want to cry.
Put a sign next to it. "Groundhog $10" and someone will pick it up and bring it into the shop to try to pawn it.
Oh don't be sad Sundae! Those aren't drag marks.
Those are blood trails. It bled out in the warm afternoon sun.
we have turkey vultures out in the country to handle that kind of thing.
I think we should take bets on the removal date
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Bambi's Mum. Then Hazel. Now an un-named groundhog.
Put a sign next to it. "Groundhog $10" and someone will pick it up and bring it into the shop to try to pawn it.
or $70 and accept no less than $60
Stage a major scene: someone comes in and offers 40 for the groundhog. You firmly say 'no less than 60' and you banter a while.
THEN, out of nowhere, start screaming and frothing at the mouth. Go outside and pick up the groundhog and start trying to rip it to shreds, beat it against the nearest car, screaming and ranting the whole time, wave it in stranger's faces repeating 'what is this worth what is this worth what is this worth" like some groundhog-oriented Dan Rather mugger.
It'd be a great exit, you must admit.
On Lincoln Drive, there's a median barrier that keeps flotsam and jetsam from rolling down the hill and off the other side of the road. Leaves, twigs, etc. often build up right at the edge.
When the flotsam includes a dead animal, it's usually there for days, if not weeks.
Nice use of the word flotsam.
I txted the shop, and the hog is gone.
Sammy said "Probably on someone's grill."
Eeewwwww. If it'd been cleaned right away, maybe ... but bleeding out all afternoon and then lying in the heat?
Hopefully not on someone's grill.
Off to the [strike]woods[/strike] pawn shop for to catch a groundhog.
Oh, groundhog.
Run here Sally with a ten foot pole, (repeat)
To twist that whistle-pig out of his hole.
Oh, groundhog.
Here comes Sal with a snicker and a grin, (repeat)
Groundhog gravy all over her chin.
Oh, groundhog.
Look at them fellers, they're a-goin' wild, (repeat)
Eat that hog before he's cooked or biled.
Oh, groundhog.
I dug down but I didn't dig deep, (repeat)
There laid a whistle-pig fast asleep.
Oh, groundhog.
Now the meat's in the cupboard and the butter's in the churn, (repeat)
If that ain't groundhog I'll be derned.
Oh, groundhog.
Well you eat the meat and save the hide, (repeat)
Make the best shoestring ever was tied.
Oh, groundhog.
Look at them fellers, they're about to fall, (repeat)
Eat till their britches won't button at all.
Oh, groundhog.
Little piece of cornbread a-layin' on the shelf, (repeat)
If you want any more, you can sing it yerself.
Oh, groundhog
I started changing more stuff but it got pretty racist feeling.
Bleurgh. Philly is dirty and dysfunctional, but I'm sure the Streets Department took care of poor ol' Mr. Groundhog. I hope they did, anyway... :worried:
Do Philly rats wear safety vests for that kind of operation? That's a straw hat job around here.
That was a job for...The SHITMEN!!!!
Do they have a team jersey?
Someone saw fit to tag up the parking lot.
While I suspect that a bitch-ass ho can easily be found in that neighbourhood, I find it impressive that you can a get bitch-ass hoe too. The pawnshop's range of tools is impressive.
The owner is out this week, and so they asked me to work the counter today. First time in months I'm behind the bullet-proof glass. And it's all flowing back to me, the PTSD-like tension that someone is going to go nuts on me. Luckily it seems like a slow day.
For UT
[YOUTUBE]jLo7tHDHgOc[/YOUTUBE]
Seen it many times sir! The biggest difference is that now the cops want us to buy in the stolen watch and get Louis Winthorpe III's picture and ID.
Also, we don't buy or sell firearms, by city law.
Also, Louis in his dilapidated state would still be one of the nicest-smelling people in the shop.
... Also, we don't buy or sell firearms, by city law. ...
But I'll bet you can sell pressure cookers.
What is the cap on the amount the shop will pay for any single item brought in?
If it will make the shop money there is virtually no cap. But people who have a gold bar know it has more value than we are going to offer, and have more time to find a better buyer.
I came in to list items today and was immediately reminded why I left. The first hour has been nuts.
A lady came in and looked at rings and asked our new guy the same kinds of questions over and over. I overheard a little of this and could see our guy doing the best he could but sensed a little weirdness. Eventually she decided through some retarded ghetto logic that the prices were too high, and that we were in the business of ripping people off, or something like that, and she left muttering away about crackhead whitey.
This led to a cascade of assholery of the highest order. When one customer is crazy and angry, they immediately transmit it to all other customers in the store.
Regular customer Michael was one of the most pleasant people I dealt with when I was at the counter. He's wheelchair bound, because he gained an enormous amount of weight when prescribed antidepressants after becoming suicidal. Well, Michael must have been set off, because although he was at the end of his transactions, he started to become aggressive and angry.
First he decided that he was getting a bad deal from the shop, and protested the amount he had to pay to get his stuff back. Alan patiently explained that he was getting the same deal he had gotten every week for years and years.
Then he decided that the change he'd gotten was wrong, and Alan and Ron, who'd dealt with him, explained that his price was $131.50 and he'd given $140 and gotten $8.50 in change.
Then he decided that he had not been given one of his rings. Now he had chosen a beef that would not end in a simple explanation, and he bellowed his complaint over and over until Alan said he would review the tapes of the counter during his transaction.
Normally that will stop somebody in their tracks, because they don't realize everything's on camera. But this time Michael kept on bellowing for another five minutes, and decided to call the cops. He sat bellowing at the cops, bellowed for another five minutes after calling the cops, called the cops again and bellowed at them, and finally went silent for the ten minutes it took for the cops to get here.
(Which was really fast. I was thinking a half hour.)
Michael and the cop went outside, and he bellowed at the cop for five minutes. The cop came in and got Alan's calm, reasoned side of the story, along with all the pawn tickets and a description of how a customer really can't be given the wrong thing. It's all managed in a very orderly process.
Then he went outside and we heard about another ten minutes of bellowing outside ("That's NON-sense! That's NON-sense!"), until finally it went quiet. We didn't even know he'd left, until Alan took a look at the exterior cameras and saw no sign of him.
Lastly, during the final section of Michael's tantrum, a women came in to retrieve her 51" television out of pawn. The guys were relieved to be able to head to the back and haul the TV out, because they had a reason to escape. They took the TV to the front of the store.
The woman then sighed and asked for help loading her TV into her car. Alan explained that we can't leave from behind the bullet-proof glass ("for insurance purposes"), and did not mention that there was no way we'd do it right NOW with all this weirdness and anger floating around. The woman restated her situation and Alan repeatedly denied her. She left with a loud "That's BULL shit" and apparently found someone on the street to help her load the TV.
The last item I listed today was a big ol tenor sax. Almost new.
Inside the case was a collection of papers and such which included: a bill for the owner's $3700 back rent and utilities; a bill for the owner's $220 back payments due on the sax; a legal letter saying that they were going to be evicted for the rent; and a bunch of church pamphlets.
:( Glad you're mostly outta there, UT. That sax sounds so sad...
Nice treat this morning: as I reached under the radiator to retrieve a dropped iPod cable, my hand stuck on something sticky.
It turned out to be the glue trap for bugs.
It was half full.
One interesting thing about the shop is how many mysteries it generates. I've just put up for sale two identical, mint condition Galaxy S4 phones that came in to the shop as a pair...
both without back covers.
Explain that.
One interesting thing about the shop is how many mysteries it generates. I've just put up for sale two identical, mint condition Galaxy S4 phones that came in to the shop as a pair... both without back covers.
Explain that.
They are stolen and the original owners had the back cover engraved!
That's a possibility. I would say it's less likely than you'd imagine, because crooks generally don't care about such things, and will sell us items that are heavily personalized and clearly not theirs. But it's possible.
Perhaps the original backs were replaced with metal; or, wireless charging backs and the seller decided to keep those for themself or someone else.
Could be that the back covers were damaged, like cracked from being dropped or warped by heat, and the seller was unloading the phones in case the exposure shortened the phone life.
The backs for those kinds of phones are a bastard sometimes. Once they've been taken off and put back a few dozen times they can get a bit loose and drop off.
Maybe the backs make excellent soap dishes.
Or cocaine trays.
Wonder what the TSA would make of a ziploc bag full of phone backs?
anyone seen lady gaga's latest ensemble?
I liked what they played of him. He's new to me.
Handbag loans in Hong Kong.
Yes Lady provides a loan within half an hour at 80% of the bag's value—as long as it is from Gucci, Chanel, Hermès or Louis Vuitton. Occasionally, a Prada purse will do the trick. Secondhand classic purses and special-edition handbags often retain much of their retail prices.
A customer gets her bag back by repaying the loan at 4% monthly interest within four months. Yes Lady says almost all its clients quickly pay off their loans and reclaim their bags.
i used to work in the British version of pawn shop (a second hand store). I got a mobile phone for free. It was literally the size of a brick
Hi Cellarolson! We do have pawnshops here in the UK. A second hand store is a different thing, more like a commission store, where you leave stuff and only get some money if and when it sells.
[YOUTUBE]1dyTIpqLKCE[/YOUTUBE]
This is the sort of thing you will come across in North Philly. This is Saturday night, in a neighborhood just to our south.
There is some consensus that the dude is on PCP and not molly as our narrator suggests. Our narrator is more likely to be a customer than this tripping guy.
what's Molly?
the pure form of MDMA, or ecstasy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMAMolly is a more pure form of Ecstasy. It's usually used at raves and a few people died from it at an electronic music conference in NYC last weekend.
I think I may have posted a link or street view of the Pawn Shop I stumbled upon near me.
That very shop is now a TV series:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/posh-pawnPawn Stars ripoff. I'm trying to think of one single posh thing in our shop... I guess it would probably be an iPad in good condition that someone stole.
My replacement at the shop is a pretty chill dude. He reported that this happened yesterday:
A customer just walked into the shop and through the inch thick bulletproof glass I work on the other side of posed the following query: "You work here?"
"You work here?"
... maybe his emphasis was on
workI was there yesterday, and here's one he didn't report.
A woman walks in with a ring, looking for a pawn. The ring has three diamonds on it. Only manager Alan inspects and prices diamonds, so new guy Steve takes the ring and starts to walk to the other room where Alan is working. The woman immediately objects and demands her ring back... suggesting that while the ring is in another room, we are going to remove the diamonds and replace them with something cheaper.
Alan hears this happening -- he knows what's going on in the shop at all times --and walks out and tells the woman we aren't going to pawn her ring at all. "If you don't trust us for the thirty seconds to evaluate the ring, how are you going to trust us when we have it here for months?"
He's right of course; and one thing the shop is relentlessly honest about is managing jewelry. The entire back-end process is built to make sure people get back exactly what they brought in.
But at the same time, honesty is one thing that's strange about the shop, because there are so many lies going on at all times. Being a relentlessly honest person was one thing that made it hard to work there. Half the customers are lying to us when they bring things in; people make up all kinds of stories about why they need money, or what their item really is. Half the time we give an explanation for something, we are lying just because it makes it easier to do the job.
After working there for two decades, Alan's spidey sense is remarkable, and he can tell what a customer is all about because he's seen so much history. He's seen this kind of woman before, and she always makes a terrible fuss when she gets her item back.
I asked him if her reaction was just racism, and he wouldn't say, but that's just another polite lie. A huge number of the shop's customers are racist (reverse racist, if you prefer), and resent the fact that they are so desperate they have to deal with whitey's pawn shop. Their first instinct is that we are so talented at being evil that we can swap out diamonds in thirty seconds, and every transaction with us is a ripoff. If it's not (reverse) racism, what is it?
My replacement at the shop is a pretty chill dude. He reported that this happened yesterday:... you work here?
No, sir. I'm the idiotproof glass inspector.
Might be class antagonism rather than race, though. The pawnshop represents the barrel a lot of people are over in life. It's also a lot of people's saviour in the short term. The people on the lowest incomes, are the ones that can't get credit and don't have a cash float. Doesn't mean they don't resent the business that is 'getting rich' off their backs :p
Also, I think there's a historically ingrained sense of suspicion between those that offer pawning and those that have recourse to it. That the customers are often black and the pawn shop is owned and staffed by white people probably just adds an extra edge.
If it's not (reverse) racism, what is it?
It could be Wealthism or Classism, but it's probably good old prejudice.
One of my personal theories is that Britain is self-flagellating about class as America is self-flagellating about race.
Well, as long as we're all flaggellating.... it's all good.
One of my personal theories is that Britain is self-flagellating about class as America is self-flagellating about race.
Kinda. It's improving, but I think Thatch said we were "a classless society" and that's clearly bollocks.
Truth is really the most important thing in the world to me. It's the basis of trust, which is the basis of all relationships.
The determination of truth is my lifelong mission. It is the foundation that we stand on. Without it we have nothing. ...
... Does reality matter? It definitely does.
No it doesn't, we interact with what is presented.
If they are phony, it's their loss, not mine.
That's exactly what I have done.
I saw through lies and interacted with what was actually presented, instead of what was attempted to be presented.
... But at the same time, honesty is one thing that's strange about the shop, because there are so many lies going on at all times. Being a relentlessly honest person was one thing that made it hard to work there. Half the customers are lying to us when they bring things in; people make up all kinds of stories about why they need money, or what their item really is. Half the time we give an explanation for something, we are lying just because it makes it easier to do the job. ...
[Bold mine.]
Your customers are under chronic financial stress which may influence their value of truth and perspective on reality. There are other circumstances which do the same and you're not alone in the way you deal with it; but, you're shortchanging yourself when you said "... just because ...". For instance, healthcare workers at all levels are trained to interact with people who have dementia, psychosis, developmental disability... etc. within the framework of that person's perception of truth and reality, to the extent that they can without causing significant harm, rather than calling them out on every disparity between their presentation and the truth. It's done primarily to keep the lines of communication open by giving enough leeway to those with challenges to accord their self-perception of dignity (though sometimes to protect them). People challenged with living at; or, just above the survival level, whether in Philly or Cortez, often can't afford to have that perception on their own.
... you cant make a grand statement about the search for truth and then agree that you're interacting with a falsehood knowingly. One or the other. ...
Not.
Right; maybe I should have said "makes it possible to do the job" when trying to align financial reality with ghetto ignorance and lack of polite culture.
Today I was in the shop, and it was a weird day (as all days in the shop are). During the morning, people were polite and intelligent and simply did their transactions; and during the afternoon, there were three separate incidents with older women who had left their jewelry in pawn for too long and lost it.
When people put things into pawn, they have 5 months to retrieve it. At the time they pawn, they're given a ticket which lists the price after 1 month, 2 months, 3 months and 4 months. At the 4 month mark, they are sent a registered letter, which tells them their stuff is due and they are being given 30 days of grace period to come get their stuff. All this is explained to them when they put their items in.
But people lose things all the time anyway, because they are ghetto ignorant and simply don't have the tools in their personal tool chest to manage their shit.
And so they come in, one day late, and they are denied their stuff, and it is at that point that there is a good chance they will go apeshit. This is particularly true of older ghetto women. For some reason, they are deeply endeared to the jewelry items that they put up for a $30 loan, left in our care for five months of their miserable lives, and failed to keep track of.
This only generally happens about once a week, but today it happened three times; so I had a lot of compassion for new guy Steve, who works the main window and is only just now finding that he has to figure out a way to deal with this, emotionally.
The first woman just tore him a new asshole for ten minutes, complete with obscenities and whatnot. He kind of just had to deal with it, because she had a second item still in pawn that she was figuring out what to do with. Her first item was past due by two days; her second item had two weeks left on it. So she renewed the loan, then got so angry that she wanted to get her second item out, but didn't have enough money for it.
But then it turned out she was 75 cents short the money to take that second item out, which led to another retarded argument over why that 75 cents should be magically granted, until some gentleman customer in the store gave her the 75 cents and she found a way to move on.
I've mentioned this lie before, but when someone's stuff is late, we lie about it; we tell them that it's gone, that overdue stuff is taken out of the shop the night after it comes due. If this woman knew that her item was still locked in the safe, she would still be there tonight, yelling at the empty storefront.
The lie becomes necessary for self-preservation. In polite culture she would acknowledge her role in her reality; accept that she had mismanaged the situation; and never take it out on the nearest employee, because that's bad behavior. In polite culture she would be given the complete explanation. In polite culture, if a woman goes apeshit,
she is taped and put up on YouTube and Vine for all to see and mock. In the ghetto, it's just another childish emotional day.
By the way, Steve dealt with all three of these emotional women in the afternoon, talked with Alan and Sammy about how to handle these things, and then ran for his train to get to the hospital, where his mom has about a week to live.
In polite culture she would acknowledge her role in her reality; accept that she had mismanaged the situation; and never take it out on the nearest employee, because that's bad behavior.
I've had to wait on too many entitled rich women to buy that.
It doesn't happen to me too often, but on thursday, I had to shut down a women (who was clearly rich enough to have had some plastic surgery on her face) because she did not buy the tire and wheel protection. She first insisted that it had never been offered, and when I printed and pointed out the waiver she signed saying it had been, she shifted to the position that we didn't do a good enough job convincing her to buy it. (Not me. I would have closed her ;) ) she will NOT be buying another Nissan.
I said, "you got a flat tire. What does that have to do with what kind of car it is? "
"I'm not happy. Someone has to do something about it. "
That was really her main complaint. ... that she was not happy. $400 for the tow, and new tire. Probably cost her 2 nights at the bar.
I actually had her laughing by the time she left. .... She threatened to call Nissan customer care, I said, "if you truly feel like the people here mistreated you, then I think you should call. Do you really feel that way? Really? We did this to you? "
That's when her act broke up and she admitted just being frustrated because she didn't want to deal with it. I wonder how often that one lady intimidates clerks at low levels. She clearly had the routine down, and the only thing that ended it was her absolute lack of any progress with the 2 managers she had hammered on before she got to me... where she got nothing but sympathy and advice on buying the tire plan next time.
My ex mother in law is one of these women. If you have a legit gripe about a retail experience, you want her going to bat for you. But I would NOT want to be on the receiving end of her shit storm.
My ex mother in law is one of these women. If you have a legit gripe about a retail experience, you want her going to bat for you. But I would NOT want to be on the receiving end of her shit storm.
Pete's cousin is the same way. You'd love to have her on your side when you're in the right, but she's a damn embarrassment in most situations.
One of my personal theories is that Britain is self-flagellating about class as America is self-flagellating about race.
This is spot on IMO
I had to lecture Steve about trigger discipline.
Spoiler: [COLOR="White"]It's a paintball AR-15. Pawn shops in Philly do not deal in actual weapons.[/COLOR]
Spoiler: [COLOR="White"]It's a paintball AR-15. Pawn shops in Philly do not deal in actual weapons.[/COLOR]
That's one of the main things Montana pawn shops deal in. Buy a car, an old toaster and a second-hand assault weapon in one place.
Pawn shops in Philly do not deal in actual weapons.[/COLOR]
No shit? Zat a city ordinance thing, or what? I've never been in a pawn shop (and I've been in a few:D) that didn't have multiple racks/display cabinets full of guns.
That's kinda odd.
Yeah it is the City of Philadelphia that has issued the ordnance ordinance.
...issued the ordnance ordinance.
I award fifty points for wordplay.
:p:
Today's "picture left on pawn shop electronics" is of Donte's ammo. This is Donte's iPhone and Donte had it stolen or just didn't want to wipe his phone when selling it. Donte himself is in the photo following this one. I will leave that photo out to protect Donte.
Is that another iPhone in Donte's left pants pocket? Maybe that's why he could afford to pawn one of them.
Is that another iPhone in Donte's left pants pocket?
No, he's just happy to see you.
;)
Donte himself is in the photo following this one. I will leave that photo out to protect Donte.
Blackout his face...Let us see, let us
seeeee.
Blackout his face? That's racist!
Yeah, f'in milky!
This is funny to me because one of my 4 year old guys called my TA an f'in milky yesterday. Good thing blacks can't be racist, otherwise I'd have to tell him to stop calling his classmate's Dad an f'in Chinaman.
Heh... Guess he's one of your high-functioning ones. :) At 4, I would have been like, "f'in milky?" That's an adjective before a noun--way to go, kid!
When the watch in the photo shows up at the pawn shop, you'll know that Donte bit the dust.
Heh... Guess he's one of your high-functioning ones. :) At 4, I would have been like, "f'in milky?" That's an adjective before a noun--way to go, kid!
He's a really bright behavioral kid, his best buddy is on the spectrum though, there'll be hell to pay if his friend takes that new vocabulary home.
The music we play at the shop is broadcast to Broad Street, because there is a big speaker just above our outside door. This announces to the crowd that we are playing all black music, from classic soul/R&B to soul/R&B that is only 3 decades old.
Just now a woman comes in announces loudly "You playin the song about me!" Coworker Mike realizes it's "Oh Sheila" on the radio, and asks "Is your name Sheila?" She rolls up her sleeve to show her SHEILA tattoo, and then just leaves.
Apparently there is a guy out on Broad Street that is alternately barking like a dog, and yelling at his imaginary pit bull to sit down and shut up.
Hence the phrase barking mad?
And elsewhere, in a world not so different from our own, a dog is seen alternating between talking like a human and barking at an invisible man.
The man found a creative way of talking to himself.
We're all missing the other possibility: he has an invisible dog.
Or as a street performer he's not a very good ventriloquist.
We're all missing the other possibility: he has an invisible dog.
Reminds me of that old story about a man standing outside a bar with his dog, telling people his dog can talk. Patrons coming and going past him just figure he's drunk; but, one of them says "I'll bet you ten dollars that dog can't talk." The owner accepts, looks at his dog and says "Dog, what's on top of a house?" The dog says "rrrrrrrrrrooof" and its owner says "That's right, a roof is on top of a house." The owner demands $10 from the patron who pays him. The patron figures the same thing couldn't happen again and tells the owner to ask the dog another question, the bet to be double or nothing. The owner nods, looks at his dog and says "Dog, what does sandpaper feel like?" The dog says "rrrrrrrrrrruff" and its owner says "That's right, sandpaper feels rough." The patron again pays the owner; but, demands yet another chance to recoup his losses, only this time the patron insists on being the one who asks the dog a question figuring that way he can't possibly lose. The dog's owner reluctantly agrees. The patron looks at the dog and says "Dog,
who was the 25th President of the United States?" The dog looks up at him and says "rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
McKinley?
Has the pawn shop, being in that location, had any veterans come in to pawn their old military stuff since you've been there?
Being in that location, many veterans of the crack wars of 1987 have sold off their vintage pipes.
Not one single solitary military item. Not one. Unless you count katanas, which we don't take anyway.
What's the price range/availability of a laptop with a fairly large screen/keyboard, good graphics card, and lots o' trilobites of RAM?
I'm cool with windexing.
Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing. We could use a new used laptop. Our old ones are so freaking slow, the kids refuse to use them. I hate using them too. And they both need to get on the computer to do homework now, so there is quarreling for the desktop.
I was looking at ebay factory refurbished/off lease Dells with Windows 7, and they seem to be going in the $250 range. The Latitude E6410 is catching my eye. It seems to have been a nice machine 2-3 years ago, and is still probably pretty good.
I was just looking up the value of my two old Dell Latitude D610 laptops, and they seem to be going on ebay in the range of $20 to $70, depending on condition. A lot of delusional people not selling them for $150 or so. That's for an 8 year old laptop. Maybe I should sell some of this old stuff when I get a newer laptop. I also have an old desktop.
I hate my laptop it's slower than flint :(
;)
It's a Dell Dinosaur. I might dump it in the pillowcase of some uncostumed adult who comes to the door tomorrow night if I run out of crappy candy
Here are all the working laptops I've sold recently. Right now there are 36 of them on the list, which covers the last 3 months.
At the shop we use Completed Listings extensively to set prices and establish values.
You can see, the prices for laptops are falling fast and it's crazy. They are competing against tablets. I can't believe that my
last week's listing of
Available for sale is a HP G42-415DX notebook/laptop computer.
This system is a bit dirty, but is otherwise in excellent physical condition. Two minutes of Windexing will restore this unit to "9 out of 10" condition. There are no major scrapes or scuffs, especially on corners where they show if a laptop is dropped. The screen is dirty but not scratched. There are no shiny signs of wear on the trackpad or keyboard. The screen hinges are solid. Two of the rubber feet on the bottom are missing.
This laptop doesn't have its charger cable. A replacement charger can be found right here on eBay, from US sellers, for under $10 shipped.
This item went for $130. Because it has a lot of things that people don't want. AMD processor, 14" screen instead of a 15". 3GB of memory instead of 4. Not great battery time. No charger, they had to buy an aftermarket one.
OK it was a low-end model. But... $130?? It was $530 at Best Buy, and $299 Refurb at Newegg when it came out... TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO.
My Windexing scale goes from 1 to 5 minutes...
Even if you go for a new laptop, you might get a ghetto version.
Dell users: Latitude 6430u laptops 'smell of cat urine'Is that ASUS X83V 15.6" Notebook a good computer?
If so, I'll go for it.
eta: Is it wrong of me to assume that I can connect to wifi with this unit out of the box? The idea behind the purchase is so I can connect to the net from wifi since I can't do that at home.
Did you see the picture in the second row of pictures for that one computer? It showed the "Windows Experience Index" for that Asus is a 4.9, on a 1-8 scale.
I had never heard of such a thing, so I ran the same performance test for my desktop PC at work, and my Desktop PC got a 3.6 because it has a crappy graphics card. So that laptop is as good as my work PC, and I think my work PC is pretty good.
Did you see the picture in the second row of pictures for that one computer? It showed the "Windows Experience Index" for that Asus is a 4.9, on a 1-8 scale.
I had never heard of such a thing, so I ran the same performance test for my desktop PC at work, and my Desktop PC got a 3.6 because it has a crappy graphics card. So that laptop is as good as my work PC, and I think my work PC is pretty good.
Thanks. I'll check that on this puter at school to get an idea.
That should be a fine unit. There's nothing particularly "second tier" about that year's ASUSes, compared to your HPs and Toshibas and whatnot. I like that type of keyboard more than some others. As we see the Apple items fetch between 100% and 250% more than similar systems just due to the brand; and as a brand, ASUS is a bit of a sleeper.
It's a great price, and if you don't like it, you can eBay it out yourself and get most of your money back. You can depend on my manager's packing, and if you tell them you're a friend of mine he will pack it even better.
I recommend telling him you're my friend. Even if you aren't, it's a benefit to everyone involved.
You will absolutely be able to do WiFi with this, or with any recent laptop. You can get internet service to your home and have WiFi there too.
Cool! I hope it is still there when I am back from lunch
actually, I just bought it. I'll sell it to you for $189!
That should be a fine unit.
Heh heh, heh heh.
He said "unit!"
[/Beavis]
eta: Making a Beavis reference really pegs me as middle aged. I gotta stop doing that, but I can't help it.
heh heh heh
He said "pegs"
It's done. when will it get here?
Depends whether the manager is packaging today or tomorrow... I'm sure you'll get a tracking number
Loving the new puter. Simple Greened it last night. It was very clean. Learning 7 Pro.
Thinking of partitioning the hard drive to keep programs apart from the OS. Is this done on 7?
Also is there a way to make a set of back up system disks?
The Bronze/Brown color is distinctly ghetto, I'm sorry but it's true. I feel like I need to get a gold front tooth now.
Very glad to hear it! At least 5 of those fingerprints were mine.
Up today is a Toshiba which will be a real sleeper because it needs a new battery. And what I do is, I put in the link to the right search for new batteries on eBay, right into the listing.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221311882155?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649Evil monster thought: we should all follow this link and then surf ebay for sex toys or vice versa, so when people look at this listing the "People who shopped for this item also looked at" section at the bottom will be much more entertaining :)
I haven't told you lately how much I love you.
Well, it was fun while it lasted.
The computer just overheated itself into a half hour long coma.
I downloaded speed fan and saw the temps at about 83c and the fan at 0 rpm.
:(
Looking for a new fan.
dang :( We leave these systems on for a while, as we wipe the hard drives and reload the OS, but it's hard to test for everything. Let me know if you want to try a different system, ah, such as the Toshiba.
Guy: Do you buy movies?
Sammy: Not right now.
Guy: Porn movies? I have Chinese amputee hermaphrodite.
Sammy (unfazed): We don't buy used porn, we bring that in new.
You guys are a tough and jaded bunch. I've never even heard of Chinese amputee hermaphrodite porn.
Prolly wouldn't buy it either but I might click a link.
I'm gonna open the back and check out the fan. A new one is only about fifteen bucks.
Do you think the Toshiba is a better ride?
Guy: Do you buy movies?
Sammy: Not right now.
Guy: Porn movies? I have Chinese amputee hermaphrodite.
Sammy (unfazed): We don't buy used porn, we bring that in new.
Do you know how much he wanted for it? I'll pay extra for amputee pandas
The Tosh is marginally better, but I'll tellya what, probably not for the bump in price. I don't like the trackpad on it. It's smaller and just doesn't have the kind of touch I like.
I like the asus. For the price of a fan it's no biggie
I'm going home in a few and I'll test it.
It seems that the OS is partitioned already so if I have to ever do a reinstall I can just install to that partition wo having to reinstall all my software
Most laptops have that recovery partition where they make it easy to start from scratch. It's a great feature.
Today Alan is morose as his dad is still in the hospital for his 7th day. He was supposed to come off the respirator yesterday, but did not. Alan is the most unemotional person in the world, but you can hear in his voice that the news is not good.
The old man founded the place and is the rock, the accountant, the player. But he's not in good shape. He reflects what it's like to have been at the shop for so long: he's 71, but looks and acts like he's 85.
Even as there is the stink of death filling the place - just like last year at this time - some animal has decided to die in the space between the floors.
Meanwhile disgusting co-worker Ron tells tales of his leasing of various prostitutes.
Bad times are all around.
There's a cold wind blowing, too. Gray sky.
Bad times were all around and the sky was gray
UT was down at the pawn shop the other day
He'd of been safe and warm in virtual PA
In The Cellar dreamin' on such a bitter day
Alan was morose 'cause his dad's not in good shape
Coworker Ron was leasing hos and telling the tales
An animal got between the floors and died in that space
There was the stink of death filling up the place
Bad times were all around and the sky was gray
UT was down at the pawn shop the other day
Good thing that he told us so we can pray that he's
In The Cellar dreamin' on future bitter days.
Poor Richard.
He fell in love with a Yamaha digital piano in the shop. (I did too. It's such a beautiful thing. I hope to have one some day.)
It's $299. He came in two months ago and put $100 down in a layaway on it.
But hard times have fallen on Richard, and he's getting evicted. He has a temporary job and is going for a better permanent job. But now he's just hoping he can stay with a friend for a while until he gets back on his feet.
He came in yesterday with $13 to his name and put $10 down on the keyboard to keep hold of it. He needs it; it's as important to him as life. I know this; I helped him set it up when he tried it. I saw how he felt about it when he heard it.
I forgot to document this, but last Saturday Richard came in and made the last payment on the keyboard. It's his now, if he can keep it.
Sitting in the back doing my job, I didn't realize it was him until the last minute. But he was loudly joyous, and he and Alan recalled that it had been a year since he decided to put money down on this thing. I was the one who took his first payment. And I said it 10 months ago, but I will always remember how Richard fell in love with that keyboard.
Alan, being the unmovable sociopath that he is, did not take any joy in this day. Richard praised him up and down for keeping it in the back, and Alan hates that kind of treatment. Richard doesn't know that it was only the shop's laziness on layaway processing that kept the keyboard around for him, and Alan gave it no thought and deserves no credit.
In fact Alan gave a loud "Ugh!" after Richard left the store and he could feel free to register some emotion. Alan has contempt for anyone who wants to assign him humanity. His favorite customers are the ones who register no emotion and simply run their transactions.
Maybe he's right. Alan has seen plenty of people finish payment on items, only to bring them back a month later to be pawned.
Maybe to be happy with some part of the ghetto is to have your heart broken.
Good for Richard. Everyone needs a little joy in their life
It's a fool, that plays it cool, by making his life a little colder.
Amazing that he pulled it off. Good on him.
I hope Richard writes a song called "Fuck You Alan" and gets rich and famous off of it.
Yeah, I'm in a foul mood today.
Me too. Even if it's only temporary. Which I hope it isn't.
Sent by thought transference
Maybe to be happy with some(one you've helped in the ER) is to have your heart broken.
Burned-out ER docs know this tune.
A banner day today as I stood outside my car, looking at the meter and thinking I'd have to get back in the car to get to my change there, when a black woman comes up to me and hands me 2 quarters, and walks away without saying anything.
Thank you ma'am MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
The gents felt this was an impossible event and that it must have been someone I was nice to while I was working the counter.
Payin it forward.
I'm so pleased Richard got his keyboard. And, maybe at some point he'll be heartbroken when he has to give it up. Or maybe not. Either way he had the joy of getting it, after a year of putting away what he could on it. And for however long he has it, he'll have the joy of that.
That's all kind of awesome.
The gents felt this was an impossible event and that it must have been someone I was nice to while I was working the counter.
Or, she bought your services for tonight. :lol2:
I've been bought for less...:neutral:
When I sell phones, I run through activation and take pictures of the settings. I like to let buyers know exactly what they're getting. In theory, it improves the shop's positive feedback percentage.
But sometimes phones can't be activated for various reasons. These days, the vendors are locking down the phones technologically. For example, iPhones can be remotely locked by an owner through their iCloud account.
Can the pawn shop get its money back if it bought the hot phone?
I wonder if this increases, will the pawn shop change its policy on phones? Hold the phone for two weeks to make sure it doesn't get locked, and then make the payout after that quarantine period.
Phones that are reported stolen can be bought back from the shop for what it was bought in for, sometimes after a long period involving restitution.
This phone has not been reported stolen. iCloud is not where you report stolen phones. You report stolen phones to the carrier, who locks them using the international serial number. Then you report them to the police, who then check them against our database of stuff.
The phones have been getting more and more locked down, but there's no way we would ever implement anything complicated. If a thing has value it's bought in, if it doesn't, it doesn't. Locked phones still have value, though much less than a phone that's registerable. I guess people are using them for parts.
Does business at the pawn shop pick up significantly in January? One might think it would between those who received unwanted holiday gifts without gift receipts and those who need to raise money to pay their holiday shopping bills.
No no, my friend, you are middle class. The rules of the middle class do not apply in the ghetto.
- There are no "holiday bills". Nobody in the ghetto has credit. In fact, I can't remember running a credit transaction in my entire time working the window. Many ghetto people have debit cards, but not credit. If you have the means to get credit, you have a decent long-term job, and you are probably on the way to getting out of the ghetto. Bills are for things like water, electricity, heat.
- Ghetto people do not understand receipts, much less "gift receipts". A good third of them find it too hard to hold on to the pawn tickets with which they can get their prized pawned possessions.
The uptick in pawn shop business is in December, when people are trying to get cash for gifts, and trying to buy used shit to give as gifts. The only exception I can think of is the white college students who have learned that the pawn shop will give them 50 cents on the dollar for most gift cards.
I take it you're saying that the unwanted holiday gifts without gift receipts (stolen merchandise) and those who need to raise money to pay their holiday shopping bills (bail for theft) doesn't significantly increase business at the shop. Bummer. I thought everybody there knew at least one somebody else who'd raise that situation.
Guy just came in looking for a notepad computer.
Randomness. Bob Marley was on the radio when a Jamaican guy came in and did a deal involving a lot of discussion. It freaked me right out.
A big problem with the shop is when it's all too clear you're participating in criminal activity. You just have to say it is what it is, and go past it.
I tell myself I don't know why this phone has that status and it's really a problem for whomever buys it, as long as I document it. So I document it and put it into the eBay entry.
I suppose the phone could have been lost. You have no way of knowing it was stolen. And the cracked screen would also fit with it falling unnoticed from a bag or something.
But it seems to me that if you can lock up a phone and put a message on it like "call owner," I wonder if including "reward offered" would be good to include. Maybe it's more likely that you would get it back.
If you can lock a phone remotely, can you also remotely get it to upload all data to the cloud? And then erase that data?
I don't know about remotely backing up, but you can remotely erase now, and this phone was remotely erased and locked.
I put a scrolling message with my cell number and offer of a reward on my tablet. doubt it would work, but at least if a good Samaritan were to be the one to find it.... I might get it back.
I can erase and deregister and locate my NookHD+ remotely with AVG.
Yeah, I have Lookout Pro on my phone and tablet. It can tell me where it is, set an alarm off, and wipe/lock it up. I don't want to ever find out how well it works.
Yeah, I have Lookout Pro on my phone and tablet. It can tell me where it is, set an alarm off, and wipe/lock it up. I don't want to ever find out how well it works.
have you tested it, say, short of wiping it?
Ron is a fairly nasty person, and a serial exaggerator and compulsive liar.
Me: When it comes to the downhill I think of Bode Miller.
Ron: Bode Miller! He's a good friend of mine!
Me: If Bode Miller is in the contacts list on your phone, I will give you 50 dollars right now.
Ron: (pretends to look through his phone to no avail) Well I smoked weed with Bode Miller's cousin a bunch of times.
have you tested it, say, short of wiping it?
yes, the locator works quickly and easily.
cow orker reports this one today.
Phone rings.
Steve: Pawn shop
Customer: Yeah I got this iPhone 5c I wanna sell, see cuz my husband gave it to me for Chrissmas, an I jus find out he have another family.
Steve: Bring it in...
I guess she didn't want in on the family plan.
Helicopters and sirens of police activity have been going on all day. In the morning it was due to the Governor who was to visit a high school about 4 blocks away to the west. (
He cancelled due to protests and so all the news copters were covering the protests.)
Now in the afternoon, we've heard that
Our Nation's Most Recent School Shooting has just happened 4 blocks away to the south. This started a half-hour ago and the sirens have been going non-stop.
It's not a big shooting, only one adult and one child reported shot at this time, but man is there a lot of activity going on out there.
Did they arrest the gun that did it yet?
:dedhorse:
Make that two students, shot in the arms... here come the helicopters
hey, Ute, think this will happen and if so, is it a good thing?
Online database for pawn shops to enter purchases so (they and) police can check for stolen items
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2014/01/pawn_shops_in_genesee_county_m.html#incart_hbx#incart_best-ofWe have been doing this for a few months. It's all fine I guess. Not much change, except that the cops get cases handed to them and eventually more stuff will get fenced through organized crime.
The old man died today.
We knew it was probably coming. When he was hospitalized it really did not look good, but he fought for a while, and there were moments of hope. That became a cruel roller coaster ride. In the end he was just too weak to fight his illness.
He was a colorful guy and it seems amazing to think he started the shop in 1968. Not too many retail outlets ever last that long.
He was a deeply beloved man. I had hoped to learn his secret for that.
I also saw that at age 71, he was far too infirm than he should have been. I don't know how that came to be, but if I were to blame anything I would blame the ghetto and its terrible food and lack of hygiene. It's like anything, spend too much time someplace and you become it in little ways. I believe the ghetto sucked the life force right out of this man.
He still had a soul after all that life in the pawn business. Something had to give.
That unsung hero got a song here, you did good, thx.
He still had a soul after all that life in the pawn business. Something had to give.
Remarkable really. Thinking in terms of the Eightfold Path, could the shop have been his right livelihood? I guess so.
Probably not many others in the ghetto will notice or miss him, but I am so glad you did, UT.
Sorry, UT. I'm glad you got a chance to know him.
Remarkable really. Thinking in terms of the Eightfold Path, could the shop have been his right livelihood? I guess so.
Stranger things have happened.
Sent from my iPhone using
TapatalkI went to the old man's service yesterday and was presented with a compliment that I couldn't deal with.
Before services began, there was the line of mourners which everyone met with, and shook hands with and kissed and hugged. During this time, I met his widow. At first I was introduced by a family member who didn't know me very much, but a second after I'd moved just past her, someone mentioned something about me to her, and she lit up.
Oh, Tony! You're the eBay person!
Ah yes, that's me.
You know he talked about you a lot. He really liked you.
A compliment from the dead man lying in a coffin ten feet behind me. I'm not saying this to brag, repeating a compliment about myself. I'm saying it because it's part of the story.
I was instantly frozen by this. I've learned to accept compliments with a variation of "That's nice of you to say!" It both accepts the compliment, and turns it around to compliment the person saying it. It is nice of them to say.
In this case, it was nice of him to say... except that he wasn't saying it. It was twice as nice for his widow to say it. It was a moment of flattery, confusion, and grief all at the same time. A feeling I've never experienced before. I think I managed a stumbled thank you of some sort.
And then I began to cry.
By attending his service, you also showed his widow that you cared equally about him. You're a good egg, Tony.
You are a shining light in in that widow's life. Enjoy that you made her smile during her grief.
There's beauty in a moment like that.
I mean, it sucks, because you have the grief, and because he's gone. But all of you coming together to honor him and to be there for one another. And you're meeting lots of people for the first time, but you all share this common link. You're connected.
It's like some weird blend of grief and sorrow and community and warmth.
What's going to happen with the pawn shop? Will the widow run it?
He's been preparing his boys to take over the family business for a long time. There are two sons and there are two shops.
That was nice Tony. Sometimes we just don't know.
Old man probably never told his kids he was proud of them either. I bet mom heard it though. Have you told Don what she said?
Sorry you lost a buddy, ute... I hope you can use what you learned from him to add another facet to your own particular idiom. That way he isn't entirely gone from you... And you.... Well... We constantly change and absorb other people's influences, dont we.
Don that is... no real names in the thread
Yes. I agree 100%: we are a product of every person we've ever come in contact with. With every interaction, we share parts of ourselves, even if we don't mean to, and we change. We may not even know that it's happening. It's the Star Wars force. It links us together with a power we don't even completely understand.
I'm going to Don's on Sunday to sit Shiva with them. Maybe mom will be there. I hope she will be, and that she talks about him.
Right. Don. Sorry, Tommy.
.
I'm going to Don's on Sunday to sit Shiva with them.
Just don't get confused and shit Siva.
This is a shining example of why The Cellar is the best fucking place on the Internet. The tale of the old man's passing and its effect on you, Toad, comes across like a story told across a campfire, with toasts raised to the departed, amongst family of choice and old and vital friends.
I make very little delineation between my Cellar family and my family of choice/lifelong friends IRL. In fact, in some ways, the Cellar is better, because it is like being involved with people in a near literary manner. That's fuckin' special.
My condolences to you, UT. I am not at all surprised that you found that you were appreciated and admired. After all, we've been appreciating and admiring you for a minute or two already.
That is nice of you to say.
:)
I'm sorry you lost a friend, but I'm glad you found out how much he thought of you. UT, I hope you realize how highly we think of you too.
There's beauty in a moment like that.
I mean, it sucks, because you have the grief, and because he's gone. But all of you coming together to honor him and to be there for one another. And you're meeting lots of people for the first time, but you all share this common link. You're connected.
It's like some weird blend of grief and sorrow and community and warmth.
Beautifully said, glatt. That's just what a funeral will, ideally, generate ... connection, community, and warmth in the context of loss, remembrance, appreciation.
My condolences, UT.
I'm lucky that haven't done many funerals yet, but the thing I have noticed is that there's a lot of people collected together missing the dead person but almost invariably there's an undercurrent of good-spirited bonhomie, people are desperate to have a bit of fun remembering the dead one but nobody dares to be the first to do so (laugh, smile,...) openly and honestly.
In my experience, the wake is where the release of tension comes and the expressions of warmth and community make themselves felt. At least, in the Protestant world. The Orthodox funeral and wake are decidedly more loss and grief-focused, even though the clergy wear white Easter/Paschal vestments. It's an interesting dichotomy. Not the focus of this thread, however.
Cow orker reports this today:
Enthusiastic customer: "I have a charm! Can you tell me what it's worth!?"
Steve: "You have a zipper pull."
Do people bring in dental gold (i.e. gold caps)?
I have never seen it happen.
I was just curious. Googling "dental gold", I found this pawn shop advertisement to be most interesting:
http://www.royalpayscash.com/wheretoselldentalgoldinchicago.htmDoes the pawn shop make more money on interest from reclaimed items; or, defaults that are sold?
In the early 2000s, in pawn shops in Texas, it was definitely from the loans, and especially the long-term loans. The pawn shops all hated selling the defaulted items, and if they thought someone was just pawning for cash with no intention of making payments on the loan, they would lowball him even more than normal to try to get him out of the store and avoid the hassle. They had central warehouses where they had to send stuff to be sold because people in the neighborhoods by definition didn't buy things. This was right when eBay was becoming the better place to sell a lot of that stuff though, so the internet may have changed the balance since then.
Customer (on phone): "Y'all open?"
Steve: "Yup"
Customer: "Yo man, you know tha date today?"
Steve: "Its the fifteenth."
Customer: "Of 2013?!"
Steve: "2014."
Customer: "Man! I KNEW I wasn't trippin! I'll see y'all soon!"
To be fair, someone asked me how old I was the other day, and I gave the right answer--then corrected it wrongly, then back and forth a few times, all because I couldn't remember what year it was. I was caught off guard and just had a complete brain fart for about 20 seconds. What I do have, however, is a general inhibition that would prevent me from admitting this stupidity to a random employee at a retail business. Do you think maybe sometimes the only real difference between the middle class folks and the ghetto folks is that the ghetto folks don't have a fear of looking stupid?
That exchange there was more about that sort of brain fart, but believe me, there is no question at all that the average ghetto person is sadly and desperately ignorant.
And doesn't fear looking stupid, because who's gonna know?
If you're stupid, you don't even know you're stupid. Unless you have smart friends that are mean. Even then, they may not be able to convince you of your stupidity. Or you might be just too stupid to really understand that they mean you're full time stupid... Not just having a stupid moment.
Which I've just decided that I prefer to the term brain fart. I'm having a stupid moment, what year is it again?
I think they used to call them Senior Moments, but the old folk/People Of Age reclaimed that phrase like the People Of Color reclaimed N1gger**, and now the AARP will sue you if you say it when you're under 55.
**I did type that out in full but then remembered the delightful people brought here by Google and it's ilk when you type such words
Sammy has decided to carry a handgun to work.
Is this good news like Lookout carrying or bad news like UG carrying?
I'd say it's on the level of good but it's also sad that he's come to feel it's necessary.
It's probably good that he's carrying a handgun to work. If he puts it on a leash to tag along with him, it most likely won't keep up.
We're a day ahead of Snowmageddon III here, and the shop activity reflects that.
A guy came in and bought porn, and was unable to explain himself clearly enough to be understood. He picked out a few movies, and then took a good five minutes to explain that he had $100 and wanted to spend it all on porn. That's 17 movies. We played Retarded or High and the result: Retarded.
An hour later he returned and wanted two more movies. Apparently he looked over his new collection and either decided 17 of them was not enough in quantity and/or variety.
Still, we admired his ability to plan ahead. We'll probably be snowed in until Wednesday.
Also, people are more polite today. Apparently people get more polite when shit is about to go down.
That's good to know. It doesn't hold for the ER, but I hope it's true if I slide into the ditch on my way to the airport around 0430 Monday morning.
Oh my gawd. Steve just sent along a meme picture they made. I'm sure it's of a true occurrence.
It's a picture of a white bearded hipster-ish guy holding a tenor sax, in the shop, and looking at it.
Top caption: SO YOU HAVE SAXOPHONES? I'M A PROFESSIONAL SAX PLAYER.
Bottom caption: NOW WHERE DOES XLR PLUG IN?
Steve went a block down Broad St to pick up some drinks for our pizza delivery order. On the way back, he reports noticing a thug with his pants low. The thug reaches down, pull out his dick, and starts pissing on the sidewalk in front of him, continuing to walk.
Yeah North Broad Street. The street is particular filthy today, not just with thug pee, but with trash and crap. Nothing can be done because if it is cleaned thoroughly it will be filthy again in two weeks.
Steve went a block down Broad St to pick up some drinks for our pizza delivery order. On the way back, he reports noticing a thug with his pants low. The thug reaches down, pull out his dick, and starts pissing on the sidewalk in front of him, continuing to walk.
European-American suburban teenagers do that, too. It's called the walking piss.
No, not me.
I only ever did that at night, when I was drunk, and it was on the grassy right of way.
This particular pawn shop appears to be in dire straits...
Albemarle & Bond shares suspended after banks withdraw support for turnaround plan
Embattled pawnbroker Albemarle & Bond has suspended its shares this morning after warning its lenders will no longer support the company’s turnaround plans.
The business has said that if the banks do not extend the current covenant date, which is due to expire next Monday 31 March, Albemarle & Bond will not have enough money to repay its outstanding bank debts and meet trading requirements.
The ultimate irony, a broke pawnbroker.:eek:
I've no doubt that the statement of assets and liabilities will make interesting reading.
I went downstairs yesterday, to the storage area, and it was only half full. I hope this is due to the terrible winter, but it could also be the thieves being scared off by the camera system which takes their actual pictures and enters them into the system.
I'm pretty sure it's not due to a decline in the number of desperate people. Or increased economic activity getting everyone jobs. That is not going to be why this is happening.
Because our sex toys venture did not result in a lot of sales, I continue to eBay sex toys from time to time. I just listed on eBay a "Basic Essentials Standard Probe."
"Standard" turns out to be 6 inches long, thick, and black, with a "convenient retrieval cord".
When you sell items on eBay, eBay guesses what categories the items belong in. So if you sell an "Apple iPad" it will suggest "Tables and E-Readers" as a category.
If you sell a
Basic Essentials Standard Probe, the categories eBay suggests are:
Sporting Goods
> Outdoor Sports > Camping & Hiking > Survival & Emergency Gear
> Winter Sports > Clothing > Protective Gear
Home & Garden
> Bedding > Sheets & Pillowcases
> Kitchen, Dining & Bar > Cookware
Business & Industrial
> Healthcare, Lab & Life Science > Lab Equipment > Analytical Instruments
> Healthcare, Lab & Life Science > Dental > Instruments
> Healthcare, Lab & Life Science > Dental > Dental Supplies
Books
> Textbooks, Education
> Other
> Nonfiction
If you sell a
Cock Ring Elastomer, the categories eBay suggests are:
Business & Industrial
> Manufacturing & Metalworking > Semiconductor & PCB Equipment > Semiconductor Manufacturing > Other
> Healthcare, Lab & Life Science > Dental > Dental Supplies
> MRO & Industrial Supply > Safety & Security > Protective Gear > Masks & Respirators > Respirator Masks
> Manufacturing & Metalworking > Semiconductor & PCB Equipment > Tool & Machine Components
> MRO & Industrial Supply > Other
Sporting Goods
> Outdoor Sports > Fishing > Freshwater Fishing > Baits & Lures > Soft Plastics
Jewelry & Watches
> Fashion Jewelry > Rings
Home & Garden
> Home Improvement > Plumbing & Fixtures > Other
eBay Motors
> Parts & Accessories > Car & Truck Parts > Engines & Components > Crankshafts & Parts
I should add that eBay has perfectly good categories for these items. This one, for example, belongs in "Health & Beauty > Health Care > Sexual Wellness > Sex Accessories." I think eBay doesn't suggest these categories, ever, because they don't want them to come up by accident when people are selling non-sexual items.
Nothing on that...? OK it wasn't that funny.
Big news today was that Ron was fired. The surprise is that it took this long. Ron truly hates being told to do things by other people. I'm with him on that but I tend to bend when they are paying me.
Steve speculated that it might have to do with Ron's asking for a raise a few weeks ago. As a terrible employee and generally despicable person, he had done nothing to earn it, and maybe that was the last straw. This puts the shop down a counter person and could wind up with me being offered time at the window. On the other hand, maybe it's a cost-saving measure while business is not so good.
Nothing on that...? OK it wasn't that funny.
It is funny/interesting but I was too creeped by the idea of purchasing used ah... implements of destruction.
I'm still processing the revolting walking piss image.
I seriously doubt those "implements" were not new.
Oh yeah we got all that shit direct from the wholesaler. It was new in sealed package. I doubt it's legal to resell otherwise.
Well now you've ruined a perfectly good freak out.
It must have been an interesting buy-in: Steve posted a Facebook picture of himself wearing a tactical vest, handcuffs, and a 70 lb carbon fiber compound bow.
I don't think we are allowed to buy the bow, so probably something weird happened.
Maybe Steve bought it for himself. Once in a while, you'll get that opportunity: the pawn shop doesn't want to buy your thing, but I will buy it from you, from my personal wallet, for $10.
Let's hope Steve doesn't use that stuff to start robbin' people, you know, like robbin' the hood.
don't the handcuffs and bow work at cross purposes?
Nah, occasionally placement is a little off and handcuffs keep 'em from hassling you while you get your arrow back.
...and a 70 lb carbon fiber compound bow.
Hoyt Carbon Matrix, or Hoyt Carbon Element, by chance?
If so, vurry nize.
Turns out Alan decided the bow was legal to buy. Sometimes you just don't look this kind of stuff up in the books. I didn't see it myself, just the pic.
Just like, last week, I was selling a bunch of WW2 memorabilia and it included a mighty trench warfare knife, and a bayonet for the M1 Garand. Stuff is so old they couldn't hurt anyone if someone did try to stab you. But they were bought in, although it is weaponry, and I sold them. (There was also a gas mask and a pair of Army issue binoculars. I guess we briefly became Pawn Stars for a day.)
My eyes kept trying to cross whilst reading that.:3_eyes:
ETA: Nevermind, the listing didn't display properly the first time. The lines of text were all overlapping on first viewing. It's all good now...
It should go for like $350-400. I don't know why it has that display problem... I saw it too, and then, same thing, it cleared up... can't address that right now...
Nice eulogy/tribute, Tony.
Should have been a paperback writer. ;)
But WTF?
"STUDENT IN FEDERAL FRAUD UNIVERSITY AND JUST GOT AN A FOR A FELONY :)"
Very nice! I hope you get a little boost in the bidding due to the entertainment value.
This might be the most compelling thread in The Cellar. Thanks, Tony
as you were
Thank you sir. It is 100% true as I have noted before.
The details of Ron's firing came out. Not only did he ask for a raise, but he told Alan that he was going to find another job. Alan told him that was fine, and he was allowed to continue to work at the shop until he was in a new job and ready to make money.
But, for some reason, Ron could not stand this new situation, where he was going to get out but didn't know when. As Alan asked him to do things around the shop, he started being more belligerent. He started yelling at and insulting customers. Then co-workers noticed that he was slowly taking his things home with him - like his mug, his phone charger, his pictures. In the end he refused to do much at all, and Alan sent him packing.
This also reflects the amazingly high turnover at the shop. I think 6 months to a year is about the average for workers there.
Everyone is currently working 6 days a week. I wonder if Alan is trying to save money by running the shop on fewer people. He has not asked me to work the counter. It could work out well if he wanted to do that while Sammy is temporarily living at my place. (He's the co-worker whose wife destroyed his MacBook Pro.)
Steve has been around a year replacing me, and I think he is showing it. I think it has changed him for the worse, as it was changing me. He seems to be becoming more strained, more annoyed, more mean and more racist.
But he is in a precarious position where half his life support (parents) are moving away in three months. He's looking for a place to live, but he seems to be not all that good at it, and not all that motivated. He has important reasons to stay in the city, but his dreams of a perfect situation are making that difficult.
He says he wants build his own log house, heat it with a wood stove, make it sound-proof, and set up his drums so he can play all day and all night. This is because he is from Maine. We hate to explain to him that these sorts of arrangements don't exist in Metropolis. In Maine, your own log house is the road to cheap living. In Metropolis, your own log house is not designed by engineers and built to code, and so it is verboten. And landlords hate wood stoves and drums.
Oh, you're taking in strays. Good for you, man, good for you. :thumb:
Steve needs to check his gps.
This also reflects the amazingly high turnover at the shop. I think 6 months to a year is about the average for workers there.
That characteristic is found in most all workplaces. You can see someone change when tired of the job. Due to no change or challenge. Due to no advancement. Maybe a major change at home. Due to no longer having a child's spirit.
Some jobs are more taxing than others. For example, nurses in hospital burn units typically do not last more than a year.
Same applies to soldiers. They are only good for maybe one year of combat. Deploy them too often and permanent damage results.
Many jobs can only be done for a short time. Have respect for old timers who manage to remain divorsed from the strain. Or learn how they do it.
Yes, Sammy is here at the ravine, chez toad. I guess it's an interesting turn for the whole thread. His marriage dissolved quite suddenly, to the point where he had to leave, and I had a spare room and bed.
Just what you need, a drummer to keep you out of trouble. :drummer: They're always the level headed one. :haha:
It's Steve who's the drummer - but, Sammy seems to be good at cleaning bathrooms.
Oh, my bad. Bathroom cleaner? Marry him! :D
It's Steve who's the drummer - but, Sammy seems to be good at cleaning bathrooms.
And his wife threw him out!?!!!????!?!?!!!!??!!!!!!!!!!! ?
Sent by thought transference
She yelled at him for working at the pawn shop. She is a most unagreeable woman.
Hell! I have know a few of them myself. :bolt:
She yelled at him for working at the pawn shop. She is a most unagreeable woman.
Sounds like you found a replacement for Ron.
SteveDallas! Long time no see, man. How are you?
SteveDallas! Long time no see, man. How are you?
Conscious, mostly. :D
Hi SteveDallas!
Welcome back!!!
Update, Sammy couldn't take the Loveshack. I don't know whether it was the mouse (trapped & gone), the driveway, the bathroom floor, the space heaters, the commute, or the company, but he bugged out to our collective friend's place to wait the last two weeks before his new apartment is ready.
He says it was just the commute.
Brass key dust, collected at the key machine into a plastic cup, and now people are putting their mistakes into the dust cup.
Dude, at current prices (subject to change) that's worth $1.65/pound!:rolleyes:
Gaga, Bloodhound Gang, Akon, Skrillex, Jake Owen, Cataracs, DJ Fury.
Do you figure this is a white person's iPod nano, or a black's?
Okay then.
Do you figure this is a white person's iPod nano, or a black's?
I think that question was answered w/Skrillex & Jake Owen.:eyebrow:
The question was answered at the top of the second picture!
From my cubbyhole I can only hear and not see everything going on. When I tune in, I often find it is not in my best interests.
Steve: "Well, it seems like this is covered in urine... which means it's wet, which is probably why it doesn't work... you should just throw this out."
We talked: the device was a camcorder, and smelled like pee, and appeared to be wet when the guy started to remove it from his plastic shopping bag.
People will surprise you with crazy funny shit, you just have to smile about it.
iPhone 4, in between pics of himself with his toddler daughter.
Does he have a picture of himself and his truck rolling coal?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Steve reports that today someone attempted to pawn a prosthetic leg.
When it was refused, he wanted to sell his wheelchair, re-attach his leg, and walk out. No word back yet on whether Steve bought the chair. He probably did, they can be quite valuable.
I imagine there would be a reasonable demand for used wheelchairs in the ghetto as well, where you've got more family members having to take care of each other and no medical insurance to go around.
Those things aren't cheap.
Steve reports that they did not buy the chair. "It was pretty beat up," he said.
Basic wheelchairs are totally cheap. People steal them from clinics and EDs all the time. They wouldn't be worth anything to pawn.
Google has good selection of new ones between $99 and $199.
My FIL has a cheap one he's been using for a few years. The vinyl on the armrest pads has cracked and I've needed to replace them, but other than that, it's held up very well.
This morning Steve reports: "I was walking down North Broad, I passed a guy carrying a water ice... and a moment later I heard a big thud. Looked around and there the guy is on the pavement, with his water ice, completely passed out."
He checked that the guy was breathing. In moments the cops were there looking the guy over. There's a precinct two blocks away. One of the cops pressed on a point on the guy's chest to roust him, and it works, and the guy is suddenly up and semi-alert again.
Prolly rubbed his knuckles on guy's breastbone. Do it vigorously and that hurts like hell.
Works like 'smelling salts', sometimes.
Pray tell, what is "a water ice"?
[/showing my ignorance]
Italian ice sound more familiar?
http://www.ritasice.com
If you've never heard of it, buy a franchise. You'll be rich
Italian Ice I know.
All I could come up with for 'a water ice' was an un-flavored Sno-Cone.
[ATTACH]48820[/ATTACH]
So, it's like a slurpee. Or a slushie.
I thought he meant 'ice water' where you take some ice, and pour water over it.
It's much smoother than that snow cone. It's like sherbet, in texture. But the flavors are as accurate as jelly belly beans.
The mango is bedwettingly good. Swedish fish, pumpkin pie, cake batter.... Etc.
Theres one in walking distance from Nissan.
What is a going rate for unused Italian Ice in the pawn shop?
Not much, we send everything to the smelters
Customer first name: Timofee (a ghettoization of "timothy")
I know a couple good speech therapists if'n he wants to learn his own name. (wait, is that racist?)
Worse, you're fucking with the handicapped right there. Believe me, Timofee is handicapped. :rollanim:
Customer first name: Timofee (a ghettoization of "timothy")
Well, if it was a Russian ghetto, that'd have some linguistic virtue to it: "Timof(y)ey." A trifle of Y before the E. Which they don't spell; they have two E's and this name uses the iotized regular one instead of the backwards-Euroish one.
That italian ice is probably gelati. Yummo
:stpaddy: Tim O'Fee
Hooboy. :stpaddy: David O'Selznick
Are you still picking up spare hours there, since you got the new computer gig? Please don't get shot.
I work most Saturdays still. I'm not working the window, just doing the eBay work. I'm not dealing with the thugs.
Well... do your best to look intimidating between the car and the front door.
Yeah, what she^ said.
Don't forget to duck.
You're not leaving work or going in to work at around 1 am, are you? There are a lot more shootings at the witching hour than in broad daylight.
That one news story about the afternoon shooting in the mob of teenagers is scary, because that could happen to anyone in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it's generally much safer during the day. Lots of drunks leaving the bars at 1am looking for a fight.
Correction on that one. It happened across the street!!
No doubt conditions are different during the day. But it's dangerous. Did I document the time Sammy was told 'maybe I'll see you on the street' by some thug who didn't like getting turned down for a return?
It's strange how we never heard about any shootings or violence in that neighborhood until Undertoad started working there.
I think that Undertoad fella's a bad influence...
That's what all the Mike Brown folks were on about. You dont hear about it. It's nothing new in those places. Unless there is a racist spin that makes it newsworthy.
Is that gig worth the risk?
It wasn't worth full time, but just Saturdays - that's like $5 grand cash in a year, hard to pass up
You should make a map. Maybe they're trying to draw an Illuminati symbol, or something.
Would The Man start tracking the Cellar if we had an Interactive Murder Map ®?
The Man created one a few years ago but it hasn't been maintained.
Must have been shrinking The Man's property values.
Customer: "I just went to carpentry school and decided not to finish so I want to sell my tools."
Steve: "Carpentry school?"
Customer: "Yeah carpentry school"
Steve: "Huh, why did they give you all this plumbing equipment then?"
:lol
Did Steve take the tools?
Next week the guy will have been training to be a dentist, then decided against it. (presents you with spelunking tools.) :lol:
The nice thing in this kind of transaction, from the shop side of the counter, is that you know two things for certain:
1. These tools are stolen.
2. The moron thug has absolutely zero clue what he has, so you can tell him a $500 pipe threader is worth $20 and he will do the deal.
And then if the cops match the serial numbers and the plumber comes to get his threader, he can buy it back for $20.
(That happens 5% of the time. 95% of the time, I sell it on the bay for $500 and the shop makes an enormous profit.)
I was wondering why Steve would ask questions. Because why bother if you aren't trying to determine if the tools are stolen? But it's so you can negotiate the best price. Of course!
Today I
sold an automatic watch winder and proclaimed it to be the douchiest item I have ever sold on eBay. I'm very, very sorry if you have one of these, but I assume you don't, since we are almost entirely douchebag-free here on The Cellar.
This item is for you if you have a multi-thousand dollar watch that automatically winds while you wear it and move your arm. You only need this if you don't wear the watch regularly enough for it to automatically wind. The watch will rotate in the box, and wind itself for you. You may rotate your watch clockwise, counter-clockwise, or an alternating combination of both.
The winder runs on two D batteries and I am very surprised that there are no douchebag batteries that you must use in it; plain old D cells of any variety will do.
This item will sell for about $100 on the bay, but while researching it I found that you can buy them in burlwood in case you want to be even douchier by killing rare trees while pursuing your douchebag activities.
There are douchier items on the bay and most of them are also watch winders.
Here's one of the douchiest items ever sold on eBay, a model that will wind eight watches at a time for you. someone bought this item for $585. Shipping was not free.
I personally get my 100% accurate time from my phone, which gets it from the same system that the Naval Observatory uses to give us the accurate time to within milliseconds. None of the watches wound by this system will be as accurate, since they are set by human hands.
It's not just the 18K gold case, diamond studded, Rolex crowd that uses them.
Most divers' watches are autowind. Dive watches in which a battery has to be replaced have to be serviced in a nitrogen environment to purge atmospheric humidity so the watch doesn't fog up inside during use. The watertight seals also have to pressure checked. Most divers and dive shops don't have the equipment to do this. Sending a battery operated dive watch out for battery replacement every few years becomes an expensive nuisance.
Mechanical autowind watches need servicing only every 10-15 years for cleaning, lubrication, and seal testing/replacement. Routinely wearing them to keep the mechanism moving helps keep their lubrication from congealing and extends the service interval. For those who don't regularly wear their dive watch, that's where the automatic watch winder comes in. I can imagine a dive shop or a dive club having a watch winder that holds 8 watches to keep that piece of dive equipment in good shape and ready to go for them.
The lesser accuracy of mechanical movements is a red herring considering the length of duration for a typical dive and for most other purposes. Not to mention that when your phone battery goes dead or you drop your phone in the toilet, your Naval Observatory time (accurate to within milliseconds) will no longer exist for you. With an autowind diver's watch, a thorough rinse and you're good to go. That's why they're also used by military, police, sportsmen, and all sorts of others.
Of course, there are kinetic hybrids in which the mechanism charges a capacitor which powers a more accurate quartz movement. There are solar powered dive watches. There are even high end battery operated quartz dive watches like mine which runs for 8 years on a battery and is accurate to within 20 seconds a year (typical quartz watches are at about 20 seconds a month). Battery operated dive watches can be made smaller than the others so mine is also my everyday watch. The aforementioned are all expensive; however, compared to a basic mechanical autowind diver's watch that gets the job done. A $100 watch winder is icing on the cake for a budget minded working stiff who needs to use a DURABLE timepiece.
If it had the AC adapter included at that price, I would have been interested as my backup watch is a workhorse all mechanical autowind diver's that I have to remember to wear occasionally to keep the lubrication moving. I try to do that when I have to be out in the rain and when I go swimming: my cell phone doesn't exactly excel at those.
my
watch recharges by sunlight (green!), sets it's time nightly by radio and is generally a cute toy.
Solar watches are nice. Nowadays the better ones will store several months worth of operating charge. I could easily go the solar route if I were buying a watch today.
My watch was made for just the domestic market (Japan) and is no longer in production; but, can periodically be found used-near new on eBay in the $400-$450 range. I like it because even though it's a diver's watch, it's appearance is still suitable for business casual wear:
[ATTACH]49479[/ATTACH]
This is my automatic dive watch nicknamed the Seiko Bullet Watch for the shape of its hour markers. It's a workhorse for anywhere in the world - don't have to worry about the availability of batteries, light, or radio signals. It's bulkier than the watch pictured above; but, costs only half as much:
[ATTACH]49481[/ATTACH]
Of course there was always the risk that someone would appreciate the item once I pronounced it douchey.
My phone is waterproof...
There must be a market, however limited. If it was just a novelty, I doubt they'd make it an eight watch capacity and ask that kind of money. :confused:
The list price on the 8 watch model is $1875. What kind of dive shop would install that gear?
That's right, a
douchey dive shop!!! :sweat:
Now now, that would be a shop for up-scale clientele. Don't mock your betters, young man. :lol2:
Of course there was always the risk that someone would appreciate the item once I pronounced it douchey. ...
You had nothing to do with it. I was checking into them 20 years ago. A LOT of people would want them if they were more affordable.
... My phone is waterproof...
No it's not. There are only varying degrees of water resistance and phones are not highly rated. Their depth rating (ft/m/atm) doesn't even guaranty the construction is effective against high humidity. Water vapor molecules can pass through where larger water droplet molecules can't. That's how Gore-Tex works.
... The list price on the 8 watch model is $1875. What kind of dive shop would install that gear? ...
The ones smart enough to buy second hand on eBay.
A simple example of people who would like to have an automatic watch winder if they were cheaper are those saving lives by doing trauma management. They don't want to be fumbling for a phone to time pulse and respiratory rates when their hands may still be full of blood and guts. They want a user friendly, reliable and durable timepiece on their wrist to keep their hands free to do other things while taking vital signs. A $200 automatic dive watch fits the bill as it does for many other activities. You didn't seem to be aware of this:
Today I sold an automatic watch winder and proclaimed it to be the douchiest item I have ever sold on eBay. ... This item is for you if you have a multi-thousand dollar watch that automatically winds while you wear it ...
Mouthy ignorance is always douchey.
You had nothing to do with it. I was checking into them 20 years ago. A LOT of people would want them if they were more affordable.
It's a small electric motor, a gear, a switch, and a box with the cheapest microcontroller. The unit costs on this are about the same as a $10 desk fan.
So if this was $20, which it should be, it wouldn't be douchey. But it lists at $199. And apparently this high cost is resulting in underwound watches causing deaths from poor pulse rate counts everywhere. That's double douchey!
Those EMTs should follow the lead of the nurses. Just about every nurse I've ever known uses a Mickey Mouse watch.
Those EMTs should follow the lead of the nurses. Just about every nurse I've ever known uses a Mickey Mouse watch
As long as she or he isn't wearing Tweety Bird scrubs. I could be in the trauma center, half dead, and if they have someone with Tweety Bird scrubs on I will scream and demand someone else. Daffy Duck. Sylvester even. I HATE that bird. Instigating phony little fuck. ;) /innerstanduproutine
A slight tangent...
Lapham's Quarterly has an article about how WW I made the watch indispensable, and the wristwatch acceptable.
... So if this was $20, which it should be, it wouldn't be douchey. But it lists at $199. And apparently this high cost is resulting in underwound watches causing deaths from poor pulse rate counts everywhere. That's double douchey!
Those EMTs should follow the lead of the nurses. Just about every nurse I've ever known uses a Mickey Mouse watch.
You mean like those nurses who are spreading Ebola because they can't wash their cheap, aptly named, Mickey Mouse watches? :p:
Apparently you've not heard that some people wear one watch to work along with their work uniforms and have another one for casual wear with casual cloths. It'd be convenient to have something that keeps the workhorse automatic wound over the weekends and holidays. People have spent far more for convenience and entertainment items as any community based website owner could probably tell you. :rolleyes:
You seem to be a bit touchy-cunty-douchey on this. I may feature you in a post about what's amusing me today!
Nothing more convenient and entertaining than a livestrong bracelet that needs an overpriced chicken roaster spit or it can't keep itself powered over a down weekend. If I have a device that rotates 8 holes there had better be fleshlights in them or I --
wait a minute, I've just had a product idea that those blowhards on Shark Tank can't possibly turn down.
Gee whiz, here's another
idea and I've found the perfect watch for
you.
my phone is waterproof
No it's not. There are only varying degrees of water resistance and phones are not highly rated. Their depth rating (ft/m/atm) doesn't even guaranty the construction is effective against high humidity.
My phone is independently rated by the International Electrotechnical Comission to be
IP67, means that it is dust-tight and withstands immersion to 1 meter for 30 minutes. That is well within the parameters of a toilet dunk.
(I feel all like Lisa in My Cousin Vinny.)
[SIZE="1"]Lisa: [sighs] If you will look in the manual, you will see that this particular model faucet requires a range of 10 to 16 foot-pounds of torque. I routinely twist the maximum allowable torquage.
Vinny Gambini: Well, how could you be sure you used 16 foot-pounds of torque?
Lisa: Because I used a Craftsman model 1019 Laboratory Edition Signature Series torque wrench. The kind used by Caltech high energy physicists. And NASA engineers.
Vinny Gambini: Well, in that case, how can you be sure THAT's accurate?
Lisa: Because a split second before the torque wrench was applied to the faucet handle, it had been calibrated by top members of the state AND federal Department of Weights and Measures... to be dead on balls accurate!
[She rips a page out of a magazine and hands it to him]
Lisa: Here's the certificate of validation.
Vinny Gambini: Dead on balls accurate?
Lisa: It's an industry term.[/SIZE]
You missed the point. The generic term waterproof is a misnomer that went out years ago for these applications because it implies an absolute when in actuality there are limitations. The proper term is water resistance and it's not just semantics since it carries ratings standards.
As you deduced, the ratings are given in terms of depth and duration; but, that information still has to be interpreted. The depth rating is under static water pressure for the purpose of comparing the relative water resistance of different items. The article you linked points out the disparity between the WR rating and actual performance under running tap water (or moving water). Yes, your particular model of phone may survive a dunk in the toilet while the water in the bowl is static; but, perhaps not while it's being flushed. Post retrieval, it may not even survive a tap water rinse (eww).
A general guideline for using water resistance (WR) ratings in moving water [or still water through which an item is moving] is that WR50m covers rain, dunking in streams, rivers, flood waters...etc., WR100m covers surface swimming and skin diving, WR200m and better covers varying depths of SCUBA diving. With watches, manufacturers don't typically include a screw down crown, which bolsters seal integrity around the stem should the watch get bumped, until the WR200m rating.
All of my watches are rated WR200m or better, even the slim dress watch I wear with suits. You paid how much for your smart phone to get a paltry WR1m rating? How douchey a product is that!
It's hard to sneak a peek at a phone, and some people get offended if you look at your watch while, oh, let's say ... selling them a pair of glasses. I've become pretty good at not only sneaking a peek at my watch, but at sneaking a peek at theirs.
All of my watches are rated WR200m or better, even the slim dress watch I wear with suits.
Right, for all those times you dive in suits, or do EMT in suits, or have to reach into a flushing toilet to retrieve your phone in suits.
Keep in mind I wasn't saying the watches themselves are douchey, not at all, just the winder -- but then you used a site called
Style for Success to suggest it was a good idea, and now I'm no longer sure.
You miss the points again.
Neither the winder is douchey, nor those who buy them at a good price, just people who sell them for exorbitant amounts.
Watches with higher WR ratings are typically better all around. When you look at their lifespan and versatility, they don't cost too much more in the long run. There's the cheapest thing, the most expensive thing, and somewhere in between is where you get the most bang for your buck. That's where many WR100m-WR200m watches fall. A traveler can carry only their dress watch, get out of the business suit and hit the pool or beach with it.
Naturally, the value one places on anything depends on their lifestyle. No style, no value.
Still, Style for Success. I mean come on now.
Hey I just noticed that my automatic fish feeder rotates... you can put your watch on it and it will wind!
Wearing suits is douchey. :p:
You can wind an automatic by holding it face up and swinging it in a side-to-side arc for a minute or two. That's why most people aren't going to pay a lot for a winder. There are also dual wind automatics that you can wind with the crown as well.
In some lines of work everyday is casual Friday. You see that a lot among information technology workers and factory workers. That's not the way it is in all occupations or the way it is in the same occupation in different countries. There's no practical use for wearing a tie either; but, there are plenty of good paying jobs in business where if you don't wear a tie you don't hold the position. Same goes for wearing watches in some fields: time is money and they want you to at least look like you know that when making first impressions as their representative.
Douchiness is in the eye of the douchebag.
Wearing suits is douchey. :p:
Suit up!
[YOUTUBE]TT_vf5ioXXk[/YOUTUBE]
Get a suit. Suits are cool.
~Barney Stinson
Barney Stinson is as douchey as they come. :eek:
I was just thinking how there are so many things that happened while I was full time that I never even really wrote about. And I was just thinking how I remember so much about those times. It's because they were so intense.
You know, you can really get addicted to that kind of intense. There is something fun about the adrenaline rush, if you personally handle it a certain way. People get addicted to it.
I think I wrote in the thread about PTSD, which I think is what happens when people like me get into these intense situations. Over time, it tears the sensitive soul down. But there are people, and we all know them, who don't mind that sort of thing. Those who can bear it go into jobs like policing, nursing, soldiering, firefighting, customer support, and working the desk at ghetto pawn shops.
Most of them do it for the cool uniforms. Some of them, like in customer service and ghetto pawn shops, do it for the glory.
Most of them do it for the cool uniforms. Some of them, like in customer service and ghetto pawn shops, do it for the glory.
I thought they did it for the
poontang.
The beautiful view out my car windshield when I park at the parking lot.
Hey waitaminute...
Nevermind the poontang, maybe they do it for the trim.[SIZE="1"]<---See what I did?[/SIZE]:D
There's a logical explanation for that. Someone's been using it as a snack tray when they're kicked back in their recliner dumpster watching. I wonder if there's anything happenin' on the ol' dumpster tonight?
There's a lot of drama at night... 2 months ago was the shooting across the street from this location.
This was six blocks away
they saw cars driving around the victim as he lay in the street bleeding
so cold
a pool of blood and cellphone believed to be the victim's marked the spot where he collapsed
Cellphone!? It must have been iCloud locked.
Tipsters with information in this or any other homicide should contact detectives at 215-686-3334, the police tip line at 215-686-8477, text a tip to 773847 or email [email]tips@phillypolice.com[/email]. A $20,000 reward is offered by the city for information leading to an arrest and conviction in any homicide.
Phone calls, texts, and emails are all easily traced. Time for the pawn shop to debut "Hock A Tip" (HAT). Tipsters hock their tips in exchange for futures on reward money. The pawn shop submits the tips and takes 25% of any reward money realized in exchange for protecting the tipster's identity. HAT tricks, pass the word.
That's not a terrible idea.
So the story goes -
Yesterday there was a guy at the front door in the morning, before they even unlocked it, yelling and ranting and raving at them. He'd been up all night, there, out on the street, angry about some perceived slight he got on some purchase. Fueled on multiple intoxicants.
The cops were called and the gentleman was removed from the general vicinity, and the shop allowed to open; but within 20 minutes he was back, and the cops had to be called again.
Steve reports that he got to pull the classic bit today.
Customer on phone: "You guys take watches?"
Steve: "Yup, that depends, what kind?"
C: "Guess."
S: "Rolex?"
C: "No, Guess."
S: "Movado?"
C: "NO! GUESS!"
S: "Tag Heuer?"
C: *dialtone
"Who's on first?!?"
etc, etc.
lulz.
Ugh, breaking news, shooting across the street from the shop.
Just now.
Action news photographer on the scene, Steve watching from the store window.
These are updates from Steve, right? You're not there?
Right, I'm supposed to be there tomorrow.
Crazy though. It's too cold to be fighting. Must have been an indoor shooting. Your hand would freeze to the gun in these temperatures.
That's fuckin' scary, UT.
Hell, they could just be covering the awesome mattress sale.
Shooting NEXT TO the shop, police activity, car towed away, NO NEWS on what it actually was.
That means it wasn't a homicide as those are normally reported. Someone thought it was a murder-suicide but even that should be reported.
News did shoot footage, it's true, but maybe they decided not to use it. It was cold yesterday and most of the news was about how it was cold.
Wait, it was cold? WTF.. who knew?
Wait.
It gets cold in Philly?
Man, those news guys are on top of things.
Tomorrow night it will be cold AND WINDY! Local news is ON IT.
Steve went to the Asian guy next door and asked if he knew anything.
It all happened at the barbershop two doors down. A former employee of the barber came in and may have been trying to steal customers. The barber got his gun and started threatening the guy. The guy was saying "just kill me now" and the barber started firing at the floor. Got three shots off before the guy left. Cops were called and the barber arrested, his Caddy also towed away for some reason. He's charged and in jail.
"Shoot me, motherfuc--oh shit oh shit oh shit!!!"
Ah, sometimes I miss life in the big city.
More details came out and it turns out the guy wasn't shooting at the ground. That's just what the Asian guy heard, but it was not true.
Turns out the guy was shooting at the other guy.
Killed him.
I think at this point we can say the Asian guy's narrative is unreliable.
Got three shots off before the guy left..
Turns out the guy was shooting at the other guy.
Killed him.
Well...he
did leave.
Plus, with the price of ammo these days, who can afford warning shots?
"bullets should cost 5 thousand dollars. That way there will be no innocent bystanders. 'You better hope I can't get no bullets on lay-away.'"
--Chris Rock, paraphrased
Customer: This is my friend's camera and I don't want him to have it any more.
Steve: So you stole it from your friend.
Customer: Well yes but it's okay because I gave it to him.
Steve: Okay, I don't need to hear any of all that. you're not helping yourself out here...
Customer And this laptop. It work, the only thing wrong with it is the battery.
Steve: Do you have a charger.
Customer: No.
Steve: So we can't test it out.
Customer: That's the only thing wrong with it and --
Steve: What's all this white powder all over it.
Customer: Oh that don't matter
Steve: There's nothing I can do for you, it's too old and busted.
Customer: Okay thanks
Steve (to Alan): Christ. Don't do coke all over your stolen laptop and forget to wipe it off before you bring it in to sell it.
He just ran off a potential connection!!
It's funny, you know I tried to document everything interesting or notable during my full-time time there, but I keep remembering little funny things that I never wrote up.
One day I went across the street to the Chinese place to pick up some dumplings, and an older ghetto gentleman was waiting for his order. Older ghetto gentlemen are my favorite of all ghetto people. Although they can be rather nuts, they are generally harmless, and usually of good humor.
Some very small talk was exchanged. A few sentences. And then he asks
Old ghetto guy: You look happy, why you so happy?
Luckily I had a ready and complete answer to this question. Maybe not the most complete and most honest answer, but one that I knew would blow his mind. I went slowly, and put it in terms he could appreciate.
UT: Well sir, I believe that life is an amazing gift. I don't know whether it's a gift from God, or from chance, or what. But every day I wake up, put my two feet on the ground, and I see the day, I think to myself, damn! Isn't this great? I get to live another day of life.
And I paid the Chinese lady for my food and left. Fifteen minutes later, Ron goes over to get a soda. He comes back and reports...
Ron: They're still talking about you.
Mission accomplished.
Alan showed me some silver dollars that he bought in that were not accepted at the smelter's. They were actually magnetic.
1895 and similar, Morgan Dollars. He had bought in eight of them.
They were remarkable Chinese fakes. They had circulation marks on them... what looked like dirt and grime of age.
~
An eBay buyer returned a Samsung Galaxy S5 saying that it was fake. I brought over my own S5. Sure enough, a brilliant fake! The size and colors were exactly right, but the screen was not as clear and bright and slightly smaller. The various ports were just a little different, the camera was different, and it didn't boot with a SAMSUNG splash screen. Just plain Android. this item came to us new in a new looking consumer S5 box with an S5 plastic screen protector. Good lord.
... 1895 and similar, Morgan Dollars. He had bought in eight of them. ...
The 1895 is a
rare key to the series and would be worth tens of thousands of dollars even in the condition you describe (circulated proof). Fakes are abundant. That date always raises a red flag for a raw (uncertified/unauthenticated) example. Even if it was a an 1895-O or 1895-S, it would still be worth several times and perhaps many times melt value. It doesn't make sense that anyone would send it to the smelter.
Were you just using the 1895 date to illustrate the time period of those coins; or, was there actually one with that date?
Just to illustrate, I don't remember the exact date but it was around there
Alan showed me some silver dollars that he bought in that were not accepted at the smelter's. They were actually magnetic.
1895 and similar, Morgan Dollars. He had bought in eight of them.
They were remarkable Chinese fakes. They had circulation marks on them... what looked like dirt and grime of age.
~
An eBay buyer returned a Samsung Galaxy S5 saying that it was fake. I brought over my own S5. Sure enough, a brilliant fake! The size and colors were exactly right, but the screen was not as clear and bright and slightly smaller. The various ports were just a little different, the camera was different, and it didn't boot with a SAMSUNG splash screen. Just plain Android. this item came to us new in a new looking consumer S5 box with an S5 plastic screen protector. Good lord.
I woke up this morning and discovered that everything in my apartment had been stolen and replaced with an exact replica.
--Steven Wright
UT, how do I get the best experience pawning something? At work, they were throwing away bluray players from an old patent case. Most of them had been disassembled and really were trash, but a handful of them worked. And various employees got to take them home. I brought a Panasonic one home for personal use, but there was one left over that was put out for the trash. I took it, and want to pawn it because I can't be bothered with Ebay and shipping.
This thing is basically new, although the foam packing was thrown away. The remote control and batteries and cables are all still shrink wrapped in the box. It was a top of the line bluray player when it came out 5 years ago, and I just looked on Ebay and found only one completed listing (with 25 bids) for $320 and that was for a used one missing its remote. Other newer different models by this company go for a lot more and I think there are just fewer of this particular model on the market.
Should I call the pawn shop first and ask if they will buy it? Do I just show up with it? If these go on Ebay for $320, what can I reasonably expect to be paid for one? How long would they take to inspect the thing? It never came with any connector cables, just a power cord. Should I bring my own RCA cords from home so they can hook it up and test it, or will they have that stuff?
FYI, this is a Cambridge Audio azur BD650BD-B Region A/CU Blu-ray Disc Player
There's a pawn shop a 15 minute walk from my office.
Glatt, they'll have any cables and such for testing. Shouldn't take but a minute. My experience is that you can expect about a third of perceived value, at best. If something is worth, say, $300, that's all they can get for it, if that. You can expect to get about $85-$100. Maybe even less. If it's something that will move really fast, maybe just a shade more. You can prolly just show up, but, a head's up never hurts.
A Blu-Ray player that sells for $320 and is not made of gold. Sounds like a mistake. I am not finding this completed listing?
FYI, this is a Cambridge Audio azur BD650BD-B Region A/CU Blu-ray Disc Player
Is that a BD650-B Model, Region A/cu, rather than B Region?
There's a pawn shop a 15 minute walk from my office.
NO NO don't go there! Danger, stay away, they have shiny things to distract you! They have tools... tools you didn't know you needed... soft supple caress your hand tools that smell manly!
It will jeopardize your children's education, your golden years, your wife's patience. Run away!. :bolt:
I think I found your one completed listing.
From United Kingdom
Sorry EUvians, that doesn't count.
Your item might be worth much more, might be worth much less. Based on what the brand is doing, it looks like you have an elite model that is hard to identify. I would not take that to a pawn shop under any circumstances. If that was brought into our shop there is a chance we would not make an offer, or it would be for about $100.
You don't get the best deal at a pawn shop, you get the fastest deal. Since you are an adult with a house and job and credit, you can sell that on eBay yourself -- or find someone you know who is willing to do it on your behalf. You get the most money by selling an item to the person who is going to use it. Sell it to a pawn shop, they have to sit on it for a period of time (which is deadly in the case of expensive electronics) and then they will sell it on the same eBay that you could sell it on. So in order for them to make money, they have to give you a much lower offer.
Unless your dealer is demanding cash up front, or he wants last week's money today, put it up on the Bay for a 5 day auction. Or you could send it to me and I could do it for you.
Thanks! I'm torn between wanting the most money and wanting the least work. Speed has nothing to do with it. Finding a nice big shipping box and packing material and packing this thing up securely and taking it to the Post Office to ship to an ebay buyer doesn't appeal to me so much. But if it means the difference between a hypothetical $100 and $300, then that's what I should probably do. I guess I should research those shipping stores that have all the packing stuff you need in one place. Maybe there is one of those near me.
I also need to figure out how to sell crap on ebay. I've only ever purchased.
But now that I think about it, maybe this would be good for me. I have some old film cameras and stuff that I should get rid of because they are just taking up space in my closet. If I can get 20 bucks for some formerly very expensive gear, then that might be good too. De-clutter a bit.
Is that a BD650-B Model, Region A/cu, rather than B Region?
It's A/CU. I understand that means it plays DVDs from all over the world, but only plays blu-rays from North and South America. Interestingly, you can buy a circuit board to install inside that lets you play blu-rays from all over too.
If you do an eBay, and then take it to a UPS Store, they will securely do all that packaging stuff. The down side is, they charge a lot for that. The up side is, you will still net out far more money than taking it to a pawn shop. And the UPS Store will be in a nicer neighborhood.
I would start with some cheaper stuff on the Bay to see how it goes. It is truly all about the hassle.
I also need to figure out how to sell crap on ebay. I've only ever purchased...I have some old film cameras...
Ahem, Craig's List. Meet them somewhere public, don't go to their house,
and don't bring them to yours.
Film cameras...
I was gonna try to eBay my old Pentax K1000SE, a few lenses, and accessories...Unless they were fairly pricey back in the day, film cameras don't bring shit anymore. I couldn't part with it for they were bringing, I still have it.
CL is a good place to list large things that can't ship. appliances and stuff, but I don't think it'll be the place to sell $300 Blu-Ray players.
Hey, if it's good enough for used dildos...
Going to the ghetto is like travel, it gives you perspective on your own culture to see another culture in operation.
Spanking. Some people defend it, others say it should be avoided at all costs, etc. and the debate goes on.
But if hitting your children made them behave, the ghetto would be the most polite culture on the face of the earth.
They hit and hit and hit. Maybe being in whitey's store kicks it off sometimes. But when there's not hitting, there's talk about hitting, sideways statements about who is gonna get an asswhoopin, that sort of thing.
This culture is broken and here is one of the major reasons why.
From
SPANKING IS NOT A PARENTING CHOICE
You know, other countries have already tried this. In 2007 New Zealand banned physical discipline in all forms, including two fingers on the wrist. What happened? Teachers couldn’t control their students. It created a nation of uncontrollable demons. Two years later, over 80% of Kiwis voted to bring back the smack. I’m not making this up, you can research it yourself (as you should all claims made on Tumblr).
Of course there is such a thing as child abuse. But physical discipline is not it. Pain goes straight to your brain. It cuts through the fog. It works. The thing about discipline is, it’s being administered by someone who loves you. It’s being done out of love, so that you will learn. That learning is for your benefit. Later on, when you’re a teenage boy, your friends will beat the shit out of you when you are being an asshole. Again, this is a gentle beating, administered by people who care about you. Boys who do not receive this kind of beating run the risk of getting a broken bottle in the gut the first time they mouth off to a psycho stranger in a bar. That stranger does not love you. They will kill you.
I must say, I’m not surprised at this attitude, given that so many young people today are disrespectful shits. Of course they’re against discipline, they deserve some.
My mom used to hit us on the back of the knees with a fly swatter. I bet she only had to do it twice in my life. After that, all she had to do was say “where’s my magic wand?” and we’d behave. One time she did it, it was because I had ridden my bike out into traffic without looking, and a van ran over my bike. I was lucky I wasn’t killed. I was punished for my action, and that punishment probably saved my life. If she’d just put me in the no-no corner, given me a time out, it wouldn’t have hit home. She was saving my life. I am eternally grateful that my loving, caring parents cared enough about me to whup me one when I really needed it. I grew up into a person who was not completely incapacitated the first time I was attacked. I’ve seen it happen-
I saw a guy who was obviously raised too gently decide to jump on stage during a music concert and try to fuck with the band (it was because they had a chicken as a “lead singer” and this person thought that was animal abuse. The chicken seemed fine). The bouncer grabbed the guy, hit him a few times, and threw him out on the sidewalk. As I left the show, he was wailing, “Nobody seems to realize that I’VE RECEIVED A BLOW TO THE FACE!” He was trying to drum up sympathy, but everybody knew he deserved it. Jump on stage during a concert, try and fuck up the show, get tossed out by the bouncer. Bouncers aren’t known to be gentle. A good whuppin would have prevented all of this.
Fast forward. I lived in the ghetto in Chicago for ten years. I ran a kid’s club with bikes, a sort of earn-a-bike. Many of my kids didn’t know their given name. They couldn’t get into other bike programs because they had no parent or guardian. They were sweet kids, but get a bunch of them together and they were hellions. Once they had something to prove to the other kids, they were out of control.Since I got around Chicago on a bike, I quickly learned that the most dangerous foe on the streets was a pack of 12-year-old boys. They start getting that testosterone, start showing off, but lack the judgement not to fuck with me. I was jumped many times by these feral packs. I’ve fought my way out of a crowd of little kids many, many times. Sometimes they were young, like 7 years old.
But I never had a single problem with any thugs or gangstas. By the time a kid reaches 16, 17, he’s learned the hard way that you don’t start a fight you can’t finish, that actions have consequences. But at 12, when there’s 20 of them, they’re dangerous.Now, believe me, whenever I could I’d run away. I was on a bike and so many times they didn’t catch me. But sometimes they’d wolf pack me, spread out along the block and then rush at me from every direction. Who knows if they wanted to steal my bike or just beat up a punk. They’d pile on me and I’d have to throw elbows and kick my way out of the pack. So I got sick of fighting kids, and I started carrying a car antenna. As soon as that first kid would reach for me, I’d whack him on the hand with the antenna. That sent a jolt of pain straight to his brain. He’s start to realize there was going to be a consequence for fucking with me. I bite.
It wouldn’t really hurt him, wouldn’t do any lasting damage, but it hurt. Even though I didn’t have to, I cared about the kids, at least in the abstract sense, because I had so many just like them in my program that I knew that they weren’t really awful, that individually they were probably just scared and bored and full of rage.
In a sense, I was disciplining them just a wee bit, in that they probably thought twice before they tried to jump the next punk they saw. Because THAT punk just might stab them. I saw that happen, too, saw a white suburban kid of about 18 get stabbed once, right in the heart, and die right away. Over nothing, over a stupid argument. It was a tragedy. Had to sit with the body until the cops were done, because it happened in the alley behind my house and the garage door was open at the time and so the garage was part of the crime scene. Who knows if that kid could have learned not to mouth off to strangers? Obviously the psycho murdering bastard is to blame. But as long as the world is a dangerous place, kids need to know not to disrespect strangers. Heck, even if the world was a peaceful place, kids should still be respectful of strangers. I should not have to carry a car antenna to whip kids with just to avoid having to punch and kick them. But it was safe to say that nobody was disciplining those kids.
When I lived in Ghana, I saw how they disciplined kids there- if a kid was acting up, the nearest adult would immediately smack him. Didn’t matter if they were a relative or not. It was true “it takes a village” style discipline. And it worked, too: Ghana is one of the most peaceful societies on earth. Physical violence between adults is extremely taboo. I saw drunk guys in bars, SCREAMING at each other, nose to nose, and it would never come to blows. It was a great example of how immediate and painful consequence raises adults who do not resort to violence like we do here, that is to say, as the go-to once you’ve already failed. Basically any grown man who is starting a fight is doing so because they’ve already lost. They can’t resolve the situation any other way, and so they just want to hit things. Meanwhile, for those of us who’ve never started a fight in our lives, but won a lot of them, we NEED to fight for survival. We live on a dangerous planet.
I can guarantee you, you start a fight with me, we’re going to be fighting on the ground. None of this stand there and fisticuffs shit. I hope you’re used to fighting on the ground, because that’s where we’re both headed to resolve things. And yet, I never mouth off to strangers. I’ve had too many psychos try to kill me because I yelled at them, say for hitting me with their car. They jump out and want to fight. Or they pull a gun. Or they’re undercover cops with guns and kick the shit out of you and you can’t do anything about it. You just never know if you’re dealing with a complete psycho. I’m not about to lose my teeth because some meathead in a bar thinks I cheated at trivia by knowing the names of the old guys on the Muppet Show. I just walk away.
You gotta be respectful, or you gotta get yourself out of the situation. And if you weren’t disciplined as a child, you won’t have that respect. You’re sending your child out into the world as a ticking time bomb of danger. The worst thing you can do to a child is not discipline, give them everything they want, not make them work, and make life easy for them. An easy life makes weak, entitled, shitty people.
Thank GOD my parents spanked me. BRING BACK THE SMACK!
That only teaches children to fear pain, and that it's ok to physically assault someone who does something they don't like.
Why is it ok to strike a child hard enough to cause enough pain to cause behavioral change when he, as a child, who may not know better, breaks an arbitrary rule, but, it's not ok to punish a grown man who steals a car with a court-ordered public beating?
The answer is because it's not ok.
Fear should not be a part of childhood.
That only teaches children to fear pain, and that it's ok to physically assault someone who does something they don't like.
Why is it ok to strike a child hard enough to cause enough pain to cause behavioral change when he, as a child, who may not know better, breaks an arbitrary rule, but, it's not ok to punish a grown man who steals a car with a court-ordered public beating?
The answer is because it's not ok.
You make a good case for pediatric stun-guns and Tasers.
Why is it ok to strike a child hard enough to cause enough pain to cause behavioral change when he, as a child, who may not know better, breaks an arbitrary rule,[/I]
That's a red herring. Not talking about arbitrary rules, no kid has never been told to not hit their brother with a baseball bat, or ride their bike into traffic, or leave the water running in the bathroom sink, probably at least a dozen times.
I was spanked as a child. I believe that I grew up to be a polite, respectful person.
Spanking was rare and only done when necessary. My father set the rules. If you do X, you will be spanked. If I did X anyway, I was spanked. No deviation. Never was I spanked excessively or too hard. It was for my own good, I was told later, although it took me a good while before I truly understood how. Now, I do not run amok (except at a good sale!), never steal, rob, rape, assault or commit mayhem. Rioting is unknown to me.
In my experience, spanking worked. Perhaps there is a fine line between enough and too much. All I know is, actions have consequences and if I am not willing to take the outcome, I should not go there. I never forgot that lesson taught over my father's lap or over a chair.
Count me in favor, with the caveat that hitting is not a proper substitute for good interpersonal skills.
That's the thing, nobody's condoning beating the shit out of a kid, but because some people do then we must eliminate corporal punishment. Some people will drive stoned so we must eliminate pot. Some people get fat so we must eliminate refined sugar.
We must eliminate corporal punishment.
It's all very transparent to me. If you were hit, you defend hitting. It's pretty universal.
Because as far as you know, YOU YOU YOU are the very best YOU that could have turned out! This applies to EVERYBODY. Nobody has self-awareness about their psychology. NOBODY.
So the question of whether hitting is OK turns into a question about your upbringing. And so it becomes personal; my parents could NOT have done the wrong thing.
In the ghetto, they feel the same way. This is how you raise kids: you smack the shit out of them at every turn. It's just understood. This is the most dangerous, psychopathic, broken culture in our country. Dya mean if they hit MORE they could fix it?
It doesn't work and there is a shit ton of evidence for this. Spend time in the ghetto and you see how it works with ghetto males. Age 0 to 12 they are hit relentlessly. Age 13 through 17 they are the worst, most dangerous people in the country. Age 18 through 35 they are in prison.
I was spanked. Sometimes my dad was angry when he spanked me, and it was terrifying. I don't think he was always in control of himself. I'm not sure what changed, but he got mellower and then didn't spank anymore. Maybe he recognized that he was not in control. I don't know. We don't talk about it. He evolved into the gentlest, greatest guy, so I see no need to open very old wounds. And I don't think I would characterize him as abusive, although he went overboard at times.
My mom spanked me too, but she was never overboard with it.
I doubt that spanking had any impact on my behavior. There were never any threats of spanking, empty or otherwise. I was just told to behave and if I didn't, and it was judged to be a serious enough offense, I was spanked.
I've never hit my kids. We don't spank in our house. They are polite in public and pretty good at home, but they fight with each other at times. So far, they both show good common sense and empathy. A basic respect for other people. I think they are turning out well, and I don't see how hitting them would make them better.
I try to be a good role model for them. I think they learn more from that.
There's a fuck of a lot more going on in the ghetto than hitting. :rolleyes:
Dya mean if they hit MORE they could fix it?
What is the very worst time of day to be at the shop? It's the same very worst time to be sitting on a bench in a center city subway platform.
3 PM in the afternoon.
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Teens-Attack-SEPTA-Station-Market-Frankford-298132921.html... Age 0 to 12 they are hit relentlessly. Age 13 through 17 they are the worst, most dangerous people in the country. Age 18 through 35 they are in prison.
From love taps to double taps. Since these are the most dangerous people in the country and there are no case studies done on a meaningful scale to demonstrate eliminating corporal punishment would improve that demographic, it seems that course of action is merely a preference with particular appeal to the squeamish.
Asked for the second time:
Why do we not use physical punishment (beating, infliction of pain) against prison inmates as part of their sentence?
And I'm not talking Guantanamo...I'm talking shoplifters, armed robbers, mother stabbers, father rapers, you know, the folks on the Group W bench...
Also, I'm not asking if we should, or not...I'm asking why we don't.
Asked for the second time:
Why do we not use physical punishment (beating, infliction of pain) against prison inmates as part of their sentence?
And I'm not talking Guantanamo...I'm talking shoplifters, armed robbers, mother stabbers, father rapers, you know, the folks on the Group W bench...
Also, I'm not asking if we should, or not...I'm asking why we don't.
I don't know, but we used to. Whipping was common a hundred years ago. There must be some case law somewhere.
I don't know, but we used to. Whipping was common a hundred years ago. There must be some case law somewhere.
And
why did we stop?
Dya mean if they hit MORE they could fix it?
What is the very worst time of day to be at the shop? It's the same very worst time to be sitting on a bench in a center city subway platform. 3 PM in the afternoon.
C'mon, with your indepth study of the sociological problems of the ghetto you should be able to present a better case than one street crime. I'd love to see your data on why spanking children causes street crime and "
hitting, there's talk about hitting, sideways statements about who is gonna get an asswhoopin" is not the result of living in desperate poverty where everyone struggling causes friction.
Asked for the second time:
Why do we not use physical punishment (beating, infliction of pain) against prison inmates as part of their sentence?
OMG... you're right... why couldn't I see if before. :smack:
Don't spank the little darlings, lock them the fuck up. Won't behave? A couple years chained up in the dungeon will fix that.
...lock them the fuck up.
:headshake
:lol2:
why spanking children causes street crime and [talk of hitting] is not the result of living in desperate poverty where everyone struggling causes friction
Sweden banned spanking in 1979 so they now have an entire complete generation of adults who have not been spanked. The country has not failed. Volvos are still excellent cars.
But we expect they did not one day wake up and say, "by gaw, we have been doing it all wrong all this time! we shall immediately pass legislation making it impossible for anyone to strike a child!" and then there was suddenly no hitting.
We expect they were headed that way all along. And they were a successful culture. So to restate your question: did becoming successful make them stop hitting? Or was stopping hitting part of what made them successful?
I would guess that there's a whole bunch of cyclical problems where poverty leads to X leads to poverty.
But we can't just gift 20% of the population out of poverty, so we should also encourage people to change X.
Sweden is a wealthy country, with all sorts of social safety nets and no ghettos. They're also a culture of doing what they are told by the government on all levels.
So Sweden has been successful for 35 post spanking, whoopee fucking doo. They were successful for thousands of years with it.
We'll have to wait on the countries that have banned it since then, which are: Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Kenya, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Congo, Republic of Moldova, Romania, South Sudan, Spain, Togo, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
from
Venezuela is a shithole so that didn't work out... and Greece, those nut jobs need a spanking.
They're all metric, so what the hell do they know.:p:
Asked for the second time:
Why do we not use physical punishment (beating, infliction of pain) against prison inmates as part of their sentence? ... Also, I'm not asking if we should, or not...I'm asking why we don't.
This method of behavior modification, like many others, is mostly effective during the formative years. If it was as effective with adults, we might be using it instead of putting people in prison. Especially if it was more economical. The first time you asked, it seemed to be a rhetorical question.
Spanking Creates Aggressive Children, Study Shows
Naturally we can't look at the methodology or data without buying the journal. From my years in early childhood education, the idea smells right. The broken ghetto culture has no other option for asserting authority. They hit because they were hit. They lash out at the people around them because that was how they were taught to deal with problems. The folks that designed Head Start knew that and fight that fight but hitters breed faster than the learners. Now that Early Education is about academic achievement rather than socialization that tiny finger is gonna come out of the dike. Maybe someone has a better idea about instilling values. Jesus and Mohammed failed the inner city. The Irish had similar issues and mostly escaped through better economics but there was a general respect for learning in the culture... Good luck America!
to get back to this
did becoming successful make them stop hitting? Or was stopping hitting part of what made them successful?
They were successful for thousands of years
Becoming successful made them stop hitting.
To put it in terms of how the ghetto sees it, the ghetto needs to hit; because without being successful, the community faces a harsher and more desperate status overall. This leads to crime if the young are not raised with authority. The ghetto is aware of its challenge and hits with love because it has few other parenting skills.
But it doesn't work; in fact it has an opposite effect. The actual, productive parenting skills are never culturally shared and the ghetto remains the ghetto.
In my experience* and in my generation, whenever the topic of spanking comes up, the room is likely to go 50-50 when asked whether they themselves were spanked.
And what I notice is that you can't really tell whether they were spanked by their behavior, so much as their culture; and that is urban vs suburban vs rural, central Pennsylvania versus big city, fashionable or regular, that sort of thing; not whether they were smart or focused or even personally disciplined.
What all this information says is that spanking alone is not a critical component in determining success, and anyone can be spanked or not spanked and be successful or not successful. The belief that it works or doesn't work is entirely 100% personal, because it's written to your hard drive at an extremely young age. And we are not aware of what actually works, because it's not even in our parents' beans. They did what their parents did, because it, too, was written to their hard drive.
By the time we have the capacity for rational thought, we have already been successfully parented, in so many ways that it's hard to imagine. This leads to behavior that is so deep-seated it feels like instinct.
*this is what someone says when they want it to be clear that the following is unscientific blather and should not really be highly regarded
The next time I punch somebody Ima tell 'em it's cuz I love them.
And, if it's me getting punched, I hope like hell I have the wherewithall to ask them if this means they love me.
:lol2:
[YOUTUBE]86IpU3g-S8Q[/YOUTUBE]
I would start with some cheaper stuff on the Bay to see how it goes. It is truly all about the hassle.
And I'm taking your advice. I'm getting my feet wet with
my first Auction on eBay.
Feel free to bid away, everyone. I'm hoping to get over $10 but will be content with $5 and happy with $7.
Looks good. It should fetch $11.50 - $12.
It was stored in a box for those 4 months in a climate controlled, non-smoking, pet free environment.
You usually have to pay extra for that.
Looks good. It should fetch $11.50 - $12.
Not sure how I got so lucky, but it got $16.01 plus $2.32 shipping. There was a bidding war between two people who got carried away.
I wanted to see a visual representation of the auction, but all Ebay provides is a list of bids (and automatic bids) and times. So I took that information and dumped it into excel. Since I'm a novice there, I poked around until I figured out how to format the dates the way they wanted, then I set up a collum next to the dates that subtracted each bid time stamp from when the auction was listed. That gave me a bunch of day numbers with long decimals, and I didn't know how to graph that, so I found an online graph and pasted them into that.
It's kind of ugly, but here's a chart of the auction. The y axis is $ and the x axis is the number of days since the auction start. It was a 7 day auction.
[ATTACH]51311[/ATTACH]
I can't believe glatt sold his dongle to the highest bidder. :headshake
What's a dongle?
And I only got $16 bucks for it. I'm low rent to boot.
A dongle syncs your fitbit device to your computer so you can see fancy charts and stuff. But you don't need one if you use your smart phone to look at those same charts.
Well done sir!
I think this can happen when your item is the only one ending soon and the item is a brisk but not huge seller. Although that's very hard to predict. If there were three of them ending at nearly the same time, there would be competition for the bidders.
For things like iPhones that sell in thousands per day, we set up three-day auctions, because all that action happens at the end of the auction anyway. A lower seller item, you want up for a week so people notice and Watch it.
Nice job of graphing that, but way too much work for you. If you had to do it often it would be worth investing in the time to find one.
I don't mean to hijack the pawn shop thread, but I wanted to come back and post about how selling this blu-ray player went.
I listed it yesterday at $79, and got discouraged when I saw just how many decent blu-ray players were being offered for sale on eBay with free shipping for a fraction of my starting bid. How would anybody notice mine?
I checked back a few hours later and saw that about 20 people had looked at the item and 4 had even put it on their watch lists. But no bids.
Then a few hours after that I got a message from somebody asking if I would offer it as a Buy It Now. I still don't understand eBay completely, but I'm beginning to understand that they nickle and dime you to death. Offering something as Buy It Now costs extra, but I had a fish nibbling on my hook, so I decided to go back in to the listing and make that change. But the question was at what price? That one in the UK went for $320, and I wanted to get as much as I could, but I didn't want to be greedy and unrealistic. So I decided to go for $249 plus shipping.
The guy who had contacted me bought it at $249 plus shipping. I could second guess myself, but I'll never know if I could have gotten more. And since this cost $1000 brand new 5 years ago, one quarter of that seems pretty good, especially since it doesn't do 3D or streaming, or any of that new stuff these things do now. It's a nice player though.
The guy who bought it is of Indian decent and is aware of the brand. Lives in California, so he's paying $32 to get it shipped to him.
This is not a hijack. because...
It's a rule of the pawn shop world: the person who offers a price first is at a disadvantage in negotiations. At the shop, if you come with an item and want to sell it, the first question is: "How much do you want out of this?"
No matter what they answer, at that point they have given us information.
If they come in with a $200 item, which we would normally buy for $80, and they ask $20 for it, deal is done; we are giving you $20. That is the nature of the business, with few exceptions. If they want $100, they have to be dealt with differently. If they want $500, they have to be dealt with differently.
So, getting their number is so important, that we will always go a second round.
"How much do you want out of this?"
"Aw I dunno just give me what you think it's worth."
"No really, did you have some amount in mind?"
But it's also a rule that everyone in the transaction walks away satisfied, if not happy. You would not have set a price that you would not be satisfied with. And in that, a lot of strange things happen. Your number for fair market value could be way off, AND the buyer's number could be way off, and the transaction could still wind up done and everyone happy.
Many times the shop has bought in a $100 item only to find that it has a special add-on or condition that makes it worth $300. And, many times the shop has bought in a $100 item, only to find it's broken and can't be repaired, and sells for parts at $20.
I read some trendy pop economics/psychology book a year or so ago. It may have been The Tipping Point, but it may also have been something else.
Anyway, in this book, they cited a study where negotiations occur, and in that study they found that the person who gives a number first in a negotiation has the greater power because that first number acts as an anchor. And the effect works, even if the people doing the negotiation are made aware of the phenomenon.
Now clearly, the first offer has to be within the ballpark of reality, or else it is dismissed outright. But supposedly science says it works.
My problem is that I didn't (and still don't) know what the player was worth.
The whole thing is kind of fascinating to me, because when there is virtually no established market value, the buyer and I are basically making this up as we go along. We just set the value of this thing for future transactions.
If I'm not being too nosy, what did eBay make off this transaction?
I'm not really sure. They don't release the money to me for some time because I'm still new. And then they send a monthly invoice, which can be paid from my paypal surplus balance. But it was ten percent last time, plus a bit for doing Buy It Now. I'll come back and post when I figure it out. I suspect it will be $30 or so.
snip--
My problem is that I didn't (and still don't) know what the player was worth.
On the subject of "worth":
I'm reminded of something my Dad said once when I told him that his newfangled VCR thingy (with a wired remote, to give you an idea of the vintage) could have been had at the local electronics store for $X when he paid $X+something at *gasp* Sears. He told me, "V, a good deal is a state of mind."
The whole thing is kind of fascinating to me, because when there is virtually no established market value, the buyer and I are basically making this up as we go along. We just set the value of this thing for future transactions.
Not unlike real estate, hm?
My problem is that I didn't (and still don't) know what the player was worth.
The whole thing is kind of fascinating to me, because when there is virtually no established market value, the buyer and I are basically making this up as we go along. We just set the value of this thing for future transactions.
Yup. Free Market sez you just proved your DVD player was worth $281.
A lot of the things we take for given are in fact fragile illusions.
In terms of ebay's cut, usually you can figure that low volume people are losing about 12% to ebay and paypal, high volume a few percent less. They take their cuts out of the total price (item + shipping), so I think I think glatt will end up with about $220-215 in hand.
If I'm not being too nosy, what did eBay make off this transaction?
Typically when you add up all the fees to ebay/paypal you lose about 15% of your take. That's one reason I don't sell shit anymore on ebay.
I suspect it will be $30 or so.
:speechls:
JFC! I almost choked on a Dorito.
They have a good business model. What do they do? Run some servers?
I'm doing all the work. And they get $30-35.
How much would you have had to pay for advertising to reach the same number of potential buyers? Marketing. It's what they do. It's what you pay them for. ;)
Sent by thought transference
They also own the bank (paypal) that they require you to use.
CHA CHINGGGGG!
Not for long; they are splitting up. B'iness community thinks they will do better separate
Typically when you add up all the fees to ebay/paypal you lose about 15% of your take. That's one reason I don't sell shit anymore on ebay.
Yeh, I'd much rather hoard that shit in my basement for .... ever!
I had an experience that fits in this thread the other day. I took some jewellery that I was tired of and sold it the other day to a second-hand jewellery dealer in the nearest Big Smoke. I had a little scrap silver (two broken chain bracelets and a broken necklace) which the jeweller didn't want. They suggested I go to a pawn shop who would buy it.
Counter Girl at the pawn shop explained that silver is priced in pennies. I said I'd rather have pennies than the scrap bits, what else was I going to do, throw it away? Counter Girl said "it's your choice" as though she really thought that was something I might consider. I was dumbfounded. Eventually, after going through the process of getting registered as their client and being read a stock statement about the items not being nicked, being mine, and me being happy for my details to be given to the police in the event of problems with my items I received a pound (dollar and fifty cents).
(I didn't have any of that rigmarole with £130-worth of jewellery sold to the jeweller).
I absolutely get that they were two very different establishments dealing with two very different types of customer. I absolutely get that I was not a typical punter for the pawn shop and that Counter Girl might have wondered why I was bothering to offload scraps for just a pound. But I repeat: what else was I going to do? Bin it? And I cannot fathom why Counter Girl seemed to think I really might consider that option. Surely their regular punters would be happy for even a pound?
Sent by thought transference
Same problem worldwide: people think silver is worth a little less than gold. Maybe half the price, after all it is only one medal away. In fact, the price of gold is 70 times the price of silver.
So people routinely go into reverse price shock when told their silver is worth a trivial amount, so you go into every silver transaction with the weary notion that you are going to be called a thief. It's worth so little that it would almost be worth it just to not deal in it.
But we'd already had the convo about the low price my bits would fetch. Do people really throw it away because they don't get the high price they want?
Sent by thought transference
No. The actual alternatives are to take it home and anguish about it, or take it to the next shop where it will fetch a similar number and then be sold. Neither of which serves the current shop!
So what the pawn shop has done is to communicate to you that it's worthless so that you will quickly sell it to them cheaply and without argument.
I'd take the silver home, melt it down and pour it into molds to cast bullets with which to shoot werewolves; but, that's me.
Could the jeweler not repair the broken bits or make something new out of them?
Could the jeweler not repair the broken bits or make something new out of them?
I didn't ask, but I think that jeweller was too high-end to do that sort of repair or, indeed, to sell the repaired items for their own profit. And I wasn't that interested in the bits to have them repaired for me.
Sent by thought transference
But I repeat: what else was I going to do? Bin it? And I cannot fathom why Counter Girl seemed to think I really might consider that option. Surely their regular punters would be happy for even a pound?
I had something similar - although off topic - the other week.
The cashpoint at my bank has a strange habit of showing an account balance of NIL if you cannot make a withdrawal (which is £10 minimum from that machine).
Now I knew I had some pennies left, so I went in to check at the counter.
"Do I have any money I can withdraw today?"
"No," he replied, "you only have a balance of 94p."
"Can I withdraw that then?"
"Errrr.... yes...?"
So I did, and bought some milk and a packet of wraps (soft tortillas). This meant I could continue to enjoy the cereal and tuna and cheese I had at home until I was in proper funds.
Money is money is money. I handle mine badly, but not so badly that I can kiss off nearly a pound when things are tight.
Note - this is a bank that would levy a charge if I went 94p overdrawn.
And I'd have liked to see his face if I'd just waltzed in and asked for 94p for food. "What's the problem? It has no value!"
Which makes me sound bitter, and I wasn't. I was just a little puzzled by his response. Although I suppose they deal mainly with rich old pensioners and local businesses these days. You want to go to the Post Office to find people like me...
Most banks here would consider withdrawing your last cent to be equivalent to closing the account. They won't just hold an empty account open indefinitely.
Steve sent this along - apparently someone on the street loved the shop's front window so much they gave it a big ol kiss.
He reports "We did have a dead sexy Bosch hammer drill in the window."
I wonder if it was at bend over height. :eyebrow:
Purple haze all in my brain
Lately things don't seem the same
Actin' funny but I'll screw this whore
Bend over baby and kiss the door
Maybe that's how the prostitutes mark their territory.
In Philadelphia, 10 people have been shot in the last 24 hours, but only one was within three blocks of the shop.
When it's hot people get all shooty.
Exactly! Which is why I was surprised when you reported that shooting right next to the pawn shop on like the coldest day of the winter. Just imagine how cold that gun handle was. Brr.
So, happiness is *not* a warm gun?
I feel... betrayed.
... When it's hot people get all shooty.
Well sure, people slow down when it's hot. Then someone comes along and tells them to get the lead out. So they do.
When it's hot they can't do their Matrix dodge moves, that's all.
Down at the pawn shop
Just three boys
Gettin all shooty
makin some noise
saying, do they like guns a lot?
(yes they like guns a lot)
do they like guns a lot?
(yes they like guns a lot) do they like guns a lot?
(yes they like guns a lot)
Pawn shop time for me is greatly reduced. No time in August.
This may be the end. As shop traffic declines, fewer items come out of pawn each week. The regular staff can list more things on eBay. It takes them twice the time it takes me; but since everything is slow, they still have enough time to do the listings.
I think the shop is falling victim to a perfect storm:
1) Price of gold is off - this is huge; it's lost a third in just two years
2) Laws tighten to document pawn customers, persuading thieves (and others?) to fence through other channels
3) Neighborhood retail foot traffic down; other retailers on the block close, or are shitty, or are criminal and are shut down
4) Economy improved, less desperation, no need to pawn shit to pay the electric bill
5) Shitty attitude of certain shop employees convinces neighborhood that shop is no good and should be avoided
6) All the gold that could be sold, has been sold
7) Owner Alan not really the creative/entrepreneurial sort, who might imagine a different business model and adapt to different and changing conditions
But here's the one I think really matters:
The laws of all retail changed. Walmart and the Internet changed how retail works. They compete with the pawn shops; they lower the prices for everyone, as they change how choices and distribution work.
After a decade of it affecting everyone else, it affected the ghetto.
Well, it's really rare for any retail location to survive so long. And who knows, maybe something will change; maybe the shop will find some mojo it has needed all along. Worker Steve is hoping eBay commissions will save the day. It could mean more listings.
I doubt it. I don't think it lasts another year.
They've provided a needed service for a long time, but can't last if not needed by enough people.
Hell, they provided what you needed when you needed it, luckily.
Let us know when the pawn shop gets desperate enough to start buying
these again, since we now have a source to get them in bulk at wholesale prices. :rolleyes:
And that's it: Steve has learned enough to do the listings, and since volume is way down, he can manage it during regular hours.
It may not be the end. If either of Alan's two remaining employees leaves, he'll ask me to come back, probably three out of four Saturdays.
At least one of his guys is looking for work. Both of them should be. It's not going to get better.
You probably have mixed emotions about this. We know you felt pretty leery of the neighborhood and it's residents, but it was an interest experience.
It has been a phenomenal experience. Nobody else should have this experience. But at this point, it's turned into a crappy way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Did you actually need the job any more?
I have put everything into the budget and it still works. It's very tight, I was expecting half time at the shop, not zero time. But I'm also looking for another regular job, because money and career. Two resumes drop Monday evening.
Damn, I better get you to adjust my imitation jumbotron wall, before you move on to rich and famous. :D
I'm not there but Steve still is, and he reports that somebody offered a Nazi cane today.
Not like original 1940s Nazi but newfangled modern nutjob Nazi
He didn't buy it.
He follows up, "It was the first time I had had a conversation with someone who did not know who the Nazis were, nor what the holocaust was... I managed to keep a straight face and patiently gave the seller the cliffs notes... casually hinted to the seller that the Jewish ownership might object to the item."
Steve may be lucky the seller didn't run him through.
That could be a sword cane.
[ATTACH]53452[/ATTACH]
ETA: It was sold new for $40.
They're sold out too, he could have made a fortune. :haha:
Steve:
Whelp, I just had to eject a crack addict from the store. The gentleman entered the store with a solitary ladies boot and after numerous attempts to trade it for a radio gave up and left. A few minutes later he came back, and tried to trade it again, this time for a watch. This having failed he gave up and crouched down in the corner and proceeded to pack and hit his pipe. Sorry pal! Time to go! After forcing him out of the front door he stood there glaring at me for a while, boot in hand, before wandering off.
Not five minutes later a local cop walks in: "Hey, you guys see this homeless lookin guy, just stole some woman's boot?"
"Sigh... yeah...."
Now the shop reeks and I have a headache.
Poor guy, he needed that radio to see if she could dance on one foot. Now he'll never know. ;)
The end is nigh, part 27:
Steve reports that Alan is denying some? pawns because there isn't enough cash to give the pawners. This is almost certainly the end, and he just doesn't want to tell the employees. That is cash going out that would result in money coming in, either when the pawn comes out, or 5 months from now when the item is sold. It's guaranteed money, so this is really incomprehensible behavior unless Alan is thinking about closing in 5 months.
That sounds worrisome either way.
One less pawn shop ... what will the world do?
Seriously - Does this impact you somehow? If so, I'm sorry but only because of that.
It doesn't impact me directly any longer, but it's the slow end of a story I've been telling here for years. Let me know if it's self-indulgent.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
No, not at all. This has been one of my favorite threads.
OK cool! I wasn't interpreting you correctly there I think.
Yeah there is no loss in the ending of a pawn shop. It would be different if it were really serving the community in any way, other than being the most convenient target of opportunity for reverse racism.
I do wonder how certain customers will manage their week-to-week lives, but not that many people are left, for whatever reason.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
It will be a bummer in the tale department. I could replace it with tales from my gig but hippa and depressing sometimes.
Point of order.
You know there's no such thing as reverse racism, right? Racism is racism, and the "colors" of the racists are immaterial. A vs B, B vs A, A vs A, etc.
"You know... right?"
I beg of you not to use that construction when raising an objection
~ my pet peeve ~
You DO know it sounds condescending, don't you?
So as long as it does not sound condescending it's OK. Right ?
Too bad I accidentally stepped on your pet peeve.
Maybe you know, maybe you don't, we still don't know; you didn't answer my condescending question. Regardless, "reverse racism" is a made up, meaningless term. When I hear it used in earnest, it always sounds whiny and petulant.
You know there's no such thing as reverse racism, right?
I disagree, and so do many others, including
Wiki.
I disagree, and so do many others, including Wiki.
Nah, it doesn't exist. It's *still* racism. What do you call the people who engage in "reverse racism", "reverse racists"? It's nonsense.
What's "reverse" about it? When a wife punches her husband and gives him a black eye, is that "reverse domestic violence"? When a woman earns more than a man for doing the same job, is that is that "reverse unequal pay discrimination"? When a woman puts a roofie in the drink of a man and penetrates him without his consent, is that "reverse rape"?
How does attaching "reverse" to any of these scenarios make them any different than the "forward" of any of them?
I think reverse just got tacked on because most of us ...ahem, "mature" folks automatically think white on something else when we hear the word racisim, and would get confused. Then when the speaker was half way through, we'd be all, Wait, wait, what, you're saying black on white??
Beautiful to not see this thread bumped in over three months. Oh well.
This happened eight blocks south of the shop; three guys force another guy into a chinese food place and beat the crap out of him and stab him.
[YOUTUBE]KDiY1X4MzSw[/YOUTUBE]
I never saw that level of violence actually enter into the shop. But, this happened at 11:45 am. This is before-lunch activity on North Broad.
Yeah, but maybe he deserved it, maybe they let him off easy out of the goodness of their hearts.
http://www.fox29.com/news/local-news/120103929-story
Well this happened catty-corner from the shop. Says Steve:
I could hear the shots all too well from my desk... It seems a young man from the area was loitering at a local business to, and I cant think of a delicate way to put this, 'keep track' of his girlfriend who was working there. After the owner booted him out, he walked literally across the street and tried to rob a mobile phone store. He didn't notice the off-duty officer in the store however.
Tried to shoot officer. Officer shot him. He dead.
He used up all his minutes.
If you were there you would have heard the shots too. That's all, no problem. You can what if it to death, but the fact remains shit happens everywhere. What are the chances of terrorists bombing the pawn shop? You'd probably be safer there than at the theater playing Rent.
If shots are fired, I'd much rather they be from the cop's gun.
If you were there you would have heard the shots too. That's all, no problem. You can what if it to death, but the fact remains shit happens everywhere. What are the chances of terrorists bombing the pawn shop? You'd probably be safer there than at the theater playing Rent.
I'm not sure I get your point, the terrorist threat is minimal, crime related gun violence somewhat higher than that.
That's all, no problem.
Noooooooo, good lord no. It's horribly unsafe and random, this happens at 2pm on a Saturday, because the ghetto is full of violent, dangerous, unpredictable people.
Guy gets told to walk, and just goes across the street and robs a woman in a store. Could have been the shop, easily. This is why pawn shop workers are behind a layer of bullet-proof glass most of the time.
It was on the news this morning, cop saw the guy robbing someone, told him to put the gun down, he pointed or shot at the cop, cop shot him, he staggered as far as the phone store and dropped.
However, tens of thousands in, and passing through, the Ghetto every day without incident. The bullet proof glass is not because it's the ghetto, that's pretty much standard for pawn shops, and Comcast offices, because that's where people get mad enough to shoot somebody.
Sure, it's smart to be aware of your surroundings, and exercise caution everywhere, but Paranoia will cause you to die a thousand times, unnecessarily.
Fuck yes the glass is there because ghetto.
In Olney, the Chinese restaurants all have more bulletproof glass than the pawn shop.
That mobile phone shop ... I've not been in it, but why was the guy robbing a person in the shop, and not robbing the shop itself?
In Pottstown, iirc the pawn shop has no glass.
He was robbing someone on the street, after being shot he staggered to the phone store sidewalk before he collapsed. They had a phone video from somebody on the sidewalk, of the cop running up to the guy and grabbing the gun, but he wasn't moving at that point.
None of the pawn shops I've been in within fifty miles of me have glass, bullet-proof, or otherwise. Robbing a pawn shop around here is, literally, unheard of.
What about Louisville? Boston, NYC, Detroit, Chicago, LA, etc? They problem with pawn shops is not robberies as much as pissed off people who feel they're being fucked. Same for Comcast offices. :haha:
I thought we determined earlier that the ghetto is where people shoot people.
Not just the ghetto, on the highway, outside of bars, in houses, schools, military bases, theaters, you name it
Noooooooo, good lord no. It's horribly unsafe and random, this happens at 2pm on a Saturday, because the ghetto is full of violent, dangerous, unpredictable people.
Guy gets told to walk, and just goes across the street and robs a woman in a store. Could have been the shop, easily. This is why pawn shop workers are behind a layer of bullet-proof glass most of the time.
I heard it on kyw last night. The way they told it, the perp pointed the gun, and then fled. The cop gave chase, and stated that the perp raised his gun again as he was running away, the cop then fired and dropped him. No one saw the shooting. Cop is on desk duty pending investigation
It was on the news this morning, cop saw the guy robbing someone, told him to put the gun down, he pointed or shot at the cop, cop shot him, he staggered as far as the phone store and dropped.
However, tens of thousands in, and passing through, the Ghetto every day without incident. The bullet proof glass is not because it's the ghetto, that's pretty much standard for pawn shops, and Comcast offices, because that's where people get mad enough to shoot somebody.
Sure, it's smart to be aware of your surroundings, and exercise caution everywhere, but Paranoia will cause you to die a thousand times, unnecessarily.
Steve took a few punches to the face today. Bloody nose, black eye.
"Had a little trouble getting a high school aged kid out of the shop today and took a good handful of hits to the face," he reports.
The kids that come in late afternoon are 16 year old thugs looking to graduate to felons. They have no business at the shop. They don't buy anything. It's illegal to buy from them, or do pawns. Steve works right at the window and generally leaves it open and deals with people. That's how I used to do it, too. He told them to get out, the kid popped him a couple.
When I worked at the speed shop the counter was quite high, I'd guess about 40". Coming in the front door the coke machine and shit on the right, and counter with catalog racks to the left, so a straight shot to the back counter with the cash register. The front of the counter was the crappiest paneling imaginable, and under the back was a full shelf, 6" below the counter top. The only thing on that shelf was a 6" .357 Smith & Wesson.
So much suck, that's no way to come home from work unless you're Jon Jones.
Stories continue to drift in when something interesting happens, which is increasingly rare.
The other day, someone stole Steve's phone. He had it too close to the window, and someone reached in and nabbed it while he wasn't looking.
So he used the lost iPhone feature and had it pop up with a message, telling its potential new owner that if he was in the shop, they had him on camera, and a scan of his ID.
20 minutes ago the thief came back in with the phone and apologized, with a story that was obviously bogus.
Steve doesn't care about the story. Phone is back. S'all good in the hood.
I wonder how much plastic explosive would fit in an iPhone?
Answer varies, depending on whether you want the phone to operate normally or not. If not, one could theoretically pack several ounces of C-5 inside, enough to destroy a sedan and everyone inside. If yes, however, there is very little excess space inside, maybe enough to kill the holder but not much more.
Do NOT ask me how I know this.
Enough to blow a hand off is enough. :blush:
Steve excitedly sends along a bunch of photos of an item that came in this morning: a $7000, big name, 50 megapixel digital camera, along with a high quality macro lens.
The shop paid $500 for it.
"Medium format" as this camera maker was known for its camera that shot "medium format" film... and they are still using it to describe high-resolution digital cameras.
A buy-in like this is always very exciting. It will actually keep the shop alive.
The question is always "does the seller know what he has?" because sometimes they will bring something like this in and just say "oh i have a camera to sell" with the same excitement as if they had a $80 point and shoot from Walmart. But no, in this case the gentleman did know what he had. And refused to give ID. The shop explained that they have to take an ID in order to to buy it, so he found a random person in the shop to sell it for him. That person probably got $50 out of it and the small chance that they will be visited by the cops and will have to explain how they came to sell this item.
Which is, in case you didn't figure it out, very obviously stolen.
I guess it's also a given that the owner won't come looking for it? Is that because people don't know to look, or there are too many stores to check?
They could know for certain that their item was sold to the shop and the shop wouldn't tell them a single thing... in theory this is correct behavior... protecting privacy. Nobody should say anything unless the cops are involved. If the cops come around the store will reveal all.
People would constantly be looking for their stolen stuff. Some people think, or there is a conception out there, that when your stuff is stolen, you should ask at every pawn shop. No, the shop won't tell you anything...
I bet they'd speak up if you picked up your item off their shelf and started matching up serial numbers.
Or, they might not.
I would guess that an item like that is going on Ebay, not a shelf.
Yeah almost nothing is sold on the shelves these days, especially if it has value. Nobody coming into the shop is looking for anything over $100. Unless they are thinking about stealing it. Putting anything of actual worth on the shelves is pretty much useless!
The things that actually move from the shelves are: professional power tools, PA speakers, and TVs. The former, because they are actually in demand from workers. The speakers, because they are too heavy to move on eBay and people want PA gear in the hood. And the TVs because people love big TVs and they think the pawn shop ones are a bargain. And they are cos they can't be sold on the bay either.
Anything suspected to be hot is definitely eBayed.
So if you knew the neighborhood but not necessarily the shop, you'd have to convince the cops to come with you to ask at each store? Won't they basically say no, we're too busy?
They will take your report.
They will ask if you have serial numbers, or what evidence you have, and they will check the serial numbers against the leads website that all pawn shops are required to enter data into. Sometimes they will compare their list of what's been stolen with what the shop is reporting in.
Sometimes they have a network of more serious thefts that they will investigate in detail. Recently there was a theft of a whole pallet of this one particular big boxy item, and the guy was caught and confessed to selling it to pawn shops, and knew how many at which shops, so the cops basically walked in and asked for it and knew they should have two of them.
Does Steve know the value of this stuff off the top of his head? Or does he say "hold on a second," take the item in back, and look it up? Something like a high end digital camera drops in value pretty quickly as time passes. You could have a clean, well made, expensive looking camera that is only worth a hundred or so because it's got an old sensor. Seems like you would have to stay current with the models out there.
If he takes it in back to look it up, does the seller ever ask or try to see what the computer says? I wonder how awkward the interaction is?
There are a lot of things that the guys know the buy-in rate for just off the top of their heads. Handheld games, console games, low-level power tools, low-level point-and-shoot cameras, typical GPS units, 42" TVs. A locked iphone 4 with a cracked screen probably gets 10 bucks so often that they just know it.
Everything else gets looked up on eBay, and you look for the Completed listings, and you offer about a sixth of what the exact item has recently sold for.
Yeah a sixth. It's a ghetto pawn shop.
It used to be a problem that electronics would drop in value between when they were bought in and when they were sold in eBay. By law the shop has to keep everything in storage for 3 months before selling it out, so the cops have a chance to come around and retrieve it, etc. But these days the cops don't ever come around for stuff after about a month, so a lot of things are sold faster. This one will sit about a month before Alan can't resist the money that sits behind it. I know him.
Oh yeah and there is never any awkwardness, because the screens are set up in such a way that the customer can't see them. You can say "I'm looking it up" and they won't know that means "on eBay".
More of the tale came out last night. When the camera came in, Steve was dealing with it, and another of the guys came over and dismissed it as "too old", thinking it was a film setup as it didn't look like any of the cams he was used to.
The customer knew exactly what it was, how much it was worth, and what the lowball price for it was likely to be. He knew the whole deal. Which is very rare. And he knew he was not going to give an ID; and he knew he could convince some random lady in the shop to give HER ID and signature for, get this, $15.
On a $500 buy-in, on a camera they will sell out for probably $6000.
I'm a very regular customer at our local pawn shops.
I'm a buyer, though, not a pawner or seller. My most recent acquisition is Samsung Galaxy Tab S with 16 GB and no SIM card. It came with a Unicorn Beetle case and is in very good shape. It had a $249 price tag on it, he offered $150 plus tax, I asked for $150 including tax, we agreed to split the tax. So far, I like it.
I've gotten power tools, garden tools, a Stihl FS 90 R trimmer, *almost* got a Vox DC5, but missed it because I had to wait until payday... I also missed a Canon G10 for $40. I kick myself about that one... that's "one that got away".
Oh yeah and an item to be pawned or bought is never taken to the back. The customer has to see the item, in plain view, at all times, until the transaction is agreed upon.
Otherwise [strike]1/2 of[/strike] all customers would complain that something happened to the item when taken to the back. Because to them, we are utterly suspicious and not to be trusted at all. It's part racism and part that's often what is worried about at a pawn shop, a game, a scam.
But it's one of those things that becomes obvious when you see it:
If they can get $1 more selling it online, they would be idiots to sell it to you in the shop. YOU can buy the item from them, sell it out on the bay, and make money on the deal.
So if the G10 is in reasonable condition, with nothing wrong, that's what you should do. But if it turns out there's a problem with the lens that you didn't notice until you got it home, you might figure returns at the shop are easier than returns on eBay.
Because this lookup takes ten seconds to do, completed listings in the USED category:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=canon%20g10&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc&_trksid=p2045573.m1684
But if it's in the BROKEN/FOR PARTS category, you don't have to accept returns, so here are the values there:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&_nkw=canon%20g10&_dcat=31388&rt=nc&LH_ItemCondition=7000&_trksid=p2045573.m1684The two main places where I'm a customer I definitely test the item in question. Their standard policy is to offer a 7 or 30 day return for store credit, with receipt. I have on a couple occasions gotten them to change that to money back in 48 hours. The last time that happened was when I bought a 24" display, but it was a pig in a poke. There was no way to test it in the store. I was willing to buy it, but I wasn't willing to make cash deposit in the bank of pawnshop. He got the manager to make an exception, I bought the monitor, it works, I'm using it right now. We're both happy.
I got an tool for the Stihl trimmer there. I asked them if I could test it. The next day, I brought in my trimmer, minus the string trimmer head. I took their tool, a long hedge trimmer extension and attached it, took it outside and fired it up. The hedge trimmer blades were a blur. I bought it.
Got it home and found it wouldn't cut the pyracantha climbing up the side of the house. That is one tough shrub. Damn. So I moved to the laurels on the side of the driveway. Nope. WTF? How about a dandelion? It appears that I have the world's strongest dandelions, or... I have a hedge trimmer that sucks.
Turns out the hedge trimmer sucks.
There's a plate at the bottom of the gearbox that translates the rotary motion of the shaft to a reciprocating motion for the blades. That plate takes six torx head bolts and only two were present. Huh. Weird. That was why I was suspicious in the first place, but... I brought in my own trimmer and it worked (let the record show I'd originally ended this sentence with ", right?" and have deleted it. Sorry, I'm trying, really.). So, that's on me. I take the plate off the gearbox and work out for myself how it works and discover that it's missing a cam that sits on a shaft and moves the blade back and forth. Without the cam, it just slides along the other blade but without power. (two cams, 180 deg apart, moving the two saw toothed blades in opposite directions like scissors. my unit had only one cam, driving one blade and the other blade just coasted along freely. It LOOKED like it was powered and capable of cutting--I didn't test it at the pawnshop with my finger. but at home, it was defeated by a dandelion).
Anyhow, I was outside the return window by this time, and besides, I really did want the tool. And I got a screaming deal on it. But, it's no deal if it doesn't work. I visited all the big box stores, their repair departments, no cams. I couldn't even find the fucking screws! I wound up ordering a new pair of cams and a package of screws from some small engine repair outfit on the internet for less than $20 including shipping. Eventually they arrived. I haven't put them in yet, but I expect it will work.
If it doesn't then I'll have learned a couple things, test better, test faster, get better return terms. But I'm sure it will work.
That's a good plan and a good way to handle it by them. If they know you're not dishonest, and you're a regular, to give you cash.
It might work like this: they can't test certain items, or don't know how. So they put those things out at around parts price; and if they come back, they'll sell them out on eBay at parts price, meanwhile you're invested in store credit.
In the ghetto, a lot of items come in as suspect. Not that they were stolen, but they were clearly part of a dumpster dive or seem to be from odd circumstances. A poor person comes in, digs into a plastic trash bag, and says "I have this stereo (a 30 year old piece of shit), this clock radio (a 40 year old piece of shit), and this thing I don't use because I don't like it (an uncharged iPad 2 covered in syrup)." And you say, what the fuck?
So you offer $20 for the lot and throw the shit in the trash, and hope the iPad is serviceable; if it can't charge at all, it goes for parts:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&LH_ItemCondition=7000&_nkw=ipad%202&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc&_trksid=p2045573.m1684
But if it can charge, how long do you work with it until you say, well yeah this thing "works"? And what are your risks, selling it in various ways?
"...covered in syrup"
LOL!
NSFW
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so apparently this just happened today in front of you know where. Details are still coming in but, you know, random craziness in the hood. Steve has video of this gent disrobing, surrounded by cops, in the very middle of Broad St.
...and he was hauled off in an ambulance shortly after this. Word is, his bag of weed had something stronger in it than he expected, and so he began doing a striptease up Broad St.
I have heard of people around here getting nekked after getting all doped up on goofballs... bath salts and what have you...
Just wanted to show them he wasn't armed.
Right now word is he began stripping before the cops took an interest, but Steve promises more details later.
So, it's NOT true, what they say, after all! ;)
I like how the one cop has already got his gloves on. Smart move.
Looks like he's trying out for the part of Daffyd Thomas.
So, it's NOT true, what they say, after all! ;)
Thank you
so much, Pam.:)
I feel just a little less weird knowing that you saw it, too.
Well...that you didn't see it, either, in this case.:lol2:
Just wanted to show them he wasn't armed.
What he did is very dangerous. Some cop might mistake his toy for a real gun.
See dis? [youtube]3qeY0mIn1K0[/youtube]
Yup. It's funny cos the horizontal siding in the Pbg shop is what we had. Makes it easy to hang and display items.
So does my podiatrist for displaying shit they sell.
See dis? [youtube]3qeY0mIn1K0[/youtube]
[strike]That is the fake.
Has to be. No other option.[/strike]
Nevermind
[strike]That is the fake.
Has to be. No other option.[/strike]
Nevermind
:)
Man this thread hain't been updated in 9 months... good
The only event reported on, happened yesterday: a dude did not like the quote given for a mobile phone, and in great anger, he left with a high kick to the front door, shattering the glass and closing the shop temporarily.
Main owner Alan has take up a second career in real estate, and he is trying to get that going, knowing that it's only so much longer for the shop. Steve reports that he leaves the shop for hours to do real estate things.
If you do any moonlighting listing properties on eBay for him, be sure to include how many dead hobos each parcel will hold.
Real estate seems like it would be more lucrative than the shop as well. Unless maybe he's selling homes in the ghetto?
Where Lil' Pete lived in East Falls (Philly) there was a gentrification push. It seems likely that'd suppress the pawn business.
He's selling $500,000 homes in the burbs. Or trying to, but this is the perfect time to do that, as the boom is on.
Gentrification is one of the big threats to the shop as neighborhoods that nobody thought would ever flip are flipping. It's really hard to imagine it moving that far north though...
But Steve reports that since the end of the Broad Street Line subway is a block away, white people are now Ubering to it from the north, in order to reach center city. This was a kind of unforeseen thing and may have caused a fairly decent pizza place to move in. (I wonder if they realize they can't do this at night. People will get shot and jacked waiting for an Uber there.)
Meanwhile across the street from the other pawn shop...
[YOUTUBE]9tDEiUgvTpA[/YOUTUBE]
I am interviewing tomorrow for a job with the head office of a chain of retail sneaker stores, where all the stores are in strictly urban areas. One of the locations is one block down from the pawn shop. I've never gone in.
I asked Steve if he ever went in, or had any opinion of the place.
"Yesterday a woman came in with a bag of shoes from there. She left it on the counter and said, I'll be back in a bit. Someone spotted the bag unattended, and grabbed it and bolted out the door. The woman came back and totally freaked out on us."
Now that I have signed-up and read all 90 pages (ok, not all), you are going to put an end to this thread. Thanks for that ;)
I first found this one near the end as well - sad to see it go (for me, not Undertoad, we need him around) but so much gold in here...
Thanks y'all. It was worth it doing it for a while for the stories, but it was more worth it quitting it.
http://www.fox29.com/news/controversial-bill-would-force-business-owners-to-take-down-bulletproof-glass
Because Philadelphia City Council has solved all other problems, they've introduced this bill, which if passed would immediately cause the shop to shut down.
Ugh. Sounds like that's the whole purpose of it.
Ah quick correction: now that I've hunted down more details, the bill only applies to food establishments. The story was unclear.
This will shut down the chinese food place where I used to get lunch. It's still ridiculous...
Why is Fox the only news that is reporting this? As if only Fox is known for integrity.
I dunno Sparky; nevertheless, the bill exists and I found it by searching for "physical barrier" at the
Philadelphia City Council Legislative Information Center.
I'm sure everyone understands that there is a subtle difference between the Fox News Channel, and local news programs created by affiliates on the Fox Broadcasting Company. They are owned by 21st Century Fox but run by different divisions. Sometimes they share news content. They don't generally share editorial slant. FBC began in 1986 while the Fox News Channel was launched 10 years later in 1996.Are there really restaurants with 30 or more seats where the employees are separated from the customers like that? It seems like the place would get filthy quickly.
I've only seen that setup with takeout or corner stores before.
On the other hand, it could be perversely read to ban drive-throughs in the winter.
It seems like the place would get filthy quickly.
It is the ghetto, it is filthy!
Think Chinese food/Korean deli with 6-8 bench seats, that is what this is targeting.
(g) Customer access. No establishment required to obtain a Large
Establishment license, as provided in subsection (4)(a)(.1), shall erect or maintain a physical barrier that requires the persons serving the food either to open a window or other aperture or to pass the food through a window or other aperture, in order to hand the food to a customer inside the establishment.
(.1) Large Establishment license. For establishments with thirty
or more seats regularly available for and accessible to customers to consume food on the premises.
6-8 bench seats = 36-42 seats
Ah... missed "bench seats"... still seems like a lot for someone to manage from behind glass. But it definitely doesn't seem to target liquor stores, which is their stated aim.
More info
The city code requires businesses selling malt liquor or beer to have tables and chairs sufficient to accommodate 30 people and to regularly prepare and sell food. The law also requires that consumption be allowed on premises, though many stop-and-go owners discourage loitering inside or intentionally forgo chairs so large crowds won’t gather.
Apparently, it goes with an already-in-place requirement that stores which sell beer and malt liquor ALSO be a 30-seat restaurant.
So it's:
To get a liquor license, you must be a 30-seat restaurant
To be a 30-seat restaurant, you must not have the barrier
The councilwoman is trying to target the places that are pretending to be restaurants to get the liquor license, but may end up hurting actual restaurants in the process.
I'm sure everyone understands that there is a subtle difference between the Fox News Channel, and local news programs created by affiliates on the Fox Broadcasting Company. They are owned by 21st Century Fox but run by different divisions. Sometimes they share news content. They don't generally share editorial slant. FBC began in 1986 while the Fox News Channel was launched 10 years later in 1996.
You mentioned this to me, once, like 10 years ago and I never made the same mistake again.
incidentally...
The
news programming on the Fox News Channel itself doesn't even agree with the
editorial programming on the Fox News Channel.
The councilwoman is trying to target the places that are pretending to be restaurants to get the liquor license
Partly. But this is the ghetto, and the rules are different there. So Steve will tell you, partly because he is a functioning alcoholic and is aware of all places booze can be found:
If you head over to the little deli a block down the street from the pawn shop, the owner there will sell you a shot for $2, if you know about it.
They don't even sell beer. Steve went to the trouble of figuring this out when a lot of pawn shop customers were starting to show up drunk at 10am. Pawn shop customers aren't the sort to plan their booze purchases out way in advance. If they are starting to suddenly show up drunk at 10am, something different is at work.
So some of these aren't actually liquor stores, they aren't controlled at all, and it is considered a problem for the community. But this should be addressed using laws that exist, rather than saying that the deli owners should be killed.
...the owner there will sell you a shot for $2, if you know about it.
One of the stores here in town will sell you a single cigarette.
If you know about it.;)
I suspect it's a new opportunity for the Council to grab more loot in the form of payoffs for variances. It IS Philly after all.
The next shoe drops: Steve tells me privately that he is moving back to his home state, and will be leaving the shop by Christmas.
I'm, like, not supposed to tell anybody - but I think you people are good people, and won't share.
His name's not Steve anyway. All the names in this thread have been changed to protect the guilty. Except me. You know me.
Steve was the closest to me, left at the shop; so until something bigger is announced, such as a closure, the thread will slow down even from the trickle it's at now.
It's possible this might bring the end. It's not easy to find a good person who can be trusted to work the shop. But with Steve leaving, the shop only has two people left.
Alan always said that insurance mandated two people be in the shop for it to be open. That makes total sense. But now he can't do his side real estate work without closing the shop for a while.
Either they hire someone else, or everything gets weird. It's already weird. Anyone need a cash job in ghetto north philly for six months? You wouldn't need to do much.
The demise of a business, especially one serving the most needy, is sad. But it's totally understandable what lead to this decision. Hope Steve and his unindicted co-conspirators find a better path.
Steve has left the shop and so now this thread is a true crime blog. I happened to notice that this happened two blocks north of the shop:
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2018/02/21/philly-shooter-van-crash/
Van driving up Broad at 8:30pm, someone shoots into it and kills the driver. It's a mom; and her three kids, all under age four, are also in the van, injured but not shot.
I sent this story to Steve, who is now many hundreds of miles north. He answers "Van looked like the one that was always parked in the lot with sketchy shit happening."
Steve knows the ghetto and the people better than I ever did, since he spent five years there as opposed to my 6 months full-time. "The lot" is where we parked, a block away.
My old fellow pawnbroker has started a photography hobby and part of it is taking candids outside the shop. It is a fine display of the people of Olney/Logan. About a third of his Instagram is these street photos
https://www.instagram.com/taoistpunk/
A few of the pictures are NSFW but you can scroll passed them quickly.
Ah yes those are a professional model in a photo class he took.
A few of the pictures are NSFW but you can scroll passed them quickly.
I found them. Thanks Bruce.
During the looting period, Alan's brother Dan's pawn shop was broken into and entirely looted by a team of 6 looters. The shop was a total loss, including the loss of valuable property for hundreds of people in the ghetto. There is video of the looters as they empty the store for 45 minutes, including at least two clear faces, but none have been caught. Looting is not covered by insurance.
Sounds like they could've used an old school Democrat like Richard Daley.
(15 Apr 1968) 04/16/68
Chicago, Illinois: Angry
Mayor Daley of Chicago announces that his police force is to shoot to kill any arsonists and shoot to maim or cripple looters... if and when there is another riot in his city:
[YOUTUBE]olNN2iT41S4?&end=47[/YOUTUBE]
Makes that Republican Trump fellow look like a wimp.
That sucks, T. On many levels
Angry Mayor Daley of Chicago announces that his police force is to shoot to kill any arsonists and shoot to maim or cripple looters... if and when there is another riot in his city:
And the whole world was watching. Tens of thousands said so in unison on Chicago's streets.
Which is why what was known then still applies today. You cannot trust anyone over 82.
And the whole world was watching. Tens of thousands said so in unison on Chicago's streets. ...
In Chicago, hundreds of thousands approved of that message. They stayed home and reelected him twice more with landslide victories of 40% and 51% margins respectively.
That sucks, T. On many levels
Get used to it.
[ATTACH]71195[/ATTACH]
[SIZE="3"]Black Lives Matter Holds Rally Supporting Individuals Arrested in Chicago Looting Monday[/SIZE]
... “I don’t care if someone decides to loot a Gucci or a Macy’s or a Nike store, because that makes sure that person eats,” Ariel Atkins, a BLM organizer, said. “That makes sure that person has clothes.” ...
..."That is reparations,” Atkins said. “Anything they wanted to take, they can take it because these businesses have insurance.” ...
Ah, those Black, Living Marxists.
My old fellow pawnbroker has started a photography hobby and part of it is taking candids outside the shop. It is a fine display of the people of Olney/Logan. About a third of his Instagram is these street photos
https://www.instagram.com/taoistpunk/
I'm digging his photos. I had looked at them previously, but it's interesting to see them during covid. I find myself looking to see who is wearing a mask.
"Innocence and fun will always be with us"
He captures it and crops it perfectly. Currently 23rd of all time for reddit/r/streetphotography
That right there is why I work with kids.
