I think getting wound up at Pawn Shops is crazy. They are about the most regulated business in the country.
In our state, Pawn shops don't even get to decide what to charge. The state regulates what the rate of interest is, the set up fees, and the loan time. There are no variable for the business owner to change.
The worst part of the pawn business is that everyone is a liar. Not the business, but every customer coming through the door lies! We've actually kept track, and there is not a single one that didn't tell some sort of lie. This is a hard way to run a business if you know that everyone walking in the door is trying to take advantage of you.
The simplist of lies are "I'll be back in three days to get this out". Sometimes it's a week, sometimes it's every bit of the 90 days.
Or "I've never lost anything, I always pick up my stuff". The fact of the matter is that pawn shops DON'T WANT YOUR STUFF. They want your interest payments.
How about "I can buy that new for cheaper". If you really could, why are we even talking about it? You don't go into Safeway and say "Albertsons has white bread on sale for 39 Cents a loaf, and it's a day newer. Can you do any better on the price?"
My personal favorite is "I have one just like that at home, only better." Well, if it's just like it, it can be no better or no worse.
The cost of opening a store is in the neighborhood of $200K. The larger store in my community of 15,000 people has $320K out in loans right now. That's a hefty chunk of change when all you have is a bunch of old VCRs, Nintendo's, leather jackets, and Microwaves. Good days you might get a Craftsman tool set or a Marlin 60.
The fact of the matter is that the customers at Pawn Shops are jerks. I'd bet that one out of 20 have good intentions, but they are pretty rare. They still are victims of unrealistically hopeful timelines.
So, in closing, I don't know why anyone would bitch about Pawn Shops. You know exactly what you're walking into, and have no one to blame other than yourself. I know a lot of pawnbrokers, and none of them are filthy rich. Most of them live fairly modestly. All so you can dump off your old video tapes.