Down here at the pawn shop - Page 16

Big Sarge · 11-30-2012, 06:24 PM

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

Undertoad · 11-30-2012, 06:26 PM

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.

BigV · 11-30-2012, 06:30 PM

Sammy sounds like a bit of a misanthropist.

Undertoad · 11-30-2012, 06:39 PM

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.

Lamplighter · 11-30-2012, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad

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.

jimhelm · 11-30-2012, 09:21 PM

Spencer loves his laptop. It's faster than his hp was, and he can play sky rim with no lag. Thanks again!

Undertoad · 11-30-2012, 10:45 PM

Kickass.

Spexxvet · 12-01-2012, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad

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?

Undertoad · 12-01-2012, 08:40 AM

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.

SteveDallas · 12-03-2012, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad

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.)

Undertoad · 12-03-2012, 12:41 PM

Historically yes ("nickel bag") but today not really. Inflation and all that.

Undertoad · 12-03-2012, 01:06 PM

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.

jimhelm · 12-03-2012, 02:02 PM

They also say 'inkpen'

have you noticed?

Undertoad · 12-03-2012, 02:38 PM

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.

Undertoad · 12-03-2012, 02:48 PM

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.

11-30-2012, 06:24 PM	#226
Big Sarge Werepandas - lurking in your shadows Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: In the Deep South Posts: 3,408	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 __________________ Give a man a match, & he'll be warm for 20 seconds. But toss that man a white phosphorus grenade and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

11-30-2012, 06:30 PM	#228
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	Sammy sounds like a bit of a misanthropist. __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

11-30-2012, 09:21 PM	#231
jimhelm a beautiful fool Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: 39.939705 Posts: 4,504	Spencer loves his laptop. It's faster than his hp was, and he can play sky rim with no lag. Thanks again! __________________ There's a Shadow just behind me. Shrouding every step I take. Making every promise empty, pointing every finger at me. _tool

12-03-2012, 02:02 PM	#238
jimhelm a beautiful fool Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: 39.939705 Posts: 4,504	They also say 'inkpen' have you noticed? __________________ There's a Shadow just behind me. Shrouding every step I take. Making every promise empty, pointing every finger at me. _tool

11-30-2012, 06:26 PM	#227
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	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.

11-30-2012, 06:39 PM	#229
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	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.

11-30-2012, 10:45 PM	#232
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Kickass.

12-01-2012, 08:40 AM	#234
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	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.

12-03-2012, 12:41 PM	#236
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Historically yes ("nickel bag") but today not really. Inflation and all that.

12-03-2012, 01:06 PM	#237
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	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.

12-03-2012, 02:38 PM	#239
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	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.

12-03-2012, 02:48 PM	#240
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	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.

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