You can watch Hardcore Pawn on Tuesday's @ 9pm on TruTV. Click the image to go to TruTV's website to see clips and episodes of the show.
It’s no secret in my life that I absolutely love this show, when it’s 9pm on a Tuesday evening I stop for 30 minutes, turn on TruTV, laugh at this show and sometimes scream at the screen. A little run down on the show for those of you that haven’t seen it YET. It’s about one of the best things in America; a family owned and operated business, in this case a pawn shop out of Detroit. The older gentleman in the middle is Les Gold, he tries very hard to get his two children Seth and Ashley to work as a team while helping out the general public if they can. Trust me when I say there is a lot of family dynamics on this show. In hard economic times, and I am sure Detroit has been hit far harder than where I’m at, when we can’t turn to a bank to help us out any longer than we do what we can and turn to a pawn shop to try to get cash to buy groceries, gas in the car to get to work, pay the electric bill, ect.
So now you’re asking yourself why this show has earned a spot on The She Chronicles. Well, last night I watched them turn a young man away because he thought the best thing to do was be honest when Seth asked him why he was there to pawn a laptop; he needed cash to support his cocaine addiction. My mouth dropped when he said it, that had to be the most honest answer to the question I had ever heard on the show. Well Seth turned him away and let him know he couldn’t do business with him, he couldn’t buy or pawn the laptop because of that reason. The young man walked out mumbling under his breath and holding his head down, I can only imagine what he was mumbling and the anxiety of having no clue of where he was going to get the cash to get his fix at. He came back in with jewelry. When Seth saw him talking with Ashley he immediately went over to tell him once again, that he can’t do business in the store and let him know once again it’s because he’s there to get cash for his addiction. I’m going to throw in there a life-threatening addiction. Sigh… I have deep respect for the Gold’s for doing that, DEEP RESPECT. They may have saved that young mans life that day by turning him away and not giving him the 50 bucks to buy his fix with. I’m sure it was a painful experience for that guy but he needed someone to take control of his addiction for 5 minutes and say no.
One of the hardest things I had to do when I got out of detox, was going to the stores that I frequented to buy alcohol, give them a picture of myself to hang up, and tell them that I was an alcoholic and under no circumstances were they suppose to sell me alcohol. It sure as hell made me think twice about going to the beer store and relapsing. Probably saved me my sobriety and more importantly saved my life.
So, for what I saw on Hardcore Pawn last night, the show earns a spot on The She Chronicles as the best show on TV.
Thank you to the Gold’s for most likely saving one addicts life that day and doing it in a respectful way.
The She Chronicles 
As I’m sure you can imagine Bats. I’ve had a little experience in dealing with pawn shops. And while I agree that the actions of this particular shop owner were commendable, I can’t help but wonder if they’d behave in the same way without the cameras rolling. I hope I’m wrong, I want to believe that there are people in that business that behave that way, but my experience has left me feeling that they’re as happy to prey on the misfortunes of the addict as the drug dealers themselves are. Again, I hope I’m wrong… 😐
I’ve thought the same thing, also how about the gamblers that come in 4,5,hell 10 times a day to pawn to get money to go back to gamble that away? I hope that when the cameras stop rolling that they still do business in a commendable way with the drug addicts and alcoholics. I was shocked the guy was even admitting it to him, hell I certainly wouldn’t have said that’s why I needed the money.
I am thinking along the same lines as IzaakMak on this one Bats, it would be very nice to believe that these Pawn Brokers would turn their backs on the Cocaine Addict but in reality would they really care enough to do that? I suppose there are those that would do this in real life as the programme suggests, but I tend to think that once the cameras are switched off then it is business as usual.
A very pessimistic view I know that but those are my thoughts on this one nonetheless.
Have a really wicked Thursday Bats and watch out for the Vampires,
Nooooo strike that, indeed watch out for the Peeping Policeman… lol
Just Kidding 🙂
Androgoth Xx
Hope you’re having a great day Androgoth!
I am Bats and how about you? 🙂
Androgoth Xx
Doing tired today Androgoth but hanging in there. 🙂
I’ve never been in a pawn shop, probably because my impression has always been that they are sleazy places full of sleazy people. I know they are trying to improve their image around here but still…
I’ve seen a few episodes of HCP, and I do watch Storage Wars regularly, but I find the thing that gets lost in these shows — Auction Hunters is another one — is the people whose stuff is in the storage units and the ones bringing their belongings in to be pawned.
Pawn shops have been around, and taking advantage of people, forever. But putting it on TV only makes sense in a broken economy when a significant part of the population might have to hock their TV to pay a bill. The storage unit programs are worse because there’s absolutely no interaction with the family or individual who cannot pay their fees. The premise is basically “how this stuff got here is a mystery” And then there’s the celebrations over finding literal treasure that could have helped the family pay their bills… but that’s probably the socialist Canadian in me. I think I mostly watch Storage Wars because of Brandi.
Top three reality shows on TV, imo, are Intervention, then Deadliest Warrior and any of the Kevin Trudeau infomercials where he tries to convince three hookers the government is out to get us all.
Okay I don’t know if we have Kevin Trudeau around here but I’m gonna Google that because it sounds funny as crud. I’m enjoying American Ninja Warrior but I have no clue when it’s on so I only get to enjoy if I’m channel surfing and I just so happen to notice it. And hey I LOVE Brandi, she’s awesome.