Pawn Shop Advisor Blog

It Isn't You

During a pawnbroker's meeting, on a break I was doing one of the things I enjoy doing most. No - I wasn't kicked back outside of the hotel smoking a cigar. I was in the lobby with the rest of the pawnbrokers doing something I've been practicing for years. Aggressive listening. By doing so it's amazing what you can learn. There were lots of conversations going on but one in particular caught my ear.

A small group of pawnbrokers were discussing interaction between pawn shops and law enforcement - always a subject worthy of note. One lovely lady pawnbroker was bitterly complaining about the treatment her and her employees received by the police officers in her town. She stated that all of her employees are trained properly to screen customers and keep suspect property coming in her shop down to a bare minimum.

But occasionally, when some domestic related garbage slips through the cracks, the police department comes in and treats her and the employees like common criminals. Needless to say she was upset. She was being offered much great advice from the group and when there was a break in the conversation I could not help myself. I had to chime in.

All it took was three words. I told her "it isn't you."

She asked me if I felt it was just the police officers in her town and I told her "no, it isn't them either." She asked me to explain so I questioned her. I said "you've got someone dirty operating in your town - don't you?" She looked surprised and told the group that she really wasn't sure but she's been told there is a shady operator or two in the area. She asked me how I knew.

So I told the group that during the 17 years I represented my state pawnbrokers association, I had done my share of negotiation between pawnbrokers and law enforcement in an attempt to establish cooperative and legal working procedures in many towns. And it's been my experience that areas that had the most horrible procedures also had the worst operators.

I'm not kidding - I once had a sheriff say to me "Steve, it's all a game anyway, isn't it? You guys buy stolen stuff but occasionally we catch you, right?" Sorry Mr. Sheriff - that isn't the real world. Have you ever thought of maybe doing your job and shutting down any place that is intentionally attracting and purchasing stolen merchandise? No - I didn't say that to him - but I wanted to.

But I did say to this lovely lady pawnbroker that until the shady operators in her area either retire, go out of business, move, or get arrested, it will be very difficult to get a working procedure in place in her town. Why? Because if you put a mutually fair and legal working procedure in place right now, the police department knows that all the bad guys will abuse it horribly.

And this is the message I would like to leave with you today. If you occasionally find yourself getting abused by law enforcement just because you're a pawnbroker - even though you've done nothing wrong - even though you would never intentionally deal in suspect merchandise - do not take it personal. Odds are - it isn't you. It's some other dealer in your area.

This is why I have placed many written procedures and systems in the Pawn Shop Advisor(tm) coaching program http://www.pawnshopadvisor.com/main.cfm in regards to this subject. In the customer systems section, I give you many examples of how to implement customer screening systems and train your employees to use them properly.

The employee systems section of the program also expands on this information. But remember, this is only a very small part of the information contained in the program. In the 15 sections of the Pawn Shop Advisor(tm) coaching program http://www.pawnshopadvisor.com/main.cfm I cover nearly every aspect of your business - and most of it is covered like you've never heard before.

My success only happens if yours does - don't you think it's about time you give it a try?

Keep your eye on the target and your mind on the goal,
Stephen Krupnik

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