Banco dei pugni

We have Hardcore Pawn in Ireland for the past year and a half. I first watched it a couple of months ago. In that time i don't think i have ever seen a family business run in the manner that this family run theirs. Normally when the kids come to work in the family business they start somewhere at the bottom so that they learn respect for Authority. These two consequences for children do not even respect their own father never mind that chap Rich who has been manager for 25 years. The series is a few years behind here in Ireland so i had to see an updated version to see if Rich the manager was still there. I just happened to look at the episode where he gets sacked. I can only say that they should be called the "Adams Family in Pawn" cause thats where it is at in terms of logic business. To think they have not grown up in two years is unbelievable. I did see the next episode where Rich comes back, but the Father is in the background watching him like a hawk as though he has done something terrible. The two Gold Kids should go out and get a job in the real world and learn to have respect for other human beings. If they want to be in Managerial Positions, first learn to be the employee so to understand the importance of the employee. The only other reason for all of this carry on is that it is staged. I would like to believe this is the case rather than to believe that this family actually run their business in the manner they do. If it is true the way they carry on, i can just imagine the family home on Thanksgiving: Ashley: Dad Seth is picking on me again. Seth: No Im not Dad, i had first say on the Turkey drumstick and she just can't keep getting her own way on everything. Dad: if the two of you don't stop arguing i will give the drumstick to your Mother. I've been cutting up turkey's for many years and i want you both to learn how to cut up a Turkey together even if it means on the journey you cut the Turkey to ribbons each year while you learn, at least in the end you will learn. The Turkey in this case is the employee's and the Father hopes that in the end they will eventually learn to respect the employees that are under their supervision. If the above is actually real. Its a very very long journey.

After watching 2 episodes of "Hardcore Pawn" and noticing that the producer of the show is Richard Dominick, I wasn't surprised. Dominick is/was the producer of the Jerry Springer show, and unless you've been living under a rock, you know what drek that show is.

Others have commented on the curious similarity, or dissimilarity to 'Pawn Stars', if you were hoping for something in the same vein, forget about it. Pawn Stars in a more interesting take on the PBS show 'Antiques Roadshow' and is interesting as well as entertaining. HP is televised ghetto exploitation, I felt like taking a shower after watching it.

It gets 2 stars because the camera operator didn't drop the camera, I'm feeling generous today.

Being among the majority of viewers who find (some) entertainment in this, the latest style of "reality shows." ie based on odd albeit interesting professions. I HAVE TO SAY, "This family was born to do this work." For a minute, their competition, "PAWN STARS" almost lifted the reputation of pawnbrokers OUT of the gutter. FEAR NOT American PAWNBROKERS EVERYWHERE......this family are the very brand of parasites your "profession" is believed to have in droves. I'll start at the top. Ashley the sister, is without a doubt, her fathers daughter, but at times, shows some charity if only by giving "lip service" to the plight of those she deals with. Les Gold, the father is a "stand fast" negotiator, if he sets a price when buying merchandise, he won't budge from THAT price no matter what. The problem is, the price is NEVER FAIR. One gets the impression that as a boy, he must have been bullied. The reason for this is, no matter the price asked by a seller, he always goes lower, as if to force his will on the person he deals with. And NEVER SLIGHTLY LOWER...he goes so low as to insure disappointment, injury if you will. A not so sub-conscious need to avenge his own honor. He achieves the opposite. In any environment, outside an actual "Court of Law" what he does, would be considered robbery. The son Seth, is the worst of the bunch. He derives some sort of internal pleasure each time he "gets the better" of some poor "down on their luck" citizen of Detroit. The expression on his face is chilling. It isn't so much a smile as it is a sneer, showing contempt for those he considers beneath him. ie. The very people who put food on his table. He drew a "misers pleasure" by charging a fee from a man whose superstition put a need to have daily contact with some figurine he had pawned with the shop. To watch Seth tell his little scheme of charging a "visitation fee" was truly "telling". He all but wrung his hands, like the classic "villan" in an old "silent film". I feel it necessary at this point to mention that although they're in the same trade, the folks on "Pawn Stars" conduct business in a completely different manner. I suspect that when a client leaves the Vegas pawn shop, he feels as if he's been treated fairly and with respect. In contrast.....when a Detroit citizen leaves "American Pawn and Jewelry" the ONLY thing he feels....is the need for a bath.

In closing, I can't help remembering the woman who came into "Pawn Stars" with a small, old fashioned pin. A butterfly perhaps..... She was hoping for a hundred dollars or two, as she'd found it in a drawer belonging to her recently passed granny and knew nothing of its' true value....after close inspection of the pin, and the blue box it came in, the "pawnbroker" informed the woman of what she had.....what the "Pawn Stars pawnbroker could EASILY have purchased for a mere few hundred dollars. Would NOW cost him $17,000.00, due to his sense of "fair play". Had this woman possessed the "bad luck" of living in Detroit, Les or Seth Gold would have probably whittled her down to a hundred dollars or less, and walked away feeling fulfilled by their negotiating "skill"(?)and their ability to wrangle a larger profit from an unsuspecting victim. This show is worth watching if only to show HOW NOT TO DO BUSINESS.

Hardcore Pawn is a reality television series that follows the day-to-day operations of American Jewelry and Loan, a pawn shop in Detroit, Michigan. While the show delivers a glimpse into the pawn industry, it is clear that some aspects of the show are staged for dramatic effect.

Several episodes of Hardcore Pawn come off as cringe-worthy, with the employees and customers engaging in over-the-top arguments or outrageous behavior. This can make the show feel more like a soap opera than a documentary. Additionally, some of the plotlines are predictable, with the shop's employees often dealing with similar situations week after week.

One criticism of Hardcore Pawn is that some episodes feel staged. It's not uncommon to see customers come in with valuable items that are too good to be true, or confrontations that seem to be set up for the camera. This can be frustrating for viewers who are hoping to see real-life interactions and transactions at the pawn shop.

Despite these criticisms, Hardcore Pawn does offer a unique look into the world of pawn shops and the people who visit them. The show can be entertaining and informative, especially for those who are unfamiliar with the inner workings of the pawn industry. However, viewers should keep in mind that some aspects of the show may not be entirely authentic.

Found this show by accident and thought at first it was some parody of Pawn Stars but after watching 4 or 5 episodes I have come to some firm opinions. First, if ever a show perpetuated stereotypes, it's this one. From the sneering, low ball price offering Jewish money lender who "just want to help every one out if I could" (the father) to the "look at me, I'm tough when I stand behind my burly bodyguards and flex my mini-muscles while I imitate Daddy's sneer (the son) to the whining, screech-voiced princess of a daughter who, by the way, should probably spend more time pushing herself away from the table, and less time proclaiming how much she and her brood of Harpy's " care about the people". I'm still not convinced that everything that happens in that zoo isn't at least slightly enhanced for the cameras. That being said, I thank my lucky stars I've never had to deal with anyone like this group and I'm sure glad I don't live in Detroit but anyone who buys the crap this bunch is selling and thinks this is compelling TV would probably shop there. God forbid.!!