Jacksonville pawn shops report more people pawning and selling belongings amid inflation
The United States inflation rate is at 9.1% right now, and more people are turning their belongings into local pawn shops to help make ends meet.
Pawn Smart on Atlantic Blvd. in Arlington has seen as much as a 60% increase in people pawning and selling their items to help manage the cost of living for things like gas, rent, groceries, and utilities.”To get by week to week, they’re bringing their stuff in to just get by,” Pawn Smart’s manager Richard Gierbolini said.
He noticed an uptick during the pandemic and is now seeing even more new customers as inflation rises.
”Jewelry, tools. A lot of them are pawning their livelihood just to get by; it’s tough,” he said. “Whatever they have of value – gold, electronics, vehicles, we’ll do it all.”
Locals like David Freeman have been avoiding the pump as much as possible.
”Twenty dollars – this is a friend’s car that I’m driving because it’s cheaper than my El Camino – but either way, it’s very expensive,” he said.
While Freeman says he isn’t struggling, he’s been picking up odd jobs to pack-rat some extra cash.
Freeman fears high prices are here to stay.
”It’s super depressing for everybody,” he added. “They’re just trying to get by. Because this is unacceptable, it really is.”If you’re looking to save money, pawn shops are good places to buy high-quality used items much cheaper than you would brand new.
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