Coffins and Pawnshops

Times are tough financially. The housing prices, gas prices, grocery prices; everything seems to be going up, causing our wallets to be lighter. Some of us take on extra jobs to make ends meet. Some of us will cut back on anything considered a luxury. Some of us will pawn things.

At Pasternack’s Pawnshop in Aurora, an unusual item was recently pawned. A scratched-up, well-loved (if one can love such a thing), coffin was pawned. It seems appropriate for the season, or maybe just a little strange.

The creepy box, perfect for vampires, is just one of many things people are pawning at increased rates. People are in desperate need of money since the economy took a dive. They are pawning their personal belongings just to make rent.
In addition to pawning their items, people in the city are buying things from pawn shops as well. Unfortunately the prices of new items seem to be rising with the cost of everything else in our lives.

According to the National Pawnbrokers Association, almost half of households have used pawnshops to sell or buy items. With the uncertainty of the economy, people are remaining very frugal and watching their dollars closely. Honestly, can we blame them? Thrift shops, pawn shops and yard sales sound more appealing by the minute.