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Hardcore Pawn

 Hardcore Pawn
type
TVTItem
 Hardcore Pawn
label
Hardcore Pawn
 Hardcore Pawn
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HardcorePawn
 Hardcore Pawn
comment
American Jewelry and Loan is owned by Les Gold, a 62-year-old man who is the son of a pawnbroker who once owned Sam's Loans, a now-defunct pawnshop on Michigan Avenue in Detroit. Les first opened American Jewelry at the Green Eight Shopping Center on 8 Mile Road in Oak Park in 1978, moving to its present location in 1993.In 2011, American Jewelry expanded to its second location when it acquired Premier Jewelry and Loan in Pontiac; the new location was featured in the first few episodes of Hardcore Pawn's fifth season and in two episodes of the sixth season, where Seth deliberates selling the Pontiac location behind Les's back.Les's only son, Seth, a graduate of the University of Michigan who initially pursued a career in medicine before joining the family business, is the general manager, Les's business partner, and handles the shop's marketing. Seth claims that if it wasn't for him, the shop's only marketing would be "an ad in the Yellow Pages". The co-manager is Les's daughter, Ashley (a college graduate from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in business administration and a graduate diamond certification from the Gemological Institute of America), who, as the series debuted, returned to the shop after taking some time off for maternity leave. The sibling rivalry between her and Seth is a common element of many episodes.In December 2015, it was announced that Ashley would be departing from the show. No new episodes have aired since, although this didn't stop American Jewelry from opening further locations — in fact, the business has only continued to grow. A third location opened in June of 2016 when it acquired Joey’s Pawn Shop in Hazel Park, and a fourth opened in early 2021 in an ex-Payless Shoe Source store in Southgate.
 Hardcore Pawn
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2024-02-09T23:53:12Z
 Hardcore Pawn
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2024-02-09T23:53:12Z
 Hardcore Pawn
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Dropped link to LexLuger: Not a Feature - ITEM
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DBTropes
 Hardcore Pawn / int_14beeefd
type
Darker and Edgier
 Hardcore Pawn / int_14beeefd
comment
Darker and Edgier: Compare and contrast with Pawn Stars: that program focuses on the items being bought and sold, whereas Hardcore Pawn is all about the drama - the clashes between Ashley and Seth, the Hair-Trigger Temper customers, Les' never-ending search for new ways to make profit.
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_17501df2
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Cool Old Guy
 Hardcore Pawn / int_17501df2
comment
Cool Old Guy: Les.
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Hardcore Pawn / int_17501df2
 Hardcore Pawn / int_19209d54
type
Sibling Rivalry
 Hardcore Pawn / int_19209d54
comment
Sibling Rivalry: Seth and Ashley. Les tries to keep a lid on it, though with doubtful success. Ashley has stormed out of the store on at least one occasion because Seth pushed one button too many. Things came to a head in a recent pair of episodes where Seth and Ashley were instructed by Les to work together on improving the Internet sales section of the business, but spent so much time bickering and so little time communicating that Ashley ended up shipping a valuable Winter Olympics 2002 torch to an overseas customer without getting clearance from Seth. The shipping company destroyed the torch because it's against regulations to ship flammable material, and Les ended up giving both of his children a royal chewing-out and taking over the Internet sales department himself.
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Hardcore Pawn / int_19209d54
 Hardcore Pawn / int_1a01fd1c
type
Kayfabe
 Hardcore Pawn / int_1a01fd1c
comment
Kayfabe: The show shares this perception in common with many other shows on the TruTV network. Elements such as (almost always) black customers going ballistic about something they've bought or are trying to pawn or sell, and the bickering between Ashley and Seth, as well as someone bringing in something unusual to sell and Les (or occasionally Seth) getting all excited about it, turn up in literally every episode to the point that it's easy to conclude that those things are deliberately hyped up, if not outright scripted, to make the show more exciting.
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_1dfd19f9
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Papa Wolf
 Hardcore Pawn / int_1dfd19f9
comment
Papa Wolf: Les towards customers who disrespect his kids. After one customer made lewd comments about Ashley, Les wasn't too pleased with him.
 Hardcore Pawn / int_1dfd19f9
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_2719ab04
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Special Guest
 Hardcore Pawn / int_2719ab04
comment
Special Guest: NHL player Darren McCarty of the Detroit Red Wings, who initially appeared to sell his items but was hired as an entry level stockbroker. Wrestling legend Lex Luger appeared in one episode, selling his old WWF costumes for charity.
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_3036294e
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Scary Black Man
 Hardcore Pawn / int_3036294e
comment
Scary Black Man: The shop employs several of these gentlemen as security guards. They will throw belligerent customers out of the shop at least Once an Episode, if not more often.
 Hardcore Pawn / int_3036294e
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_35a858b3
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Cluster F-Bomb
 Hardcore Pawn / int_35a858b3
comment
Cluster F-Bomb: Hardly an episode goes by that a dissatisfied customer doesn't drop one of those (and ends up getting escorted out of the store for his or her pains).
 Hardcore Pawn / int_35a858b3
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_3ccaf3ac
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No Swastikas
 Hardcore Pawn / int_3ccaf3ac
comment
No Swastikas: An aversion with interesting reasoning - unlike Rick Harrison, Les Gold has no problem purchasing Nazi memorabilia, as shown by one episode when a customer tried to sell him a wristwatch allegedly worn by Hitler's wife Eva Braun, which Les only declined because he couldn't be convinced of its authenticity. Ironically, being Jewish, Les wanted to buy the items to teach his grandchildren on what his grandparents went through.
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_47fea76b
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Butt-Monkey
 Hardcore Pawn / int_47fea76b
comment
Butt-Monkey: Bobby J. If there's a demeaning crap job to do or a humiliating item one of the Golds wants to test, Bobby J is usually chosen. A particularly good example is Les putting Bobby J in a sandwich board and walking the sidewalk to try and sell watch bands. A passing motorist threw a water bottle at him.
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_5eb8a669
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"Angry Black Man" Stereotype
 Hardcore Pawn / int_5eb8a669
comment
"Angry Black Man" Stereotype: Justified in that a very large percentage of all customers who get screen time are angry and Detroit is over 85% black.
 Hardcore Pawn / int_5eb8a669
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Hardcore Pawn / int_5eb8a669
 Hardcore Pawn / int_63b02752
type
Hair-Trigger Temper
 Hardcore Pawn / int_63b02752
comment
Hair-Trigger Temper: Quite a few customers qualify (see the Berserk Button entry above). Sometimes, Ashley counts, as seen by an episode where she refused a deal after a customer made a joke at her expense.
 Hardcore Pawn / int_63b02752
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_7fbb2a3
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Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
 Hardcore Pawn / int_7fbb2a3
comment
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: After the shop's chief of security is caught repeatedly stealing from the shop, Seth insists on searching all the employees when they leave that evening. The following day, much of the staff calls out sick in protest, leaving the shop extremely short-handed.
 Hardcore Pawn / int_7fbb2a3
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Hardcore Pawn / int_7fbb2a3
 Hardcore Pawn / int_91bac88
type
VoiceOfReason
 Hardcore Pawn / int_91bac88
comment
Voice of Reason: It usually fluctuates between Les, Seth and Ashley over who's fighting who with the odd one out having to play the peacekeeper.
 Hardcore Pawn / int_91bac88
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Hardcore Pawn / int_91bac88
 Hardcore Pawn / int_9858c391
type
Chick Magnet
 Hardcore Pawn / int_9858c391
comment
Chick Magnet: Rich, who often has to deal with attractive female customers flirting with him.
 Hardcore Pawn / int_9858c391
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_a4c37cbe
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Mood Whiplash
 Hardcore Pawn / int_a4c37cbe
comment
Mood Whiplash: One of the show's standards: highlight a customer coming in very cheerful and upbeat about selling something, show Les or Ashley considering it and either telling them a low offer or that it's not the quality that they think it is, then watch as the customer goes ballistic because they overestimated the quality and expected the amount to be ten times as high as Les told them.
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_ae303e0a
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Clashing Cousins
 Hardcore Pawn / int_ae303e0a
comment
Clashing Cousins: Ashley and her cousin Karen. After Les hires Karen as a manager, Ashley constantly felt Les is favoring Karen over her, and even storms out of the store on one occasion.
 Hardcore Pawn / int_ae303e0a
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_b01abe4f
type
Catchphrase
 Hardcore Pawn / int_b01abe4f
comment
Catchphrase: Les usually mentions in his segments that "If you do X, they will be more than happy to do Y." (For example: If you come in acting calm and civilised, we will be more than happy to do business with you)
 Hardcore Pawn / int_b01abe4f
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_b53077b3
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Take That!
 Hardcore Pawn / int_b53077b3
comment
Take That!: In the pilot episode, Les states "We don't call the experts, we are the experts".
 Hardcore Pawn / int_b53077b3
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_bc74ef27
type
Berserk Button
 Hardcore Pawn / int_bc74ef27
comment
It's rare that an episode goes by without some customer's Berserk Button being pressed, for example, when they're told that an item they thought was really valuable isn't, or they run into a difficulty of some kind at the redeem window (usually because they didn't bring their receipt/ticket with them or they overlooked something else important like the due date for payments). This invariably leads to the unhappy customer dropping a Cluster F-Bomb (see below).
 Hardcore Pawn / int_bc74ef27
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_c33ba0a8
type
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
 Hardcore Pawn / int_c33ba0a8
comment
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Les Gold's wife Lili was featured in early promotions and appeared occasionally in the first season, but disappeared from the show afterwards. Similarly, Robo, the original head of security on the pilot, was temporarily suspended for inappropriately kissing an employee, but was never seen on the show again.
 Hardcore Pawn / int_c33ba0a8
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_eb8e4fa8
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Jerkass
 Hardcore Pawn / int_eb8e4fa8
comment
Jerkass: A lot of the customers. Seth also counts on certain occasions, particularly when he's mixing it up with Ashley. On one occasion, Seth is in charge of the store during a public holiday, and forgets to bank. As a result, the store is short on cash, with no way to transact with cash-paying customers, and Seth deliberately avoids informing Les about the situation for fear of being criticized. Ashley instead informs Les about his serious mistake, which could've costed the store thousands. Les reveals to Seth that he has stockpiles of emergency cash in his safe and resolves the situation, but instead of taking responsibility, Seth rages at Ashley for informing Les.
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 Hardcore Pawn / int_f36c4f98
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Easily Forgiven
 Hardcore Pawn / int_f36c4f98
comment
Easily Forgiven: Ashley spends an entire episode with a serious attitude insulting both customers and her family, sometimes going out of her way to do so, and cost pretty much every sale in the episode. What she does would have gotten anyone fired, family or not. Why did she do it? Because it was her birthday and no one wished her a Happy Birthday. It was then revealed that they did not forget and there was a surprise party set up for her. The end of the episode treats it as if all was forgiven despite how out of control she acted. It isn't surprising that some might accuse the show of being a Kayfabe after seeing this.
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Hardcore Pawn

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Hardcore Pawn
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Intentionally Awkward Title / int_9cd66559
 Hardcore Pawn
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Pillow Pregnancy / int_9cd66559