While in Las Vegas for the industry’s annual trade show, Pawn Expo, a group of pawnbrokers from all over North America gathered for lunch for their second tip drop of the year. The idea, which gained popularity over the past few years, particularly during the holiday season, is that a group of diners pay for their breakfast with a $100 bill and refuse the change, thus leaving behind a large tip.
“Our first time doing this was while attending the Midwest Pawnbrokers Convention in Louisville,” says Erika Brooks from The Pawnbroker Network, “which resulted in a $930 tip for the server. That time, when the recipient realized what was going on, she was overheard saying that this was one of the luckiest days of her life, second only to the day she learned she was pregnant with her daughter.”
This time, the group and the tip was even bigger. “We know that Vegas has been hit hard by the pandemic and now inflation and tips have suffered, so we were excited to be able to brighten our server’s day in this unexpected way,” Brooks shared. The Las Vegas server, who took a few minutes to understand what was going on, was visibly overwhelmed with gratitude.
The group included pawnbrokers from stores across North America:
- AmeriPawn in Northern Indiana
- Capital Pawn in Oregon
- Arlington Jewelry and Pawn in Illinois
- Premiere Pawn in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
- Fieldstone Jewelry and Pawn in Georgia
- King’s Jewelry and Loan in California
- Elk River Trading Company in Tennessee
- Tom’s Pawn in Texas
- Gem Pawnbrokers in New York
- Top Dollar Pawn in Maryland
- Dynasty Jewelry and Loan in Georgia
Deanna Thompson of Marque Luxury, who was named the Industry Partner of the Year at the trade show, also attended.
“Not everyone knows pawnbrokers,” Brooks said, “So we really enjoy this fun way to get out and let folks see our industry from a completely different perspective.”
