Rich and poor pawn for cash

DETROIT (MCT) — David Mazza walks into Motor City Pawn Brokers in Roseville, Mich., with an electric guitar in a soft black case. He says he has owned this B.C. Rich 6-string for about 10 years but needs to pawn it for gas money.

"I need the money more than I need this guitar," says Mazza, 44, of Warren, Mich. "It's worth $500 new, but I just want $75."

Three pawnbrokers stand behind a bullet proof glass window. A loaded 12-gauge shotgun hangs on the back wall and a loaded pistol sits on the counter, in plain view to deter anyone who might consider robbing the store, which handles thousands of dollars every day.

"I need a loan to help me get through payday," Mazza says. He shows his ID, and a broker types the information into a computer. Mazza says he works on outboard motors, but business has been slow.

"He's been here before," one of the brokers says. And that's typical. More than 90 percent of the customers at this pawn shop come back for a second loan, and the vast majority pay back their loans and get their merchandise returned to them.

Two brokers whisper behind the glass.

"I'd go $50," says the owner's son, Mark Aubrey , 24. "He's been here before."

"Will $50 help you?" the broker asks.

Mazza is wearing an Air Force shirt, open at the collar. Several silver chains dangle from his neck.

"Can I get $65 on a loan?" Mazza asks, looking through the window. "I'll get it back."

"We looked it up on eBay," a broker says, glancing up from a computer. "This guitar is going for $75- $80 used. Can you do $50?"

Aubrey steps in. "To be honest, we were going to go $40, but if $50 helps, you are a good customer. We can do $50."

"Fifty helps," Mazza says. It isn't a hard-core negotiation as much as a polite verbal dance.

He puts his thumb on a scanner, which makes an electronic copy of his finger print. A detailed record of the transaction will be sent to the police to make sure the guitar is not stolen.

They give him his money.

"Thanks," Mazza says. "It's really going to help out a lot."