LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — More Las Vegas families are turning to pawn shops for school supplies as retail prices slowly rise and the economy remains in a slump.
There are 21 EZPAWN locations across the Las Vegas Valley, and according to leaders, there has been more foot traffic than ever this school season from families looking to save money.
The trend continues nationwide across hundreds of company pawn shops and other stores.
“Back to school is a huge time for us… as the years have gone on, and especially this past year, we’ve just seen such an increased demand for customers to be able to have access to these items and be able to stay within their budget,” said Brenda Jewell, market manager for EZPAWN Nevada.
Items in pawn shops for kids include sneakers, electronics, laptops, smartphones and smart watches, bicycles and even instruments.
Jewell herself is among many staff members that hunt for items for their kids.
“I bought my son a pair of shoes here just for ‘back to school’ as well. Even when he was doing trumpet at school, I had purchased one from us because the cost was actually less to buy it here than it was to rent it and pay for the maintenance,” Jewell said.
For parents like Nancy Ibarra, access to discount shoes is crucial for her growing son. Ibarra works at EZPAWN and is constantly on the lookout.
“He’s 10 and he outgrows shoes really fast. He just had a growth spurt,” Ibarra said, telling FOX5 she needs new shoes every other month.
What would she do without pawn shop options?
“I think it would be very difficult. Everything’s so expensive with them having like shoes, electronics –and that’s what like a lot of schools need also. I feel like it would be very expensive and maybe not possible,” Ibarra said.
Nationwide and in the Valley, parents are also pawning items to pay for school supplies.
If your child has outgrown or has no use for their school supplies, you can bring them in to sell; staff advise, bring in items that you would want to buy yourself. Give shoes a good scrub before bringing them in, staff said.
Copyright 2025 KVVU. All rights reserved.
