'Cash for goods' outlets arrive in Athlone

"You'd better take your diamond ring and pawn it, babe," suggested Bob Dylan in one of his most famous songs, Like A Rolling Stone. Until recently, if you wanted to follow that advice in Athlone you would not have been able to find a suitable outlet. However, last month a new store opened on Church Street which offers people a chance to "sell us your goods for instant cash". Entitled 'Cash Creators', it is one of a number of new businesses in the town whose names offer the promise of easing financial woes. These include 'Easy Money' - a cash for clothes outlet - and the 'Pot of Gold' amusement arcade, both of which are on Sean Costello Street. 'Cash Creators' is operated by Robert Walsh (20), whose father is the proprietor of a similar business in Galway. Speaking to the Westmeath Independent this week, Mr Walsh said he was hopeful that the Athlone shop, which opened in mid-December, would be a success. "Business is quiet since we opened but this does not surprise us as there was a similar experience in the Galway store until such time as people gained confidence that we are a legitimate business operating in a fair and ethical manner," he said. On Thursday last, the items offered for sale in the store included CDs, 'smart phones', jewellery, TVs and a high-powered telescope. Mr Walsh denied that a store of this kind was a 'recession-type' business. "These stores are used by people from all different walks of life in the UK, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia where the first of these type of stores opened nearly 20 years ago. "They are not recession type stores, as the format has worked successfully abroad even through boom periods," he said. "I would really like people to visit our store without any preconceived ideas. The stock is constantly changing and the range of goods is very varied. We provide a wide range of services which I will expand over the coming months." He said there were strict measures in place to prevent people from selling stolen goods to 'Cash Creators'. The store has ten rules guiding its transactions, which he referred to as 'the ten commandments'. The rules include the fact that people selling goods must produce a form of ID and a proof of address, and that all transactions are recorded on CCTV cameras. "Anyone attempting to sell us stolen property will involve us calling in the Gardai," said Mr Walsh. "Quite honestly, our precautions and methods are far superior to those employed by online traders as we only buy goods from the public having met them face to face." He added that, with the opening of the store, he had come off the live register after being in receipt of jobseekers' allowance for two years. "I felt that opening a store like this was a viable option for me and hopefully it will be a success as it is great to get off the unemployment register," said Mr Walsh, who is on the back to work enterprise scheme. The 'Easy Money' store on Sean Costello Street advertises the chance to turn re-wearable clothes into cash. Its rate of payment offers 80 cent per 1kg of clothes, meaning a 10kg bag would yield €8. The Westmeath Independent was given a phone number for the proprietor of this business but he could not be reached at the time of going to press. A spokesperson for the National Consumer Agency advised the public to ensure they are getting value if they decide to use similar stores. "The National Consumer Agency would urge consumers considering using one of these outlets to not go with the first price they are offered but to check the price with a number of different outlets to ensure they are getting fair value," said the spokesperson yesterday (Tuesday). "Consumers should be aware that they may be selling their belongings for a fraction of their actual worth and should think carefully before agreeing to any sale."