Thursday, October 8, 2009

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Forms for Pawnshops ("fillable" version)

The downloaded PDF forms from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas website do not have the "editable" or "fillable" boxes. Meaning, you have to print out the forms, then fill-in the information by going retro. As in the previous year, you once again need to dust off your ancestral typewriter. Admit it, at the back of your mind, how you wish, the Bangko Sentral, with all the money in their hands, will post fillable versions of their forms in the future. For the good of our tax-paying citizens, how I wish too, that it is so!

Fortunately, I'm in a patriotic mood at the moment. So, let me share some of these fillable versions which I converted one sleepless night. I'm sure this will save many of you some valuable hair and time.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

How to start a pawnshop business

Dozens of how-to articles existed all over the web talking about pawnshop start-ups. Why add to the clutter? For the simple reason that I haven't yet completed my main contributions for this blog, tentatively titled inside my head--'How to develop software for pawnshops?', then perhaps, 'Avoiding the pitfalls of programming pawnshops!" (because it's not as free-wheeling as you might think it is.)

Pawnshops are sprouting faster than mushrooms in markets, malls, and—before you know it—at the nearest location where your neighborhood sari-sari store used to be. In fact, this reality comes personally closer to home. My father's property that we sold to a friend, is now rented by a famous french-sounding pawnshop chain.

In this post, I will not be rethreading the wheel. Here are links to the more helpful articles I read on the topic.

Programming pawnshops feels pretty much like silent movies


The Pawnshop (1916) was a slapstick comedy written by Charlie Chaplin, directed by Charlie Chaplin, and you guessed it right, starring Charlie Chaplin.

Be forewarned though that this blog is not about movies nor TV programs about pawnshops, pawnshop owners, and pawnshop assistants with pleasing personalities. This is an open journal in retrospect about my experiences, containing both comedic and tragic subplots, in writing software applications for pawnshops through the years.