RANT: Real Change Nightmare

[triplecp]

<rant>

Alright first of all let me clarify and say that I am in no way against helping the homeless that want to get helped. However, I’m against these boozers and bums that sit around at every entrance to Safeway asking you for money every time you walk by. It’s really just becoming unpleasant to go to the grocery store in the Junction because of constant harassment for money.

Real Change….in my opinion makes no change. None whatsoever. All it does is aggravate the people that have to listen to that monotone “Real Change” chant everywhere they go, and that’s about it. Most of these people in the Junction that do retail Real Change aren’t even badged retailers, they are just bums, looking to get more booze and cigarettes. Which you know what, that’s fine with me, their life sucks and I’d be drinking too, I just don’t want to be hassled everywhere I go.

If Safeway really likes to keep these people around the store, maybe they should instead hire them and give them jobs. If you don’t want them to bag groceries, then make them clean up the back room, take out garbage, sweep the street – SOMETHING ! Something that will actually pay them at least minimum wage and make some substantial difference other than providing chump change off paper sales to further induce their bad habits.

I’m just glad the lady with the glasses ( the one that now conveniently guards the doors of the Junction liquor store ) is finally gone from there. Comments like “come on young people, I know you have money” makes me want to cry wolf and tell her where to go and what to do with herself.

I really wish Real Change editors and owners would come up with a better plan if they really want to help, just like any other businesses that seem to enjoy their customers being bummed for cash every single day ( if not more than that ).

</rant>

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[pam]

I agree – I’m tired of being accosted each time I walk into the store. And it’s not a question of being able to be able to politely say no or just walk past, they have become more and more aggressive. It’s to the point where I don’t want to shop at the stores where the Real Change people are ‘working’. And I realize that once I release my money to them it’s no longer mine and none of my business what they spend it on, but it is disheartening to see someone go straight to the beer cooler to spend the money they just got.

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[WSB]

This post was flagged so we have reviewed. I will likely delete this anyway as it makes unsubstantiated allegations against Real Change sellers – have you asked each and every one for their credentials?

But in the meantime, per our rant rules, what have you done to bring your rant to the attention of Real Change and Safeway, which seem to both be targets?

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[JoB]

check their badges and only buy from those who have them…

easy enough to do.

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[triplecp]

I don’t think this post necessarily makes any allegations against Real Change, except the ones that are obvious. I’ve lived in West Seattle for over 7 years now and I see the same people doing same things, sitting in the same places. I’ve asked people at Safeway why coming to the store became a nuisance and the only thing I’ve been told is that “they are not panhandling”, which is arguably untrue since most of the Real Change Retailers” hardly even give you a paper after you finally break down and give them money.

There is one lady that sells Real Change by Bartell Drugs in the Jefferson Square and she is nothing but pleasure to talk to. She’s got her badge on her and she has a little Beagle dog. Always polite, always off to the side of the store and very courteous. Not like a few others that decide to put on a show and force you into some conversation for you to fork over the money.

In regards to checking their badges…who’s really going to do that ? I don’t think anyone that’s tired of being bombarded with “spare change ?” will really take their time to stand there and involve themselves more when they are trying to avoid the problem in general. My argument was simply about not standing in front of the doors of a business and gang up on every exit and entrance. I honestly don’t care who and how they sell it, I’m just tired of being in a bad mood every time I hit the sore and have to walk out of the back door just not to be asked for cash 5 times within 30 minutes. It’s really just an unavoidable situation when it comes to shopping. Sure you can ignore them, but it becomes a little hard after it’s inevitably been forced to be a part of your every day routine.

PS:

I’ve edited my original post to include “in my opinion” so not to blatantly accuse Real Change of making little change whatsoever.

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[Carson]

Before this gets flagged. if you tell the manager at the Safeway that a vendor is being over-aggressive they will ask them to leave. If they don’t leave, they will call SPD. I have never complained but I have witnessed the managers response. This was at the Admiral Safeway. SPD “removed” the Real Change Vendor…

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[Carson]

and as a follow up, for every aggressive vendor there is another like the lady in front of PCC that will watch Carson when we shop.

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[triplecp]

Yeah and this goes back to the whole discussion of “what is aggressive ?”. I think standing right in front of the main and back entrances is aggressive, it’s unavoidable. It would be one thing if you could walk out of the store and walk up to a retailer that’s nearby to purchase a paper, or simply donate them some money, but it’s another when you’re faced with one immediately after walking through the door.

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[Kevin]

Let me play the devils advocate here. There are good and bad apples every where, and Real Change is no exception. I have met a number of Real Change vendors – both good and bad. One vendor is a very good friend who I first met on the corner of 1st and Marion when I was working in downtown. Some of you may know him – he is more commonly known as “Smile Guy”

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I have also met a few others who – IF YOU TAKE A MOMENT TO REALLY TALK TO THEM are real people who for whatever reasons are selling the paper because they need the money.

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I agree – there are the ones who are overly aggressive, but keep in mind there are some who lack self confidence or are under educated. Case in point is a guy who I have seen a number of times in front of the Walgreens on 35th and Morgan.

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The poor guy just stands there holding a paper and looks at no one in particular – hoping they will buy a paper. I took a moment one day to encourage him to be a bit more aggressive. I suggested he should smile and look at folks and verbally tell folks that he has Real Change papers for sale. I gave him a dollar and told him to keep the paper since I can read it online for FREE. He seemed to appreciate the advice, but last time I saw him he was back to just standing there. I feel for him.

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For those of you who think selling RC is a quick way to make change for smokes and alcohol – keep in mind that the vendors only make about 50 or 60 cents per paper and if you FAIL to sell all of the papers you have purchased (IN ADVANCE) you are stuck with them.

.

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[GenHillOne]

I’m always taken aback by these Real Change threads because I’ve never felt threatened or even bugged as described. Sometimes I buy (usually on the way out), sometimes I don’t. Never received – or witnessed – less than a “have a nice day or god bless” in response to my “sorry, not today” and never, ever have I seen a RC vendor go in and shop, for anything. Even specifically at the store mentioned. By all means, talk to management if it’s out of hand, but I also wonder if there is something else contributing to your discomfort.

–

and fwiw, I totally agree about the woman outside the junction liquor store – who is NOT a RC vendor, but definitely a panhandler and works that whole parking lot.

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[RarelyEver]

Wow, I’m very surprised to read so much negative comments about Real Change and its vendors. Frankly, I buy Real Change every time I get the chance – it’s a really good paper! I actually find myself reading it front to back and enjoying both the content and the writing.

It seems a lot of folks just see it as another way of panhandling, but before reading this thread I never even thought of it that way. It’s a bit disappointing, frankly.

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[msfan13]

Let me just take a wild guess here triplecp, you’ve never actually read a Real Change newspaper before? In fact, I’m sure you know absolutely nothing about the organization itself. Because if you did, you would realize that one of its primary missions is to address and counteract some of the very issues you have with the so called “bums” of Seattle. My advice, go to their website and do a little research before posting such an uneducated rant. Or, move to the eastside if you’re looking for a sterile environment.

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[HolyKow]

I am all for helping people that have not had the lucky breaks in a row that I call my life. However, ‘questionable street vending’ is problematic at best.

As a rule, I do not support panhandlers or ‘questionable street vendors’. You just do not know what the real story is, so I choose not to play their game.

Some people say check their badges (real change, door to door salespeople, et al)…I do not care if they have badges or not. I feel like a NYC cop looking at an Idaho Drivers License. I have no idea what an Idaho DL looks like(!), so how do I know if this is fake or not. You just do not know.

I say play it safe, do not be mean or nasty. Smile and nod/wave and keep on goin…. If you would care to engage them on a personal level, good luck to you. I choose not to.

To me, door to door salespeople and unlicensed street hawkers need to go. If you wanna advertise something, fine, gimmie a card with your special vendor number on the back. But the minute you ask me for money, buh-bye.

hk

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[triplecp]

I think I’ve read it maybe once or twice, primarily for the front page. Do I know much about the organization ? No, but it doesn’t take much to know what you see for years and years on end. Yes perhaps there is a small percentage of people selling real change that do actually make a difference in their life and end up getting a place to live, food on the table and what have you, but a lot of them really don’t. I don’t think making 50 cents a paper and selling a medium amount of them in a day can make a change for anyone. Like I’ve said before it would only make sense to employ these people with whatever jobs you have ( attending the parking lot, watering flower beds, cleaning the loading areas, taking out the garbage etc. ) instead of paying some big company to do it for you and pay these guys at least minimum wage so they CAN rent a place and not be homeless anymore.

I also don’t think colorful and non-sterile neighborhoods should be described by the presence of a million vendors and panhandlers. I love West Seattle and I think it is a great neighborhood to live in, I just like to get out of the house and go about my business in a relaxing manner instead of constantly being pulled in by someone that always either wants my time or my money.

I also don’t recall slamming every Real Change vendor out there, just the ones I see around the Junction on a daily basis. I’m sure the thought and the mission is genuinely good hearted, it just doesn’t solve the problem in my eyes.

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[Dalamar437]

I’ve only had good experiences with real change vendors. I respect the fact that the legitimate badge holders are doing “something” to earn the money and look for a hand up instead of just a hand out. I especially like to chat with them

if I have a chance and buy all their remaining papers in hopes they can go find a warm/dry place to be or go get off their feet for a bit instead of standing tirelessly in front of a store. I wish there were more programs like it!

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[ericak]

One of the field organizers has requested to be on the upcoming Junction Neighborhood Organization (JuNO) meeting agenda. I am working to confirm his availability now. The meeting is on Tuesday, July 13 at 6:30pm at Ginomai. Please feel free to join us to understand more about Real Change vendors in the Junction. This request was not a result of this thread – it has been in process for several weeks and thought this was a good opportunity to share.

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[cjboffoli]

There are a lot of causes worthy of support, including the issues of homelessness (and mental illness and addiction that sometimes goes hand-in-hand with it). However, I’m not convinced that giving out cash in the streets is the best way to solve any problem, even if those with their hands out are organized and vetted by Real Change. My greatest concern is that the cash I’m giving out would be doing more harm than good.

I’ve heard the opinions of Seattle Police Officers who have had plenty of interaction with perhaps the most unruly demographic of homeless people out on our streets. And I’ve actually taken the time to speak with and listen to some of the people in the local homeless population (including Roger, pictured below) connected to Real Change. And my personal conclusion is that I simply don’t feel comfortable giving out money randomly. It also bothers me to be solicited for money when walking on the street, including being “greeted” by a Real Change solicitor when walking into or out of a store. There are more effective ways to help the homeless, IMHO.

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[Blend]

The guy in front of Safeway is obnoxious. He asked me if I want to buy..I say no thank you..so as I am pulling out he asks me again and I just ignored him..he yells at me and says “WOW RUDE!!” I know the rules of the rant but I am not going back to the obnoxious scary guy to voice my complaint to him..I am going to avoid Safeway instead. Which I do most the time anyway because PCC is much nicer. So I got over to PCC and there is a sweet lady that is always there and has never been mean to me if I happen to ignore her. I went up to her and told her how much I appreciate her approach and bought a paper from her.

If Safeway wants to continue to have obnoxious rude people yelling at their customers then they will have to accept the consequences of losing a lot of business.

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[guidosmom]

I agree about Safeway in Jefferson square. I rarely go there now because of the aggressive real change people. I mentioned it once to a manager and they said they were sorry, but didn’t do anything. The majority of the other real change people have been fine.

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[Taram]

Hello West Seattle Bloggers,

My name is Tara Moss, and I am the Director of Vendor Services at Real Change. I want to let you know that only vendors with a 2010 Real Change Badge have an active vendor status with Real Change. If you decide to buy a paper from a vendor and can’t see a vendor’s badge (which they are required to have on and visible while selling the paper) please request them to show it to you. Non-badged vendors are quite possibly not current Real Change vendors.

We ask vendors who are selling the paper to abide by a code of conduct which includes treating both customers and non-customers with respect. If you have a negative interaction with a vendor I highly encourage you to contact me either by phone (206) 441-3247 ext 204 or at taram@realchangenews.org.

Thanks,

-Tara Moss

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[k]

there are good and bad vendors plain and simple. i used to support Real Change on a regular basis, but have had far too many “run ins” with vendors who are not legit. i have been harassed more times than i care to mention while parking behind the liquor store on California. it’s too bad that the bad vendors seem to be ruining it for the ones who are legit.

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[triplecp]

Thank you for your reply Tara. I’ve forwarded an email to the Safeway service department in Phoenix just to address the issues with illegitimate and aggressive vendors they do little about at the Junction Safeway, and in order to further satisfy the requirements of a “rant” on WSB.

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[bebecat]

I just go in the other door and keep my head down. I quit going to PCC a long time ago as I didn’t like being hit up by the vendor.

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[acemotel]

Real Change has, IMO, one of the best news reporters out there: Cydney Gillis. By and large, the writing and reporting in the paper is really excellent. I always buy the paper from badged vendors, and they are always kind and polite. Some of these people have mental health issues (i.e. the guy by Safeway who stands so quietly) and you folks who are complaining about the vendors need to get a life. I mean, really! Nothing else to complain about today? as you go about your pampered existence? do you have a roof over your head? are you free of mental illness? do you have some food to eat? friends? There but for the friggin grace of god….. because there is no grace here.

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[triplecp]

Pampered ? Hardly. My life is 7:30 – 5:00 and bills bills bills. But yes I do have those things. I guess some people enjoy their lattes with no foam, and I enjoy walking around my neighborhood without being bothered left and right. Yesterday I got hit up at Easy Street, 3 times at Safeway, Puerto Vallarta, and on the side of Cupcake Royale. This was my walk from home to Safeway, up to the post office and to UPS store. I say a little much for one trip. And out of all those supposedly registered I only know one that I’ve seen around and that is Roger, the guy with a walker.

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