RANT: Real Change Nightmare

[Escondido]

I heard this recently and it has given me a new outlook:

Be kinder than necessary. Everybody has a challenge in their life that we know nothing about.

And btw, when I do buy a paper, I always try to make eye contact and ask how they are doing. Have had some wonderful conversations.

[GenHillOne]

Again, I don’t know how my experience is so very different, including the JS Safeway, which I visit at least once a week. Where ARE these people? I’ve just never encountered them. Perhaps a smile goes a long way.

–

If, as reported, there are people representing themselves as RC vendors all over West Seattle, maybe that’s a discussion for the agenda, Erica/Tara. There are only 3 listed on Real Change’s website, which is where you can go to read more about the organization; it’s about more than providing money for booze and smokes – http://www.realchangenews.org

[triplecp]

….I guess everything will just get paraphrased. Either way I’ve sent another email over to Safeway this afternoon, I guess if they allow solicitation outside of their stores they should at least confirm who is really there doing what RC stands for and who is there to get some fast cash by for a tall can of hurricane.

And yes I forgot to mention, after looking it up – there are only 3 registered. And I’ve only seen two of them, which is Roger and the lady with the dog. She did have a badge, but I didn’t see her on the website. The rest…..who knows.

[maryws]

I buy Real Change every week. I’ve never had a bad encounter with anyone selling Real Change, even outside Safeway. I think it is an excellent paper and a good cause.

[JoB]

i too am often asked to buy Real Change when i venture out into the world. If they are wearing a badge i buy a paper… If they aren’t i point that out to them and tell them that when they are registered with Real Change i will be glad to buy a paper from them.

I would never buy anything from anyone who is intoxicated or obviously hung over… but since i have never been asked by a Real Change vendor with a badge.. i haven’t had to make that decision.

I have a difficult time with people who label purchasing the Real Change newspaper from a street vendor a handout.

I am purchasing a product.. and the vendors make it convenient for me to do so. I am not sure what differentiates them from any other sales service we choose to patronize… except for the idea some have that they are all homeless and therefore somehow less deserving to make money.

I also tip. I don’t see any reason why tipping a Real Change vendor is considered a handout when tipping other service people is considered and obligation.

there is something about looking people in the eye and acknowledging them as human beings that almost always ensure a more positive interaction.

triplecp..

it strikes me that when faced with the choice of emailing the director of the program and talking with someone who has some authority to do something about the illegal vendors… those illegal vendors are getting their papers somewhere… you chose instead to contact Safeway to get all Real Change vendors removed from their premises.

you state you are “no way against helping the homeless that want to get helped” .. yet you don’t take the time to differentiate between those who are doing just that and those who are using the paper as a vehicle for panhandling…

if a registered Real Change vendor loses their sales territory because of your complaints.. you will have done just that…

[triplecp]

JoB,

In my letter to Safeway I’ve specifically referred to these individuals as “unlicensed RC retailers”, there was not a tiny bit of any exaggeration in my letter to them. So no I have not asked for “All Real Change retailers to be removed from their premises.” Neither has there been any time when I depicted licensed RC badge holders as “aggressive annoying bums that ask me for money every day” in any of my correspondence. I’ve also explained what RC is and provided them with links to their website, so they can do their own research and see how the program works and so on.

I don’t have any problem with the two people that I’ve mentioned in my previous posts. They are always nice, respectful, and I’ve talked with them numerous times myself, donated money, talked about the dogs and what have you. Always polite – always a pleasure.

It’s the overwhelming and constant nagging of the other 5 or 6 that I absolutely can’t stand anymore. There is one guy that puts on a giant charade, acting like he’s an auctioneer, waving his hands and being all loud and obnoxious. Starts with Real Change, ends up with spare change and then closes with a cigarette.

Another lady that’s now at the liquor store on California that has not an ounce of decency or modesty with her everyday’s “Come on young folk, you’ve got all your life ahead of you, you won’t notice a buck or two gone !”. The other day she even had the guts to tell me “If you have a dollar or more I’ll take all you want to part with !”.

One guy that’s there every night, standing around like a ghost muttering to himself, asks for money on the way in, on the way out, then for cigarettes. He also has another friend with him, sometimes they tag team the entrance together.

Fourth guy is a little more heavier set, usually squats right in front of the entrance, got grayish long hair. I remember going to spend my last 10 bucks before payday to get some dinner for me and the wife, we walked out and told him “sorry, we don’t have any spare cash” and got a good ol’ “well, you had enough to get all that food in there !”

I don’t think stuff like that repeating over and over is grounds for me to be considered some insensitive jack that has a grudge against homeless people. It’s frankly annoying. I think when you get to the point of wanting to shop elsewhere because of these things it’s a pretty valid thing to complain about.

Are these people legitimate RC vendors ? Honestly, I don’t know, like I’ve said before I don’t intend to ask every single one for their badge. If they are, and if I am in fact to consider them as vendors providing a service this kind of stuff is not appropriate.

[jan07]

Real Change is a terrific paper which I buy and read at every opportunity. I also value the chance to interact with members of our community I would normally not have much exposure to, through the structure of the Real Change paper purchase. I deliberately patronize stores which feature Real Change vendors.

[GenHillOne]

So, triplecp, at least 3 of the people that are bugging you are probably not RC vendors and aren’t at Safeway and yet in your thread title, and original post, you rip both. Have you also spoken with management and written the state about those 3 around the liquor store? You’re changing your tone a bit now, but I’ll address the elephant in MY room. Not that long ago, you posted this:

https://westseattleblog.com/forum/topic/looking-for-just-about-anything

I’m glad (truly, unemployment stinks) that it sounds like things have turned around for you, but as acemotel pointed out above, but for the grace of god/goddess/dog/whatever, go I. And when you set the whole thing up with statements like “their life sucks and I’d be drinking too,” I just can’t give you much empathy. I’m happy to see I have other neighbors who know what that word means.

[triplecp]

I don’t think it’s as much of me changing the tone but rather clarifying some of the things that I’ve missed on my original post. I “assume” they are not RC vendors. Just like now I assume a large portion of them aren’t, and not just as West Seattle.

The lady that now resides at the liquor store, yes I indeed have asked them about that. My answer was “she’s not hurting anyone” which seemed slightly strange to me.

Did I generalize in the beginning, yes I suppose I did and I apologize for that. Perhaps the overwhelming amount of people selling RC in one place blindsided me. Especially when it’s combined in large numbers.

As far as the other post, I’m not quite understanding what you’re aiming at.

[JoB]

triplecp..

if they aren’t wearing a Real Change vendor badge.. no question… they aren’t real change vendors… even if they do have papers in hand.

i have never met a badged Real Change vendor who was anything less than polite.

if the lady panhandling at the local liquor store bothers you that much… buy your liquor from another store… i certainly would. I can’t recommend the one in White Center though if you don’t like drunks… the junction lady is a real lady in comparison :(

[me on 28th Ave SW]

For what it is worth, I have witnessed two odd Real Change events in the past week. While driving through the parking lot, I saw a (likely unregistered) Real Change person being escorted away from the front door at Jefferson Safeway arguing and yelling all the way (made me think of earlier posts about this location) and then on Monday evening my daughter (I was waiting in the car) witnessed a Real Change vendor (registered?) yelling at the driver of a parked car in front of the pet supply store (next to QFC). I only post because I thought that both events were so strangely opposite of the interactions I usually observe with the vendors. That combined with the big increase in numbers of sellers in our area makes me wonder what is going on. I get that lots of people are struggling (my friends and family are certainly not immune!) but it is the new aggressiveness I find off-putting, and frankly unexcuseable.

[me on 28th Ave SW]

And, yes I buy Real Change from registered sellers and I have never had a problem.

[Blend]

I don’t mean to be a pampered person who complains but when my son is in the car and someone yells at me on his side of the car when the window is down…it bothers me.

It doesn’t have anything to do with who has a roof and who doesn’t. I used to be homeless and I was still nice to people. I know people with mental problems and they can still manage to be nice. Maybe we just need to figure out how to help these people..if they do have mental problems that make them shout at other people. But to just accept it because they have a disorder and allow them to shout at people who have children in their car just doesn’t seem right.

So any ideas for how we can help the rude man at Safeway? I am open to any suggestions. And will try and help if I can.

[ttt]

We moved here from Wallingford & there is definitely a difference in the RC vendors. Many of them here smell of alcohol and do get in your face. I like the paper and used to buy it regularly in Wallingford, but I don’t here.

[JoB]

the question is..

where are the non-registered real change vendors getting their papers?

i saw the guys at QFC Westwood and they couldn’t produce badges…

i reported them to the store management and they were gone when i came out of the store.

[triplecp]

And this kinda sends me back to the “why didn’t you talk to the RC people” question.

Well…what can RC really do about unlicensed vendors ? Take their papers away ? What will that achieve ? They can still find the papers around town, I’ve seen a lot of people buy 10-20 papers from someone and give them 20-50 bucks in return. Two blocks away they would throw them in the trash and go about their day. I assume most of the illegitimate vendors simply “find” their papers and get rid of what they can. From the standpoint of RC…you can’t really regulate how and where the papers are distributed/found. That would just be impossible to do.

[Kevin]

Perhaps the unlicensed sellers are buying their papers from a legitimate RC vendor who is perhaps an entrepreneur and “wholesales” some of his / her papers or is simply doing a favor for friends Just one theory.

[JoB]

Kevin…

i suspect that is a more realistic scenario..

and one that that Real Change can do something about. I am pretty sure that is not allowed under their vendor agreements.

triplecp…

and that is why i think talking with Real Change would be more effective….

if your actual goal is to prevent unregistered Real Change vendors from harassing people on the street… talking to Real Change about the problem is likely to produce results.

If it is simply bashing a program that is actually doing something productive to move some homeless people from the street into housing then you are going about it the right way :(

[JoB]

btw…

i am guessing those in the “how dare they make a living hawking their paper on the street” crowd are not old enough to have purchased a mainstream paper on the street from a newsboy…

or to have watched any of the 40s and 50s movies where the story was moved along by a visual of the presses running followed by the kid hawking the headline on the corner as loudly as he could shout…

Or to have purchased their alternative paper in the 60s from a hippy standing on the corner doing the same with a smile and not so much noise …

Real Change vendors are part of a long standing American tradition that began just about the time we set our leather soled boots on this continent… the town crier… pursuing the great American dream…. capitalism.

What’s not to like about that?

[HolyKow]

Newspapers and door to door sales were a longstanding American tradition.

Now they are a dying breed. And rightly so.

We have moved on to things that have less environmental impact and can be accessed via free internet connections and computers at city locations (libraries and other public terminals).

As far as the door to door sales, that should be considered trespassing and should be made illegal because of all of the shady things that it can entail.

Street hawkers should be licensed by the city, have set hours and conditions (perhaps even locations) to operate, and be held accountable to complaints under penalty of loosing their license.

Door to door should be wiped off the map.

hk

[KBear]

“We have moved on to things that have less environmental impact”

Don’t be too sure about that.

http://www.google.com/search?q=carbon+footprint+of+google+search

[JoB]

HolyKow..

but hey..

you really want everyone to have equal opportunity..

as long as it’s no inconvenience…

;-(

[triplecp]

Maybe each batch of papers sold to a vendor can be marked with a specific number ( kind of like screener movies are when they are presented to a movie theater. If a pirated copy leaks and a number is seen on the screen, everyone knows which movie theater leaked it. ) that way if an unlicensed vendor gets caught without a badge, the papers can be tracked back to whoever is supplying them to others. Sounds a bit … “Mission Impossible” for something this ridiculous, but…who knows.

Either way I want to apologize for my perhaps edgy approach to this situation, I just really am bothered by such an uprise of solicitation on the streets. I tend to be a rather cut off person when it comes to my free time, and any kind of personal intrusion just really gets under my skin. I’m really glad I don’t get door to door salesman at my house otherwise I would probably up and move to another area, but even small things like getting accosted by random folks in front of my own grocery store really get under my skin. Being respectful and tactful is one thing, but there really hasn’t been any of that lately in the junction when it comes to panhandlers/homeless/etc.

Hope you all had a good Thursday !

[JoB]

don’t get me started on door to door salesmen..

even beware of dog signs don’t stop them :(

[triplecp]

Just route some cables from your door bell to the doormat and soak it with water. Will give them a bit of a shock when they ring.

[Author]

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