RANT: Real Change Nightmare

[acemotel]

Want to hear from the Real Change vendors in person?

http://www.insp-blog.org/realchange/

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[Kevin]

I was downtown so I stopped by my usual Real Change vendor and posed the question about how unlicensed folks might get papers to sell.

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He offered a couple of thoughts. Evidently on the day before the new papers are distributed each week, licensed vendors are allowed to buy papers for 20 cents each. So there is the possibility that a licensed entrepreneurial type vendor could buy papers and make a little extra money re-selling them to an unlicensed friend and be able to make perhaps 10 to 20 cents per paper and still allow the unlicensed friend to have a profit margin.

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He also told me that on pickup day, which I believe is Wednesday that many times vendors will announce that they have extra papers to sell. Once again, an opportunity for a licensed vendor to buy and re-sell at an even greater margin.

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There are legitimate reasons for buying these “old” papers. My friend always keeps a few previous weeks copies for regular customers who did not get the previous weeks edition and want a copy so they will not miss a single story. He says it is no problem to sell a half dozen papers from the previous week.

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He also told me about a common scam where an unlicensed seller will have one copy (or claim to) and when you say you will buy it, they tell you that this is their last copy and could they just please keep the dollar? My friend tells me that it is quite common for folks to offer a dollar and sometimes two dollars and tell him to keep the paper.

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One other note is that if a vendor sells X number of papers per month they get exclusive access to their “turf” and they can legitimately ask another vendor to move along and the other vendor must comply.

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[DP]

“As you go about your pampered existence? do you have a roof over your head?”

—Yes, but I prefer my tinfoil helmet. See, a roof can’t protect your brain from gamma rays the way a foil helmet can . . .

“Are you free of mental illness?”

—See my response to Question 1.

“Do you have some food to eat?”

—Um, does government cheese count?

“Friends?”

—Why yes. Of course. I have all my wonderful friends on the West Seattle Blog.

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[DP]

Kevin said: “[One] 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.“

—What?! Encouraging panhandlers to be more aggressive? Ha! That’s rich!

Kev Baby, do me a favor. Please PLEASE don’t ever change, man.

The world would be a MUCH less interesting place without you.

;-)

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[Sue]

Today I was going to the farmers market and a guy came up to me with Real Change and started desperately begging for money, saying that he’s the guy who sells papers at Safeway (couldn’t tell you if that’s true – I don’t go there), and he only had $2 left and had to buy papers before the office closed for the day. Don’t know if any of that was true, but at least he was nice enough when I said no.

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[JoB]

DP…

is the guy hawking time shares in your favorite vacation spot a panhandler?

How about those standing outside restaurants on nob hill in San Francisco trying to entice you inside?

What about the people who sell flowers on the street? or fruit? or ????

my point is simple.. if they are selling something they are salespeople.. not panhandlers… and unless you pitch your product.. no-one is likely to buy it.

you have never seen aggressive unless you have been trapped by a time share salesman… they beat the pants of the most aggressive panhandlers every time.

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[Kevin]

JoB makes a good point about “sales people” Several years ago I read an article about pan handlers and how people like to be entertained.

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The idea being that folks who ask for money and entertain you are not really pan handlers but are folks who are providing a SERVICE, and should be compensated accordingly.

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A good example is a woman on the waterfront from about a decade ago who had trained a small dog to hold a cup in its mouth and work the crowd as they took pictures and placed money in the cup.

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Each show lasted about 5 minutes and then once the crowd dispersed, the dogs owner appeared from the shadows, emptied the cup and set the dog up for the next appearance. Now THAT was entertaining! My friends and I each GLADLY put a dollar each in the cup!

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In another more recent case, there was a guy sitting on the sidewalk in front of Nordstroms asking for TWENTY CENTS. First I said sorry… and then later I just had to return and find out WHY he only wanted 20 cents. I told him that I found twenty cents in my pocket that I did not know I had, but to GET the 20 cents I told him he had to tell me WHY he only wanted 20 cents.

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He replied that when he asked for a dollar no one would stop and talk to him but when he asked for just 20 cents folks would give him money. OK – MILDLY entertaining, but it worked on me.

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It works both ways – have you ever wanted to take a picture of a down and outer, or even anyone on the street but they either refused (you CAN take their picture legally anyway) or you just don’t have courage to shoot a stranger – even if from a respectful distance??

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Fear not – there is a group of photographers who have started a $2 portrait project. The idea is that when someone asks you for money you tell them NO but quickly reply with a question, asking them if they have heard about the TWO DOLLAR portrait project.

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How does that work is the usual question? The photographer replies that they will give the person $2 if they are willing to pose for a few pictures and then tell a short story about themselves, and also (if using a digital camera) help the photographer decide which is the best picture. Some of the examples are quite striking. This is sort of entertainment by request.

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http://www.flickr.com/groups/2dollarportraits/

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So next time someone hustles you for money, have your camera ready and ask them if they have heard of the project. You will make them feel good, you will feel good, and you may just get a great picture in the process.

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[blackwatch]

I’ve always supported Real Change and I enjoy reading the paper itself because you get a different view than you do from the majors.

My wife and I have noticed that there seems to be a rash of people who hold up the RC like they are vendors only to pull the paper back when your money comes out, because it’s the only paper they have. The woman at the junction liqueur store is famous for this. She is also not happy with the customary $1 as she asks for additional contributions.

And I really hate to pick on someone so down that they think they have to resort to these tactics, but she and the others like her, screw it up for the ones that are just trying to play it the right way.

I’ve found that the majority of Real Change vendors are just normal people down on their luck or in transition, and I’ve had many discussions with them. But I think it’s very important that people of means not exclude the struggling from their world, It’s a great reminder of how fragile this whole situation is…….

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[PhoenixMyxx]

Hi. I like this original post….And I’m a street kid, lol…Excellent word choices, :D
…bad habits…😆

I did used to work at Slice Street Media Productions, which aimed to, and succeeded at, helping street kids to help themselves through vending …but the Slice…was never like this 🤑🫠🤬🥴🥺show, that is Real Change.

For starters, ALL contributors to the publication, were street kids, and it operated as an anthology, rather than Corporate, Help Nobody “not for profits”, such as Compass Center, as merely an avenue to get hurt’n people to flog off their political agendas, on the off chance that they might get a kickdown from folks they are led to believe, that they have some sort of God-Given right to well, aggressively panhandle under the guise of “vending” papers

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[Author]

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