Home › Forums › Open Discussion › West Seattle PCC “Real Change” Vendor
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January 17, 2009 at 10:14 pm #589496
dtipkeMemberNeed your help. West Seattle PCC
Market has released the Real Change vendor who
is highly professional and dignified. Real Change vendor coordinator Michael Garcia says she is one of their best; no complaints. CEO of PCC says new vendor will be there. Lots of support
for her, calls to manager, requesting a meeting,
W.Sea. High School principal/staff supportive. Any
ideas, thoughts, respond to this thread please.
school paper
(our vendor now has an apt. and needs her rent money)
January 17, 2009 at 10:43 pm #655204
charlabobParticipantI didn’t know the stores could “fire” the vendors — could you explain that? Meantime, I’ll call the store and do whatever else you suggest.
Perhaps a letter to the editor of PCC’s rag, ‘er paper.
What excuse did they use?
January 17, 2009 at 10:47 pm #655205
katieMemberThis is really sad to hear! The “red lady”, as my son calls her, is one of the reasons we LOVE to go to PCC. And I know I’m not the only one. Whenever we are there I see at least 2 or 3 customers stop to talk to her. I would REALLY like to know what PCC’s reasoning his for “releasing” her and what that means for her? I’ll write and call whoever, but I sure would like to know more details.
January 17, 2009 at 10:57 pm #655206
SarahScootParticipant@dtipke – Huh? Can you please rephrase your post so that one can actually understand the point you’re trying to convey? I can’t be the only one that can’t make any sense of this beyond that PCC “released” the woman in red who sells Real Change… the rest of your post made no sense to me :-(
January 17, 2009 at 11:13 pm #655207
wundrgrrrlParticipantditto scoot!
January 18, 2009 at 12:40 am #655208
vbseattle1MemberYes, please post more information, if possible. That vendor is wonderful, I can’t imagine going to PCC without her being there out front with a smile for everyone!
January 18, 2009 at 1:56 am #655209
WSBKeymasterTill dtipke revisits – She originally e-mailed us and at the time we were in the middle of several other things and since it sounded like she had some urgency in getting the message out, I suggested she post here. I asked a followup question because I thought R/C vendors paid for the papers and resold them wherever; dtipke explains that they do so with a venue’s permission, and she says PCC told R/C that this woman couldn’t be at the store any more. I will be trying to reach PCC and R/C to ask what their side of it is, but in the meantime I know the OP here wanted to start a campaign of support for the vendor.
PCC is the only regular R/C vending spot in WS, according to this page on their website:
http://www.realchangenews.org/VendorMap/map.htm
(I could swear I’d seen them elsewhere)
January 18, 2009 at 2:06 am #655210
pigeonmomParticipantI’ve seen them at Thriftway
January 18, 2009 at 3:01 am #655211
TammiWSMemberAnd Jefferson Square Safeway
January 18, 2009 at 3:41 am #655212
GinaParticipantand various corners at California and Alaska.
January 18, 2009 at 3:49 am #655213
herongrrrlParticipantWell, I’m very curious why the store would tell her to leave. I’m at PCC usually twice or more per week and I have never seen anything problematic about her being there. I was worried when I didn’t see her in her usual post earlier this week. She is always very friendly and pleasant.
January 18, 2009 at 4:11 am #655214
JeannieParticipantAgree. She is a delightful, friendly lady. Thank you for looking into this, TR. We’ll be interested in what you find out.
January 18, 2009 at 4:39 am #655215
JanSParticipantThere are regulars at Admiral Way Safeway, too…have been for quite some time. I’m so sorry to hear this. She is so friendly. I usually just give her the dollar and tell her to resell the newspaper…more money for her…
January 18, 2009 at 5:28 am #655216
AnonymousInactiveThere was an article in the “Seattle Weekly” on April 10, 2007 titled “Not All the Peddlers of Seattle’s Homeless Paper Are Homeless” written by Huan Hsu:
January 18, 2009 at 5:35 pm #655217
soclwrkrinmotnMemberI think that’s point of Real Charge, as a organization. It doesn’t mean the transition from homelessness is the end of it…it takes a safety net, security, and some income, to truly complete that transition.
And even then, it doesn’t take much to fall back into it, and that’s true for a good chunk of us on the blog.
January 18, 2009 at 9:02 pm #655218
JoBParticipantScottB…
the real Change organization is a first step employment option for the homeless and poor…
The key word that seems to have been overlooked here is employment…
whether a person is an independent contractor selling the Real Change Newspaper or an independent contractor selling high tech computer equipment.. their jobs are still real.
i have never seen anyone complain about bonuses for hard work.. those are assumed in any other position to be rewards for doing your job well.
Whether the vendor receives their bonuses from the company (Real Change) or from those who do direct business with them should not matter.
If the goal is to get people gainfully employed… why would we penalize them when they do so by taking away their job?
January 18, 2009 at 9:18 pm #655219
JoBParticipantSt the bottom of the PCC webpage there is a link to contact the organization…
i would suggest emailing the CEO, The Board of Trustees and the newsletter if you wish to support the real Change vendor who is being replaced.
if they are going to take such a heavy handed approach to a vendor.. we can at least make them tell us why they made the choice…
in the meantime.. there are too many other West Seattle groceries that offer organic produce and locally produced products for me to patronize this one.
January 18, 2009 at 10:30 pm #655220
herongrrrlParticipantI saw her at the Farmers’ Market today. Didn’t stop to chat, but she looked like she was doing well.
I’m still waiting to hear PCC’s side of it. I’ve been a member since 1989 and have a great deal of loyalty to the WS store, but as a member/owner of the cooperative I want to know how and why decisions like this are made. You can bet they will be hearing from me if they don’t have an extremely good reason…though I can’t imagine what that reason could be.
JoB, by all means, let them know if you’re not planning to go back to that store. I know PCC has been struggling to compete as other grocery stores start carrying more local/organic/natural products, and with a Whole Foods (supposedly) on its way to the neighborhood they really can’t afford to alienate customers by doing stuff like this.
January 18, 2009 at 10:31 pm #655221
charlabobParticipantI called PCC yesterday and was told (by a very nice assistant manager) that they just wanted to give someone else a chance — that it was NOT a reflection on her. Tomorrow I’m going to call the manager, Mike — TR’s “official report” will be great! I’m just trying to find out what the great unwashed public is told. It was obvious I wasn’t the first to ask…
January 18, 2009 at 10:56 pm #655222
TheHouseMemberI used to work for a large grocery corporation (over 10 years ago) and what I would assume happened is that someone finally wised up and stated if you allow Real Change to solicit in front of your store, you have to let other groups solicit in front of your store or you are discriminating (this happened with the girl scouts in my case). Guess what we did?? We banned all soliciting….even from the Girl Scouts.
I never saw this woman mainly b/c PCC doesn’t satisfy me, but if she was so awesome why wasn’t she working on the inside of PCC instead of pawning that useless newspaper?
January 19, 2009 at 12:00 am #655223
HMC RichParticipantMy wife is sad the Yvonne (spelling?) is gone. She went today and wondered where she had gone. After I told her, she wants to know where Yvonne will be so that she can buy it from her.
I have to ask. Did you know her name? My wife did but I didn’t. She had told me a few times. She is a very nice person.
Nice blowtorch House. I bet you will get a few shouts from that one.
Maybe the PI should have used the real change vendors too.
January 19, 2009 at 12:00 am #655224
FullTiltParticipantOh House, you are so ever charming.
January 19, 2009 at 12:23 am #655225
pbgirl423MemberCan you possibly provide a description of what this woman looks like?
January 19, 2009 at 12:31 am #655226
flowerpetalMemberAfrican American, Glasses, about 5’3″, plump, always a warm smile, never pushy about buying a paper, always something nice to say,
January 19, 2009 at 12:31 am #655227
AnonymousInactiveHouse, if that were the case, I’d be for it. I can’t stand being accosted by any of them. From bell ringers to signature gatherers. I especially hate when they stand between you and the door. And those girl scouts can give you quite the dirty look when you say no thank-you.
This seems to be a case of replacing one vendor with another however. And I actually like the paper and buy it downtown frequently. Although I’m given a choice usually to approach them if I’m interested.
As for PCC, over priced yuppie food. And now I’ll get yelled at more than you. The sacrifices I make for my conservative friends.
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