She’s always there, just outside the door of the PCC Natural Market, standing, sometimes sitting, between the lined-up grocery carts and the display of hanging fuschias and potted herbs. Like the greeters at Walmart, she has a smile and greeting for everyone.
She doesn’t work for the store, though. She’s an independent vendor of “Real Change,” a small street newspaper. It sells for $2. Her profit is $1.40 per sale.
On my way into the store, we smile at each other and she comments on my red jacket. I consider whether or not I have two dollar bills … inside my wallet, inside my purse. I pull out a grocery cart, and my thoughts jump ahead to my shopping list. Maybe on the way out…
In the past I’ve given her money without taking a newspaper. I wouldn’t read it anyway, I told myself. I already have too many books and magazines at home waiting to be read. Save a tree, I reasoned, or at least a small slice of a tree.
At the same time I was vaguely aware that refusing the newspaper was an insult. We both felt it as I walked away. This woman is not a beggar.
I don’t know anything about her life. What I do know is that most of the Real Change vendors were homeless at one time. Many still are. What I do know is that this woman is attractive, hard-working, and unfailingly friendly. She has a slight accent, maybe Korean, and she looks to be about forty years old.
Once inside the sprawling grocery store with its expensive organic treats and treasures, it’s easy to forget the woman outside.
I push my cart up one aisle and down the other. I choose a salad and a salmon patty at the deli counter. Stop for a cupcake in the bakery section.
At the check-out stand, I place my bananas and carrots on the belt. The box of pre-washed spinach, the nairn’s oat cookies, the Indian simmer sauce. I pass my cloth bags to the checker. I slide my credit card, punch “no” for cash, sign my name. Finally I ask the clerk for change. “I need some ones,” I say.
When I buy my copy of Real Change on the way out, the vendor compliments me on my new haircut. A sales technique? I don’t think so. It’s hard to fake a sweet personality like hers.
And what about the newspaper? Well, it turned out to be worth reading. I skimmed most of the articles and read a few. The article that particularly caught my attention was a report on a resolution that was passed recently by the Seattle City Council apologizing for past anti-Chinese policies. An interesting story. Maybe I’ll discuss it here sometime.
Near the back of Real Change they run a “vendor profile.” Steve Gunn, the featured vendor that week, is said to have a loyal following at Sixth and Union in downtown Seattle. “I respect people,” he says, “and I also want people to respect me.”
That’s the important thing about being a Real Change vendor or customer:
RESPECT.
This is an excellent article Nicki. We have Real Change Vendors at all three grocery stores in Admiral district and so I’ve gotten to know some of them. I always say “catch you on the way out,” and make sure I do. They deserve our respect and support, they are not pan handling.. Like you, I generally skim articles, read others. It’s an excellent publication.
It was the sweet lady outside PCC who won me over, Maureen.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Nicki. Like others, I am sometimes hesitant in helping. I’m involved in a non-profit agency that supports woman and children. They run three homeless shelters; people I’ve talked to are suspicious, think the women are scam artists. Maybe some are using the system but I’ve met plenty of women who are struggling to find enough work to house themselves and their children. Like your friend at the grocery store, I think once we get to know someone we better understand how we can help.
My neighborhood association supports a shelter for single women with children for Christmas. I can’t imagine how frightening it would be to be homeless when you have children to support.
I like the idea of people having a stake in the change they desire. It sounds like a good program for those who have a flair for sales. If my circumstances changed, I think I might be ashamed to stand outside my supermarket… But one must cross hurdles on the way to one’s dream place.
There are some people outside my local supermarket holding newspapers. I’ve been curious, but not curious enough… to ask about what/why paper… It might be a similar program.
I feel the same as you do, Timi, about standing in front of my local supermarket. If my circumstances changed and all my support system disappeared, the first hurdle I’d need to overcome would be my pride.
A toughie. I understand your hesitation and your guilt. In Portland Oregon there were a lot of street beggars and in SE Asia there are plenty more to be had. My mom always told me that if they were working for it (playing an instrument, or trying to sell something) then she would give money, but if they were just outright begging, then no. Of course, as you know, in Asia there are folks who are neglected by society because of their circumstances (no legs or arms) and that is another situation to consider. So, I do like that Real Change is trying to do something positive. However, it can be uncomfortable if you feel like you have to give. Then again, it’s just 2 dollars.
When we lived in the Philippines, I often came across a man who sold lottery tickets. He had no legs, and he rode around on a homemade mini-skateboard, pushing himself with his hands. There was something about his sense of self-respect that attracted me. Even when I didn’t give him money, we spoke to each other. One day I saw him in front of the Catholic church with a brand new wheel chair, proudly greeting his many friends. I wasn’t the only one who liked this man for his courage and his good personality.
Sounds like a good program/paper:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Change
Hope it does cause Real Change to occur.
Thanks for the link, Nancy.
Like some of the other commenters, I never know if they are legit or not. Seeing the same person selling the same newspaper would give me a level of security that it was. Kudos for supporting her.
Deciding who to help and how and when is such a personal thing. Requests, especially in person, tend to leave me feeling slightly uncomfortable–whether I support the person or not. Decisions, decisions. We do the best we can.
I usually feel uneasy in these situations, not knowing if I’d be foolish to pay. It sounds like this is a worthwhile enterprise. Kudos to this lady and to you, Nicki.
It’s so hard to know, Isn’t it, Carol. And one hates to reward someone for being the best liar.
This is a touching subject. In the UK, the vendors, the homeless and long-term unemployed have to source the start-up money to purchase the magazines, the Big Issue. Over the past two decades the magazine has become synonymous with challenging, independent journalism and renowned for securing exclusive interviews with the most elusive of superstars.
Many years ago, I volunteered for three days at Crisis, a homeless organisation over the Christmas holiday. The food and venue were donated by local business and companies; we even had fancy food donated by local businesses and members of the public for the volunteers. Most of the guests lived in hostels and bedsits. They came to the centre for the companionship and support.
One of the volunteers said ‘there is a thin line between them and us’ and the story unfolded. The previous Christmas, he volunteered at Crisis and met a former lawyer. His life went to pieces when he discovered the murder of his wife and baby at their home. He lost his job, home and ended up on the street.
There is a fine line between the have and the have not. Does less equal more?
Your story about the homeless man who was a volunteer the previous year is chilling. Thank you for adding it to the conversation. My daughter and I were saying just yesterday that those people who have family and friends to support them are more likely to survive economic problems. Family support is better than money in the bank when it comes to staying on the comfortable side of the “thin line.” The man you speak of suffered such a huge tragedy. I hope he’ll be able to recover.
Hello Nicki,
Thank you for your positive article about “Real Change.” I often see vendors of this publication in the University District when I go there for a weekly meeting. I find these people humbling. I often buy the paper, but I must admit, I seldom get to reading them.
Your article could change that.
I enjoyed reading the profile on the last page of Real Change. With all the books, newspapers, blogs, and magazines, we’re overcome with options. I subscribe to only one newspaper, (the Sunday edition of the Seattle Times) and one magazine (The Atlantic). I keep debating whether I should save a tree and just read them on line, but I really do enjoy turning the pages.
It’s nice that you can actually see the product “Real Change” in action. I get approached all the time by charity groups outside the markets, asking for a donation. Sometimes they knock on my door. And they spin a story. It might be true. It might not be true. I know quite a few non-profits that turned out to be exactly the opposite. (The most depressing one was the “Animal Rescue” group Gentle Barn.)
So now I research carefully and simply refuse to donate to an organization on the fly. Haven’t seen any papers like “Real Change” in LA, though.
I agree. The majority of our charitable giving should be through organizations we’ve researched. No matter how much sympathy I may feel for someone asking for help on a freeway ramp, I don’t like to give him or her money. Begging be the roadside can’t be the best way for him to dig out of whatever hole he’s in.
Thanks for the background on Real Change!
I’ve ignored Real Change vendors before. But after looking into it, I’m more likely to buy one–especially, of course, from the lovely woman in front of PCC.
When I lived in Chicago, in some areas, people would sell newspapers like this. Sounds like that newspaper helps bring real change to people’s lives. It’s nice that others play a part in helping foster that change.
I think one of the secrets of success for Real Change is that vendors have to pay $.60 for each newspaper, so it’s a business transaction. They wouldn’t take it on unless they were willing to work and by extension for many of them, to make real changes in their lives.