Google Helps Homeless Street Vendors Get Paid By Cashless Consumers

An anonymous reader writes Starting today Seattle pedestrians can no longer pat their pockets and claim to have no cash when offered a copy of the ironically-named Real Change weekly newspaper by a homeless street vendor. Google has spent two years working with the Real Change organization to develop a barcode-scanning app which lets passers-by purchase a digital edition with their mobile phones. Google's Meghan Casserly believes the Real Change app — available on Android and iOs — represents the first of its kind in North America.

Comments

Re:Just say "No".

[mcubed]

I haven't been to Seattle in a while and don't recall seeing a Real Change vendor there, but here in Portland vendors for our local street newspaper, Street Roots rarely harass or even engage passers-by, except for saying hello. They aren't anywhere near as aggressive as people trying to get you to contribute to some charitable org or trying to get you to sign some petition.

I used to do proofreading for Street Roots. They have a really good vendor training and try hard to be ambassadors for people living in poverty or experiencing homelessness. (FYI, not all vendors for these papers are currently homeless, though the vast majority have personal experience with homelessness.) It doesn't do the paper or its constituency any good if people find the vendors annoying or irritating. The best vendors have a lot of repeat customers and cultivate a good relationship with them, just like any business people. Street Roots is also very responsive to problems if they arise.

No. It is real.

[frovingslosh]

No. It is real. And great news. I'm going to tell all of our local homeless beggars about it and suggest that they should go to Seattle.

Re:Just say "No".

[jblues]

Back in '99 I got tired of throwing together yet another web app on crazy schedules, and decided to go busking on the streets of San Francisco for a living. I was hanging out with a feller called Wil Jackson on the corner of Grant & Green. A lot of homeless folks there. I noticed a real sense of community between them - they tried to look out for each other.

It was great fun to wind down and just play tunes for a living. The only problem was, folks in suits would walk past frowning at me (dumb street guy, get a job) A few months later I was back in London, wearing a fine suit and working in the financial district. Fun, challenging work. The only problem was street folks would see me walking past in business attire and frown at me (materialistic suit guy. Get a soul).