Real Change, a weekly non-profit newspaper in Seattle, is going digital. The newspaper, typically sold by low-income street vendors, has until now been cash only, but a new app developed by a volunteer staff of Google employees makes an all-digital transaction possible. Vendors' ID will include tags that have a barcode and buyers need only scan the barcode with their smartphone to purchase the $2 newspaper (or $2.99 for a digital version).
Before the official unveiling in Occidental Park near Real Change's Pioneer Square offices, Jill Woelfer, one of the Google volunteers working on the project for the past two years, talked about her passion for the app. "The real excitement is doing something for the social good." Woelfer said. The hope is that not needing cash on hand to purchase the paper will open up the market considerably.
"I hope so. I support it," said vendor Lisa Sawyer. She notes that despite a lot of support from the public, she has "every so often" customers who pass on the paper because they don't have cash with them.
