Vendors were asked what measures they've been taking while selling papers during the pandemic
"What are you doing to keep customers safe?" Street Roots vendors respond:
Dan Newth
“When it’s windy, I can’t let the papers sit on a stand. So when I sell a paper, I’m just sliding it out of the plastic bag one at a time. I’m really good about wearing the mask and the hand sanitizer.”
Norm Chamberlin
“One of my customers is a doctor, and he told me what to do to stay safe. He said to have a container for the money, and to let the money sit for a day.”
Mike D.
“Yesterday I forgot my stick, so I had to set up my chair about 8 feet away from me, put the magazines on the chair and overlapped them so they could just grab the top one. I opened up a bag for them to drop the money in.”
DWD
“It makes it a little harder with the COVID. Most people just want to walk up and see you, and greet you. They miss you and everything else. It’d be nice if we could just do it without all the extra hassle.”
Denise Houda
“It was nice to have everything clean — the hand sanitizer and the stick. I like to handle the paper that way better.”
Randy Mangino
(not pictured)
“I haven’t seen half the people I used to talk to at the farmers market, because they’re still staying at home. It used to be a nice social event — hang out, eat food, listen to music, dance. But now they want one person per household, just get your stuff and leave. It’s kind of sad. But we’re doing the best we can.”
Street Roots is an award-winning, weekly publication focusing on economic, environmental and social justice issues. The newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Street Roots newspaper operates independently of Street Roots advocacy and is a part of the Street Roots organization. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
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