York vendor accepts cashless payments
Sin Bad demonstrates his sheer entrepreneurial intuition by taking on the challenge of today's cashless society.
It is often stated that we are living in a ‘cashless’ society, a concept which, in time, may make life more difficult for Big Issue North vendors. To alleviate this concern, vendor Sin has taken it upon himself to move with the times and buy a card reader with the money he earns from selling the magazine.
Supported by staff at the Leeds office, using computers funded by sales, donations and standing orders, Sin is now single handedly piloting a scheme which could potentially benefit vendors across the North of England.
We spoke with Sin and asked him to speak a little about the catalyst for this bold business venture.
Sin said: “The fact that a lot of people don’t carry cash anymore. People seem to prefer to pay to by card so they can keep track of their finances easier, but this also allows me to keep track of mine.
To people who may be dubious of making a card payment when buying the magazine, I would say don’t be! I’m self-employed and am legitimately trying to earn a living. People may be sceptical about getting their card out on the street and I understand that, but realistically it’s no different from using the same make of card reader in a shop. It was the next step forward in conducting business, it felt like a natural one to take.
I started using it on Saturday and the response has been great, really positive. So far I’ve made 6 sales using the card reader and I hope to encourage other vendors to adapt to this method. Whilst it’s nice to be the first, I don’t want to be the only person doing it. It’s only fair to share the idea as if you don’t move with the times then you get stuck, and no one wants to be stuck.”
We wish Sin the best of luck with his business venture!
Find out more
If you wish to support Sin and be one of the first people in the UK to purchase a street paper using contactless payment, you can visit his pitch, located on Coppergate Walk in York.
To find out more about Sin and his life, please click here.
To allow us to support more vendors to expand the ways they can earn an income, please consider donating to us.
