NO CASH? THAT’S NO BIG ISSUE
Seller Robin can take cards
A BIG Issue seller has hit the jackpot after splashing out cash on a contactless card machine.
Robin Fabin forked out £30 for the handheld device and made the money back in a single day from cashless magazine buyers.
The 50-year-old had been struggling to shift copies because so few people now carry money on them.
But then he hit on the idea of a card machine and saw his sales soar.
Robin said: “I like my pitch in Bristol and my customers are great.
“It’s in an affluent area and the magazine seems especially popular with students at the university.”
While his customers flocked to help him out with gifts of food, he saw his sales plummeting as people ditched cash for debit cards.
Just before Christmas he had a brainwave to invest in his own portable card reader. He added: “I reckon since then ® I’ve sold about 200 extra issues by having that on me.
“I think I’m the only vendor in the area who has one, which gives me a bit of an edge over the others.”
Originally from London, Robin arrived in Bristol 10 years ago after living in Germany.
He slept in squats as he battled his addiction demons. But his life was saved after a stint in a Bristol rehab centre.
Although he is now settled and thriving, Robin dreams of one day going back on the road to explore Europe.
The canny salesman said: “I love travelling and sampling other cultures, so I’d like to build myself a house bus and travel around the whole of Europe.
“I eventually want to live a very independent life, completely off the grid.
“Maybe have a farm somewhere such as Bulgaria, where property is a lot cheaper.”