2023-04-19 04:00:31
Chronicle
The Viennese street newspaper “Augustin” should also be able to be bought without cash in the future. The association behind the newspaper is currently working on the implementation of the project. A test phase is scheduled to start in the fall.
The idea behind the cashless payment: the sellers get a QR code on their Augustin ID card, which the buyers can scan with their smartphones and pay without cash. A print and online edition will be available. The salespeople themselves do not need their own smartphones, explains Claudia Poppe from “Augustin”.
The money for the digitization project comes from the Vienna Chamber of Labour. At the end of December there was a funding commitment for “Augustina – digital innovation for analogue encounters”. There was a kick-off event at the beginning of March. The new payment system is currently being developed in workshops in which readers and salespeople take part. The IT should then be programmed in the summer before a test phase starts in the fall, Poppe told Radio Vienna.
Enrollment with subject-specific German courses
The salespeople will then be trained in the new payment system, and German courses are also planned. The salespeople are free to decide whether they want to offer the cashless payment option as well, or whether they only want to use cash as before. Nobody is forced to use the cashless payment system, said Poppe.
As part of the digitization project, a stand map will also go online on which vendors can register. Buyers can then look up where the nearest “Augustin” seller is.
There are currently around 380 salespeople, with another 150 on the waiting list waiting to be trained, said Poppe. Sales figures have recovered following a slump during the pandemic period. Most recently, around 15,000 pieces per issue were sold, said Poppe. An “Augustin” currently costs three euros, half of which goes to the seller.
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