Dear Street Sense readers! I propose raising the price of Street Sense to $4. Revenue will be split 75%/25%, meaning $3 will go to the vendor, and $1 to the newspaper’s publication.
As a reminder, in March 2024, we raised the price of Street Sense to $3. At that time, the additional revenue was given to the vendors. This time, half the revenue from the increase should go to the vendors, and half should go toward the newspaper’s publication and increased salaries for the newspaper’s staff and journalists.
I listed 10 examples of price increases in “My appeal to readers” on Dec. 20, 2023. I’ll give eight more now. I wrote the following before: “Prices for drinking water have increased. For example, a gallon of New Zealand artesian water costs $2.99 at Trader Joe’s. Now it’s $3.99.” The same water costs $4.49 as of October 2025.
Second example. On Dec. 20, 2023, I wrote the following: “Before the pandemic, I bought 12 pairs of socks for $11. Now at Walmart, they cost $14.38.” Now those same 12 pairs of socks cost $16.48.
Third example. In my first article, I wrote that I started storing my items at Extra Space Storage in 2017. I paid about $100 monthly before the pandemic started, and $127 monthly until October 2023. I received a letter from the company, stating that because of inflation, the rate would increase to $139. In July 2025, I received another letter from the management of Extra Space Storage stating the monthly rent was going up to $197.
Fourth example. I get a haircut monthly, a simple one: the hairdresser shortens my hair by less than half an inch, shaves the edges, and washes my hair. Before the pandemic, I paid $20 for this service. In November 2025, I paid $31.
Fifth example. I give colorful plastic balls to small children on U.S. and Uzbek national holidays, and Christian and Muslim holidays. They are sold in boxes, each containing 100 balls. Such a box cost about $11 before the pandemic. In 2023, it was for $12.74. The same 100 plastic balls started selling for $16.48 in November 2025.
Sixth example. I give flowers to customers of Street Sense in honor of U.S. and Uzbek national holidays, and Christian and Muslim holidays. A bouquet of carnations cost $4.99 before March 2020. It has been sold for $5.99 since January 2025. Twelve roses cost $9.99 before the pandemic. Now they are sold for $10.99 to $12.99.
Seventh example. I am 71 years old. I sell Street Sense sitting on a round iron stool. Such a stool cost about $15 at Walmart before the pandemic. Since December 2025, it has been sold for $17.94.
Eighth example. A large cup of coffee at Starbucks costs about $2 before the pandemic. During the pandemic, the same coffee sold for about $3. Now, in November 2025, a large cup of coffee costs $4.16. If we compare the price of a Street Sense newspaper and a large cup of coffee, they remain the same. In other words, a reader buys our newspaper at a price equal to one cup of coffee before the pandemic, during it, and now, if we increase the price to $4.
Here are some calculations. Currently, Street Sense is published once every two weeks. The newspaper is sold by about 114 active vendors, with sales ranging from 3,717 copies to 5,200 copies this year, per each two-week period. We will assume the average number of Street Sense copies sold is 4,500.
After raising prices to $4, an additional $0.50 from each newspaper sold will go toward publishing. The additional income for Street Sense could be $2,250. The additional income for the active vendors could also be $2,250. Each vendor would receive an average additional revenue of $19.70. This increase will significantly help Street Sense employees.
A little about the payment to the author of this article. I was paid $50 for my articles “Creating a databank on the activities of the FBI and police, part two,” and “Gratitude,” and $60 for “Suicides, mass murders, and the department of human rights, part three.” Thanks to the Street Sense management for this payment. But experienced journalists won’t write and publish articles for such a sum. After all, they have families and a multitude of other expenses. We, the vendors, strive to write articles, poems, and features for our beloved newspaper. Increasing Street Sense’s price could help increase the compensation for journalists and vendors publishing articles, poems, and features.
Street Sense is published with financial support from sponsors. If, for any reason, many sponsors abruptly reduce or cease their financial support for Street Sense, our beloved newspaper, published since 2003, could be forced to cease publication. To prevent this, we must work with you to provide the necessary financial support for the publication of each issue. We can do this by raising Street Sense’s price. One dollar won’t solve your problems. But an additional dollar will ensure the regular publication of Street Sense.
Since November 2011, our newspaper has been led by the CEO of Street Sense Media, Brian Carome. He has appealed to Street Sense readers annually requesting financial assistance for the newspaper. Specifically, he wrote the following in his appeal, “Help Street Sense help our vendors!” on Dec. 3, 2025.
“Between now and December 31st, we need to raise at least $175,000 from individual donors to fund the next twelve months of programming, including the new employment program. Inspired by a sales team that increased circulation by 75% over the last 10 months, please help us achieve this aggressive goal.”
With the pandemic, rising prices, and taxes, donors are finding it difficult to provide financial support. In these circumstances, we can rely on our thousands of readers: if they agree to a $1 price increase for Street Sense, some of the newspaper’s publishing problems and increased salaries for journalists and editorial staff could be successfully resolved.
I also advise Street Sense to switch to a weekly publication. This would provide approximately $2,250 in additional weekly revenue. If part of this money is spent on publishing an additional newspaper and paying journalists for additional articles and poetry, a portion of the income will still remain for Street Sense management.
Please support my proposal to raise the price of Street Sense to $4. You can call Street Sense Media at (202) 347-2006, email [email protected], or send mail to 1317 G St. NW, Washington, D.C. We thank you for purchasing our newspaper and thus helping us survive the pandemic and the ongoing price increases
