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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Price of Big Issue

44 replies

Kazplus2 · 02/01/2023 19:52

We have a regular Big Issue seller in our town and another homeless person. Both regular long term. I normally just donate an odd pound or two to the homeless man. Last week I thought id get the Big Issue for a change and was a bit surprised at the cost of £5. I had to ask for change and the seller was clearly waiting for a tip above the cost. I know now (after a bit of a Google search) that they normally buy for £2 and sell for £4 and keep the profits. It feels a lot to give as a cash donation. By that I mean the same amount can be given in a more tax efficient way to allow gift aid to be added. Am I the only one that thinks the cost of the Big Issue is too high or AIBU?

OP posts:
pinkdelight · 02/01/2023 19:56

Funny you should post this. Just before Xmas I bought one with a fiver and was about to say 'keep the change' when I saw he was keeping it anyway and then I clocked the cover price was £5. Wondered if it was a Christmas special so more pricey but perhaps it's just gone up with everything else costing more now. I don't mind donating a fiver when I can so have to think of it like that rather than a fair price for a mag. I don't love it as a read anyway but I like the business model so hope it's sustainable one way or another.

XelaM · 02/01/2023 19:59

It used to be £3 I'm sure. £5 is way to expensive

StillWeRise · 02/01/2023 20:00

I never buy the Big Issue, it just seems like a bad idea...I don't actually want to buy a magazine, so if I were to buy one it's basically just making a charity donation. I feel like there must be better ways of supporting vulnerable people into employment and the whole set up seems dishonest- like we are all pretending this is a proper business, but it isn't.

Freddiesextrateeth · 02/01/2023 20:03

£5!!!!! They're making it even more difficult for them to make money, I might consider it at £3, but a fiver-no chance.
For those who do buy it. Is it any good?

EatYourVegetables · 02/01/2023 20:05

Christmas issues are always more.

ultraviolet4753 · 02/01/2023 20:09

I remember when it was £1, and it went up to £1.20, the seller said it was really awkward having to ask everyone for the extra 20p.

When I bought an issue a couple of years ago I nearly died when she said £3.

Dita73 · 02/01/2023 20:12

I was in town before Christmas and was asked to buy it. I said I had no cash (which was true). The guy opened his jacket and had a card reader round his neck! I just burst out laughing.

ilovesooty · 02/01/2023 20:15

Dita73 · 02/01/2023 20:12

I was in town before Christmas and was asked to buy it. I said I had no cash (which was true). The guy opened his jacket and had a card reader round his neck! I just burst out laughing.

I'm sure he shared your amusement 🙄

Dita73 · 02/01/2023 20:17

@ilovesooty he seemed to but he was pissed

ILoveeCakes · 02/01/2023 20:18

Tell them you've just given a quid to the Sally Army so you're golden.

katseyes7 · 02/01/2023 20:18

We sometimes have a Big Issue seller outside our local small Asda. Very nice guy, polite and friendly.
I never buy a magazine (l can't afford it, to be honest), but if l've got a couple of quid or some change l'll give him that.
Maybe l'm being naive, but l think at least he's got a bit of money, and another magazine to sell, if l can't buy one.

Valeriekat · 04/01/2023 04:33

I think the price is ridiculous.
When it first came out the articles were good and it felt like it was worth buying them but not any more.

Cellotapedispenser · 04/01/2023 05:24

I used to buy the big issue as my understanding was that being a seller was an honest way for people to get back on their feet and once they were back on their feet they'd give up their pitch to the next person who needed help. However the big issue seller outside my local supermarket has been there 10 years and drives a nicer car than mine so I now think it's a scam and don't buy it any more.

StarsSand · 04/01/2023 05:38

Dita73 · 02/01/2023 20:12

I was in town before Christmas and was asked to buy it. I said I had no cash (which was true). The guy opened his jacket and had a card reader round his neck! I just burst out laughing.

The poor bloke. The whole concept is so they can gain skills and confidence. Why would you laugh at him?

ssd · 04/01/2023 05:48

The girl selling the big issue near me has been there years, like over 10 years. I thought it was a leg up, or a helping hand to vulnerable people? It shouldn't be a lifestyle choice.
And she really harasses folk to buy it too.

SilentNightDancer · 04/01/2023 06:04

I don't particularly like the magazine and don't tend to read it when I've bought it - the political stance is far too one-sided for me.

You also get people who have been Big Issue sellers for 20 years (they tend to get interviewed in the magazine), so I think it is less a 'leg up' than supporting a way of life.

On the other hand, it is better for the sellers to sell a magazine and engage with passersby than to beg in the street. I also don't begrudge them a card machine!

chocopuffs · 04/01/2023 06:14

@Dita73 you sound delightful - not sure where you live but in London it's quite common for Big Issue sellers to have card machines. They have to move with the times. Bursting out laughing seems harsh.

caramellandscape · 04/01/2023 06:24

StillWeRise · 02/01/2023 20:00

I never buy the Big Issue, it just seems like a bad idea...I don't actually want to buy a magazine, so if I were to buy one it's basically just making a charity donation. I feel like there must be better ways of supporting vulnerable people into employment and the whole set up seems dishonest- like we are all pretending this is a proper business, but it isn't.

It did use to be a proper business, back when everyone actually read magazines! Homeless people would be in charge of / involved in editing, writing and producing the magazine as well. IIRC the sellers also buy their own stock (so the guy selling you a magazine has purchased the stock himself, he's not just begging for a free handout).

I think it used to be a really good idea. These days you'd really only buy a magazine for charity.

I wonder what the modern equivalent would be - social media channel with informative/interesting content produced by the homeless, monetised with ads?! That sounds like a terrible idea but I'm curious if there's any new model they should be looking at

Iamthewombat · 04/01/2023 06:24

I buy the magazine regularly,from the same vendor, and until,last month it was £3. Then they had a special issue costing £4 and a Christmas issue costing £5. The vendor wasn’t pleased about it, because she said that fewer people were interested in buying it, and it was a tough enough sell already.

(I only skim the magazine when I read it, for the same reasons as @SilentNightDancer , but I buy it because it’s a way for the vendors to make a dignified living. The lady I buy from is an immigrant, for example).

RambamThankyouMam · 04/01/2023 06:31

the political stance is far too one-sided for me.

What are you expecting?? Columns from Piers Morgan? It's hardly going to be a bastion of right-wing journalism when it's written by and for homeless people.

Believeitornot · 04/01/2023 06:34

The cost of printing has shot up massively so that’s what they need to sell at to make a profit.

That’s capitalism!

Believeitornot · 04/01/2023 06:35

Well I’m not surprised the politics is one sided because I can’t imagine certain political parties having anything constructive to say about homelessness.

RelapsedChocoholic · 04/01/2023 06:38

The majority of Big Issue vendors aren’t homeless, and they’re not getting anything for nothing - it is a self-employed job like any other

The Big Issue organisation produces a magazine that vendors purchase.
The Big Issue organisation supports social enterprise using the funds they raise from this
The vendor then sells the magazine they have purchased and keeps any profit- just like any Newsagent etc

Many vendors work for years, some consistently, some on and off - there is always at least one interview with a vendor in every issue

If you don’t wish to support any one individual vendor, but wish to support the activities of the Big Issue organisation you can purchase the magazine directly from them.

The £5 issue was the bumper Xmas issue, it is normally £4 currently.

SilentNightDancer · 04/01/2023 06:41

RambamThankyouMam · 04/01/2023 06:31

the political stance is far too one-sided for me.

What are you expecting?? Columns from Piers Morgan? It's hardly going to be a bastion of right-wing journalism when it's written by and for homeless people.

The assumption that only hardcore socialists care about homelessness is (a) untrue and (b) off-putting to readers who support the Big Issue's general premise but who are more centrist in their views.

One of John Bird's original aims was to make the magazine something people would want to buy, rather than feeling obliged to buy it, so if the magazine is putting off potential customers then it is failing in that aim.

Dita73 · 04/01/2023 11:58

@StarsSand i laughed because it was funny. So did he. You’re clearly not a fan of irony