AIBU to expect change from a Big Issue seller

[TheBigIssues]

So yesterday when out in town, and feeling the need to do something good I bought an edition of the Big Issue from a homeless woman, but asked for change.

The magazine was £4 and I paid with a £5 note. She didn't offer any change so I asked for it. She seemed a bit surprised, but quite happily handed over £1.

I mentioned this to my partner and he said it was a bit mean and unreasonable, and ultimately better to let her keep the fiver as she needs the £1 more than I do. He even said it might even be priced at £4 to encourage this behaviour.

What do you all think?

Most people do just let them keep the change tbh. I think it was a bit graceless to ask for the £1.

I think it’s fine tbh, you didn’t have to buy a Big Issue at all.

Did you honestly not feel a bit embarrassed asking a homeless woman for change?

Doing good things often gets you a smack in the face. Hence the saying “no good deed goes unpunished”. I wouldn’t bother next time.

That's a bit dramatic. The woman happily handed over the change, she just didn't immediately offer it. No one was figuratively smacked in the face.

Most people leave the change as an additional donation.

Most people donate the extra £1 but £4 is still useful. And if you can only give £1 or £2, why not donate that and tell them that you would like to support but don’t need the magazine.

I think you have to be all in or all out with something like this.

You weren't unreasonable, but probably in a minority.

This tbh. I agree it's probably prices that way to encourage the tip

This happened to me, he refused to give me the change. I saw him about 3-4 times a week so that was shortsighted, as I never bought a copy from him again

If they ever think about updating the 5 personality type test they should definitely add this as a hypothetical. 'Do you think expecting change from purchasing the Big Issue from a homeless person is basic common knowledge?'
I'm with you OP, I'd even go further and say when you take a product to a food bank it should be common practice to receive an item back in return. Why not go even further - different transport for people depending on their salary - if you earn 100k you get priority* access and seats, anything under 20k you stand in a tin box secured to the top of the train.
*priority in that if you need to get on a full train and there's no seat available you get to have someone who earns less than you removed from the train.

If they want a fiver charge a fiver. Their circumstances might be worse than yours but maybe not by much who knows. Bit rude to presume.

It's the entitlement. It's not her money to keep!
And chances are if she offered it to you, you'd have told her to keep it anyway!
YANBU.

Missing point of thread but £4 for the big issue?! Holy fuck

This. Shameful and missing the point

My local vendor prefers card payments and that would obviously be for the exact price. If they state a price that is what you should expect to pay. Ths whole point of the big issue is giving a hand up, not a hand out!

That’s what I thought. I used to buy it when I was a student as it was a good ‘what’s on’ magazine. It was 75p in those days. (I’d always pay £1).

I don’t think charity and commerce should be mixed. If you’re raising money by selling something, you shouldn’t expect a donation on top. Therefore if you’ve priced something at £4, you should offer change.

I thought the whole point was that they aren’t begging, they’re selling something that people actually want - they’re not allowed to take the money and you not take the magazine, for example. So you’re perfectly within your rights to ask for your change! But you’ll find on MN everyone is very free and easy with someone else’s money.

Aside from anything else… it wouldn’t even occur to me that a Big Issue seller would actually have however many £1 coins they’d need to be able to give change every time…

I used to enjoy reading the Big Issue. A few times now I've actually had to ask for a copy of the magazine when I've handed my money over. The vendors near me seem a bit reluctant to part with their mags.

YANBU op and incidentally the seller was almost certainly not homeless. At this point I wouldn’t buy it on principle.
https://thecritic.co.uk/the-issue-with-the-big-issue/
nickbuckleymbe.substack.com/p/the-big-issue-the-big-con-that-gets

I rarely buy the Big Issue now because of its cost and the 'profit' made by the vendor isn't that great. Although, thank fuck for the Big Issue and it's probably cheap to more wealthy areas than mine.

However, like many others, I give our vendor other things and assistance including just a quid or 2 in the hat without a mag. He's a local man with problems that are difficult to solve but he is very well liked in spite of them.

This is the reason I stopped buying it. There was loads of sellers in Manchester (my office was near their office) and quite often I’d go to buy one and the seller would say “Oh, it’s my last one. If you let me keep it I can sell it again.” Should have reported them really as they have rules they’re supposed to abide by to be able to sell.