Big Issue Sellers

[DBD1975]

Brought a Big Issue today from a nice lady who was so grateful. Went past her again a few hours later and she asked how my day was going. I said good and asked her the same and she said not good as she hadn't sold any more and I had been the only person to buy from her today.
I feel so sorry for her and it is playing on my mind. I know Big Issue Sellers are homeless but I assume she would have somewhere to stay?
Just wondering what other people might think but am I being unreasonable to think it doesn't hurt to lend others less fortunate a hand?
This was in a very affluent market town and I observed people just walking past and ignoring her so I do believe what she said.

It's been many a year since the big issue was only sold by the homeless.

It's essentially self employment now which gives access to in work benefits. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jan/17/big-issue-seller-wins-right-housing-benefit

Yeah it's just a way of getting access to benefits/residency and it's run by Roma gangs. Who knows what other little sidelines go on for the people involved in it - unlikely that the dole office would let them endlessly sell two magazines a day for 15/20 years without requiring them to look for more work.

Surely it would be very possible for the government to introduce a clause whereby selling the Big Issue counted as charity-aided earning, rather than standard self-employment, wouldn't it? They could squash this loophole-exploiting scam in an instant.

Are there actually any criteria anymore for who is allowed to sell the BI? I always understood that you had to be homeless, at risk of homelessness or recently managed to escape from homelessness but still in a vulnerable position to qualify.

Could anybody now just stroll along and say they fancied earning a few extra quid as a second job business opportunity and then regularly buy a bunch of magazines to sell on for a profit - with the clear perceived USP to passers-by that buying them is helping a vulnerable person, rather than just any regular street newspaper seller earning a normal retail living?

I'm only surprised that there aren't more deadbeat dads becoming BI sellers as their 'official' self-employed job, so they can hide their true earnings from the CMS and rob their own kids.

I always used to buy one about 20 years ago.
I hate to say it but in the small town I live in, the same bloke appears regularly for the last 7 years.
If people are selling the Big Issue for 7 years, it's not a stepping stone to a better life, is it?
I donate monthly to Shelter instead.

Could anybody now just stroll along and say they fancied earning a few extra quid as a second job

I think you'd have to be pally with the gang leaders. They're the ones that distribute the magazines now.

If she looks to be from the Roma community then chances are they're just run by a gang who brings people over to collect money and traffics and enslaves them basically. You don't have to be homeless to sell the big issue anymore.

Not that most people doing aren't destitute and in very insecure housing. Maybe sofa surfing or a hostel. There are few that I would consider genuine now but that's horrible for me to say that.

I have known lots of British people with severe MH issues, health problems and terrible trauma who sold it. Some sold or used drugs also.

Now I do think it's been taken over by gangs controlling vulnerable Roma.

Fat grubby jumble sale of a woman perpetually outside the supermarket selling Big Issue these days. Looks like a guilt tripping scam to me. They didn’t used to wear “pity me “costumes, the blokes she clearly knows very well indeed are wearing black sports wear and trainers.

We have the beggars in our town centre. All look Eastern European..a mixture of young women and men and older scarfed women. They all have similar written pieces of cardboard. I don’t understand why the area rangers don’t move them on. A couple of years ago I saw two similar women with tiny babies. On that occasion I phoned the shop rangers and assume they moved them on. I found begging with babies shocking.

They're not homeless anymore, I don't think.

There's one near where I/my family have a holiday home. She's been arrested for pick-pocketing before and the locals have been trying for months to get rid of her...but the police do nothing (other than the one arrest where she was then back on the street the next day).

Honestly even without the theft, she's quite rude - yells at the top of her lungs - and abrasive (gets quite forceful with elderly people). When she's not grabbing at people, she's on the phone yelling loudly at whoever is on the other end.

Most of the ones I've seen are similarly rude. Personally, I don't give anyone who asks for it - or tries to sell anything - money. I give to homeless charities, which I know are not perfect, but my one experience of being a 'good samaritan' led to me having to change my dog walking route, so I won't make that mistake again.

Don’t buy it - it’s a scam run by people traffickers.

Cue racism bingo.

I stopped buying it years ago after the man selling it (English guy) asked me how much change I wanted. Really, really put me off. I was young and he was taking the piss. Never stopped for a BI seller again.

Most probably; but how did that ever become the case? Do the gangmasters threaten BI HQ and force them at gunpoint to hand over the mags, or what?

Are the people who run BI HQ just happy with their lot now as a vehicle for people-trafickers and other dishonest people to exploit them and their stated aims for significant financial gain? Do they have none of the ethics left at all that led to the original benevolent founding of the organisation?

Same here. Outside M and S and Roma or Eastern European. The staff told me to avoid her as she is brought in every day by car.

Why don’t Border Force make some enquiries? Bit like the Vietnamese nail bars and car washes. Cash only..

Oddly the same here. They all seem to be Romanian women, one in particular is really loud and vocal and pounces on you waving and shouting and pointing at you and you just don’t always want to engage. At Christmas she wears a Santa hat and sings out of tune at the top of her voice. Big Issue is a lot more money now too for barely anything inside.

Absolutely horrible that this is going on in our streets. I hate it.

Totally this. I found this out only recently.

I bought a magazine from what I now know is a Roma lady. She also told me no one was buying etc. then continued on 'they say they've got no cash, but there are cash machines, right there!' which took me aback a bit.

No one bought a magazine in the 10 minutes or so we were talking, but 3 people did give her £2, so it's a bit of a disingenuous claim. I think they're told to say this to guilt trip you into buying. I do feel for these ladies as they're being used by their male gang leaders, or whatever, to make the money, but I don't want to support their enterprise.

A lady has been selling outside our local shop on and off for years. She is possibly Roma so maybe no fixed abode in that sense. She doesn't look like she sleeps rough on the streets.

In my view better to be a good person who might have been taken advantage of than a selfish unkind person who turned away (this is exactly what I did for the young woman who was the subject of my post).
My view is whatever the circumstances these are fellow women in what could be difficult and controlling circumstances.
I would rather extend a hand to help than look the other way.

Interesting article

The issue with The Big Issue.

This is utter bollocks.

Our local big issue seller is a woman looks like an eastern European possibly gypsy from the dress. If you don't have cash on you to buy one which I often don't as I don't use cash much she swears at you loudly, really nasty stuff.
I've noticed when she' sitting outside the co-op in my village nobody goes in.
Everyone is wary of her. I'm surprised the shop doesn't do anything about it.

You can contact the Big Issue if you come across a seller that causes you concern. I'm pretty sure I've seen that said on each of the issues that I used to buy..

ETA how to report a seller:
https://www.bigissue.com/supportservices/making-a-complaint/

I usually just give them £1-£2. Whatever their situation …. It’s one I’d want someone to help me out of if I was in it.

I used to buy a BI occasionally from a chap who used to stand outside my local Waitrose. He was a nice friendly chap, and always called me "Auntie", despite me being obviously a good decade younger than him. He'd try and chat to passersby, and just genuinely seemed to be trying to make a go of things.

I've since moved to the other side of town, and the only seller is see is a very po-faced Roma lady who never speaks nor smiles. She seems to take turns with a random man in a tracksuit, who just stands outside the supermarket, leaning on a pillar, muttering "help" at everyone who walks past. Not even trying to sell the BI, just begging.

I wonder what happens if you do report a seller, though?

Doubtless, the seller would play their face and come over all sweet as a vulnerable victim - maybe with a powerful gangmaster who knows exactly the right things to say - and I could well see it being attributed to racism and/or mean privileged people not wanting poor people in their 'nice' neighbourhood.