Big Issue sellers in ED

[londonloves]

Spotted some worrying posts on here about the local Big Issue vendors outside Somerfield. I wasn't convinced they were the real deal-(mainly because the Big Issue used to allocate 1 pitch to 1 person and I have seen more than 1 in the same spot-and also they sell whilst smoking and sitting down-but maybe they have changed their rules and this is ok now). I emailed the Big Issue a couple of times to ask how I can check if they are real vendors-I've not had a response. I'm a massive fan of the Big Issue and know personally a couple of people who have sold it and it made a big difference to their lives and it is a wonderful charity that really helps folk. I've supported it since it first started-and I would encourage others to do so-but the people who rip it off or sell illegally make me really sad. I like to be sure I'm buying from real vendors-especially since a mate of mine -who used to sell in Brum told me how often people would steal his copies off him to sell on-or to beg with. Maybe if everyone emailed their concerns we might get a response-I would buy every week from those girls-as soon as I know they're genuine!-and if they're not perhaps the Big Issue could allocate that pitch to someone who deserves it-and we could all support them by popping down their and buying what is afterall-a pretty cheap and good mag?( I would post a link to www.bigissue.com -but either their website is down right now or my computer is on it's way out..!)

[Domitianus]

I kind of went off the notion of the Big Issue when I lived in Belfast. I was sitting in a bar next to a bloke who was a regular face selling TBI in the City Centre and overheard him telling a friend how he had chucked someone out of his house into the street because they had fallen out.

Didn't really seem to fit the profile of a homeless person struggling to make ends meet.

[thebestnameshavegone]

So you boycott the whole organistation on the basis of one incident, upon which you have no idea of any of the background? Good idea.

[intexasatthe moment]

I have a feeling that the people selling outside somerfield are related ,a family .

Don't know how this fits in with Big Issue rules ,but can see how it might lend legitimacy to several people sharing one pitch.

[Domitianus]

thebestnameshavegone Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> So you boycott the whole organistation on the

> basis of one incident, upon which you have no idea

> of any of the background? Good idea.

Did I say that? No! I offered a personal experience that tallied with the possibility laid out by the OP that not all BI sellers are necessarily bona fide. Perhaps you should take issue (perhaps even a big issue!) with the OP as well. I don't but the BI for a host of other reasons.

[KalamityKel]

Thought Big issue sellers were meant to wear a badge issued from the big issue and are meant to only do it (sell) between certain hours - or least that was the case last September when I had a lovely chat with someone in head office after a very unfortunate incident at my work place concerning a seller.

???

[ClareC]

Ive always been suspicious of the girls outside somerfield, I saw one coming out of Somerfield with (presumably) her shopping which included (amongst the numerous bags) Pampers - hardly a nappy for the cost conscious!

One of them was outside the new Sainsbury's local a few weeks ago selling Big Issue (only seen her there once), as I came out she was chatting on her mobile phone !?!? Seemed rather ironic to me.

Maybe its just me and the homeless these days have mobiles and shop for named brands!

That said the BI seller near my work and the one by my gym are both lovely chaps who seem very genuine - I give them both money and don't take the magazine so they then have an extra to sell. I definitely support BI but am genuinely dubious of the Somerfield girls!

[KalamityKel]

The ones in Sainsburys... yes well they is a diff kettle of fish (as it were) noticed the "new" clothing underneath the long coats and shalls?

[deano]

i saw the one outside somerfields in the bookmakers on one of the gambling machines.

There's my issue

would not give her a penny

[Sue]

ClareC Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> >

> genuinely dubious of

> the Somerfield girls!

xxxxxxxxx

The original older woman who was there for ages became ill and had to go into hospital, I think, from memory,and since then there have been various other people who I assumed must be related.

I wonder whether they have to get permission from Somerfield to sell in that place, and if so I wonder whether Somerfield knows any of the background, not that they'd probably tell anyone else.

[Ann]

The young woman outside Somerfield's has had a small child with her on occasion? Therefore she can't be technically homeless.

I think in principal it's a great idea but I also think realistically some of the money earned goes back on substances which may well have been the reason why the person was homeless in the first place.

[Gimme]

And I saw one of them eating a mars bar the other day... not even a generic low cost chocolate bar.

Pampers eh... what scumbags... what will they spend the money they earn from selling the Big Issue on next.

I mean, its not as if they have it hard sitting on the pavement outside Somerfield all day selling magazines.

Hilariously most people seem to forgive Big Issue sellers for smoking but to spend the money on something selfish like Pampers for your baby eh...

ClareC Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Ive always been suspicious of the girls outside

> somerfield, I saw one coming out of Somerfield

> with (presumably) her shopping which included

> (amongst the numerous bags) Pampers - hardly a

> nappy for the cost conscious!

>

> One of them was outside the new Sainsbury's local

> a few weeks ago selling Big Issue (only seen her

> there once), as I came out she was chatting on her

> mobile phone !?!? Seemed rather ironic to me.

>

> Maybe its just me and the homeless these days have

> mobiles and shop for named brands!

>

> That said the BI seller near my work and the one

> by my gym are both lovely chaps who seem very

> genuine - I give them both money and don't take

> the magazine so they then have an extra to sell. I

> definitely support BI but am genuinely dubious of

> the Somerfield girls!

[Ann]

Seriously I think they can earn quite good money. Certainly in terms of topping up on benefits and I'm not sure if Big Issue earnings are taken into account with the whole assessment. I genuinley don't know.

[Bellenden Belle]

Quite right Gimme....this thread is just littered with assumptions and prejudices. If you don't want to give money, that's absolutely fine - but why do people think they have the right to question whether someone has a mobile or buys pampers - or even quite frankly drink or drugs?

As someone who has spent a short period in a homeless shelter, I can say I probably wouldn't have fitted anybody's image of homelessness - but people dont know anyone's full story. And rarely do they bother to ask.

[bizzylizzy]

I encountered one of these women recently. I didn't want the magazine as I had it already. She asked me to buy some baby milk so I went into Somerfield and bought her a couple of cartons of ready made formula. I too them back out to her and she said she didn't want them, she wanted me to buy her a tub of powder.

If it were me in her situation I'd take any milk I could get for my baby. Cheeky cow! As it was I only had a bit of money on me and didn't have enough to buy her the powder

Thinking back on it, you can get free milk vouchers for your baby, whatever your situation - definitely dodgy women!

[ClareC]

Gimme Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> And I saw one of them eating a mars bar the other

> day... not even a generic low cost chocolate bar.

> Pampers eh... what scumbags... what will they

> spend the money they earn from selling the Big

> Issue on next.

> I mean, its not as if they have it hard sitting on

> the pavement outside Somerfield all day selling

> magazines.

>

> Hilariously most people seem to forgive Big Issue

> sellers for smoking but to spend the money on

> something selfish like Pampers for your baby

> eh...

It's not really a case of whether anyone does or does not want to give money, I think the consensus is that people do, they just want to be confident they are not being taken advantage of. It all come's down to what is deemed as necessities.

If she wants to buy Pampers instead of a cheaper comparable alternative, gamble, own a mobile phone and buy mobile phone credits and anything else that is entirely her choice, however, not all would see these choices as life necessities.

Maybe it's just me but I would rather donate to genuine need, she simply does not indicate that with her life choices in my opinion - maybe you see mobile phones, gambling and expensive nappys as necessity in which case that's your opinion and choice.

At no time did I question her need for nappies at all!!!!

If I think owning a Ferrari is a necessity so sell my house to buy one thus rendering me homeless would you be so sympathetic I wonder? Extreme and unlikely example however just making the point that this thread is questioning if she is genuine....The answer has not yet been forthcoming from BI and certain of her "life choices" seem to imply otherwise.

[Ann]

Bizzylizzy , good point. I'm fairly sure the rules of 'Big Issue' would state that if plonked outside a local supermarket, you may not ask shoppers to shop for you. The item you're describing I think retails at over ?6. It's taking the P*ss.

[Huggers]

Remember definition of homelessness does not mean necessarily living rough out in the open. and also Big Issue selling is a way back into independence; it's selling a mag from which they get to keep some of the profit, its not begging and so really, what they do with their earnings is up to them.

[Gimme]

Interesting points.

But who are you to question her life choices. As Belle said, don't give her money but don't flash around your prejudices about what someone should or shouldn't do with the money they've earned and try to persuade other people that someone is 'dodgy' because they own a cheap mobile phone and buy decent nappies that don't leak.

People don't sell Big Issue to be wealthy. They sell Big Issue because they don't have a home, are on a very low income and it gives them a little extra income to live on. BI is not purely based on charity and you are not 'donating'. You get a product for the money you pay. The sellers buy the magazines and put in long shifts to sell them for the difference between what they bought them for and what they sell for. It is in reality a little bit of capitalism with a dose of humanitarianism thrown in. However, I'm fairly sure that they won't be becoming rich any time soon.

If you own a house in ED, you probably don't know what it is like to be homeless. It probably isn't very pleasant living somewhere small cramped and badly maintained (as a lot of people who are deemed homeless do), particularly if you are surrounded by a community of people who are relatively affluent (as a lot of people in ED are). Having somewhere to live isn't the same as having a home (a point made by Huggers).

There's nothing worse than the affluent sniping about people who make an effort to make a little bit of money to make their lives more tolerable. Try looking at it from their point of view. They are making an effort, they don't have a particularly pleasant time while parked on the pavement being sneered at, they aren't out robbing houses (or at least not that I know of) and they don't deserve people picking over what is in their shopping basket any more than you do.

ClareC Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Gimme Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > And I saw one of them eating a mars bar the

> other

> > day... not even a generic low cost chocolate

> bar.

> > Pampers eh... what scumbags... what will they

> > spend the money they earn from selling the Big

> > Issue on next.

> > I mean, its not as if they have it hard sitting

> on

> > the pavement outside Somerfield all day selling

> > magazines.

> >

> > Hilariously most people seem to forgive Big

> Issue

> > sellers for smoking but to spend the money on

> > something selfish like Pampers for your baby

> > eh...

>

> It's not really a case of whether anyone does or

> does not want to give money, I think the consensus

> is that people do, they just want to be confident

> they are not being taken advantage of. It all

> come's down to what is deemed as necessities.

>

> If she wants to buy Pampers instead of a cheaper

> comparable alternative, gamble, own a mobile phone

> and buy mobile phone credits and anything else

> that is entirely her choice, however, not all

> would see these choices as life necessities.

>

> Maybe it's just me but I would rather donate to

> genuine need, she simply does not indicate that

> with her life choices in my opinion - maybe you

> see mobile phones, gambling and expensive nappys

> as necessity in which case that's your opinion and

> choice.

>

> At no time did I question her need for nappies at

> all!!!!

>

> If I think owning a Ferrari is a necessity so sell

> my house to buy one thus rendering me homeless

> would you be so sympathetic I wonder? Extreme and

> unlikely example however just making the point

> that this thread is questioning if she is

> genuine....The answer has not yet been forthcoming

> from BI and certain of her "life choices" seem to

> imply otherwise.

[????]

Crikey - I've accidentally logged onto the Mailonline. What a load of old prejudiced guff.

On the whole it's not worth arguing with all the crap on this thread and thankfully a few have already pointed out the horribel prejudice crap herein but the Big Issue is not just sold by those who are Homeless and this has been the case for years and they (the Big Issue) are quite open about it.

[thebestnameshavegone]

???? Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Crikey - I've accidentally logged onto the

> Mailonline. What a load of old prejudiced guff.

>

> On the whole it's not worth arguing with all the

> crap on this thread and thankfully a few have

> already pointed out the horribel prejudice crap

> herein but the Big Issue is not just sold by those

> who are Homeless and this has been the case for

> years and they (the Big Issue) are quite open

> about it.

Nearly all of this thread is depressingly blinkered and wide of the mark.

J-Kopite poster, welcome to East Dulwich.

[Horsebox]

I for one hope the increase in Big Issue vendors does not have an adverse effect on house prices. Things are bad enough already without these gambling, nappy-buying, new clothes-wearing, homeless fraudsters Invading the area.

Forget pot holes. There's a terrifying new menace in town.

[ruffers]

???? Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Crikey - I've accidentally logged onto the

> Mailonline. What a load of old prejudiced guff.

Aaargh, beaten to it with the Daily Mail comment.

[Mick Mac]

Horsebox Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I for one hope the increase in Big Issue vendors

> does not have an adverse effect on house prices.

> Things are bad enough already without these

> gambling, nappy-buying, new clothes-wearing,

> homeless fraudsters Invading the area.

>

> Forget pot holes. There's a terrifying new menace

> in town.

:)) Very good HB - Funnier than Phil Jupitus.

[ruffers]

We have a new textbook example of "Damned by faint praise."

I'll be using that.