Just curious but is the Big Issue profit making? or is it a charity?

Originally posted by Whippet
Just curious but is the Big Issue profit making? or is it a charity?

As far as I know it's a charity for homeless people, the sellers do get to keep the money they make from any copies of the mag they sell though, I think.

has anyone ever bought it?

Hundreds of people buy it every week, thousands all over the country i should think! its a pound and the seller keeps the money in order to buy more magazines the following day, there is a waiting list of homeless who want to sell the big issue and all retailers are registered.

Last time I bought one it was £1.30 ;)

yeah, i didn't doubt that hundreds do buy it, just wondering if anyone on here has bought it, is it an entertaining read?

You haven't bought it for a long time if you say it's a pound. As a magazine it's pretty good. Although It's not an unbiased view. I am happy to buy one fairly frequently and usuallly buy one every other time I am in town. About every 6 weeks I buy one.

Unfortunatly as a student i can't afford it. My mum does however and i read it.. as it happens i didn't read the price, sorry.

last time I bought one it had gone up to £1.20 from £1... that was a couple of months ago...

anyways from what I understand they get given a set amount for the first time for free... they sell those and then use the money to buy more at half the selling price, so for 60p an issue....

they then sell these and make profit, and buy more... eventually its supposed to allow them to slowly get themselves off the streets along with the charity helping them out in other ways...

well thats my understanding of how it works, if it works like that in reality is another matter, thats just what someone told me once.

I'm sure when I tried to buy a copy down south a couple of years ago I was told it was £2.40, it was definitely over £2. Does it actually have a cover price or is it one of those 'spot who will pay more' things?

£1.20 (http://www.bigissueinthenorth.com/)
but they'll take more if you want!

"It’s a bit like Bunty but written by tramps."

Your starter for ten. Who described The Big Issue so succinctly?

Originally posted by mojoworking
"It’s a bit like Bunty but written by tramps."

Your starter for ten. Who described The Big Issue so succinctly?

Now then.

That would be Pauline Campbell-Jones, wouldn't it?