I'm sure everyone has an opinion on this and mine is that it has only legalised begging and that the majority of people who sell it take herion or crack, but in saying that it could actually stop me being robbed for my money but not that i tend to carry much anyway. And has anyone ever managed to make it from the top of fargate to the bottom without anyone asking them a question. well let me know what you think

Originally posted by sheffjohnny
I'm sure everyone has an opinion on this and mine is that it has only legalised begging and that the majority of people who sell it take herion or crack, but in saying that it could actually stop me being robbed for my money but not that i tend to carry much anyway. And has anyone ever managed to make it from the top of fargate to the bottom without anyone asking them a question. well let me know what you think

knock knock

who's there

bigish

bigish who

you shouldnt be selling that if you live in a house :heyhey:

its a good thing i like it!! 'big issue mate'

In order for them to sell it they have to buy the magazines in the first place I think for every issue they sell they get about 60/70p .

Johnny I think your making far too much of a genralisation, Because someone is homeless doesnt mean that they are on drugs or alcoholics.

Susie
xx

Originally posted by miniminch
knock knock

who's there

bigish

bigish who

you shouldnt be selling that if you live in a house :heyhey:

its a good thing i like it!! 'big issue mate'

The Big Issue, and the "social-work/ resettlement/ support arm" of the organisation "The Big Step" are there to help people who are homeless or vulnerably housed. you don't necessarily have to be "on the street" to be a vendor.

susie is right, BTW, about the way the magazine is sold. the vendors buy the magazines for something like 60/70p a copy, and sell it for £1.20, so they do not make a great deal of profit. not much more than 50p a copy, so they'd have to get rid of ten copies just to make five, or six quid... (so when you take into account that the vendor has to buy the magazine, themselves, first... in truth, it's not a great money spinner)

I think the "Big Ish" is a good idea, as it helps people to turn their lives around. it does make a difference.

My former regular vendor was an addict. he got himself off the heroin, and turned his life around. I remember being so pleased for him, every time he got a step closer to being free of the drugs. He'd tell me:- "I have been taken onto a lower dose of methadone, again!" and when he got into the single figures of the dose! it was great news, the self esteem that he got, from doing something positive like selling the magazine, did him a lot of good. I have to confess, I had mixed feelings, when he became completely clean, of heroin, and moved on to another town to start a new life. I was sad to see him go, because I had built up a rapport with him, and got to know him well, over the time he was a vendor. Yet, on the other hand, it was thrilling that he had turned his life around,and got clean of the drugs. and I would not have wished him to have become stagnant, and not moved on.

Another success story was the next young man who was "my" "Big Ish" vendor, this chap got suppport from The Big Step, and when he stopped being a vendor, he set his own business up, in recycling.

there are so many positives about the big issue. It can give someone the incentive and support to turn their lives completely around, which is no mean feat.

All I will say is, please, do buy the big issue, but, please, make sure that you buy from bona fide (Badged) vendors only.

PT

Originally posted by sheffjohnny
I'm sure everyone has an opinion on this and mine is that it has only legalised begging and that the majority of people who sell it take herion or crack, but in saying that it could actually stop me being robbed for my money but not that i tend to carry much anyway. And has anyone ever managed to make it from the top of fargate to the bottom without anyone asking them a question. well let me know what you think

how is selling a magazine 'legalised begging'? are you suggesting that all street vendors are 'legalised beggars'?, or does the definition of 'begging' depend on where a person resides?

My only problem with the Big Issue (besides harassment from sellers) is that it's rubbish. I'd happily give money to help and do put my spare change into the 'bins' around the city.

Originally posted by alchresearch
My only problem with the Big Issue (besides harassment from sellers) is that it's rubbish.

I think that too, if it was actually interesting then i'd probably buy one. i usually donate to stuff through charity envelopes dropped through the doors.

One of the biggest door step charity scams are the clothes donation ones. Companies like Olonex (probs the main offender) run nothing but scams. Most of these companies are commercial and not charity based so therefore sell your donated items for a profit. Their leaflets are carefully worded in order to lure you into the con.

Originally posted by AJ sheffield
One of the biggest door step charity scams are the clothes donation ones. Companies like Olonex (probs the main offender) run nothing but scams. Most of these companies are commercial and not charity based so therefore sell your donated items for a profit. Their leaflets are carefully worded in order to lure you into the con.

And you have to provide your own bin bags!

Originally posted by alchresearch
And you have to provide your own bin bags!
Lmao...you never used to have to. Guess their pushing their profit margins even further.

I never buy the Big Issue- I don't think it's very well put together (especially at +£1) and have yet to hear of any vendors who have successfully transitioned to full-time employment as a result.

Couldn`t agree more with plain talker.
As for being harassed ,in my experience I find that if you say no thanks thats usually it no big issue seller has ever chased me up fargate demanding I buy (by the way I do buy weekly)
I think something that lets the vendor know you have already bought a copy would be a good idea,what though I don`t know,but obviously also not at the expense of the vendor.
I am more harassed by the Socialist worker jumping out in front of me !!!!
Sometimes the magazine doesn`t contain any thing of interest to me that week but so does the Sheffield Star but I still buy it daily and since the introduction of the TV listings it makes it extremely good value.

Alot of other charities have over inflated admin charges which really p*ss me off at least with the Big Issue I know where my money goes.

AJ sheffield-
have just had a leaflet posted through the door and as usual have done my bit............................................by recycling the paper in the blue bin.
In the small print at the bottom it states that they are not a charity.
Mercol ?(can`t remember exactly what they are called)are also a main offender in these type of scams.I had quite a nasty verbal exchange with one of their collectors via the phone ,he kept phoning be back to have a go at me.

The fargate bit wasn't actually on about big issue sellers that was just me wandering off the subject and I suppose deep down it is a good thing. What I meant was by getting from one end of fargate to the other is quite hard without someone saying 'a leaflet' 'have you got two minutes to spare' or the socialist workers complaining about something or other again. I think I may have mixed two things up and not made it clear well apoligies

I am down your end so to speak jayjay. We got the Olonex one today :mad:

Originally posted by alchresearch
My only problem with the Big Issue (besides harassment from sellers) is that it's rubbish. I'd happily give money to help and do put my spare change into the 'bins' around the city.

I quite agree. As Pauline, the re-start officer from the League Of Gentlemen put it so succinctly: The Big Issue is like Bunty written by tramps.

And how would you feel if you lost your home and all your posessions, in my eyes the vendors are making a life for themselves, instead of being in shop doors all day and sat by the atm's they are actually doing something honest with their time and as mentioned above they aren't making a great deal out of it.

The homeless basically have 3 options:-
1) Sell the Big Issue
2) Illegal street begging
3) Starve and die of thirst

I know what I would choose and without knowing any of you I know what you would choose as well...!!

@ the end of the day 90% of the homeless in this country lies at the hands of our "I'm up the arse off George W Bush" government...If the money put towards the tsunami disaster was put into our homeless and the money put into all the immigrants that flee to this country by the thousands (Probably hundreds of thousands) every year was put into the homeless and other problems this country is having like the The armed forces (Biast opinion btw) and the emergency services to name but a few, we would be the great nation we once was....

If good ol' Neville Chaimberlain could see what has happened to this country we live in he would turn in his grave...

Give the UK back to the nazis, i'm sure they would have looked after us better....(And no before you all ask I am not a racist)

if people buy it

Originally posted by EdEd
if people buy it

Nobody ever does though, I've seen Big Issue sellers stood outside Virgin on Fargate and not once seen them actually sell a copy of Big Issue to anybody.

Originally posted by Rich
Nobody ever does though, I've seen Big Issue sellers stood outside Virgin on Fargate and not once seen them actually sell a copy of Big Issue to anybody.


I buy it from either the lad outside Marks or the one outside Virgin.
Have you thought of buying it yourself ?
You might be surprised and actually enjoythe read!

Originally posted by BobDaBuilder

Give the UK back to the nazis, i'm sure they would have looked after us better....(And no before you all ask I am not a racist)

What a stupid, stupid, stupid thing to say.

Does sending people to gas chambers because they don't comply with your defenition of a perfect human being count as looking after people better? :rant:

Originally posted by JonJParr
I never buy the Big Issue- I don't think it's very well put together (especially at +£1) and have yet to hear of any vendors who have successfully transitioned to full-time employment as a result.


I always bouught the Big Issue until I went to a talk given by 2 reformed drug takers. Male and female they both said how drugs had destroyed their lives at the time. And how they were now trying to put their lives together again very successfully in the mans case.
When I brought up the question of the BIg Issue and said I always buy it they both said don't.
Give them a cup of tea or a sandwich
They said most of the money taken is spent on drugs.
Hazel
.

Originally posted by BobDaBuilder
And how would you feel if you lost your home and all your posessions, in my eyes the vendors are making a life for themselves, instead of being in shop doors all day and sat by the atm's they are actually doing something honest with their time and as mentioned above they aren't making a great deal out of it.

The homeless basically have 3 options:-
1) Sell the Big Issue
2) Illegal street begging
3) Starve and die of thirst

I know what I would choose and without knowing any of you I know what you would choose as well...!!

@ the end of the day 90% of the homeless in this country lies at the hands of our "I'm up the arse off George W Bush" government...If the money put towards the tsunami disaster was put into our homeless and the money put into all the immigrants that flee to this country by the thousands (Probably hundreds of thousands) every year was put into the homeless and other problems this country is having like the The armed forces (Biast opinion btw) and the emergency services to name but a few, we would be the great nation we once was....

If good ol' Neville Chaimberlain could see what has happened to this country we live in he would turn in his grave...

Give the UK back to the nazis, i'm sure they would have looked after us better....(And no before you all ask I am not a racist)

Yeah u r right!.....i would rather see people selling the big issue trying to make money by doing something. Instead of seeing someone in street making u feel sorry your self begging money

It's an interesting question.

I've tended to give food / drink to people begging to try and avoid the 'money for drugs' issue.

However, with respect to The Big Issue I'm looking at it from pure economics. It's produced weekly, most buyers buy from their 'regular' vendor, and the number of vendors in Sheffield seems to have increased in recent years.

I seem to see about a dozen different vendors around the city at different times - not as many as Leeds but getting there.

Anyway....how many BIs does each vendor sell?

At, say, 60p profit (to be generous) even if they sold 50 a week that's only 30 quid. I think economically it's important to individuals IF they can sell enough - and that's a big if. Where it probably helps is in providing dicipline and helping them get their act together.

Which brings me to my point - individually, the amount of money made by each BI vendor is probably small. But, if the money used in producing BI and running the distribution were actually spent on putting something in to City centres to provide real help in getting work, a set of 'poste restant' addresses for the usual paperwork needed by employers and such you might actually be able to start moving people off the streets, in to jobs, then in to housing.

Just a thought.

Joe

Originally posted by Andy
What a stupid, stupid, stupid thing to say.

Does sending people to gas chambers because they don't comply with your defenition of a perfect human being count as looking after people better? :rant:

Depends how you look @ it, in my opinion no-one deserves to be gassed for any reason, but 60-70% of the SF members seem to have a pretty low opinion on some sort of individual for some unknown reason, like most of you lot in here that would probably like to gas the homeless cos they are a menace to your stuck up, aristocratic, up your own arse lives and you think you are above them....Get real people, you aint better than anyone and it's about time you started to realise that.:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

My 1p's worth:

I'd rather be 'harrassed' by Big Issue sellers than the accident group or credit card companies.

Originally posted by BobDaBuilder
Depends how you look @ it, in my opinion no-one deserves to be gassed for any reason, but 60-70% of the SF members seem to have a pretty low opinion on some sort of individual for some unknown reason, like most of you lot in here that would probably like to gas the homeless cos they are a menace to your stuck up, aristocratic, up your own arse lives and you think you are above them....Get real people, you aint better than anyone and it's about time you started to realise that.:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Why do you say that people here think they are better than anyone else. I certainly don't.
Is it because there is something eating away inside you whiich makes you lash out and destroy.
And isn't it rather childish to put in the :clap: a bit like the "my dads bigger than yours so nah "
So seems like your post is just to get back at the forum and nothing to do with the homeless.

hazel

Originally posted by JoePritchard

Which brings me to my point - individually, the amount of money made by each BI vendor is probably small. But, if the money used in producing BI and running the distribution were actually spent on putting something in to City centres to provide real help in getting work, a set of 'poste restant' addresses for the usual paperwork needed by employers and such you might actually be able to start moving people off the streets, in to jobs, then in to housing.

Just a thought.

Joe [/B]

The Big Issue Projects do a lot to help retrain and house their vendors, and to help them off drugs and back into society. Find out more info here:

http://www.bigissue.com/foundation.html

It is at least a start and unless anyone has (and initiates) a better pratical idea to help homeless people then I think it should be supported.

when walking through the precinct at hillsborough every saturday and sometimes in the week, if i was down there, i always gave £2 to the extremly thin lady called pippa, never took the mag, because i knew she could make at least another £ on it,if i was working saturday morn i used to see her walking all the way from town end of sheff to hillsborough,if i worked at T time i used to see her walking back towards town.
what a sorrow full sight, suddenly she was no longer there, i asked and was told she had passed away,dont know where , or exactly when ,or the cause of death,all i can say is i felt really humbled with regards to pippa,maybe someone on the forum may know, but yes i would give money to big issue sellars because they are vetted, not robbing and are trying to help themselves.

Originally posted by BobDaBuilder
Depends how you look @ it, in my opinion no-one deserves to be gassed for any reason, but 60-70% of the SF members seem to have a pretty low opinion on some sort of individual for some unknown reason, like most of you lot in here that would probably like to gas the homeless cos they are a menace to your stuck up, aristocratic, up your own arse lives and you think you are above them....Get real people, you aint better than anyone and it's about time you started to realise that.:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: i agree with everything bob says ( apart) from the nazi bit, if more people bought the big issue in trying to help someone kick a habit ,wether it be alchohol/drugs/whatever, then less crime against the old /young /vunerable, if only in a small % might happen

I can't walk by a Big Issue seller without buying a copy, even if I already have the issue they are selling. I think it takes guts to stand in town like that when most people either ignore you or are looking down their noses at you.
In fact I would rather give to them than people who shake cans in your face for some charity that you have never heard of and have no idea where the money is going.
When my son was younger and in town with me we seen a guy on the other side of the street, wrapped in a blanket, begging. My son asked me what was wrong with him (he hadn't seen anyone begging before) and I explained that he was probably homeless and just trying to get some money for something to eat etc. My son was totally stunned, and quite upset, he ran across the street and emptied his pocket money into the man's cup. I was so proud of him :D But yes I did give him a row for running across the road!! lol

Dont look down on the Big Issue sellers- remember the words "there but for fortune go you or I".

Kathythebean,

Thanks for that link - they clearly do a lot of good work and I wouldn't argue with that - I just question whether there are alternatives.

It's only by questioning things that we can try and improve things.

People follow their own consciences when giving to charity; I guess that I'm just interested in options. It's always difficult to question charitable giving; it's like questioning NHS spending - the NHS may not spend all the money wisely but suggest alternatives can often get you in trouble. :)

And Nimrod - I'd never look down on anyone out there.

Joe

There used to be a guy outside the Uni at the train station, about 4 years ago.

I always had a conversation with him and my children, always bought a copy.

If people ignored him he used to shout he would hand cuff them in his cave and threaten them.
He only shouted at you if you totally ignored him.

I don`t know what happened to him, but he was ok.

I think it does help them. It seemed to help him.

Originally posted by Nimrod
Dont look down on the Big Issue sellers- remember the words "there but for fortune go you or I".

Shouldn't that read:

There but for fortune AND an inability to say 'no' to debilitating amounts of drink and/or hard drugs go you or I?

i find the big issue sellers less of an annoyance than those pestering you to stop and do surveys etcetera. Most of the big issue sellers politely wish you a good day even if you don't buy.

Does anyone know what happened to the skeleton woman that used to vend outside the doors of Hillsborough precinct...? I moved back to Wolverhampton in 2003 and came back last year and she was gone...?

No serious interest, just wanna know....? I assume she must have died cos she was a right state.

We all know that as soon as they finish selling the big issues they get a small wage and it goes stright on drugs thats 100%

Originally posted by BobDaBuilder
Does anyone know what happened to the skeleton woman that used to vend outside the doors of Hillsborough precinct...? I moved back to Wolverhampton in 2003 and came back last year and she was gone...?

No serious interest, just wanna know....? I assume she must have died cos she was a right state. her name was pippa,a lovely lady, she died about a year ago.

Originally posted by malton_s5
We all know that as soon as they finish selling the big issues they get a small wage and it goes stright on drugs thats 100% even if that were the case,which i dont believe it is
at least they are earning the money,and not mugging grannies.:loopy:

Originally posted by malton_s5
We all know that as soon as they finish selling the big issues they get a small wage and it goes stright on drugs thats 100%

this is another one of those"factoids", I E something that "everyone" knows for certainty, when in fact it is not true at all. just like the tabloid stories a few years ago about the Big Ish vendor supposedly living the life of luxury on 250 quid a day from vending the "ish"... which was total fabrication and codswallop, but "everyone" 'knows' it's true.

malton, your comment is misinformed, and based on PRE-sumption, ASS-umptions, and hearsay.

As a lot of us have said in our above posts, the big ish sellers have a lot of respect from people like me, because they are actually "doing" something positive, and trying to turn thier lives around.

At least give the "Ish" vendors the credit for getting off their backsides, for cying out loud. They aren't sat on their backsides wallowing, begging!

They are actively doing something that will make a difference to their lives, and give them a bit of dignity.

Homelessness can come to us all, as could substance misuse. It only takes a couple of bad incidents, and a couple of bad choices, and any one of us could be in that situation.

I do not condone substance misuse. I do not deny that the odd one or two do have a substance misuse habit (it's the nature of the beast) but they are at least trying to change themselves.

and like roughy says, they could be the pond scum, that go around robbing old ladies... but instead they chose to have the dignity of doing something positive, not negative. They made choices to pull themselves out of the mire thay landed themselves in. I think that this deserves at least a bit of credit.

PT

I buy the big issue because I like reading it! Sometimes I will buy the vendor a drink or a sandwich, just because thats a nice thing to do.

I think its awful when people totally ignore the vendors, it's easy to smile and say no thank you if you don't want to buy one and most vendors would prefer this than being ignored.

If you spend a little time chatting to a vendor and find out their story, well its not all drink and drugs related - people become homeless for many reasons, some of them turn to drink or drugs once on the streets but the big issue is helping them now, so that has to be a good thing?

They are people, trying to make their lives better, aren't we all doing that?