fake Big Issue seller?

[syd-gal]

The Romanian (?) man who sits in a wheelchair and begs near Sainsburys at Bell Green by the bus stops and zebra crossing was today selling a couple of copies of Big Issue. But he didn't have a jacket or any other signs that he is a registered seller. I even wonder if the magazines were the current issue.

[ALIB]

Around 2005, I used to shop at Sainsburys , in Forest Hill. Outside was a regular vendor, with ID and jacket. His name was Terry, and he was even featured in one of the issues.
Terry disappeared a few months later, and was replaced by a, seemingly, Eastern European lady. She had no ID or jacket. Every evening at 6pm , she was picked up by two (eastern European) men in a Mercedes, who went into Sainsburys and bought cartons of cigarettes and bottles of spirits, and they all drove off. That's when I stopped buying the Big Issue

and it's not about looks. It's about the ID

[RedSyd]

ALIB, you don't say whether you used to buy the magazine from the vendor outside Forest Hill Sainsburys although I guess that could be inferred from your comment that you stopped buying it when you noticed the tactics of his successor. You haven't, however, said why you stopped buying it completely, even from vendors with badges and jackets.Was it to get back at cheeky "Eastern European" people because I'm not sure your indignant boycott will necessarily have filtered through to them. In the meantime, there are clearly genuine vendors about who are missing out on your custom. And if it really isn't "about the looks. It's about the ID (sic) why mention the "seemingly East European lady" and the "two (eastern European) men in a Mercedes"?

[butters]

I guess people mention nationality as a lot of people’s experience with the fake Big Issue scams do seem to come from the same backgrounds. I’m sure there was a channel 4 documentary on gangs exploiting the more vulnerable to sell for them. Often as covers for other shady dealings.

[MagmaTimes]

Around 2005, I used to shop at Sainsburys , in Forest Hill. Outside was a regular vendor, with ID and jacket. His name was Terry, and he was even featured in one of the issues.
Terry disappeared a few months later, and was replaced by a, seemingly, Eastern European lady. She had no ID or jacket. Every evening at 6pm , she was picked up by two (eastern European) men in a Mercedes, who went into Sainsburys and bought cartons of cigarettes and bottles of spirits, and they all drove off. That's when I stopped buying the Big Issue

and it's not about looks. It's about the ID

I used to go around being jolly nice and treating everyone fairly until I came across this really horrible bigot from East Sussex, at which point I stopped being nice to people.

[Nigel]

Is there something wrong with being concerned that what you thought was a genuine Big Issue seller is actually part of some gang activity from Romania ? And if you think the system is being abused is it wrong to stop donating to it ?
People “ get “ slavery when it comes with the accoutrement of cotton fields etc but don’t seem to realise the abuses and modern slavery associated with some nationalities - and Roma are one of them .

By all means kid yourself that the men in the Mercedes will take the money to build another orphanage but you shouldn’t pontificate and hint at racism to those that really don’t want to give their money to what are almost certainly criminals .

[RedSyd]

Oh Nigel, you are funny. You almost had me convinced there that you were some kind of Rod Liddle character tilting at windmills in a desperate attempt to paint yourself as the man who dares to call out the snowflake, liberal, Guardianistas. Then I looked back at some of your other posts and I see that that's your thing. What's even funnier is that so many people on here have been taken in by your shtick and seem to believe that you mean it although they are are all clearly missing the big clue which is that you pretend to be responding to posts without actually having read what was said. Obviously you knew the point of my post was that you should only buy the Big Issue from vendors wearing badges and jackets and you also knew that nowhere was it suggested otherwise. And it was a thing of staggering genius that you continued, nay took it even further, by suggesting that what was being discussed was that we were all being hoodwinked by unscrupulous folk from the east passing themselves off as genuine Big Issue sellers. And I loved how you developed the whole "eastern European" thing to Roma slavery even though you don't say that you ever saw the characters involved so we only have an account from 13 years ago to go on. I have seen a guy trying to sell a single dog-eared copy of Big Issue outside the Sainsburys near Sydenham station. He was English. Do you know how I know that? Because I spoke to him. I didn't look at his appearance and come to that conclusion. Please feel free now to take that anecdote and do with it what you will. Perhaps you can weave it into some other weird conspiracy and people will believe that you actually mean it. Nigel, please never stop. Your posts are a breath of fresh air.

[Parker1970]

Oh Nigel, you are funny. You almost had me convinced there that you were some kind of Rod Liddle character tilting at windmills in a desperate attempt to paint yourself as the man who dares to call out the snowflake, liberal, Guardianistas. Then I looked back at some of your other posts and I see that that's your thing. What's even funnier is that so many people on here have been taken in by your shtick and seem to believe that you mean it although they are are all clearly missing the big clue which is that you pretend to be responding to posts without actually having read what was said. Obviously you knew the point of my post was that you should only buy the Big Issue from vendors wearing badges and jackets and you also knew that nowhere was it suggested otherwise. And it was a thing of staggering genius that you continued, nay took it even further, by suggesting that what was being discussed was that we were all being hoodwinked by unscrupulous folk from the east passing themselves off as genuine Big Issue sellers. And I loved how you developed the whole "eastern European" thing to Roma slavery even though you don't say that you ever saw the characters involved so we only have an account from 13 years ago to go on. I have seen a guy trying to sell a single dog-eared copy of Big Issue outside the Sainsburys near Sydenham station. He was English. Do you know how I know that? Because I spoke to him. I didn't look at his appearance and come to that conclusion. Please feel free now to take that anecdote and do with it what you will. Perhaps you can weave it into some other weird conspiracy and people will believe that you actually mean it. Nigel, please never stop. Your posts are a breath of fresh air.

Actually, though a rare occurence, I agree with Nigel on this. Your post highlighted only your personal feelings towards Eastern Europeans... You can't put everone in one pot. Well, you can, but that would be bigotry... a little like how your posts sound....

[RedSyd]

Good god, man. Now you're doing it! Where have I written about my personal feelings about Eastern Europeans? The title of this thread is "fake Big Issue seller". I think (hope) we have established that it is a relatively easy task to distinguish between people wearing badges and jackets selling the magazine and chancers trying to muscle in on the act. Once we know the difference we can still choose to give our money to either or neither. Extrapolating tired, little England conspiracies from the description of something that happened many years ago (to someone else) to suit another agenda is lazy at best.

Or have I been sucked into your double act? You kidders!

[stuart]

Yes - I agree with you RedSyd. This thread is about a specific Sydenham issue which you have answered succintly.

National & international dividing issues about crime, race, liberalism, slavery and German motors are in danger of leaking across from the place set aside for it - The Pub. IMHO the acrimonious discussions over there on similar topics have effectively killed it - the last post being two months ago. We don't want that to happen here do we?

Peace and its everybody's personal choice to support, or not, correctly labelled sellers. I think we are all agreed no one should support non-accredited sellers. Is there anything else to add on topic?

Stuart

[admin]

Stuart said:

Yes - I agree with you RedSyd. This thread is about a specific Sydenham issue which you have answered succinctly.

National & international dividing issues about crime, race, liberalism, slavery and German motors are in danger of leaking across from the place set aside for it - The Pub. IMHO the acrimonious discussions over there on similar topics have effectively killed it - the last post being two months ago. We don't want that to happen here do we?

Peace and its everybody's personal choice to support, or not, correctly labelled sellers. I think we are all agreed no one should support non-accredited sellers. Is there anything else to add on topic?

If there isn't, I'll close down this topic today.

admin

[Pally]

Yes - I agree with you RedSyd. This thread is about a specific Sydenham issue which you have answered succintly.

National & international dividing issues about crime, race, liberalism, slavery and German motors are in danger of leaking across from the place set aside for it - The Pub. IMHO the acrimonious discussions over there on similar topics have effectively killed it - the last post being two months ago. We don't want that to happen here do we?

Peace and its everybody's personal choice to support, or not, correctly labelled sellers. I think we are all agreed no one should support non-accredited sellers. Is there anything else to add on topic?

Stuart

Agreed Stuart! 'Nuff said!