BIg issue seller at Finsbury Park Station

marko

I noticed yesterday that the big issue seller who operates at the Wells terrace entrance of Finsbury Park Station has returned.

I have had some issues with him in the past. For some reasons he was shout insults at me as I walked past,.. 'weirdo'... 'freak' etc. Not a winning strategy for selling copies of the magazine.

After noticing this a few times I took action the next time it happened, reporting it to the station supervisor, who promptly ejected him. After this he hasn't been seen for a while.

Even more enlightening was my conversation with the Big Issue who told me that there is a secondary market in copies of their magazine, with unauthorised sellers using it as a front for begging, and drug dealing.
Their sellers are also not allowed to work in stations.

Their advice is to always check that a seller has BIg Issue ID on them. They take the behaviour of their sellers very seriously.

So, you have been warned - buy only from sellers with prominent ID badges!

Arkady

A lot of secondary selling goes on outside Euston - the private homeless drinking club there uses it to fund their operations.

marko

And the day after posting this, I spot a legitimate Big Issue seller in more or less the exact same location, but this time just *outside* of the station, as per Big Issue's rules.

So, please do check for the blue laminated ID badge to be sure!