Vendors - The Big Issue

The Big Issue will supply the public with quality magazines to sell, and to also assist where it is possible. If you have a disability, then The Big Issue will try to attempt to make reasonable adjustments to the persons needs. When the new vendor is ready, The Big Issue will help the person move forward in life.

As a vendor of Ther Big Issue, you will only sell the current, newly made copy of the magazine for what the cover price is. You will have to clearly always display the valid Big Issue identification whilst you are selling the magazine, so people also know what the magazine is you are selling. Like everybody, it is the Vendors job to make sure that they give the customer the correct change when needed, and to hand over the magazine to who is buying it. As a vendor, you must not beg or busker people to buy the magazine which you are promoted to be selling, you must be independent when you are selling on the pitch – you must not be with a gathering or looking after any children for parents. For those who suffer with substance abuse either in the past or currently, ensure that you do not sell The Big Issue magazine whilst you are under the influence of any form of substance. Finally, as a vendor you must make sure that you always represent yourself and The Big Issue magazine always in a positive manner or as positive as you possibly can, make sure that you do not act in a way that could be potential harm to your reputation or the reputation of The Big Issue magazine.

By breaking any of the rules The big Issue gives its vendors, the magazine publisher(s) are entitled to stop providing its vendors with copies of the magazine either on a temporary basis or a permanent basis – the vendor will then have to buy the magazines themselves to be able to continue being a vendor for the company. As a vendor of The big Issue, you are not an official employer of the company itself, and you should not hold yourself as an actual employee of The Big Issue. Your relationship with the magazine remains as just a wholesaler/retailer. If the magazine is contacted, The big Issue has the right and is required (by law) to pass any relevant information it may hold about you to different or specific agencies, this can include your DWP or your HMRC. The Big Issue group will keep the personal information provided in connection to your induction – this information is accessible by The Big Issue front line staff and their management. You will have to consent to The Big Issue to share any data about you with The Big Issue Foundation and any other 3^rd party agencies to assess any of your support needs, which could change overtime and so they are able to provide you with any of the support which you need.

In order to become a magazine vendor in general, you have to apply to work with a specific magazine publisher, for example the Big Issue, who will then provide you with the training, the starting stock which you need and then a designated selling point (since you will not be around to wonder around a town centre or go where you wish to sell). Once you get in contact with the magazine publisher, you will have to participate in an initial meeting which will then be a small interview on if you are suitable or stable enough to become a vendor for the magazine company. If you do get the job as the retailer/wholesaler, then you will be given a vendor kit – included in this is a uniform and you will be given a pile of magazines to sell firstly until you must buy the magazines yourself to sell them. Luckily, when you start going as a vendor for a magazine publisher like The Big Issue, you will be allowed to keep all your profit that you are given through your days of selling which will be very useful for those who are attempting to keep a stable life or trying to start becoming stable from a potential past life.

There are three consequences for violating corporate vendor codes: Contractual actions, Reputational damage and Operational impact. A contractual action insists as the most common consequence against vendors for them to undertake remediation actions – it insists upon a termination of a vendors contract and could potentially be a debarment of any future contracts with an offending company. A reputational damage is simple; it can be against a vendor with their reputation against a client and it could potentially ruin the vendors reputation in broader industry. The last form of consequence for violating any corporate vendor codes is the operation impact. The operational impact: it impacts on a vendor’s other contracts or any of their supply chains for getting the magazines to sell. However, the operational impact depends on the nature of the breach. A corporate vendor code (in the UK) is a unique identifier which features a string of digits and letters which is allocated to a seller in companies that are accounting or a procurement system.

• Izzy Newton