Why was a ‘rogue vendor’ wearing a jacket describing him as such?

Posted by eclangvisual@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 22 comments

In my local town yesterday and saw some cops talking to a Big Issue seller. Noticed the guy was wearing a jacket that said ‘I am a rogue vendor, do not buy from me’ emblazoned on it. Wondered how on Earth this situation had arisen? Why would he be wearing that? He didn’t seem in distress and the cops didn’t seem to be harassing him or anything, from what I could see. Anyone any idea what was going on?

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22 Comments

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panacebo@reddit

Maybe that's what's printed on all the Big Issue seller jackets by default, and if you are an official seller you get some kind of tabard with your licence details to cover it up?

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Tony_Kebell_@reddit

This is correct. It's printyed behind the breast pocket window where the license will me displayed. If theres no license there, you can see the warning.

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Tony_Kebell_@reddit

The big issue sellers need to display their ID card from the big issue,[ an A5 sized sheet of paper that slips into the breast pocket panel, that has a clear plastic facing, with the ID card in the pocket, you can see the the ID, and it covers the warning that they're a rogue trader.](https://i.imgur.com/5D2Rncr.png) ___ So either it's a stolen vest, or the seller has had their license revoked, or they've lst it and are lazy.

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mrbellthebutler@reddit

This maybe to hightlight an issue with it. A friend of mine used to be a seller and he said you had some homeless people that would rob other sellers of their Big Issue to "sell". They have to buy the magazine to sell it on it's to promote working etc which makes it more wrong when they were robbed. He used to tell me that some are very territorial as well if you get a good spot like for example outside a station.

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Boldboy72@reddit

Might have been to highlight fake Big Issue sellers. There's a woman outside Sainsbury's in The Cut, Southwark. She has been there for many years and she pretends to be selling the Big Issue. If you engage with her she will pester you for money (she has followed me all the way up the street). Her Big Issue is in a plastic cover to protect it and she doesn't actually have any other copies.

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Guilty_Hour4451@reddit

There was a few like that in belfast, you give them money for the magazine and they plsy dumb and suddenly don't speak English

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JameSdEke@reddit

But I think OP is asking why the “seller” would wear the jacket willingly when it quite obviously identifies them as a rogue seller

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bluejackmovedagain@reddit

I think they're running a campaign highlighting the issue at the moment. Maybe they've got people to dress up in those jackets to make a point.

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Due-Tonight-611@reddit

Yeah, used to get stopped by the same smackhead nearly every day who would be selling his "last copy"...

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MunkeeseeMonkeydoo@reddit

Possibly didn't speak English and didn't know what it actually said. No idea how you would get someone to wear it.

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j4rj4r@reddit

The obvious explanation is it's Probably a joke by him to stimulate conversation.

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PeppercornWizard@reddit

Probably some sort of campaign where he was wearing it to highlight the issue of rogue sellers being a thing. He was likely an employee of the big issue as an organisation as this thing does damage their reputation.

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OwineeniwO@reddit

It might mean he can't get in trouble for selling the big issue to people who think he's a genuine seller.

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Benjijedi@reddit

This is the only reason I can think of - some kind of supposed 'get of jail free card' for fake Big Issue sellers, the reasoning being that most people won't notice.

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JLB_cleanshirt@reddit

Very weird! Nobody who could read english would willingly wear such a jacket, surely

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EaseUsed5465@reddit

Was it written in sharpie or was it printed/embroidered onto the jacket? If the former, I reckon a disgruntled local had a doodle whilst he went for a piss or something and left it unattended.

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eclangvisual@reddit (OP)

No full on printed on the jacket that otherwise looked like a big issue sellers jacket

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EaseUsed5465@reddit

Someone must have pulled a switcheroo then. Fair play to them lol

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SmallVillageGAA@reddit

Probably doesn’t speak English

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eclangvisual@reddit (OP)

From what I could tell he was speaking English, at least a bit. Either way, seems odd to have him wear a jacket like surely he could just take it off?

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Diamond_D0gs@reddit

He might be able to speak it, but not read it

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