‘GOING CASHLESS HAS REALLY PAID OFF’
When the UK-wide lockdown was announced in March 2020, overnight more than 1,000 Big Issue vendors were suddenly unable to sell the magazine on their pitches. Losing all income – and experiencing the social support network of customers and friends while selling on their pitches – was a terrible blow. Just as high streets were impacted, and small businesses relying on face-to-face customer contact were disproportionately affected financially by the pandemic as customers in lockdown turned to online retail, equally it had an enormous impact on Big Issue vendors.
The isolation for many vendors was as bad as having lost their income. “In lockdown I had nothing to do, no one to see. I was on my own, missing everyone at my pitch,” explains vendor
Dave Martin, who has sold the magazine in London for nine years. “It’s not just about selling the magazine on your pitch, it’s about having a laugh and the chit-chat, which I missed.”
Dave, 59, normally sells the magazine on his bustling pitch at Tesco, Brook Green, Hammersmith. He tried his best to fill the long days playing online Scrabble, doing a DIY project to turn a walk-in cupboard into a little studio to work on his art and taking part in an art college class online. He also tried to get out for
