s/o MLMs

[boxerdog]

H's BFF and his wife just started hawking the dumbest MLM I have seen - patches that you wear that somehow allow you to absorb vitamins so you can live an Ultra Premium Lifestyle! Ugh.

I looked up the income disclosure but I couldn't find it, lame. They have got to be just barely covering their own stupid patches at this point. I can't imagine they make any money off of this shit.

[boxerdog]

Aug 26, 2015 9:55:49 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

I am going to a 31 party tonight. Please don't shun me. I am just there for the food and beer. And to because I kind of love the [overpriced] bags

They aren't all created equal!

My sister does a wine one (but has NEVER EVER posted on social media about it) and the wine is actually really good. And we get drunk for free at the parties

[t]

Aug 26, 2015 9:22:21 GMT -5 bowies said:

Full disclosure: I have the 21DF stuff because I wanted some workout DVDs that didn't have Jillian Michaels. I'm in no danger of becoming a coach lol.

I bought 21df on Amazon. Basically out of spite because I didn't want the girl on my fb who was harassing me to get the commission. Plus I have no interest in the shakes.

[longtimenopost]

Aug 26, 2015 8:45:56 GMT -5 @this said:

Aug 26, 2015 8:40:00 GMT -5 @mrsbecky said:

Wow so that is why everyone uses the same language. that explains a lot.

You know what else I just thought of? I bet that's why none of them actually use the term "beach body" anywhere. They all just talk about THIS AMAZING PROGRAM. TO HELP YOU REACH YOUR GOALS. And use a gazillion hashtags - none of which are beach body. Just like "eatclean" and "fitmom" and stuff.

This term makes me RAAAAAGE. 

[sporklemotion]

Aug 26, 2015 9:01:31 GMT -5 Brie said:

I'm also fairly confident that the amount of obnoxious MLMs would decrease by half if the US enacted some sort of decent-length paid maternity leave.

It seems like the majority of sellers I know got into it because they want to SAH after having kids and, sadly, feel like this is a magic bullet to do so.

Yessss.  Every time someone asks about PT work in my FB mom's group, there are a flurry of "sent you a PM" posts.  

Of course, decent maternity leave would also kill Etsy and the momtography industry.

i actually know someone who just took a job as in-house counsel for one of these MLMs.  Two days after starting, she posted on FB about how she was going to try their awesome product.  

I also have a friend who just quit her job to do BB full time.  So far, she doesn't seem to target people to solicit.  At least, she hasn't reached out to me about the baby weight I am currently carrying.  Just lots of inspirational group posts.

What saddens me is all of the posts from her and her fellow coaches that talk about the crappy bonus gifts they send each other to celebrate some milestone.  If you're making $600 a year and spending it all on junky gifts to each other, what's the point?

[jssymom14]

A BB coach on my fbook recently got a shirt that says "mom-pruh-nuer" one who chases her dreams while keeping the kids alive. PUKE

[jeaniebueller]

Aug 26, 2015 9:16:06 GMT -5 pugz said:

Aug 26, 2015 9:03:58 GMT -5 @vicmo said:

So a lot of people apparently become sellers just to get the product for themselves, like Brie said. Do they not have monthly fees like listed on the website above? If the discount on products is high enough to offset a monthly fee of like $15, then damn.
(Especially for something like bb where you could just go to gnc for protein powder and get workout videos on YouTube for free.)

some products do require a fee or a minimum amount of sales.  I signed up for Usborne last month when they had a starter kit with 10 books for $55.  There is NO monthly fee or sales minimum, I basically get 25% off the books for life.  

I love those books!

[jeaniebueller]

Also, I know I have said this before, but it really grinds me that my "friends" who do these MLM groups essentially want their other friends to subsidize their life. Of course, they don't realize that is what it is.

[pugz]

jeaniebueller I love all my bags from 31! A friend is selling them but she is super low pressure about it and I love going over to her house to see all the bags. I just saw some of the new fall stuff and it's great. Plus she sells her old stuff for cheap as new stuff comes out

[Deleted]

Flameful: It pisses me off that all of these moms now call themselves working moms just for hawking a MLM. But they are still better than you for not working full time and being able to raise their kids full time. 

One of the worst is a friend who was posting a pic of her and her kids doing their workout together with the hashtag #noexcuse #findthetime or something stupid shaming like that. Basically like "yeah, i'm a SAHM to 3 kids, and if I can find the time for a 30 minute workout, then ANYONE CAN!" Fuck her. She's also the same person who is now all about the "mompreneur" crap, and how she's a "working mom" now. NO.

I also know someone who was bragging how her income from BB has enabled her husband to work less AND they were able to buy a brand new, $$$$ house.

I just don't understand, what do they think is going to happen in a year or two? Move on to the next one?

[hilwithonelary]

I know someone who let her nursing license completely lapse thanks to her R&F "career." I think she actually makes decent money now because she has a bunch of people under her, but I have no idea how she thinks that she can continue to be successful at this for another 20+ years.

[cjeanette]

Aug 26, 2015 9:01:31 GMT -5 Brie said:

I'm also fairly confident that the amount of obnoxious MLMs would decrease by half if the US enacted some sort of decent-length paid maternity leave.

It seems like the majority of sellers I know got into it because they want to SAH after having kids and, sadly, feel like this is a magic bullet to do so.

I don't know about that.  So many MLM people I know that don't also have a FT job (which is the majority for me) do it either so they "have the ability to stay home" or out of boredom because the kids are older and they don't want a real job.

The MLM that is local that sells ugly silver jewelry is mainly bored south OP housewives 40 or older.  

[cjeanette]

Aug 26, 2015 9:16:06 GMT -5 pugz said:

Aug 26, 2015 9:03:58 GMT -5 @vicmo said:

So a lot of people apparently become sellers just to get the product for themselves, like Brie said. Do they not have monthly fees like listed on the website above? If the discount on products is high enough to offset a monthly fee of like $15, then damn.
(Especially for something like bb where you could just go to gnc for protein powder and get workout videos on YouTube for free.)

some products do require a fee or a minimum amount of sales.  I signed up for Usborne last month when they had a starter kit with 10 books for $55.  There is NO monthly fee or sales minimum, I basically get 25% off the books for life.  

I have debated doing this with Scentsy since I like the products and my consultants always quit.  I assume because it isn't profitable.

Now SIL's MIL sells it so I order from her online but she has been doing this for 3 years.  I am waiting for her to throw in the towel.  I guess she is making money though,

[alexis]

It's making me very sad that MLMs are making everyone so suspicious of anyone trying to reconnect. It's never been so easy to reconnect with people from your past and MLMs are ruining it!

I sometimes think about reaching out again to people I used to be close to. I hate to think that they would be wary due to MLMs. Hopefully they remember my loud, vehement opposition.

I will add this to my list of reasons for hating MLMs. Way to add to the further isolation of people in today's society.

[holly116]

My gym offers a few of the bb exercise programs as aerobic classes. They're all included in regular membership and they aren't marketed as part of bb at all. No one has ever tried to sell me any sort of meal program or anything additional. I wouldn't even know that the classes line up except for when I googled trying to find other gyms in my area offering the classes that I like, it took me to the bb website.

[rxbeth]

Aug 26, 2015 9:01:31 GMT -5 Brie said:

I'm also fairly confident that the amount of obnoxious MLMs would decrease by half if the US enacted some sort of decent-length paid maternity leave.

It seems like the majority of sellers I know got into it because they want to SAH after having kids and, sadly, feel like this is a magic bullet to do so.

I've only gotten this far.  But not necessarily.  It's not true, as far as I've seen in Canada.  Instead it just draws in an even more obnoxious breed of seller who 'can't imagine someone else raising their children' after their paid year of maternity leave.  Then they post on my FB local all day.

[rugbywife]

Aug 26, 2015 12:52:59 GMT -5 rxbeth said:

Aug 26, 2015 9:01:31 GMT -5 Brie said:

I'm also fairly confident that the amount of obnoxious MLMs would decrease by half if the US enacted some sort of decent-length paid maternity leave.

It seems like the majority of sellers I know got into it because they want to SAH after having kids and, sadly, feel like this is a magic bullet to do so.

I've only gotten this far.  But not necessarily.  It's not true, as far as I've seen in Canada.  Instead it just draws in an even more obnoxious breed of seller who 'can't imagine someone else raising their children' after their paid year of maternity leave.  Then they post on my FB local all day.

This is the second time you have posted something like this here and it keeps rubbing me the wrong way.

FWIW, every single person I know who is involved in an MLM (and when I do a count on FB it's kind of interesting how many there are) is employed in some other job.

[rxbeth]

Aug 26, 2015 12:58:27 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

Aug 26, 2015 12:52:59 GMT -5 rxbeth said:

I've only gotten this far.  But not necessarily.  It's not true, as far as I've seen in Canada.  Instead it just draws in an even more obnoxious breed of seller who 'can't imagine someone else raising their children' after their paid year of maternity leave.  Then they post on my FB local all day.

This is the second time you have posted something like this here and it keeps rubbing me the wrong way.

FWIW, every single person I know who is involved in an MLM (and when I do a count on FB it's kind of interesting how many there are) is employed in some other job.

I'm sorry.  It's not my intention.  I guess I haven't had very many positive experiences with MLM and most of the local people that I've seen selling these things do SAH.  

[rxbeth]

Aug 26, 2015 10:16:17 GMT -5 sporklemotion said:

Aug 26, 2015 9:01:31 GMT -5 Brie said:

I'm also fairly confident that the amount of obnoxious MLMs would decrease by half if the US enacted some sort of decent-length paid maternity leave.

It seems like the majority of sellers I know got into it because they want to SAH after having kids and, sadly, feel like this is a magic bullet to do so.

Yessss.  Every time someone asks about PT work in my FB mom's group, there are a flurry of "sent you a PM" posts.  

Of course, decent maternity leave would also kill Etsy and the momtography industry.

i actually know someone who just took a job as in-house counsel for one of these MLMs.  Two days after starting, she posted on FB about how she was going to try their awesome product.  

I also have a friend who just quit her job to do BB full time.  So far, she doesn't seem to target people to solicit.  At least, she hasn't reached out to me about the baby weight I am currently carrying.  Just lots of inspirational group posts.

What saddens me is all of the posts from her and her fellow coaches that talk about the crappy bonus gifts they send each other to celebrate some milestone.  If you're making $600 a year and spending it all on junky gifts to each other, what's the point?

Momtography is HUGE in my city and I can't stand it.  I've been suckered in to using a few of these people whose pictures look okay online but the quality is horrendous when you actually try to print anything.  I really regret the lady who did DS's newborn shoot.  When we finally printed a few 4x6's we realized she must have done some weird filter or edit and it looked like both kids had salt and pepper coloured hair.  She also accidentally pulled off his umbilical cord.  And of course only accepts cash.

[redwino]

My biggest problem with MLMs is that you only make money if you recruit. So the whole business model is suckering other people into the opportunity. It doesn't matter if those people sell one item. You just want them to find ome more suckers. I think that's disgusting.

[marie3246]

My cousin's wife started selling those wraps and she is constantly posting about how life changing it has been. Her claims are so outrageous I wonder how anyone can actually believe her. Many things she posts are a total lie. For example she claims they couldn't afford all this stuff on their house a year ago, but now because of her super amazing job that makes 16K a month they are able to do whatever they want. Her MIL is paying for their entire house, they get cars, thru her husbands job and the reason they couldnt do some things to their house a year ago was due to the weather last winter. I'm sure my aunt would love to see all her posts about how rich they are now...

[Brie]

Aug 26, 2015 15:26:51 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

Aug 26, 2015 12:33:03 GMT -5 alexis said:

It's making me very sad that MLMs are making everyone so suspicious of anyone trying to reconnect. It's never been so easy to reconnect with people from your past and MLMs are ruining it!

I sometimes think about reaching out again to people I used to be close to. I hate to think that they would be wary due to MLMs. Hopefully they remember my loud, vehement opposition.

I will add this to my list of reasons for hating MLMs. Way to add to the further isolation of people in today's society.

FFS.  Don't be vague, be genuine, show an interest in the person and I think they'll get over their MLM-induced wariness.

Hey, Jane!  I just saw you pop up in my newsfeed and realized it's been forever since we've talked.  I've made a new year's resolution to connect with old friends more and thought I should send a message rather than miss this opportunity to catch up.  How are you doing?  Do you like living in X?  I think our husbands work in the same industry.

I recently moved to Y location and really like it so far.  I work in z industry and have a 2 year old boy and 4 year old girl.

In any event, I hope we can catch up soon!  I'd love to hear how you're doing.

Blah blah blah.  It's not hard.  I think if you're FB is all about how #fitforlife you are, that may be a tip off.  Or if you talk about how "great my new hobby, Pi.yo is!" or something, then people will know you are full of shit.

But I don't think just hearing from someone will get my radar up.

Also, I had one person straight up ask me to fund their GoFundMe for grad school and another ask me for money for their kid to go to a volleyball tournament.  MLMs are not required for people to try to get your money.

I feel like MLMs are a GBCN rage stroke topic where everyone fans the flames of everyone else's hatred until it's unreasonable.

I don't want to be an asshole here, but I just want to point out that "rage stroke" is a wee bit offensive.

[cjeanette]

You guys I am dying over here. Yesterday I was friended by a mom from C's soccer team. The boys have had playdates and known each other over a year so normal add. The first post I see from her in my feed she is pimping a mens line from the pink car cosmetic company.

I highly doubt she added me to sell me lipgloss but the timing of it cracks me up.

[osulori]

Aug 26, 2015 15:18:54 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

Aug 26, 2015 9:37:07 GMT -5 SJ said:

Anyway, MLM's don't drive me crazy. I go to parties if I feel like it, and I usually buy something. I have Cabi clothes I like, and Pampered Chef items that are fine. I like Osborne Books well enough. I'm sure I bought some Mary Kay/Avon makeup from the 90's. All my mom & grandma wore was MK. Oh and I have a 31 bag I got as a gift that is also fine.

I haven't run into anyone selling candles or jamberry nails or whatever. I block/ignore people who are spamming it on FB. I have only gotten a few of those PM's, and I tell them clearly I am not interested. I am totally willing to hide/block/unfriend people whose posts I don't enjoy.

Honestly, I feel bad/sorry for the women who fall for this stuff hook, line, and sinker. I would seriously murder my husband if he told me he was quitting his job and then pretended like selling vitamins to strangers was going to be a substantial income stream. If you have given up a career to make <$500/YEAR shilling stuff, it's not a real career and there is no way that is your dream. I AM THE ONE LIVING MY DREAM.

This is me.  I really don't get the hate.  I had a friend do Pampered Chef a few years ago, I bought some stuff, and that was it.  Sure, I got a few newsletters with recipes and stuff, but it didn't bother me.  

It's not your basic run of the mill MLM sellers that bug me. Lord only knows I've got plenty of Scentsy and Tastefully Simple around my house, along with a 21 Day Fix DVD set that I fire up when I work up the motivation (big props to aspentosh, the most laid back BB coach I know!), some Pampered Chef stuff, random Arbonne face stuff, and a 31 bag or two. It's the fact that some of these people are "reaching out" to people they haven't bothered to talk to in years in order to try to drum up business, spitting out the canned spiels provided to them by whatever company they're shilling, the incessant hashtags, the smug behavior, the shaming type posts along the lines of what Brie experienced last night.  That's what gets me fired up.  The H&F related MLM companies (BB, Ple.x.us, Ad.vo.care, Isa.genix, it.works, etc) seem to be the worst because they're all spewing the same BS just worded differently.

[niq]

I just want some way to know which MLMs pay people for sales vs recruiting new members. The first is annoying but at least it's a job, even if you do it part time and half-heartedly. The second is a pyramid scheme.

[niq]

Aug 26, 2015 16:49:27 GMT -5 chilerellanos said:

Aug 26, 2015 16:47:00 GMT -5 niq said:

I just want some way to know which MLMs pay people for sales vs recruiting new members. The first is annoying but at least it's a job, even if you do it part time and half-heartedly. The second is a pyramid scheme.

All of them.

I was afraid of that ...

... but then one of our Canadians said that they joined a kids book-related MLM (?) and they paid for sales. Maybe? Did I make this up?

[sporklemotion]

Aug 26, 2015 16:47:00 GMT -5 niq said:

I just want some way to know which MLMs pay people for sales vs recruiting new members. The first is annoying but at least it's a job, even if you do it part time and half-heartedly. The second is a pyramid scheme.

I thought the recruitment aspect was the "multi-level" part of it. Because you have your level, and the people under you, etc.  So they all require this, on some level, if you want to make any money.  I think if you fail to do it, some companies don't penalize you or really care, so people become sellers without the expectation of making money on it.  I think Scentsy is one that some people join just to get cheaper products, and they don't really try to sell to or recruit from their friends.

I think the difference is that some don't consider you active and give you discounts unless you sell a certain amount to non-sellers (so you're not just trading sales with others in your group), and some make you pre-buy inventory, so it costs you money to get in the door.

[cjeanette]

Aug 26, 2015 16:47:00 GMT -5 niq said:

I just want some way to know which MLMs pay people for sales vs recruiting new members. The first is annoying but at least it's a job, even if you do it part time and half-heartedly. The second is a pyramid scheme.

Well any MLM has a pyramid structure by definition.

I think the traditional home party MLMs earn you a 20% or so commission without a downline.

[niq]

Aug 26, 2015 17:47:01 GMT -5 cjeanette said:

Aug 26, 2015 16:47:00 GMT -5 niq said:

I just want some way to know which MLMs pay people for sales vs recruiting new members. The first is annoying but at least it's a job, even if you do it part time and half-heartedly. The second is a pyramid scheme.

Well any MLM has a pyramid structure by definition.

I think the traditional home party MLMs earn you a 20% or so commission without a downline.

Okay, after reading way more than I wanted to ever know about MLMs, I think I get it

If you want to make a little cash, you can just sell, but if you want to make enough money for it to be a "real job", you actually have to recruit other sellers and get them to sell.

ETA when I said "pyramid scheme" I guess I was referring to something where the person at the bottom can never make any money at all (vs they can make a tiny bit of money if they work very hard). TAL did a piece on some extra-shady MLM type thing where this seemed to be the case:

www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/543/wake-up-now

[cjeanette]

And now I just got invited to another PTA moms 31 launch party on FB.

This conversation is cursing me!