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You know when you get invited to a Partylite/Younique/MLM Party...

57 replies

SatsumaFan · 06/12/2018 19:51

Do you tell the friend who invited you the truth, which is you don't support MLM's and won't ever attend a party or buy anything from them...or just say you're busy that night?!

OP posts:
BusterGonad · 07/12/2018 07:00

I've had great evenings at these parties, the drink flows, everyone has a laugh and if the host is skint and totally needs the money (if she's a good friend) then I certainly would purchase goods if I liked them!

Nicknacky · 07/12/2018 07:03

Buster I’ve had many a great night out with friends too, but not ones that involve an industry that should be illegal (and it’s a fancy way of saying pyramid scheme which is illegal) and buying over priced crap.

DomesticAnarchist · 07/12/2018 07:12

I don't like to knowingly exploit my friends, even if they don't understand that they're being exploited.

botwatch.blog/2016/05/03/mlm-expectation-vs-reality/

TeaStory · 07/12/2018 08:51

@BusterGonad if the host needs money, all the more reason NOT to encourage her in being part of an MLM - she is more likely to lose money in the end.

OutComeTheWolves · 07/12/2018 09:09

I'm a total coward and just say I'm busy. An immediate relative is balls deep in one at the minute and I still haven't had the courage to tell them my real thoughts.

acatcalledjohn · 07/12/2018 10:30

Tropic is Susan Ma (Ex Apprentice) and Alan Sugar's MLM. I don't get the impression it's as recruitment focussed as some others, and from what I have heard the products are fairly decent, though no better than vegan stuff you can buy (cheaper) in shops.

Still, they make bullshit claims ("GOSH use and recommend Tropic for their patients") and really ought to FOTTFSOF. At the end of the day it's still a scummy MLM that will not be successful for anyone bar the top 0.5-5% of adherents.

Stompythedinosaur · 07/12/2018 10:50

I tell people I have a moral objection to mlm. I'd rather be honest than be asked to parties repeatedly.

DomesticAnarchist · 07/12/2018 16:42

Tropic info from here: botwatch.blog/2016/06/21/directory-of-mlm-information/

"Tropic Skincare

They sell make up. They call their reps ambassadors. Susie Ma won The Apprentice in 2011 and set up her Tropic business with Lord Alan Sugar, with him sharing the business 50/50 with Susie.

They don’t have an income statement but they do have this-

Let’s see if we can work out the average income. We can assume that a few people started in 2011 and the numbers grew year on year. We can also assume that a lot of people joined and then left. Let’s try and cancel these facts out and assume there were, on average, 8000 people from the beginning and no one left the scheme. In reality, the number of total reps, past and present, would be more so we are being generous.

If there were 8000 reps and they earned £13 million between them, each one will have earned £1,625 in total. If you break this down to a yearly amount, it is £232.

Roughly then, each rep will have earned on average £232 a year, less expenses. Even if these figures are wrong by a factor of 4, this would still be a very poor earning potential.
Registered at Companies House.

There is no information on their website about how much it costs to join. A rep in a webchat stated in 2011 that it costs £120 to join"

You know when you get invited to a Partylite/Younique/MLM Party...
MLMsuperfan · 08/12/2018 05:30

I didn't realise Alan Sugar was involved in MLMs.

GunpowderGelatine · 08/12/2018 06:17

Tropic isn't a MLM, and the stuff is actually quite good if you have sensitive skin (my children have terrible eczema and their bubble bath and shower gel is the only stuff I've been able to use and not have a breakout). However it's very expensive, the make up is premium product price (same as Lancôme and Elizabeth Arden) without the premium reputation and quality.

I've been to a few Tropic parties now and am starting to say "I'm busy" to new invitations when really I actually just don't want to spend another obligatory £40 on stuff I don't especially need.

Luckily I've never been invited to a MLM party, though one bot I used to work with does Body Shop at home and keeps pestering me to host a party - I just reply "no sorry" now.

I do actually like Body Shop stuff, I use the banana shampoo and conditioner and the foundation and Drops of Youth are fantastic. However, I also live near a Body Shop outlet shop where if you buy 2 products you get 30% off, 3 products 35% off and 4 products or more 40% off. So I just buy 2 shampoo and 2 conditioners at a time and pay buttons. The MLM rep can't beat those prices, I do feel like commenting "I can get it cheaper at the shop up the road you know" every time she posts "Look!! 👀👀👀 we have an AMAZING offer 2day only of 25% of shampoos and conditioners 💆🏼‍♀️🧖🏼‍♀️🙅🏼‍♀️😍 wow laydies these are reel steal and bargans get yours 2day before dey go". 2 hours later another post "OMG I can't beleeve how meny orders I'm getting for the shampoos. Sorry laydies if I don't get bak to you tooday I'm inundayted lol 💃🏼 join my team if you want to be inundayted to and make a billion pounds an hour 💰 💴 ". The urge to comment "fuck off have you" is so overwhelming I have to throw my phone across the room to stop myself Grin

GunpowderGelatine · 08/12/2018 06:27

Actually the last Tropic party I was at was very funny, held by a school mum (I went as I needed more bubble bath so thought fuck it) but she pitched it as a "Pamper and Prosecco party" on her Facebook invitation. Another mum there hadn't heard of Tropic and clearly expected something different so when she walked in to all the crap dotted across the room she said "I don't understand. What's going on? What's all this". When it was explained to her she said "oh I thought this was an actual party. Never mind" Grin

Sausagema · 08/12/2018 07:31

Bodyshop at home has exploded round here just now. People seem to have abandoned youninque for it and are apparently making megabucks. Someone has posted their earnings to the group (she's a "manager" of. Some sort) and she's apparently earned 5k this month?! I suppose bodyshop is fairly easy to sell as its well known and fairly cheap but that seems a. Lot?

Spongebobette · 08/12/2018 08:32

Of course she isn’t earning that much! How many bottles of bubble bath would you have to flog to make 5k!!!

It’s the same as Neal’s Yard, I love their stuff but get it at Waitrose, they have 25% off several times a year and there’s no way an MLM Rep can match that. Also, Usborne books, same thing, cheaper offers elsewhere.

MacarenaFerreiro · 08/12/2018 08:35

she's apparently earned 5k this month?

That's the thing about MLM, you can pluck any figures out of the air and claim them as earnings.

She (and her minions beneath her) may well have put through orders of £5k in a month. Most likely, £4995 of that will be money they are spending themselves to increase stock.

So in other words, not earnings at all.

I have a friend doing Body Shop at Home who keeps trying to add me to her FB group and posting those crappy messages about supportung small businesses. I just don't get why she is doing it, she is a highly qualified professional woman who has a well-paid job, and isn't the usual "desperate for a bit of extra cash" person these companies prey on.

sherrysfortea · 08/12/2018 08:52

If you tell her why you aren't going she will have people in her ear consoling her for having "friends who are jealous and unsupportive" etc. So you may need to take a back step from the friendship for a while until she has come to a realisation and disentangled herself from all this nonsense.

I hate the whole "party" thing, friends shouldn't try to flog friends a load of overpriced crap that they don't need.

Norma27 · 08/12/2018 09:02

Tropic must definitely IS an mlm. Although unlike other mlms/pyramid schemes it has what seems to be considered a decent product attached. I would never go to one of their recruitment/hard sell parties and I tell the reason why.

OnoAnotherNC · 08/12/2018 09:08

Not only is Tropic an mlm, Susan Ma didn't win the apprentice! She was one of the runners up that year.

GunpowderGelatine · 08/12/2018 09:45

I think I've heard Tropic isn't mad crazy on recruiting and up/down line earning. I could be wrong though!

GunpowderGelatine · 08/12/2018 09:48

They must tell Tropic reps to gush about Susie Ma in their pitches - every party I've been to they talk about her starry eyed, how clever and beautiful she is, and I find it quite uncomfortable

BusterGonad · 08/12/2018 12:04

Yeah, you lot are right, sorry! Ive been thinking about it and they do take advantage.

Sausagema · 08/12/2018 14:13

The 5k thing was a screenshot of her online bodyshop account thing. Probably a screenshot of her sales or something else entirely, I just hate how they make it sound like we can all sell bubble bath and make 5k.

MadisonAvenue · 08/12/2018 14:24

I was invited to a Forever Living ‘business launch’ Hmm and said I couldn’t make it. However, it seemed that most people were busing that night so she changed the date Grin
Still said that I couldn’t make it Xmas Wink

m0therofdragons · 06/01/2019 21:33

Help! Is Norwex an mlm? I really like friend who is hosting and all
If our group is going but it's a Friday night being sold cleaning products. I have a cleaner who provides her own.

BaconPringles · 06/01/2019 21:59

Yes it is, m0therofdragons

Dizzywizz · 06/01/2019 22:03

@waytooearly forgive my ignorance, but what is a stamping party? Have googled but it is just coming up with crafting?!

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