To think sodding Sell-You-Stuff parties are a work of the Devil ...

[Fecklessdizzy]

Rant Alert ...

Seething (and stinking of garlic). Just got back from Stupidly-Overpriced-Cookware demo that I wasn't going to go to on account of having a foul cold and not being interested in podding out fifty quid for a casserole dish.

The friend who was hosting the thing was panicking about no-one turning up and guilt-tripped me into coming along to make up the numbers so I sat through the demo ( think shopping channel but much, much duller ) When the demonstrator handed round the stuff she'd cooked at the end I had a nibble or two then made my excuses and started to slink off when she says " Not buying anything, then?" My mate says " Oh, Feckless isn't feeling well, I made her come " and the bloody demonstrator whips back with " Shame, lucky it didn't affect your appitite, though! "

Snarl ...

I can just imagine it WW

I'm sure you'd all have been much happier just meeting up round at one of your houses, playing with toys you all already had !

I got to know lots of friends with babies through the NCT - there was a very good coffee morning rota that anyone could go to - or just meeting up with people from our ante-natal class. So much better with no commercial aspect !

I thought these things died out years ago! At least Ann Summers parties were funny.

They are the work of the devil.
They lure you in. Give you some food get you to chat and be part of some foolish inane show about overly complicated cant live without kitchen tat. Whilst a demented host evangelses about how great life is now she had found PC. You all look at the catalogue have a fit and the price. Yet no matter how hard you are you feel rude not to buy something.
I felt fleaced afterwards and its only a fecking baking tin that cost £20 I could of got one in Poundland.

I've never actually seen Pampered Chef. What do they do?

"This really confirms my suspicions. A ridiculously rich friend of mine (bored I think) has become a Neals Yard Rep and is bugging me to host a party. I can't understand the logic as my house is literally half a mile from the nearest Neals Yard shop that has often has offers on, none of which would apply to the evening. She is also very wealthy and could easily afford to buy anything she wants.

Although she hasn't called me for a while as she's in St Tropez at the moment... really."

Oh this really makes me laugh. Why is St Tropez even relevant? Jealous much?

Honestly people, get off your high horses. Don't like it? Don't go. It really is that fucking easy. I seriously think your collective hatred stems from your own shame and self-loathing at your inability to say "no". I dread to think what else you have in your home that you couldn't say "no" to. Copy of Watchtower, anyone?

Duffy mate, the pile of pointless crap chez Feckless testifying to my inability to say "No" is so gynormous that it practically has it's own gravitational field ... Just about the only things I don't have are Watchtower and a PC pizza plate ...

Looblylu and veryconfusedatthemoment Hello fellow Usborners!

Which part of the country are you in? Just curious. veryconfused, suspect your in the south if you manage to get so many home parties. :)

Looblylu. How many toddler groups have you tried? I got knocked back the first few I asked but I now cover about twenty which I visit once a term. Sales not great but it fits in with the kids and I enjoy it. I too tried a soft play place but sales were awful and I had dd first time and both dd and ds the second and just found it really hard to be in mam mode and work mode at the same time.

Been thinking about this. After reading how many people hate us and others of our ilk, it has been a bit of a downer, although interesting. I realise that as far as I'm concerned it's my job to provide excellent customer service and the personal touch and it would seem that most of the reps getting a slating don't seem to prioritise, or perhaps even acknowledge, the importance of that.

Hi Muddling

I think taking some books along to lots of toddler groups so people can look through them and maybe order those they fancy is very different to the taking over of the private, personal, and non-commercial sphere of our lives and introducing an unwanted commercial aspect. That's what I don't like.
It's the high-jacked mock parties that I don't like the sound of (have only had a brief taste of one or two)
I often ordered some good books though from a book club thing that used to come to my work-place at Children's Centre.

I have never been to one of those parties, but I have heard a lot about them. I always refuse as they are overpriced tat really. What is the point of a candle party, when you can get some from the poundshop or poundstretcher for a fraction of the price.

It's nothing personal Muddling... Selling stuff is fine ... Usborne and Phoenix seem to turn up at PTA events and Toddler groups and what not where you can have a look and then wander off if there's nothing that floats your boat.

I was just pissed off at myself for not sticking to my guns and staying on the sofa with me Lemsip, my friend for getting all life and death wound up about me coming and the demonstrator for being a sarky cowbag.

This thread has really cleared my mind about the whole thing, it's not social it's commercial and if you don't intend to spend stay away ... Simples!

I got sucked in and had a Jamie at Home party - definitely no need to bring a bottle, in my mind i was providing wine and nibbles to make up in part for subjecting friends to sales patter. You have to invite loads of people to end up with a reasonable number there.

All very cringey - especially when the woman said "this is Perrinelli's night, it's all about her, so let's get some good sales so she can get lots of points". 9 friends spent about £250 - I got £50 worth of points (about what I spent on wine and nibbles) and I think the consultant made £50. No one booked a party. Can't really see how it's worth it for her! Never again - was a fun night but would have been more fun without the sales tho felt bit less bad as it's coming up to Xmas. I think the Jme stuff is nice but too pricey and I'm really developing a dislike of that man - he's everywhere!

Ok I admit it.....I used to sell Tupperware!!!!!!

Got fed up of all my friends crossing the road when they saw me, though.

I miss my rep's special offers, now that my 15 year old Tupperware has become lost, stolen or walked off to DH's workshop to be used for mixing topsoil or paints

Lots of that stuff can't be got now even on Ebay, so I have to admit if I had the offer of a Tupperware party came along now, I would probably go, and buy!

On the other hand, the party I did get invited recently to was Neal's Yard. Remedies, Definitely the work of the devil.....b candles were the least of it.

See, I have no problem whatsoever with a rep turning up once a term at a toddler group and setting up a quiet stand in the corner, or someone leaving a brochure around the office for me to peruse - and I don't mind browsing through a betaware catalogue stuck through the door once in while - there is no pressure whtasoever. You do not feel like you've been drafted in so that you can be sold at in a pushy way. You can look if you want, or not look. Buy if you like, or not buy. Totally different.

I think what the idea of customer service means to a lot of people is that the sellers wait for the customers to come to them. 'You do not feel like you've been drafted in so that you can be sold at in a pushy way' expresses it well.

"Honestly people, get off your high horses. Don't like it? Don't go. It really is that fucking easy. I seriously think your collective hatred stems from your own shame and self-loathing at your inability to say "no". I dread to think what else you have in your home that you couldn't say "no" to. Copy of Watchtower, anyone?"

I agree. You are a miserable, cynical lot. All the home selling parties I have been to have been good fun social events. Only my real friends have invited me to them. I buy if I want something and don't if I don't. I don't have a problem or a huge guilt complex if I don't buy anything. I went to a Temple Spa "party" not so long ago and just couldn't bring myself to buy face cream costing £30+. The seller kept comparing the prices with Clinique, which was irrelevant as far as I was concerned because I don't buy Clinique either.

I remember the Weekender range. Weren't the clothes vile! I didn't buy anything there either, as a PP has pointed out they don't cater for very slim people and everything swamped me. I have been to a few Pippa Dee parties and have bought clothes from those. I did find that most of the tops had wide boat necks which just don't suit me.

Lately it has been Pampered Chef and Vie at Home parties that I have been invited to - all by good friends, not just acquaintances that need to bulk up the numbers. Usually at the Vie ones I buy something from the catalogue (MIL loves the bath sponges they do) rather than the product being demonstrated. Pampered Chef is expensive and I don't like the stoneware products which are horribly overpriced, but I have had one or two things from their range that have been brilliant.

They are hell. For some reason I am always have a sore throat on thoese days though.

They are only hell if you make them hell. I have never been to a hellish sell you stuff party. If you don't like them don't go. I enjoy them because it is a social thing for me and I don't spend much at them.

YANBU - I hate those parties and feel like defriending all my Avon representative, fake jewellery and tupperware toting friends.

The worst for me was one I was invited to by a woman who thinks we are great friends, but who I just can't seem to shake off. She invited me and my sister, we said we couldn't go, then she guilt tripped us into agreeing to show for a little while. We were an hour late as we only meant to drop by and had said we weren't buying anything. We were the only people there, the consultant was this petite little glamorous creature who looked horrified to be sat in this awful, filthy place. The food was unbelievably horrid and we didn't want to eat anything cooked in that pigsty, where there was catpoo ON THE FLOOR.

We sat gingerly on the filthy couch and dutifully allowed the poor hostess to do her games and my sister, who is better off than me, signed up for $150 of the crap jewellery as gifts for family for Christmas.

She never received the items. Because we had to contact the seller through this woman, we were never able to get hold of her and force her to return the money or the jewellery, and since my sister lives in the UK she couldn't get it sorted. We even reported it to the company, but without the consultants name they couldn't do anything. Never, ever again.

That sounds awful flyingspaghettimonster

Why do so many of you associate with such horrible people? I steer clear of anyone I don't like.

lol a parent at school was always doing these and my friends and I hated them. We have 'wine nights' now. We visit each other with alcohol and gossip. Much, much, much more fun!

I went to an Ann Summers party and I can honestly say it was one of the worst experiences of my life.

To set the scene - there were about 10 of us, I knew the host and vaguely new 3 others, 2 mums from school and one playgroup assistant.

The Ann Summers rep (who happened to be 6 months pregnant and drinking and chain smoking) started the evening on a lovely note; she gave us all stickers with our name for the evening and we had to address each other by this name. Mine was the tasteful, 'Bucket Fanny Annie'.

Then we had to split into groups and make a 'sexy' outfit for one of us using bin liners. The winning team were given a packet of drinking straws that looked liked penises. (Kill me now)

Then we had the great hilarity of a game. We had to pair up (I got the 20 stone playgroup worker) and simulate sexual positions with each other whilst trying to burst a balloon between us. There were several rounds

This was followed by an interminable session of passing around vibrators, dildos, 'knicker critters', fluffy handcuffs and all manner of crap sex toys, with of course, the requisite shrieking from the guests. Let's try them on our noses! And then piss ourselves laughing. Not.

Of course we had the opportunity to try on some of the clothes. Lovely, not at all cheap looking stuff like a cheeky little air stewardess or naughty nurse.

Much of the evening I have, thankfully, managed to erase from my memory. But I do think back on it as one of the naffest, tawdry evenings I have ever spent. Suffice to say, I couldn't find anything to buy.

ASN. That sounds like my idea of hell.

Maybe you shouldn't have gone since it's plainly not your scene?

Knicker Critters? OMFG. Don't people have to go to special clinics for those?

I went to an AS party too once, and I sat there with a frozen, slightly panicky and hysterical smile on my face the entire night. H.I.D.E.O.U.S. It really could not be over soon enough.