to boycott bloody boring buy something parties

[shggg245]

Deep breath - body shop x 3, scented candles, temple spa, boden, pampered chef, Jamie Oliver - blimey it's all too dull.

Got another invite and said sorry I'm not attending. 1. Very dull. 2. Can't get pissed. 3. Fed up of getting told off by some wanky demonstrator for not paying attention to life changing products.

Aibu to think it's just a way of guilt tripping friends onto buying stuff? Surely it's better to not bother if you've no intention of buying anything. My friend thinks I'm being rude and should show my face.

I always hated these parties and tried to avoid them at all costs but after a particularly awful one last year I have sworn never to attend one ever again.

A good friend had one, the sales consultant was a work colleague who had recently started and had convinced everyone she worked with to have a party "you don't have to buy anything, I just need the practice. I will even supply drinks and snacks" was her convincing line.
It was mainly just a good excuse to get everyone together for a few 's and some nibbles.

The sales consultant came with this very nice looking drinks despencer (big, glass, little tap) full of sliced fruit and 'punch' and some nibbles. The punch was lovely and fruity but didn't taste particularly alcoholic (do you see where this is going?)
She spent the entire demonstration topping up peoples glasses and saying things like "I can't carry it back out to the car while it still had punch in it so please drink it"

By the end of the demonstrations everyone was quite drunk, and the sales consultant was really giving it the hard sell, telling people that if they didn't love the items they could easily return them no questions asked, she was also trying hard to convince people they 'needed' things or they wold make fantastic gifts.

It was very uncomfortable and everyone ended up spending far too much money.
I bought things I didn't even want just to get away from her hard selling.

We found out later that the woman had been told the best way to sell is to get the customers really drunk and she was given a recipe for very strong punch that doesn't taste strong.
She also made it really difficult for people to return things that didn't really want.

Because of that I am never going to another one of those parties again.

Never been to an Ann Summers one. Does everyone giggle at chocolate willies and the like? I think I'd struggle with all the giggling at the products I'd feel obliged to do.

YANBU.

I have a lovely friend who sells expensive tat 'consults for' such parties for other people.

It mainly seems to involve her spending her own money to buy kit to push the merchandise on her friends and relatives, either through parties or via catalogues, special offer fortnights and Facebook harassment.

Since Christmas I've been invited to nine parties and one open house, hidden from her twice at the school fair when she set a stall up, returned three unwanted catalogues, been added to two Facebook tat-selling groups and been tagged in 114 special offer photos for overpriced stuff I don't want and can't afford.

I have had some of these invites but genuinely haven't been able to go as DH travels a lot and I can't justify getting a babysitter. But I am curious, as I would never turn up empty handed to a party, are you expected to take a bottle in addition to being expected to buy the products?

My neighbour had a Vie at Home party. Tbh, I wasn't quite sure what it was all about but assumed there'd be a display of make-up and you could go and have a look if you wanted and chat to the woman, but mainly there would be booze.

I was mortified when I turned up with my big old walk boots on after having had an evening stroll with DP only to find a load of women all dolled up, sitting in a circle watching a make-up demo on some poor unsuspecting guest - which lasted for about two hours (only got one small glass of wine too).

After the endless demo, everyone sort of got up and went to have a closer look at the stuff and filled in forms - i was like so made my excuses to my neighbour and headed for the door.

The Vie at Home woman literally yelled at the top of her voice at me from across the room: "HANG ON, I HAVEN'T GOT YOU ORDER, YOU CAN'T GO!"

I just said: "That's because I'm not buying anything."

I swear everyone was that I left without placing an order.

(and it was really expensive imho too,).

Being a hermit I thankfully don't generally get invites to these things, but recently went to a Virgin wine tasting evening for the first time. It was fun until the order forms were put in front of us and everyone started filling them in. All I could think of was how full my wine rack already was, how I didn't want to buy any more for a while, and how I buy cheaper wine than Virgin's anyway. Weighing up the pros and cons of leaving without buying anything I ended up buying 2 bottles. Very nice they were, but it was the awkwardness of feeling obliged to buy that soured it for me.

I also went to a Vie at home party, just after having DC1... literally about 2 weeks after. We had not been in our house for very long and I thought it was nice of the neighbour to invite me to a party. I was honed in on as the only person who had recently had a baby, and was used to demonstrate the pampering necessary 'oh you need to pamper yourself'. Then the demonstrator focused on me and tried to get me to sign up as I was on maternity leave, (pyramid selling) and certainly would not be wanting to go back to work after my baby, and could do this from home etc etc etc. I felt completely smacked around the head.

These things are pure crocks of shit.

Been to a few of these in the past, one or two were good, most were awful, don't go to them anymore. I just politely decline and wish everyone who does go a good time.

Bought 4 coloured beakers at a Tupperware party 15 years ago that was so boring I wanted to stick pins in my eyes, however the beakers are still as good as new.

The one to really avoid is Partylite.....omg!!! I love candles but these are bloody horrendous and the prices are as bad!! My friend and I, both Partylite virgins but known to like a good candle, went to one and daren't meet each others eyes for fear of bursting out laughing....the products were shite, the demonstrator terrifying and we ended up forking out £19 for a candle that wouldn't have gone amiss for a quid in Primark! Lesson learned.....

Oh yes, thought of another....went to a Virgin Vie one a few years ago where the demonstrator, another particularly fearsome creature, set up her stall then told us she had to pop out for a few minutes, she wouldn't be long but we could just have a look at her products.

She returned 30 minutes later to find the place in uproar and 15 Lily Savage lookalikes solemnly declaring that no, of course we hadn't actually touched the makeup......

I went to an aloe vera party once where we were actually asked to taste the stuff (because it was the cure for everything )....It was slightly bitter and roughly the consistency of snot, grim grim grim.

I bought the cheapest thing in the catalogue, a lipsalve. To be fair, it's one of the very few lipsalves I haven't reacted to.

a few years back, a circle of my friends and I were invited to one of these with a weeks notice, over the coming days the host got more and more enthusiastic about the products, it was weird. Every day in the run up we would all receive a txt or two from the host

have decided its all about catching up- so no music girls!

no popping out for cigarettes during party- sorry!

everyone is expected to sample everything- no exceptions!

then in the last few days before:

no talking during demonstrations- you know who you are!

have decided no drinking , as I really want everyone focused on the demo lady! see you there!
( I came down with a nasty migraine at this point)

please can everyone remember to bring card details or cash on Friday! one sleep to go!

then a flurry of messages getting increasingly bonkers as the day went on including:

am expecting at least £25 spent by everyone tonight! can't wait!

and the final one as I guess everyone invited preferred not to go to a party with no drinks, music or talking

I need everyone there tonight! remember at least 25 spent please! I want my hamper!

no one showed.
buy your own sodding hamper!

YANBU, and I did start to boycott them, years ago. Rarely have I been to one of those damn things and found anything fantastic that I couldn't get for less in a shop. I hate the pressure to have a party myself, I hate the guilt-trip to buy something so the hostess can get her gift and I hate being a captive audience to a hard sell for some Emperor's New Clothes bit of tat that I don't need or want.

When you sit and think logically about it, the whole party plan system is just an opportunity for a parasite pointless middle-man (or usually woman) to grin at you and patronise you for two hours while sucking your blood and making you feel like you should be grateful for having a nice 'evening out.'