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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think it's not moral to knowingly sell products to people

96 replies

OutofSyncGirl · 05/04/2018 21:53

That you know they won't need or are bad value for money? I know it's necessary part of many jobs to sell things but when does it become wrong?

I know people can say know but some are vulnerable eg. Old people.

OP posts:

TheMaddHugger · 06/04/2018 07:51

@Hypermice Sunscreen is everything.

so says the extremely pale person living in Australia

Hypermice · 06/04/2018 07:52

It would be interesting to have a 'blind' trial, and see if people really could tell which was the expensive brand.

It’s been done on a small scale. Boots no.7 came out really well along with olay before they reformulated it. The expensive stuff doesn’t perform anywhere near as much as the price tag suggests it would. Creams sold in tubs are also prone to bacterial and fungal growth after just a couple of months.

Buy something you can afford, that smells nice (or not at all) and works for you.

Hypermice · 06/04/2018 07:53

themadd if I lived in Oz I’d be coated in zinc head to toe - super pale!

TheMaddHugger · 06/04/2018 07:54

@Hypermice I'm paler than Porcelain. Mac 10c. and yes, I use Zinc

ShweShwe · 06/04/2018 07:55

What a peculiar thread!

Started off as one thing and turned very quickly into something else entirely. I wonder what the purpose was?

Elemis - like all so call high-end face goo - is just so much rubbish! Of course it is. It can’t be anything else. Just buy the Lidl or Aldi copies

missbonita · 06/04/2018 07:55

Well I’ve heard some nonsense in my time but an anti capitalism rant from someone selling expensive skin care and spa treatments really takes the biscuit. Congrats op - you win the MN woolly thinking of the week award.

BigPinkBall · 06/04/2018 08:06

What a bizarre thread.

Anyway I clicked on the title to say that I’ve done a few cold calling jobs for products like kitchens and double glazing, if it didn’t work companies wouldn’t do it, so if you don’t like it blame the people who go ahead with the cold callers pitch (there are more of them than you’d think!)

In a previous job I did sell a service that very few people actually ‘needed’ unless they were illiterate, they could have probably done it themselves in a day or so. I can’t say what it was as there are only 2 companies that do it and it would be very identitying. Most of my customers were elderly and going through a difficult time, although all were capable of understanding what I was selling and consenting to the purchase (we couldn’t sell it if we doubted that they had mental capacity to understand). It wasn’t exactly cold calling but it was sold off the back of something else so it was similar to cold calling. I used to get a monthly bonus that was almost as much as my base salary and I never felt bad because everyone I sold it to had the option to go away and do some research themselves to decide if they wanted our services or not and plenty of people decided they didn’t.

gamerwidow · 06/04/2018 08:08

That's how sales work though. No one needs anything other than the basic needs of food, shelter, clothing and healthcare. The whole of sales and marketing exists to tell us otherwise.
Don't get me wrong I buy as much superfluous stuff as anyone but I don't need any of it.

Petalflowers · 06/04/2018 08:10

So this thread is about an advert, not a discussion.

Other brands are available....

elisenbrunnen · 06/04/2018 08:11

I thought this was going to be a journo thread 'we hate cold callers don't we?' (give me your examples of immoral cold callers) but it turned into a sales pitch for moisturiser.

Very odd.

elisenbrunnen · 06/04/2018 08:11

very odd

steff13 · 06/04/2018 08:12

Started off as one thing and turned very quickly into something else entirely. I wonder what the purpose was?

Maybe the OP expected people to be impressed with her ethics and want to know more about whatever the skin cream is that she sells?

My mother used Olay (the regular lotion) every day and her skin looked amazing. Lots of different things work.

Dobbythesockelf · 06/04/2018 08:20

This is hilarious. Is this just a thread to advertise overpriced face creams?? I'll stick to nivea I think. Not that I'm that bothered about aging, my mum is 65, never uses fancy creams and she looks about 50 so I'm not convinced they will do much good.
As for selling things you wouldn't use yourself that's not how sales jobs work. My dh sells cars, he often has to sell a used car that he himself wouldn't buy. Not dangerous or anything, just a car that he himself thinks is rubbish for whatever reason be it make, model, cost. But he can't turn to his boss and say "sorry i wont sell this car cause I think the fuel consumption is shocking so I wouldn't drive it myself"

AllNamesTakenhell · 06/04/2018 08:21

Hypermice 100% agreeing. Anyone can throw DNA, pentapeptides and antioxidants into a sentence to gush about a product, which is bollocks and incorrect. Its not hard to use buzz words to make something sound scientific. It is akin to using legal terms incorrectly, for example unscrupulous agents citing buzz words to 'prove' that a tenant must provide access for viewings when the law states otherwise.

Mummyoflittledragon · 06/04/2018 08:24

Hypermice
I get what you’re saying and I do not disagree with what you are saying. However, I find most cheap moisturisers too thin and liquid. I’ve shopped around a lot to find a moisturiser, where my skin still feels hydrated the next morning. I wear a different night cream in the day as well. For me, it’s about hydration as that’s the best anti anging external remedy anyway.

needtogiveitablow · 06/04/2018 08:30

I wash my face with whatever cleanser is on offer and moisturise using Aveeno (we’ve got loads since the kids have occasional eczema breakouts). I’ve tried more expensive “regimes” (since no high end brand will ever stop at just moisturiser) and it has always negatively impacted my skin! The simple approach seems to work for me! Nice try though OP, I very nearly jumped in feet first with a scathing post about Forever Living!

dentydown · 06/04/2018 08:32

Ten years ago I started using olay moisturiser, everyday, every night. Made sure it was spf, anti aging, the latest brand.
Now I look ten years older. I think I ought to get my money back....

coconuttella · 06/04/2018 08:47

*Outofsync

Where did you learn about the relative merits of Elemis and Dermalogica? An Elemis rep by any chance? I wouldn’t be surprised if what you wrote was libellous.

Also, Elemis face cream, however amazing it is, is hardly a necessity! That’s ridiculous.

BigPinkBall · 06/04/2018 08:52

@Dobbythesockelf Exactly! I bought a boring little VW UP! From a salesman who was about 19 and had a picture of his rally car as the wallpaper on his computer, and I said to him I bet you wouldn’t be seen dead in this car and he said no, it’s not fast enough for me. But it didn’t stop him selling it to me or me buying it and we were both happy with the transaction

londonrach · 06/04/2018 08:59

Denty! 😜😜😜😝😝😝. Def ask for your money back

GabsAlot · 06/04/2018 12:31

ffs -fuck off with your sales pitch

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