Why are all my friends becoming Body Shop consultants?

[Coffeebiscuitsrepeat]

Since I hit 30, I've noticed at least 6 of my wider friendship group do this. Is it actually profitable? Is it MLM? I'm just curious mostly, as it looks like quite a lot of effort to drum up sales!

I like body shop products and used to buy them but I stopped when I found out that Avon is part of the group that owns body shop and that they still sell to china.
China by law requires any product even if produced outside of China to be tested on animals so makes a mockery of trying to buy cruelty free if another part of the company is still animal testing.
Therefore I won’t buy any cosmetic that is sold in China.

TBH the perfume one sounds quite good - that's no different from buying your chicken in Aldi because they use the same suppliers as Waitrose, is it?

Some of the products are really good. From a customers perspective there isn’t anything wrong with buying a cheaper version of a scent you like. The issue is the targeted recruitment.

We tried gently to point out to a friend who just started as a bodyshop consultant that, while not fully falling under MLM, it's very close to it. Within days of signing up and spamming all of our friends group with links to her new business opportunity, we started seeing 'prize draws' and similar popping up, along wish pushes for 'special savings/offers' that are comparable to or less than the products would be with a regular sale discount online.

I think as it's such a well-known brand, some people may think it's an easy way to make money from home; what it actually has done is make us just mute that person on social media and be less likely to check/respond to messages from her, as we know it'll end up back around at a sales pitch at some point.

It’s sad but inevitable when people lose their jobs. Easy entry but very hard to make money. It’s shameful companies like Body Shop are preying on desperate families

I have juice plus, wfh travel agents and skin tropic spamming my facebook.
I had a friend request from someone today, name was vaguely familiar so clicked on her profile. No mutual friends but she is obviously a Juice plus rep. Deleted that request straightaway.
My cousin is a tropic rep and put some photos on earlier of the sets you can buy - their cheapest is £42!!!! Not a chance

Someone posted on a local buy site about the travel agent one and was asked if they were ABTA (?) protected. no reply to that comment. Do people really book holidays through a facebook advert??

A family member has recently joined an MLM scheme and was promoting a raffle to win £30.
Wasn't until the last minute that she changed the wording to say £30 off her products!

Years ago, a friend starting selling JP. Each to their own and all that, but I wasn't impressed that she used her weight loss photos to promote JP when I know for a fact she lost the weight via SW.

Also, I pity purchased that "Amazing" mascara from another friend who joined an MLM scheme.
Really was not impressed with it. I love mascara - I usually do spend £25 on a Lancôme one so thought, if this one is just as good, I can switch and my friend will make some commission from me. But I hated it. I tried telling her politely that I didn't like it but then she said I have to use the primer with it for the "best results"!
£50 on mascara and primer?! No thanks!

@covidmonkey

My Facebook friend sells Tupperware and jewellery. I get regularly invitations to Tupperware parties.

Tupperware in the UK?

One of my Facebook friends is selling something that she claims helps you lose weight.
She posted a photo of herself stood slouching and then another all dressed in black with her arms stretched in the air.
She'd written "wow can't believe how great I feel I've lost my mum tum after only one week!"

Loads of comments like "Omg! You look amazing hun!"
"Wow well done hun, you look awesome!“

TheMHMummy the body shop falls wholly under a MLM. It is not close to it, it is an mlm. Don’t be fooled that just because they have shops and a website that means they are not fully an mlm.

allzoomedout not anymore.

After twelve months you're assumed to be earning the equivilent of the amount needed to make them all stop. Hence jobcentre pushing people job seeking to sign up. So jobseeking element stops, then get pressure from company and dwp to earn more to leave benefits altogether ASAP if not earning enough.

Under the old system it was different. But universal credit is tough.

There's an excellent podcast on how women get pulled into MLM called The Dream.
This is a review of it
slate.com/business/2018/12/multilevel-marketing-podcast-review-the-dream-facebook.html

@DobbyLovesSocks Inteletravel does have ABTA membership despite loud protests from legitimate travel agents and the travel industry in general. In reality Inteletravel doesn’t sell much travel, it sells the opportunity to be a travel agent (Or rather its side business does, that’s called PlanNet Marketing and just recruits for IT). Those “travel agents” pay to join and pay a monthly amount, they pay for training as well so that’s where the money comes from. Lots of travel related companies won’t work with them anyway. Those signing up appear to have been told that there will be a travel boom later this summer which is not very likely, but it doesn’t matter, they’re signed up and paying their money!

I don’t get how they could possibly make it work
I like the Body Shop.
And I get points online and great online deals in the sales.I never pay full price for anything
The home sellers don’t offer any deals

@YouokHun thats exactly what this person commented 'there is about to be a travel boom' it's like they're reading from a script. Oh wait,
I was like really
It's going to be a long time before travel is back to what it was previously

Is Usborne Books an MLM?

@LittleRa

Is Usborne Books an MLM?

Yes

@LittleRa

Is Usborne Books an MLM?

Yes.

I have friends who do the perfume one and one who does Younique. Must be tiring having to put a full face of slap on everyday. And why would I spend that much money on a mascara that you have to order and wait for when I can go to the shop and buy one.

I've seen a lot of this from people trying to make extra money at the moment if they're worried about finances or furloughed and have spare time etc.

What doesnt make sense is their belief that a tonne of people will now start ordering products.

If you are worried enough about money to join an mlm then surely lots of other houses are worried about money and have tightened their spending habits?!

I think its the pity purchases that these scams rely on...my dh has a relative who gets sucked into mlm's...he will always buy something from her...overpriced and unwanted to support her....it really pisses me off.
The sad thing is im sure all these mlm huns actually believe that people want their products....newsflash....99% dont but they feel they ought to buy something to support you.

I told one of them if they could bring back all The Body Shop stuff from the 90’s I’d buy it. But no one is remotely interested in buying the shite they sell nowadays

I have a friend selling body shop. I like their stuff, so I order bits from her when I run out or need something rather than through the store / online. She has a group she invited me to like so unless I actually signed up I wouldn't see any of her posts (she does post an awful lot) but I like her and I like the products so I can't see any reason not to also help her out and get something I would use. There are far worse things to sell than BS and a lot of people are struggling financially so I'm happy to help where I can.

I know the posts can be annoying when we are bombarded with people selling stuff but BS isn't MLM, there's no hierarchy and no one trying to recruit anyone that I have seen and as PP have said - is it any wonder people are turning to side businesses to make ends meet?

Bleugh I hate this. A few of my friends have done this too and invite me to loads of facebook groups, whatsapp groups etc to try and sell me overpriced body gel 😑 it's similar to the candles, weight loss and other pyramid schemes I think.

I think its the pity purchases that these scams rely on

It isn’t- it’s the stuff they tell the consultants they need to buy that they rely on. The “kits” that can run into hundreds of £££, the tickets to conferences and team building stuff, and some of them (Avon I know for sure) charge a fee if you don’t place a minimum order so you end up buying stuff yourself every campaign if you haven’t got any orders. They’re all set up exactly way. They don’t need you to have any customers because they’re based on you spending a certain amount yourself just to get set up and run “your” business. In the BBC doc linked upthread (well worth a watch BTW) it said even one of the companies advised their consultants to replace all their own beauty’s products with the brand and she added up what it would cost her- it came to over £500. These companies have millions of “consultants” all following these company rules and paying out all this money to just call themselves a business.

I know the posts can be annoying when we are bombarded with people selling stuff but BS isn't MLM, there's no hierarchy and no one trying to recruit anyone

It absolutely is and there is targeted recruitment. I have witnessed it myself through a friend.

Oh and that amazing Younique mascara looks horrific.