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!

@SockYarn it’s so often the case isn’t it? That an MLM “business” is propped up by the sort of legitimate job many MLM people sneer at. Where I live there are quite a few fairly wealthy women doing Arbonne; nearly all of them supplemented by their partner’s highly paid job. The trouble is they use the trappings; nice car, nice clothes, holidays etc to persuade others into the business who don’t have highly paid support by implying that their involvement with Arbonne has brought them the finer things. These women can afford to buy their promotions too and have wealthy friends who can spend a few hundred on 3 or 4 products. But the people they’re recruiting don’t have a social circle who can do that and get into real financial problems being “Their own best customer”.

All of this, just like the person you know SockYarn done under the guise of sisterhood and being supportive Of each other, while bleeding other women dry. It really pisses me off but of course I’m branded “a hater” if I point out this contradiction.

It's now an MLM but used to be a respected ethical brand back in the day so I think people have been duped into thinking it's easy money.

sock I thought the same, I know I have seen some in the past where you have a question to answer, so it becomes a prize draw rather than a raffle.

I am not sure where the random beer / hot tub / Easter eggs ones that everyone seems to do fit in.

Maybe I need some new friends.

@NooneElseIsSingingMySong sorry, I missed that! It looks like the only money is made through recruiting.

I've fallen down a rabbit warren of reading about MLMs, scary stuff. There's an American one where you sell god awful leggings, the start up fee is $6000 . It's awful how they so exploitative. Looks like even reps several rungs up the ladder make very little money from it, and what they do make is from lying about how much they sell to recruit other people.

Since lockdown I've seen several people I know who are furloughed or on mat leave doing body shop or Avon. Easy money right now as it's online ordering and direct delivery. No parties or catalogues and delivering to deal with. Just flooding fb with how amazing the products are

Yeah no worries I figured not everyone saw it! Yes I think profit is generally peanuts for selling, only recruiters near the top make good money.

Ive just seen an ad on Facebook from a legit job company advertising vacancies...they are trying to recruit for Forever Living...i'm livid...they are making it sound like a proper job.

This is the ad.

I know an increasing number of Body Shop sellers. A lovely friend of mine did it for a while and, in an attempt to support her, I bought a shampoo & conditioner.

It was nice stuff but no better than Tresemme and for about £12 per order! Also the bottles were much smaller.

I also have a friend who claims to have been able to give up her full time job thanks to JuicePlus. I’m not so convinced.

I get a bit tired of the photos of MLM sales reps showing off their new kitchen (probably costing £10,000 or so), new Range Rover (on finance and definitely not paid for by MLM) or designer bags (£1,000+ or possibly fake or borrowed) and say their "business" paid for them when everyone knows about 80% of them are making nothing or a loss and a lucky few are making about £300 a year out of it. Only the people at ceo level make enough to pay for kitchens, cars, luxury designer goods and holidays out of it.