Forever living

[Polkadotpjs]

A friend has decided she's going to start doing this and there's a party this weekend on Facebook. I am fearful of getting dragged in to buying more stuff I don't need. I don't know much about FL but it already sounds like I'm being given a script about the party. Do I just turn it down flat and say I don't need anything? I already buy Scentsy and Body Shop from friends as I don't like to let them down and don't mind the products.

My AIBU is AIBU to just not engage at all or should I be warning her off it ? Is it that bad? Will she be hounded if she doesn't sell a lot?

You’re not doing your friends a favour buying this stuff. MLM is ALWAYS a scam and the people involved lose money. The less than 1% that DO make money make very little and every penny is through the exploitation of the other poor suckers they dragged into the scheme- not through genuine sales profit. If anyone says otherwise, they are lying. It really is that simple.

Just say no, it's a scam they've been drawn into. Use this as a chance to stop buying the other crap you don't need as well.

There is a blog called "Poonique", a play-on-words with an MLM called Younique. It will take about an hour to read it, but it's very good reading about the ills of MLMs.

ellebeaublog.com/poonique

TL;DR - AVOID!

By buying from friends in MLMs (and yes, that includes the ones you already buy from), you aren’t helping or supporting your friend - you are enabling and encouraging their eventual financial demise by encouraging them to keep going.

I always tell people the truth. MLM is a terrible, predatory business model and I will not give them a penny of my money.

You make a good point about the others too. Some of the posts are so ....almost desperate "oh my I want to buy all these cool new things" and random people "oh I've ordered them I couldn't resist" whom I presume are the other sellers...
Shame as I like the wax bars from Scentsy
Body shop I can actually take or leave now

Messages since the invite? 4 and a form to fill in to attend. That'll be a no from me then

Not a chance.

I had a very interesting read of articles about MLM last night and it sounds like a nightmare.

I'm very blunt any MLM schemes and say no thanks and send them links!

MLMs are scams and I don't get involved.

I usually just don't respond, or actively turn down group invites. I had a friend recently invite me to join her new Arbonne group... No thanks love.

Is Scentsy MLM ?

Yes, scentsy is a MLM, I think a newer one as it’s only cropped up within the last few months.

As others have said, I would avoid buying from any of them as it will keep your friends in the game longer if they have any interest from people buying. Not only that but some of the tactics that some sellers (not all) will try is really awful, they seem to prey on people with health conditions as it’s some magic cure (again, not all but some will)

I have found this useful in the past to really understand why MLMs can be so bad
mlmtruth.org/master-list/#S

I just tell any inviters that it's nothing personal but I don't support any MLMs. I don't think anyone so far has been mortally offended (well they never said anyway)

No, you are busy until she stops with that shit.

My AIBU is AIBU to just not engage at all or should I be warning her off it ? Is it that bad? Will she be hounded if she doesn't sell a lot?

It’s not all or nothing. Don’t ignore her but just say you can’t attend. You don’t need to warn her off it-you’re not her boss.

I won't but from body shop since they decided to call women 'menstruators' while still keeping the word men on their website.

If your friend gets ducked into this, be prepared to lose them for a while until they come out the other side. I'd do my best to talk a friend out of this before they spend too much money

Don't even give her an inch. Those involved with MLM (fancy term for what is essentially a pyramid scheme...dodgy all over) will hound you day in day out to buy products or become part of their 'team' even if you only express interest out of politeness. They will use your 'friendship' to try and make money out of you and guilt you. It's horrible and completely unethical but the 'up lines' promote this behaviour as the way to become a 'successful boss babe' or some such other twee cringe-inducing term.

Having re read the above, I come across as very scathing and cynical but every run-in I've had with an MLM bot has followed the same script. 99% will end up having to drop the 'business' when they realise how much money they lose through it.

Tell her to watch "Betting on Zero", a documentary that you can find on Netflix or I think youtube(?). It is about Herbalife, but the business model is the same for all MLMs.

Tell your friend no and tell her why. Forever Living is a cruel scam designed to dupe decent women into joining a MLM.

Sorry - went off on a tangent.
If you are close I would absolutely be blunt about how dodgy these schemes are. If not, just distance and wait for her to come out of the other side.

Forever Fibbing rears its ugly head again! Is it that bad? It’s one of the worst. You could say nothing to your friend, or rattle her cage a bit. These are excellent articles:

www.talentedladiesclub.com/articles/work/business/how-much-money-can-you-earn-at-mlm-forever-living/

Quite a few lying Forever Living reps appear in this one:

www.talentedladiesclub.com/articles/work/business/fake-it-til-you-make-it-how-mlm-reps-lie-to-recruit-and-sell/

This is an excellent piece of undercover journalism which focuses on what really goes on behind the scenes with these MLM scams:

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p076n2hg

Younique is one of the featured scams, but essentially all MLMs operate in the same way to part desperate fools from their money. The interview with the cult expert is fascinating.

I've been to a Forever Living "party", on Zoom earlier this year. The first "game" involved us writing 16 words she gave us (like 'aloe vera' and 'protection' and 'moisturise') down on a piece of paper like a bingo card, and then listening for around 45 minutes while she told us about the products, crossing off the words. Winners of a lip balm were the first to tick off a row or a full card (but everyone had the same words!!). There was a break in the middle where she played 3 songs from her phone (terrible quality) relating to the word 'forever' and we had to shout out the title and artist.

That was basically the whole thing.

If you're interested in the anti-MLM movement, check out mlmtruth.org or botwatch.blog. On Instagram there's @notyourhun and on YouTube I like Kiki Chanel, Savannah Marie, Emily Leah and Charlotte Dickerson. Beware though - you could get lost down the rabbit hole!

It's hideous - one of the worst. You can find equivalent products for a fraction of the cost in your local health shop. By buying things from MLMs you're hindering rather than helping as it just encourages the reps to plough more money and time into something that will just lose them money in the long term.
There are many many threads on all MLMs in the 'Money' section on here.