Aibu to ask you to talk to me about younique!

[Pitterpatterpotter]

I have lots of friends on social media who try to sell stuff, eg tropic skincare and body shop, but I’ve noticed my 2 younique fb friends post all the time and have sent me message asking me to post their posts etc (which I haven’t done).

Anyway my lovely and usually sensible friend has now announced she is a younique presenter and I am worried about her. She has invested a lot of money already and seems to mostly be buying stuff herself. I have another friend who sells tropic who buys £200 a month of stuff off herself so I know this is common, but this particular friend doesn’t have any experience with makeup and doesn’t have much money. She’s changed completely and talks about younique all the bloody time. I’ve watched some anti mlm videos and read a good blog about younique and I’m genuinely worried about her. The company seems morally questionable with their charity work with vulnerable women apparently used to recruit new younique presenters. How can I help her? She’s investing money and time into this that she hasn’t got and every single time I speak to her she now tries to sell me something

I’m still not going to spend £18 on a mascara And £56 on skincare. I’m sure other people can afford to experiment with their finances on frivolous purchases but many people can’t! And that’s the point - that’s a weeks good shop for the type of people who are sucked into this.

If tropic is that good and amazing just sell it online or through salons. You don’t need to sell it like Avon

From my understanding if you reach a certain level in the bizness, then you can get a Mercedes. So you lease it yourself and the lease is in your name. You are responsible for paying for it. However the company will give all those on that level "vouchers" or funding of some description towards the costs.
That's all great. However, all you need is a downturn in your sales, a few of your down lines quit etc etc. Then you are in danger of being demoted and your car allowance can get withdrawn.

The car will never be owned by you. It's just leased.

It's ALL smoke and mirrors. That's the whole point of the sales tactics. "Look at me! My wonderful idea thanks to Arbonne/Younique." Fake it til you make it.

@MotherMorph i agree....those vague job ads on fb really piss me off...i report them as spam although not sure it does any good.
Loads of people comment with 'can i have more info pls hun'....seriously how thick can you be not to see what it is

A Younique consultant using her death and recovery experience with COVID-19 to sell products:

www.reddit.com/r/Youniqueamua/comments/hussc3/shes_back/

www.reddit.com/r/Youniqueamua/comments/htscfd/never_had_a_patient_with_such_perfect_eyeshadow/

That is some moral compass and sense of business mission.

*10:34myusernamewastakenbyme

@MotherMorphi agree....those vague job ads on fb really piss me off...i report them as spam although not sure it does any good.
Loads of people comment with 'can i have more info pls hun'....seriously how thick can you be not to see what it is*

I commented on one once saying I was going to apply but usually if something seemed too good to be true, it generally was. The comment was deleted!

I comment with 'pyramid scheme'....that always gets deleted too

@EmbarrassingAdmissions wow using your ITU experience and ‘death’ to sell mascara. Being a nurse myself I’m pretty sure they would have cleaned her face in that time. Call me cynical...

Also, she has scary eyebrows. Have they fallen out with each other?

I had two FB friends join Arbonne. I messaged them both with some links from Botwatch, Ellebeau etc and was upfront, saying that they had probably been told that anyone who didn't support them was negative or a hater or didn't want them to succeed, but I wouldn't be a real friend if I didn't tell them about the reality of MLM companies.

I got near-identical replies from both saying that their MLM was different blah blah blah, but neither blocked me, and neither are spamming friends via their personal FBs so I live in hope.

The thing that confuses me about the business model - if you've got a great product, surely you'd want to be the only person selling it. You'd want to get all the clients for yourself, and make sure there are no other people selling it in the same town at the very least? So why don't MLM recruits question it when they are told to recruit all their friends and family, when that would dilute the sales? Answer - the recruits are the product, and the skincare/make-up/aloe vera is irrelevant.

MusicianTom this is a common misunderstanding about network marketing. It's based on everyone you know, knowing lots of other people you don't, therefore reaching out to more and more people. Everybody apparently knows at least 200 people and even your closest family and friends will know people you don't, different neighbours, kids clubs, hairdressers etc etc. So it shouldn't matter if there's you or you and 10 other reps in the same town - you all have different "networks".
Yes I have been following this industry for a while

Bots are brainwashed into replacing their usual products with those of whichever MLM they’ve got sucked into. You can imagine how the costs rack up if they usually buy a deodorant, bar of soap and toothpaste for a few pounds from Boots and then their upline demands that they spend £30 or so to replace them. They’re told to “be your own best customer.” That money goes straight up the pyramid. It’s like gambling: the house always wins.

My best friend has started selling Arbonne. I am just waiting it out patiently.
She knows I have difficult skin and have spent loads on it over the years so when I told her I was happy with the products I was currently using she took it at face value.
She asked me once if I was interested in joining her and again accepted me refusal.
But she has been spamming colleagues (we work in same organisation but different departments, and know loads of the same people) and asked me a few times if I can think of anyone else for her to contact.
The worst thing is, she is a lovely person, and thanks me for being so supportive and helpful. I would love to tell her how I feel about it but don’t want to lose her as a friend. So I’m keeping my big mouth shut to preserve our friendship while worrying that she will lose loads of money. I’m not sure I have made the right choice.

Nicketynac,

You would be a true friend if you told her your real feelings. Wish her well, but state your true reasons you can't support her.