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Original poster

Bodyshop at home using the pandemic to sell...?! Surely this is wrong!

41 replies

padebure · 07/01/2021 14:03

Does anyone else have tonnes of people on their social media that have suddenly become part of the Body Shop at Home scheme?

Seems like loads of people on mine are doing it recently...

The latest thing I’ve seen is selling products to “donate” to the NHS.

One particular person is selling face masks and has said she will pass these to the nurses / Drs at her local hospital working on the Covid wards.
She’s done a big write up about PPE damaging the skin of staff and how the face masks will help massively.

She’s asking people to “donate”...

It’s not really donating though is it? People are buying her product and she’s then giving it away.

Surely she’s doing to make commission on this, hit sales targets? She’s always posting about free products she’s received from her sales, which I assume she will get as a result of these sales.

There are four separate people on my social media doing this at the minute.
All using the NHS as a way to sell.

One particular girl is selling her a product for £4 and has said she has sold over 200 now.
I’ve seen her post in a local mum group and others are commenting saying they’d love to donate and help our NHS.

I’m all for charity and of course our wonderful NHS workers deserve this lovely treat, but that’s not what this is about.

Does anyone else think it’s all a bit misleading?

OP posts:
SchrodingersImmigrant · 07/01/2021 14:06

They did this last lockdown. Funny how it was mainly Christmas hand creams donated. Almost as if someone saw a chance to get rid of over stock they had left and couldn't shift...

And "not making any profit on it". Fuck off.

Original poster
padebure · 07/01/2021 14:07

@SchrodingersImmigrant

They did this last lockdown. Funny how it was mainly Christmas hand creams donated. Almost as if someone saw a chance to get rid of over stock they had left and couldn't shift...

And "not making any profit on it". Fuck off.

Exactly..

There will be some profit somewhere.

I wonder if they are going to donate all the freebies they earn as a result of these sales...

OP posts:
SchrodingersImmigrant · 07/01/2021 14:13

There will be various levels of profit since some were selling it for 3, some 3.50 up to 4.50🤷🏻
No profit my arse. Hyenas

Beachybeach · 07/01/2021 14:14

I know someone selling body shop products to donate to care workers.

She said that the profits she was getting from the sales she was using to buy more for the care workers.

You know what, I’ve got a huge dislike for MLM but companies selling PPE, electric, medicines, uniform are all doing it for a profit. If a single mum is getting 20p a hand cream and she’s dropping them off there’s worse things do be doing.

BalladOfBarryAndFreda · 07/01/2021 14:17

There’s been a fair few people monetising covid on social media and beyond. It’s been very lucrative for a surprising number of people (and obviously an absolute financial and personal disaster for very many others).

Skyliner001 · 07/01/2021 14:23

Arbonne were horrendous for this

hellejuice91 · 07/01/2021 14:24

I take real issue with MLMs, mainly because they promise these amazing opportunities when in reality the great majority of people that go into them end up losing money.

An old colleague of mine has started selling vitamins and she is telling people it is a 'financial back up plan' and a 'great second income to secure your kids' future'. It isn't most people actually end up worse of than when they started and better vitamins can be bought for 3% of the price from Tesco.

goldielockdown2 · 07/01/2021 14:26

Of course it's wrong, all MLMs are.

Heartlantern2 · 07/01/2021 14:26

How do we know they are even donating them and not selling the same 20 products over and over?

SmileyClare · 07/01/2021 14:28

It strikes me as wasteful to drop a load of cosmetic face masks off at your local hospital. We're talking about those gloopy things you smear all over your face and then wash off?
I have a friend working in ITU and that sort of thing really won't help with the pressure sores she has from her PPE.

Any proof of these products are actually being delivered to the hospital?

That said, a fool and their money are easily parted. Lots of retail products are overpriced rubbish which don't deliver on their promises. People are pretty desperate to make money and cover their bills at the moment. It's not actually illegal although verging on "bit of a con".

Original poster
padebure · 07/01/2021 14:31

@Heartlantern2

How do we know they are even donating them and not selling the same 20 products over and over?
@Heartlantern2

I wondered this too!

OP posts:
LeaveMyDamnJam · 07/01/2021 14:33

I cant believe that nurses or doctors will be able or want to use body shop masks. They use medical grade at work.

Original poster
padebure · 07/01/2021 14:34

@SmileyClare

It strikes me as wasteful to drop a load of cosmetic face masks off at your local hospital. We're talking about those gloopy things you smear all over your face and then wash off? I have a friend working in ITU and that sort of thing really won't help with the pressure sores she has from her PPE.

Any proof of these products are actually being delivered to the hospital?

That said, a fool and their money are easily parted. Lots of retail products are overpriced rubbish which don't deliver on their promises. People are pretty desperate to make money and cover their bills at the moment. It's not actually illegal although verging on "bit of a con".

@SmileyClare

I think what’s really sad is so many people are commenting saying they want to make a donation.

Or lady made 5 donations, spending £20.

I’m sure people feel they are spending their money on a good cause, but it just doesn’t sit right with me.

Feels very misleading.

OP posts:
BonnieDundee · 07/01/2021 14:39

I thought NHS had to use Trust supplied masks

Bloodyfrostycar · 07/01/2021 14:39

My local facebook page was full of people suddenly selling bodyshop/usborne books etc during the last lockdown. They were all trying to sell this as a service to the community and a few tried selling products (mainly handcreams as a pp mentioned) for them to donate to care workers.

I actually felt sorry for them- I assume this is a marketing ploy the higher-ups have told them to try and from the look of it quite a few of them were expecting the MLM to be a way to make some money whilst they were at home with the children and/or their usual work place was closed (tourist area so lots of hospitality jobs usually). I can't imagine many made much money. But I agree, the 'buy from me to donate' thing irritated me- particularly since I'm not aware of any care workers etc actually saying they needed handcreams so even if they were donated it may well have just been another hassle for them.

SmileyClare · 07/01/2021 14:48

@BonnieDundee

I thought NHS had to use Trust supplied masks
Yeah the body shop "face masks" are those creams in sachet things you rub on your face for beauty purposes. Whether the people donating realise that , who knows?
Original poster
padebure · 07/01/2021 15:13

@BonnieDundee

I thought NHS had to use Trust supplied masks
We’re talking about masks as in beauty treatments. Not face coverings. Grin
OP posts:
Rover83 · 07/01/2021 15:19

It seems half my facebook is full of people who have turned to MLM I'm assuming trying to make a profit off people being stuck at home and probably on SM more than usual. I have people selling tropic, bodyshop, airborne, make up, usbourne books and lots of people selling some weird knock off perfume that "smells exactly like the named brand but is only £20!"

Onjnmoeiejducwoapy · 07/01/2021 15:20

Wow how low can these schemes sink?!?

Brighterthansunflowers · 07/01/2021 15:46

It’s not that they’re making money from the pandemic, lots of companies are doing that legitimately (zoom for example).

It’s the misleading customers into doing a “good deed” By buying the product for them to donate. If body shop want to support the NHS staff then bloody well donate stuff directly as a business. Taking people’s money to donate is very unreasonable.

But then people are stupid for doing it. If I wanted to donate to help NHS workers there’s plenty of charities doing that, no need to line numerous Body Shop pockets while doing it.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 07/01/2021 16:00

Feels very misleading

Well yes, but a great deal with MLM is misleading so why would this be any different?

Sn0tnose · 07/01/2021 16:27

My local body shop mlm person has apparently been promoted to area manager. She’s ‘fundraising’ for masks to be sent to the NHS and will then enter everyone who buys one into a raffle to win £50 of products.

I do have a bee in my bonnet about this particular woman though, as I know she’s lied about the commission she’s earning. Desperate people might believe this bollocks.

popsydoodle4444 · 07/01/2021 16:37

Can I stop you there.

I'm an Area Manager for the TBSAH;last year my customers donated the cost of handcreams so I could buy a batch of them;Other than taking out the delivery fee I used the rest of my commission and hostess rewards towards more handcreams.

Stop bad mouthing someone trying to do something good.

DeaconBoo · 07/01/2021 16:41

The Body Shop (not "at home") used JK Rowling's account of domestic abuse to promote their vegan bath bombs on Twitter, so they're hardly the most ethical.

By all means they can tweet in support of whoever they like but they linked their tweets to JKR's essay and promoted their products in the same tweet, while she was getting death threats.

I've stopped spending with them - used to buy most of my toiletries etc there.

MissMarpleDarling · 07/01/2021 16:45

5 body shop sellers on my facebook currently.