To wish that my friends would just get proper jobs instead of these selling parties..

[Maisiethemorningsidecat]

...the Jamie at Home/jewellery they've made/aloe vera stuff/Candlelight or whatever it's called type thing?

I am sick to the back teeth (OK, this is PMT talking!) of going along under duress, trying to be a dutiful, helpful friend, only to find myself parting with £20 or whatever is the cheapest thing in the catalogue for overpriced utter crap? I know I don't have to go, I know I don't have to buy anything, and from now on I have decided I'm going to be busy when they decide to throw any more parties - no more £14 for 2 glass oil pourers from Jamie the Twat for me when I can buy the same thing from Asda at £4.

My point is - why does anyone do them? Isn't it the height of cheek to even think of working when your job basically involves going to your friends, appealing to their better nature (and possible guilt) and asking them to pay your salary?

YANBU.
I decline all the invites, by saying politely that they are "not my kind of thing". They soon drop off.

Just stand firm! You don't have to buy the overpriced crapola!

don't go, just say I have so much clutter already I don't know what to do with it

which in my case is true anyway

YANBU

direct your friends to msmsurvivers.com on yahoo groups.

Tis an addiction thing apparently.

We have been put in a similar (possibly worse) position by my db and sil. They want to do a "demonstration" on us. (selling a service rather than goods though)

I said to my mother, "what do we do?" If we say no, firmly and politely, they will see it as us somehow being unsupportive.

If we say yes, we are wasting an hour or two of our time (and theirs) knowing full well we have no intention of signing on the dotted line.

I would say no.What are you going to say after the demonstration, if it was good, why are you then not signing up?

If you search for 'how can I make money by not going back to work ' on here people always suggest this type of thing
my sister went to a bodyshop one so every member if our family got bodyshop gifts one chrimbo

This is where it becomes so difficult - when it's your friends and relatives it's hard not to feel obliged in some way to support them, but I feel somewhat pissed off that I go out to work to then pay their wages in the form of sales! I can't help feeling that these businesses are rather cheeky.

But its the likes of you that are keeping them in these 'jobs'. If you really don't want to part with your hard earned cash, then don't. A lot of it is over priced gimmicky nonsense.

YANBU. And the friends who do them are the friends with the most spoilt, over-indulged kids, and I'm paying for all the tat and gadgets they own.

I've stopped going - don't even bother to make excuses now.

If they start drawing circles and talking about 'growing the business' then run away very fast.

If you're going to support them financially at least get something useful out of it - will they mow the lawn? Ask.

Yes, had that last night at Jamie the Twat - the host got more points to spend on his overpriced aspirational products (his description, not mine) if we hosted our own party within 8 weeks, and we could sign up to become a sales rep or even a manager!! Really, it was too exciting for words.

The DVD was hysterical - apparently, one of the reasons for becoming a sales rep might be so that you could put your kids through school

Oh I know! The cult of Mary Kay hit our village a while back, but it's over, now we're onto pampered chef!

Couldn't you match their enthusiasm by being a rep yourself? Imagine how they would respond to you selling Tupperware, for instance . 'Sure,' you say, 'I'll come to your party, but have to meet my target of 40 sandwich containers...'

Go and eat their crisps, buy nothing. You don't get invited back...

ROFL at asking them to mow the lawn! I have similar logic when people do things they blatantly want to do anyway 'for charity'. If you want to raise money for charity, wash my windows, and I will pay you handsomely for it. I will not pay for you to climb a mountain/jump out of a plane etc, under the guise of charity work!

Pampered Chef - that's another one!

I'm seriously thinking of becoming a rep - but a really awful one, along this lines of "see this candle? It's shite. Honestly. Smells rank too. Tescos do much nicer ones and they only cost a quid, not like this one. Twenty quid for a bloody candle - who's mad enough to spend that", sit back, neck the free wine, scoff the nibbles and stagger off home drunk.

Oh yes - 'charity' things. That's another thing that bugs me. No, I will not give you twenty quid to go and walk the Great Wall. Pay for it yourself, you cheapskate.

OOh yes, paying for people to do what they want to anyway.
Gets right up my nose.

Howzabout i sponsor you to pick up a bag of litter or clear the park of dogshit as opposed to finding yourself in Thailand??

Idiots.

I have a friend who does this. When she started out I spent hundreds of £s on products.

I haven't been to a party for a couple of years, but she does constantly message people through fb telling of the sale she currently has going/the products on offer etc and imo that's just not appropriate.

YANBU, but the whole 'sponsor me for charity so I can go and have an adventure holiday' is as bad if not worse IMHO.

I made myself rather unpopular with a friend when I sponsored her child £1 per mile she ran, and 50p per mile she walked for a fun run to raise money for her gap year. That was seen as 'mean', especially when I refused to pay till after the damn child had completed the event and told me how much I owed her. She never did, so I doubt she even completed the run!

There were murders at work once when we realised that money we were raising for what we were told was for charity was going to the union rep so she could go to china on a jolly to 'study' unions

I don't get asked to the party things as I don't buy, I just drink and eat their snacks.

yabu
none of my friends have these jobs and I wish that they did

I loved going along with my mum to these sorts of things in the 70s-80s
sit quietly in corner and watch women become giddy over tupperware

lovely stuff