Body Shop MLM

[McDuffy]

Not a massive big deal in terms of other stuff going on at the moment, but one of my NCT friends has signed up as a Body Shop at Home rep.
I've dutifully signed up on social media to support her but with no intention of buying anything after the disgraceful way they treated JK Rowling after her essay. She's now tagged me in something today with a plea to "help me out" and I feel bad. Do I tell her why I'm not buying anything (dual, both MLM and anti-Body Shop) or leave it? I think she'd be on the woke side.

Do not be guilted into buying. Shitty, nasty MLMs. You won't be helping. Just prolonging the agony.

Tell her no thank you and leave the conversation!

I had an ex-manager add me on Facebook, thought she wanted to catch up but it was actually to add me to a group of 30 strangers and bombard us all with pictures of BS products and prices.
I messaged her and asked what the group was about, when she explained I just said "I'm sorry, I don't support pyramid schemes and am not buying from BS due to their treatment of J.K. Rowling." She responded with a heart emoji, I removed myself from the group and unfriended her.

I can't stand Body Shop stuff so I wouldn't buy anything from them ever, anyway! But I have to ask what is MLM? I would be honest, and say something like "I really don't like the Body Shop's politics and don't want to give them any money" and leave her to figure it out. It is unlikely that you disapprove of them protecting the rainforests, so she'll probably work out that it is to do with their appalling attitude towards women's rights. It's then up to her if she wants to discuss it with you.

Just say you’re not interested, if she’s joined the mlm borg she’ll have to get used to polite brush offs from her friends. And what’s with the ‘help me out’ i thought all these schemes were guaranteed money makers and the products are just so good they sell themselves blah blah blah. You’re doing her a favour in the long run. The sooner she realises that these things run on gullibility and goodwill the better

A friend of mine has just signed up. Classic mark for it, low income, small child etc.

I said straight up I didn’t agree with MLM and wouldn’t be buying. Other friends in the group were all send me a catalogue.

We were driving past a mutual friends house at the weekend and she dropped off a book and asked me to pop it through the letterbox. Then added catalogues when I’d said yes

We go past this friends house quite often, so I imagine the next thing will be drop this order off. I shall be practicing my ‘no’ in the coming days

Ok, I'll ignore this one and say something next time. I just feel a bit shit that she's obviously a bit desperate/skint on mat leave and she's made it worse by investing upfront in this stock. I'd rather bung her £20 directly

You shouldn't feel guilty about buying a brand you don't like. I hate the raffles particularly, where the mother of the seller messages all of her friends and family to ask them to buy a ticket to "help Amanda launch her new business". I do buy from Bodyshop sellers though as I love their facecreams. Its a shame about their new age wokeness though, Anita Roddick was a proper feminist.

If it was my NCT group and I wanted to stay friends with them I would not say anything and make a small token purchase. I would not want to risk creating a schism in the group if I liked them all.

I tried to support a friend on the BS MLM last year but I told her in June I wouldn't buy anything else and I told her why. I haven't bought anything from The Body Shop since the JKR tweet.

@Busydoingnowt

If it was my NCT group and I wanted to stay friends with them I would not say anything and make a small token purchase. I would not want to risk creating a schism in the group if I liked them all.

My principles are pretty strong on this one. I was such a long-standing customer of ocado that I was on their testing/freebie panel, and I sacked that off immediately in 2018 too. I did buy a load of Harry Potter stuff today though

If it were me OP, I'd say I would love to support but can't since the BS were so so awful to JKR, a domestic violence survivor.
It might start a conversation and if it doesn't end well she won't ask ask again!

Mind you, it might not be great for your friendship. You could always ask if she has a PayPal account.

I sent private message to someone, politely explain my stand on MLM, dropped in few links including thread over in this site & mlmbotwatch for future reference and wished the well.

You don’t need to mention Jk thing as all that might do is push her towards another MLM. These pyramids schemes are fuckers and I can see how easy it can be getting sucked into them. One of school mums has done most of them and still not rich or got that dream car.

Yes fair enough. I really like her and would gladly support any non-MLM enterprise. Is it only women that tend to get sucked into them?

Didn't know what MLM was so googled it: first item said over 90% (may have been 99%: I only had a quick glance) of people on them lost money: shocking that this is legal!

I have a blanket ban on supporting MLMs, regardless of the company's politics. They are exploitative, mainly to vulnerable women, every single one of them.

I really like her and would gladly support any non-MLM enterprise. Is it only women that tend to get sucked into them?

Judging by the number of anti-MLM channels on YT and the discussions on MN, yes - they target women.

@letmeadoreyou

I have a blanket ban on supporting MLMs, regardless of the company's politics. They are exploitative, mainly to vulnerable women, every single one of them.

This.

In particular the way they are exploitative of friendship and support BETWEEN women. They sicken me.

@Alexandernevermind

You shouldn't feel guilty about buying a brand you don't like. I hate the raffles particularly, where the mother of the seller messages all of her friends and family to ask them to buy a ticket to "help Amanda launch her new business". I do buy from Bodyshop sellers though as I love their facecreams. Its a shame about their new age wokeness though, Anita Roddick was a proper feminist.

Hmn not so sure about that.

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-482012/Queen-Green-Roddicks-unfair-trade-started-copied-Body-Shop-formula.html

MLMs deliberately target women, yes, often with young dc, as they know that this demographic is likely to be struggling to juggle work and childcare. They pressure them to use their friendship circles, local facebook groups etc. They exploit both the gender pay gap and female socialisation to be nice, kind, support your friends etc. The women suckered in are left skint, and often their support network will have dwindled as their friends end up completely sick of every interaction ending up with being pressured to buy shitey wax melts/ perfume that smells like other perfume/ fizzy caffeine replacement drinks and all the rest of it.

Mlms are the devil. I politely declined selling on stuff to a very old and dear friend. I justified it to her by saying it was because I am vegan and the products were (which is only part of the reason as I disagree with exploiting the vulnerable, although obviously I didn't say that).
Anyway, said friend ghosted me ever since. Didn't even notice or care when I had a baby.
Harsh.
I'd say stick with your principles but be prepared for what might happen.

Weren't*

Fuck no. Don't get involved in MLMs or any selling like that. I've heard so many stories of these women roping in family members, friends and colleagues to help them (because a lot of the time, they need all the help they can get because it will probably never be a viable business and they're just getting high off the competition targets and such). Usually they make a real pain of themselves and people end up muting them.

@MadameButterface So true.