Amway - how do you respond?

[Jerry1]

In an age when you can click on a screen and have anything delivered to your home, is there really any market for these things anymore? I just googled Amway and it takes me right to their site with everything there for sale. Same with Tupperware. Used to be the only way to get such products was to go through a company sales rep.

 

[djsander]

I still see an occasional light pink vehicle, now an suv, driving around and think man somebody sold a lot of make up.

 

[athena53]

I just googled Amway and it takes me right to their site with everything there for sale. Same with Tupperware. Used to be the only way to get such products was to go through a company sales rep.

I know- they use their dealers to build up the brand through "parties" and social media and then create sites that let customers bypass the dealers.

pinktruth_dot_com is specifically about Mary Kay but I think it describes the business model of a lot of MLM schemes. It includes spending way too much of your own money on samples and merchandise you hope to sell to meet your quota and keep your status, and aggressively recruiting other dealers. LuLaRoe would send its dealers packages containing whatever the company chose- the mix of popular styles, sizes, etc. vs. those harder to sell was up to them. If you want to see how many of these dealers end up, do a search on the name (Amway, LuLaRoe, Mary Kay, Premier jewelry) on Amazon and see how many products are listed.

 

[Gumby]

I've had friends and family members involved in Amway. I always politely decline to participate. Most people who know me are aware that I cannot be talked into things.

 

[Chuckanut]

I have learned to give a polite NO to these offers. I do not offer a reason.

As a young guy I was duped by a co-worker into attending a luncheon that turned out to be a pitch for selling long-distance phone services via a multi-level marketing scheme. I never saw that co-worker in the same light again.


Note: this was way back when long distance calls were rare, expensive and short.

 

[EastWest Gal]

We haven’t been approached in years. I would be delighted to take “the plan” presentation and turn it upside down on a presenter. DH and I were in Amway for a few years, as his best friend invited us to join. Lost money of course. It’s a double pyramid scheme.

A big problem with Amway is that the upline makes most of their money selling the training-the conventions, the motivational stuff, etc. Both the regular products and for the motivational stuff are sold through a pyramid scheme. Yet somehow they are still in business. And the founder’s daughter-in-law was Secretary of Education from 2017-2021.

We’re all out and have been for a long time. When we quit, we got involved in an anti-Amway Yahoo group for a few years. We got to know Ruth Carter (a pseudonym) who wrote Behind the Smoke and Mirrors and who started the group, and Emerald Eric Scheibeler who wrote Merchants of Deception, and we were involved in Chris Hansen’s Dateline NBC exposé in 2004.

 

[Andre1969]

Ironically enough, I'm watching an old episode of Dragnet right now, that's dealing with a woman, played by Virginia Gregg, who got busted for running an Amway type pyramid scheme! Who ever figured Norman Bates's mother would turn out to be such a swindler!

 

[EastWest Gal]

Another thing to add about our Amway story. We got in a few weeks after my MIL died from a rapidly fatal cancer. She turned to me for help in every way possible due to my medical expertise and also she had three sons and it was a female body part cancer. I was working full time and getting an extra day off here and there to help her caused resentment amongst my 7 partners. She lived an hour away from us and our son was only three and a handful.

The kicker was when she died, only one stepped up to cover me for the time of her funeral service, and only after begging several times. Three were away on European holidays, which meant I was on call a lot more.

I realized then that I wanted out of that medical practice, and medicine in general was burning me out.

 

[mystang52]

Be honest. Say we had some exposure to it previously and it’s just not for us. In 3-9 months, they will feel the same as you do.
Frankly I am surprised Amway is still around.

Someone tried to pull this on me once wanting to discuss some business opportunity. I was skeptical but they stopped by to talk about it. I caught on quickly and cut them off quickly. They were out the door shortly. lol

It was probably 40 years ago when I was invited to an Amway presentation. Simple - I just said no. I felt no obligation to be polite, but I wasn't rude. They weren't interested in me personally, just my $$$. Along the same lines, about 25 years ago a sales rep for my employer's supplier, out of the blue, invited me and wife to dinner. We had no prior personal relationship; again, I just said no.

 

[LateToFIRE]

I don't like sales pitches disguised as social get-togethers. Maybe it's not exactly the same thing, but an old work colleague once said he'd like to come over to my house and play catch-up. I'd been over to his house a month or two earlier to have dinner with him and his wife, so it wasn't completely out of the blue. As we were sitting out on the back deck, he started talking about options for purchasing my electricity, and it suddenly occurred to me he wasn't interested in making a social connection at all; he wanted me to sign up with him for power distribution. It didn't happen, as I was already fairly content with the service I was getting from the local power company, and not too happy about the fact that he had been dishonest about wanting to develop a friendship beyond work.

I guess I just don't like dishonesty.

It's the dishonesty part that makes Amway and similar schemes so distasteful!!!

 

[Kings over Queens]

I'm surprised nobody has responded "I'm retired and not looking for a new business opportunity."

 

[jazz4cash]

Its stunning to me that no one ever talks about the products, which I’ve heard are pretty good. I was approached twice and I might’ve considered signing up if I was really impressed with the products but all the emphasis is on selling the program.

If I was approached again I might have fun with it if I thought the food would be good. Take a tip from the stealth wealth thread and show up in ripped jeans and a t-shirt. Act like an extrovert gung-ho to go bag some suckers.

 

[brett]

Really, how hard is it to say no thank you?

 

[Gumby]

Really, how hard is it to say no thank you?

I've never had that problem.

 

[ERD50]

Its stunning to me that no one ever talks about the products, which I’ve heard are pretty good. I was approached twice and I might’ve considered signing up if I was really impressed with the products but all the emphasis is on selling the program. ....

I might take time later for a fuller response, but my Dad got into Amway, many years ago early 70's?

One conversation I had with him went something like him telling my the laundry soap was so economical because it was concentrated, and you only need to use 1/2 as much, and me saying "Yea, but it costs 4 times as much!".

That and some 'inspirational' cassettes he would listen to. Short version is, I think he ended using 80% of what he stocked, and only sold 20% of it.

-ERD50

 

[Koolau]

After getting innocently (on my part) roped into an Amway meeting, I could smell them from then on. One young lady in my department called out of the blue and invited DW and me to a party at her house. I smelled Amway and asked her. She said "Why would you think that?" I almost said because I know you too well to think you'd invite DW and me to a party if there weren't something in it for you. BUT, I was nice, I just said "no."

 

[Stormy Kromer]

OP here.

I like this young couple that invited us, they went to school with our children and now we're neighbors. Part of me wanted to tell them the truth and help them cut their losses early, but I didn't. Some lessons have to be learned on their own. If it were every my children I'd have a serious visit with them.

 

[Koolau]

OP here.

I like this young couple that invited us, they went to school with our children and now we're neighbors. Part of me wanted to tell them the truth and help them cut their losses early, but I didn't. Some lessons have to be learned on their own. If it were every my children I'd have a serious visit with them.

Part of the real downside of the Amway thing is you tend to lose friends. We got called by some friends and said "no" and it nixed our friendship. Okay by me, but it's their loss (as far as I'm concerned.) YMMV

 

[mystang52]

Part of the real downside of the Amway thing is you tend to lose friends. We got called by some friends and said "no" and it nixed our friendship. Okay by me, but it's their loss (as far as I'm concerned.) YMMV

I can top that with this story: My daughter's friend took a call from her father (!). I don't know details, but I do know the daughter declined to go and it affected their relationship.

 

[Koolau]

I can top that with this story: My daughter's friend took a call from her father (!). I don't know details, but I do know the daughter declined to go and it affected their relationship.

I think Amway must indoctrinate its "faithful" to the point they will give up friendship and even blood relationships in aide of being Amway robots. It's really sad. I can't imagine than many people make much money at it, but YMMV.

 

[rick55]

A cult.

 

[rickster55]

Amway friend died broke

I had a friend and his wife who died earlier this year in their 80's - broke. They poured most of their adult life into Amway. He even spent time in Japan recruiting dealers. After their death I found out you can never retire from Amway or you lose your entire network to the person above you.

 

[Gearhead Jim]

I knew nothing about Amway, but my wife did.

So when a "friend" joined us for dinner, pulled out his easel to set up the display, and asked if we knew anything about Amway, I said "no".
But my wife said, "Sure. Soadsuds and pyramids."
The evening went down hill from there...

That was over 50 years ago and we still joke about it.

 

[Montclairbobbyb]

Like drugs, "Just say No"...

 

[MC Rider]

I'm surprised they are still around. Also Tupperware.
Remember Shaklee?