Author Topic: No, I won't buy into your MLM  (Read 639080 times)

I'm a red panda

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #800 on: March 30, 2018, 02:23:02 PM »
I unfollowed someone on Facebook because their posts got incredibly annoying. Multiple posts a day of them in workout gear shilling Beachbody. My wife enjoys Beachbody but just streams it for fairly cheap and doesn't try to sell anything. Unfortunately she also does the shakeology which is obscenely expensive.


Shakeology and beachbody are one in the same as far as MLMs go.

VaCPA

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #801 on: March 30, 2018, 02:29:04 PM »
I unfollowed someone on Facebook because their posts got incredibly annoying. Multiple posts a day of them in workout gear shilling Beachbody. My wife enjoys Beachbody but just streams it for fairly cheap and doesn't try to sell anything. Unfortunately she also does the shakeology which is obscenely expensive.


Shakeology and beachbody are one in the same as far as MLMs go.

I know they're related but you can purchase beachbody workouts without having to buy the shakes if one is so inclined

Just Joe

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #802 on: April 02, 2018, 09:02:42 AM »
I've known a few people who sold the shakes and powders over the years. If you ever want to try a response that they've never heard before, my go-to line is "My Hungarian grandmother would turn over in her grave if she found out I ate food powder instead of a proper home-cooked meal." I'm not even lying.

Never eat anything your grandparents wouldn't recognize as food.

This is true, as long as your grandparents weren't incredibly xenophobic. My grandpa refused to eat pizza and chop suey, as they were "not real food". Spaghetti was iffy; it was OK only as long as it was Kraft brand with the little shaker of what was labelled "parmesan cheese". He would be appalled at my diet, as many meals are completely meatless (even suppers!), and I eat too much "rabbit food".

My grandfather wouldn't eat rice. Never could decide if it was a WWII thing (he was in Europe though) or just didn't like rice.

We eat alot of rice. Wonder what he would think of sushi???

I'm a red panda

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #803 on: April 02, 2018, 09:23:07 AM »
I unfollowed someone on Facebook because their posts got incredibly annoying. Multiple posts a day of them in workout gear shilling Beachbody. My wife enjoys Beachbody but just streams it for fairly cheap and doesn't try to sell anything. Unfortunately she also does the shakeology which is obscenely expensive.


Shakeology and beachbody are one in the same as far as MLMs go.

I know they're related but you can purchase beachbody workouts without having to buy the shakes if one is so inclined

And you can buy the shakes without the workout.  Either way you are supporting the company.

merula

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #804 on: April 02, 2018, 11:09:13 AM »
This is true, as long as your grandparents weren't incredibly xenophobic. My grandpa refused to eat pizza and chop suey, as they were "not real food". Spaghetti was iffy; it was OK only as long as it was Kraft brand with the little shaker of what was labelled "parmesan cheese". He would be appalled at my diet, as many meals are completely meatless (even suppers!), and I eat too much "rabbit food".

My grandfather wouldn't eat rice. Never could decide if it was a WWII thing (he was in Europe though) or just didn't like rice.

We eat alot of rice. Wonder what he would think of sushi???

My grandpa was a Marine in the Pacific Theater. Sushi was what I was specifically thinking of as something I love he'd be absolutely appalled by.

VaCPA

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #805 on: April 02, 2018, 11:57:45 AM »
I unfollowed someone on Facebook because their posts got incredibly annoying. Multiple posts a day of them in workout gear shilling Beachbody. My wife enjoys Beachbody but just streams it for fairly cheap and doesn't try to sell anything. Unfortunately she also does the shakeology which is obscenely expensive.


Shakeology and beachbody are one in the same as far as MLMs go.

I know they're related but you can purchase beachbody workouts without having to buy the shakes if one is so inclined

And you can buy the shakes without the workout.  Either way you are supporting the company.

Yeah I guess I'm not really getting your point. Same company but different products. If someone likes the beachbody workout they can do it for pretty cheap. The shakes are the ripoff. Should people avoid beachbody even if they enjoy it just to stick it to the company for some reason.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2018, 12:01:50 PM by anorman79 »

I'm a red panda

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #806 on: April 02, 2018, 12:19:51 PM »
I unfollowed someone on Facebook because their posts got incredibly annoying. Multiple posts a day of them in workout gear shilling Beachbody. My wife enjoys Beachbody but just streams it for fairly cheap and doesn't try to sell anything. Unfortunately she also does the shakeology which is obscenely expensive.


Shakeology and beachbody are one in the same as far as MLMs go.

I know they're related but you can purchase beachbody workouts without having to buy the shakes if one is so inclined

And you can buy the shakes without the workout.  Either way you are supporting the company.

Yeah I guess I'm not really getting your point. Same company but different products. If someone likes the beachbody workout they can do it for pretty cheap. The shakes are the ripoff. Should people avoid beachbody even if they enjoy it just to stick it to the company for some reason.

I don't agree with how the company does business. So I don't support them.
That isn't an uncommon line of thinking at all. Many people avoid companies who do business in a way they don't agree with.  I don't shop at Hobby Lobby either. And they aren't an MLM, but I don't like how they conduct business.

Zikoris

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #807 on: April 02, 2018, 02:38:49 PM »
I've known a few people who sold the shakes and powders over the years. If you ever want to try a response that they've never heard before, my go-to line is "My Hungarian grandmother would turn over in her grave if she found out I ate food powder instead of a proper home-cooked meal." I'm not even lying.

Never eat anything your grandparents wouldn't recognize as food.

This is true, as long as your grandparents weren't incredibly xenophobic. My grandpa refused to eat pizza and chop suey, as they were "not real food". Spaghetti was iffy; it was OK only as long as it was Kraft brand with the little shaker of what was labelled "parmesan cheese". He would be appalled at my diet, as many meals are completely meatless (even suppers!), and I eat too much "rabbit food".

My grandfather wouldn't eat rice. Never could decide if it was a WWII thing (he was in Europe though) or just didn't like rice.

We eat alot of rice. Wonder what he would think of sushi???

My Hungarian grandmother loved sushi - she actually introduced me to it, since I grew up in podunk little villages with no restaurants or ethnic markets (or ethnic people for that matter). She was a pretty adventurous eater in general.

MarciaB

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #808 on: April 02, 2018, 03:58:02 PM »
I've known a few people who sold the shakes and powders over the years. If you ever want to try a response that they've never heard before, my go-to line is "My Hungarian grandmother would turn over in her grave if she found out I ate food powder instead of a proper home-cooked meal." I'm not even lying.

Never eat anything your grandparents wouldn't recognize as food.

This is true, as long as your grandparents weren't incredibly xenophobic. My grandpa refused to eat pizza and chop suey, as they were "not real food". Spaghetti was iffy; it was OK only as long as it was Kraft brand with the little shaker of what was labelled "parmesan cheese". He would be appalled at my diet, as many meals are completely meatless (even suppers!), and I eat too much "rabbit food".

My grandfather wouldn't eat rice. Never could decide if it was a WWII thing (he was in Europe though) or just didn't like rice.

We eat alot of rice. Wonder what he would think of sushi???

My grandpa was a Marine in the Pacific Theater. Sushi was what I was specifically thinking of as something I love he'd be absolutely appalled by.

My grandmother wouldn't have been familiar with some of the fruits I ate recently in Asia, but she would recognize them as fruit...which means she would understand that they were food.

The adage doesn't say to only eat what your grandparents liked!

mm1970

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #809 on: April 02, 2018, 06:33:21 PM »
I unfollowed someone on Facebook because their posts got incredibly annoying. Multiple posts a day of them in workout gear shilling Beachbody. My wife enjoys Beachbody but just streams it for fairly cheap and doesn't try to sell anything. Unfortunately she also does the shakeology which is obscenely expensive.


Shakeology and beachbody are one in the same as far as MLMs go.

I know they're related but you can purchase beachbody workouts without having to buy the shakes if one is so inclined

And you can buy the shakes without the workout.  Either way you are supporting the company.

Yeah I guess I'm not really getting your point. Same company but different products. If someone likes the beachbody workout they can do it for pretty cheap. The shakes are the ripoff. Should people avoid beachbody even if they enjoy it just to stick it to the company for some reason.

There are people who would say yes.  In fact, there's a whole blog somewhere where they expose the "truth" about Beachbody and suggest that you shouldn't do anything to support the company because of their practices.  Kind of like Walmart.

I see the point.  But I like the workouts and the streaming service is $99 a year.  I get good value for that.

LeRainDrop

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #810 on: April 02, 2018, 10:32:49 PM »
I see the point.  But I like the workouts and the streaming service is $99 a year.  I get good value for that.

I subscribe to Beachbody streaming workouts for $99 per year, too.  There is a huge library of different workout types, several of which I've tried and liked a lot.  My favorites have been Core de Force, 21 Day Fix, and 21 Day Fix Extreme, but I also like to mix in some of the others on occasion.  I personally think the annual subscription is quite a good deal for someone who plans to actually do the workouts. I'm going to admit here, as well, that I also used to buy the shakes, which I really liked with almond milk, but the price was absolutely ridiculous, so I don't buy them anymore.

VaCPA

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #811 on: April 03, 2018, 07:04:21 AM »
There are people who would say yes.  In fact, there's a whole blog somewhere where they expose the "truth" about Beachbody and suggest that you shouldn't do anything to support the company because of their practices.  Kind of like Walmart.

Ok, I wasn't aware their practices were that deplorable. I'll have to do some reading on the subject.

merula

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #812 on: April 03, 2018, 07:26:37 AM »
The adage doesn't say to only eat what your grandparents liked!

No, the original adage was "Never eat anything your grandparents wouldn't recognize as food." My grandfather, because of his intense xenophobia, did not recognize non-northern-European food as food. He understood that things like sushi, pizza or chop suey were edible, but they were not, in his view, "food". Which was my point.

I'm a red panda

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #813 on: April 03, 2018, 08:11:25 AM »
I wish I could find a link to the worksheet, but a friend taught English in China. She used an American textbook for her preschool class.
There was a problem that was "circle the thing not like the others".

On a sheet about dinner there was something like a hamburger, an apple, seaweed, and ice cream.

The kids were completely baffled which to circle. Which of these things is not food?

Raenia

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #814 on: April 03, 2018, 08:18:48 AM »
I wish I could find a link to the worksheet, but a friend taught English in China. She used an American textbook for her preschool class.
There was a problem that was "circle the thing not like the others".

On a sheet about dinner there was something like a hamburger, an apple, seaweed, and ice cream.

The kids were completely baffled which to circle. Which of these things is not food?

The hamburger, obviously!  The others are all vegetarian ;)

Just Joe

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #815 on: April 03, 2018, 08:35:57 AM »
The adage doesn't say to only eat what your grandparents liked!

No, the original adage was "Never eat anything your grandparents wouldn't recognize as food." My grandfather, because of his intense xenophobia, did not recognize non-northern-European food as food. He understood that things like sushi, pizza or chop suey were edible, but they were not, in his view, "food". Which was my point.

I wonder if his attitude would have changed if he helped make a homemade pizza in his own kitchen. Maybe not. ;)

Beard N Bones

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #816 on: April 03, 2018, 09:41:01 AM »
There are people who would say yes.  In fact, there's a whole blog somewhere where they expose the "truth" about Beachbody and suggest that you shouldn't do anything to support the company because of their practices.  Kind of like Walmart.

Ok, I wasn't aware their practices were that deplorable. I'll have to do some reading on the subject.

Our family doesn't purchase any product from MLM companies anymore because we learned how unethical and deceptive these companies are.  They are the business scum of the modern world.  Some people refer to them as pyramid schemes.  MLMs are much worse.  These ideas (truths) can be found here:

http://www.mlm-thetruth.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/MLMunmasked-5-1-2017-CURRENT-1.pdf
http://www.pinktruth.com/mary-kay-facts/myth-of-mlm-income-opportunity-99-lose-money-in-mlm/

The first link is a comprehensive read.
The second is shorter but just as good.  (Note: a person needs to check a captcha to be able to access the content.)

mm1970

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #817 on: April 03, 2018, 11:12:27 AM »
There are people who would say yes.  In fact, there's a whole blog somewhere where they expose the "truth" about Beachbody and suggest that you shouldn't do anything to support the company because of their practices.  Kind of like Walmart.

Ok, I wasn't aware their practices were that deplorable. I'll have to do some reading on the subject.

It's more the general MLM thing.  You know, the company is very rah rah, and want their coaches to do personal improvement, read books for personal growth, "make a difference", help people get healthy, etc - all laudable goals.

But the fact of the matter is "coaches" make money by selling product, I estimate approx 25%.  So, if you get someone to buy a month of shakes for $130, you get $32.50. 

There's MORE money in signing coaches beneath you.  How much, I don't know, but the "bonuses" depend on what your downline does and sells.  So when the "real" money is in how many people are selling stuff in your downline, it starts to get shady.  And the fact of the matter is, some areas of the country are saturated. Some very successful coaches (as in, quit their day jobs) have ended up quitting because the amount of work went up and the payout went down and the competition went way up.

$130 a month for shakes is ridiculous (even though they are quite tasty - haven't quite found an alternative that is even close).  If you are a coach, you get a 25% discount and if you get someone "below" you, you get 25%, so the cost to produce the shakes has got to be far less than 50% of the sticker price.

I have a few friends who are coaches who "earn" free vacations.  For giggles once, I sat down and tried to figure out what they had to do to earn that (thank you google).  I figured that they essentially had to sign up 2 new people a MONTH for an entire year to earn this free trip.  That's 24 new customers.  NEW customers.  That's a LOT.  Of course it's "free", which means for something like a cruise, you have to pay for flights to get there and a hotel for the night before/after the cruise.  So not really "free".

I'm simply not a fan of the payscale setup.  I think it's fine that they use word of mouth to garner excitement.  Their products are pretty high quality (workouts, cookbooks, meal plans).  A straight-up commission from every sale would be better, IMO.  Not a fan of the pyramid.

LeRainDrop

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #818 on: April 03, 2018, 12:21:19 PM »
Building onto mm1970's description of the Beachbody model -- since I already I admitted I do the $99/year streaming workouts and I used to buy the shakes -- I'll share more of what I've seen.  I originally signed up as a "coach" to get the 25% discount, not because I planned to even try selling anything at all.  There was no fee to sign up as a coach, but there was a monthly coach fee you had to pay for "website maintenance" or whatever.  It balanced out evenly so that the 25% I was saving on my shakes was the same monthly amount I had to pay as a coach fee.  Since I did not try to sell anything, I earned $0, and so for the shitty income statistics that you see, I was counted as a coach who earned $0.  Yes, this means many $0 earner coaches get factored into those horrible income statistics.  Anyway, because I signed up as a coach, I was put into different facebook groups with people who were coaches, most of whom were really trying to work the business to make money.  There was a good handful of people who seemed to be very organized and "successful" in making decent-ish money.  But the vast majority made me so sad because they would put hours and hours of effort into this work and only earn a pittance.  I cannot recall the numbers now, but some people actually posted their incomes and commission checks amount, and I just wanted to cry for them.  They were super proud, and I could not help but think that their hourly wage was close to nothing.

Beard N Bones

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #819 on: April 03, 2018, 01:35:00 PM »
Building onto mm1970's description of the Beachbody model -- since I already I admitted I do the $99/year streaming workouts and I used to buy the shakes -- I'll share more of what I've seen.  I originally signed up as a "coach" to get the 25% discount, not because I planned to even try selling anything at all.  There was no fee to sign up as a coach, but there was a monthly coach fee you had to pay for "website maintenance" or whatever.  It balanced out evenly so that the 25% I was saving on my shakes was the same monthly amount I had to pay as a coach fee.  Since I did not try to sell anything, I earned $0, and so for the shitty income statistics that you see, I was counted as a coach who earned $0.  Yes, this means many $0 earner coaches get factored into those horrible income statistics.  Anyway, because I signed up as a coach, I was put into different facebook groups with people who were coaches, most of whom were really trying to work the business to make money.  There was a good handful of people who seemed to be very organized and "successful" in making decent-ish money.  But the vast majority made me so sad because they would put hours and hours of effort into this work and only earn a pittance.  I cannot recall the numbers now, but some people actually posted their incomes and commission checks amount, and I just wanted to cry for them.  They were super proud, and I could not help but think that their hourly wage was close to nothing.

In looking at the Income Disclosure statements put out by MLM companies, I've come to understand that $0 earners are not factored into their reports.  Only those in the company that are making commissions regularly are included in the Income Disclosures - this makes the picture slightly more palatable.  I still am shocked however, that well over 97% of people in these companies make well under a typical minimum wage earner, and yet people get sucked into thinking that they are going to fulfill all their dreams.  The reality - they lose money because they buy a product they normally wouldn't - and they waste a ton of time/life to boot.

LadyMuMu

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #820 on: April 03, 2018, 02:12:19 PM »
For those who like on demand workout videos but hate contributing to a sleazy MLM company, may I humbly recommend Daily Burn? They have a great variety in their library plus a daily live show with live interaction. They don't sell anything other than the video subscription.

MrsDinero

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #821 on: April 03, 2018, 02:37:22 PM »
For those who like on demand workout videos but hate contributing to a sleazy MLM company, may I humbly recommend Daily Burn? They have a great variety in their library plus a daily live show with live interaction. They don't sell anything other than the video subscription.

Les Mills On Demand (LMOD)is also a good one for workouts.  I took a couple of months to evaluate both Les Mills and Daily Burn and decided to go with LMOD.   

I have a code for 30 free days with LMOD  if anyone wants to try it.  I don't get any incentive if you use my code, it is just a straight offer.

mm1970

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #822 on: April 04, 2018, 04:41:18 PM »
Building onto mm1970's description of the Beachbody model -- since I already I admitted I do the $99/year streaming workouts and I used to buy the shakes -- I'll share more of what I've seen.  I originally signed up as a "coach" to get the 25% discount, not because I planned to even try selling anything at all.  There was no fee to sign up as a coach, but there was a monthly coach fee you had to pay for "website maintenance" or whatever.  It balanced out evenly so that the 25% I was saving on my shakes was the same monthly amount I had to pay as a coach fee.  Since I did not try to sell anything, I earned $0, and so for the shitty income statistics that you see, I was counted as a coach who earned $0.  Yes, this means many $0 earner coaches get factored into those horrible income statistics.  Anyway, because I signed up as a coach, I was put into different facebook groups with people who were coaches, most of whom were really trying to work the business to make money.  There was a good handful of people who seemed to be very organized and "successful" in making decent-ish money.  But the vast majority made me so sad because they would put hours and hours of effort into this work and only earn a pittance.  I cannot recall the numbers now, but some people actually posted their incomes and commission checks amount, and I just wanted to cry for them.  They were super proud, and I could not help but think that their hourly wage was close to nothing.

In looking at the Income Disclosure statements put out by MLM companies, I've come to understand that $0 earners are not factored into their reports.  Only those in the company that are making commissions regularly are included in the Income Disclosures - this makes the picture slightly more palatable. I still am shocked however, that well over 97% of people in these companies make well under a typical minimum wage earner, and yet people get sucked into thinking that they are going to fulfill all their dreams.  The reality - they lose money because they buy a product they normally wouldn't - and they waste a ton of time/life to boot.

Right because - there's always those other people who make millions.  Beach body is no different than the other companies - they haul out the successes and tout their incomes and show others what they've done. Some make millions!  Some quit their day jobs!  Some just make enough to stay at home with their kids!

It's kind of why a lot of poor folk in the US vote against their own interests.  The American Dream means SOMEDAY MAYBE I CAN BE A MILLIONAIRE.  Just have to work hard enough and all that.

Maenad

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #823 on: April 06, 2018, 12:29:04 PM »
The adage doesn't say to only eat what your grandparents liked!

No, the original adage was "Never eat anything your grandparents wouldn't recognize as food." My grandfather, because of his intense xenophobia, did not recognize non-northern-European food as food. He understood that things like sushi, pizza or chop suey were edible, but they were not, in his view, "food". Which was my point.

To continue the hijack, Michael Pollan has modified it to, "Eat only things that someone's grandparents [or great-grandparents] would recognize as food". The focus is supposed to be on non-processed food or only maybe canned/frozen amounts of processing. Getting into our grandparents' xenophobia wasn't really the point. ;-)

KodeBlue

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #824 on: April 06, 2018, 01:39:15 PM »
The adage doesn't say to only eat what your grandparents liked!

No, the original adage was "Never eat anything your grandparents wouldn't recognize as food." My grandfather, because of his intense xenophobia, did not recognize non-northern-European food as food. He understood that things like sushi, pizza or chop suey were edible, but they were not, in his view, "food". Which was my point.

To continue the hijack, Michael Pollan has modified it to, "Eat only things that someone's grandparents [or great-grandparents] would recognize as food". The focus is supposed to be on non-processed food or only maybe canned/frozen amounts of processing. Getting into our grandparents' xenophobia wasn't really the point. ;-)
Exactly!

NorthernDreamer

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #825 on: April 09, 2018, 05:59:43 PM »
For those who like on demand workout videos but hate contributing to a sleazy MLM company, may I humbly recommend Daily Burn? They have a great variety in their library plus a daily live show with live interaction. They don't sell anything other than the video subscription.

Les Mills On Demand (LMOD)is also a good one for workouts.  I took a couple of months to evaluate both Les Mills and Daily Burn and decided to go with LMOD.   

I have a code for 30 free days with LMOD  if anyone wants to try it.  I don't get any incentive if you use my code, it is just a straight offer.

YouTube also has a ton of videos, for free. I personally like the "Body Fit by Amy" and "PopSugar Fitness" channels.

avalanchecity

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #826 on: April 10, 2018, 04:31:24 PM »
a former co-worker who lives in germany now just started selling nerium, which is apparently a skincare line ŕ la rodan + fields. at first i didn't really understand why she kept posting weird things on facebook when she never had before -- stuff like, "which shoes should i buy for xxxxx's party? a, b, or c? i can't decide!" reading here, though, makes it way more clear. got to beat that big, bad algorithm, right?

now all i need to do is unfollow her on every social media platform so i can stop seeing her clearly scripted posts -- do these MLM sellers not realize that people might notice a difference from their normal, relatively articulate posts and their suddenly peppy posts with nearly every other word interrupted by a corresponding emoji? it's nice for the reader, because it's easy to notice what it is right away and move past the ad, but still. not the best marketing move.

Travis

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #827 on: April 10, 2018, 07:05:31 PM »
do these MLM sellers not realize that people might notice a difference from their normal, relatively articulate posts and their suddenly peppy posts with nearly every other word interrupted by a corresponding emoji? it's nice for the reader, because it's easy to notice what it is right away and move past the ad, but still. not the best marketing move.

The people who create email spam or the bots that troll chat rooms never moved past that either.

avalanchecity

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #828 on: April 11, 2018, 08:54:42 AM »
do these MLM sellers not realize that people might notice a difference from their normal, relatively articulate posts and their suddenly peppy posts with nearly every other word interrupted by a corresponding emoji? it's nice for the reader, because it's easy to notice what it is right away and move past the ad, but still. not the best marketing move.

The people who create email spam or the bots that troll chat rooms never moved past that either.

fair point! i suppose by my same argument, one would assume that this reasonably intelligent acquaintence of mine would recognize a pyramid scheme when she saw one - which clearly also hasn't happened.

OtherJen

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #829 on: April 11, 2018, 08:15:19 PM »
do these MLM sellers not realize that people might notice a difference from their normal, relatively articulate posts and their suddenly peppy posts with nearly every other word interrupted by a corresponding emoji? it's nice for the reader, because it's easy to notice what it is right away and move past the ad, but still. not the best marketing move.

The people who create email spam or the bots that troll chat rooms never moved past that either.

fair point! i suppose by my same argument, one would assume that this reasonably intelligent acquaintence of mine would recognize a pyramid scheme when she saw one - which clearly also hasn't happened.

Sad, isn't it? I've had to unfollow old friends on Facebook and block group invites because I got sick of the constant shilling for Rodan+Fields, Jamberry, Lularoe, Nerium, 31 Bags, Lipsense...and now an otherwise very intelligent old college friend is selling some new stick-on nail product (her very obviously scripted announcement went up today).

carolinap

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #830 on: April 12, 2018, 09:31:43 AM »
do these MLM sellers not realize that people might notice a difference from their normal, relatively articulate posts and their suddenly peppy posts with nearly every other word interrupted by a corresponding emoji? it's nice for the reader, because it's easy to notice what it is right away and move past the ad, but still. not the best marketing move.

The people who create email spam or the bots that troll chat rooms never moved past that either.

fair point! i suppose by my same argument, one would assume that this reasonably intelligent acquaintence of mine would recognize a pyramid scheme when she saw one - which clearly also hasn't happened.

Sad, isn't it? I've had to unfollow old friends on Facebook and block group invites because I got sick of the constant shilling for Rodan+Fields, Jamberry, Lularoe, Nerium, 31 Bags, Lipsense...and now an otherwise very intelligent old college friend is selling some new stick-on nail product (her very obviously scripted announcement went up today).

I've read about the theory that those ads and bots are PURPOSELY bad. It's easy and cheap to spam thousands but it takes effort to chat one-by-one to actually recruit or sell, so those ads are an excellent filter to only keep those who are really clueless.

The same thing with other scams, like "Nigerian Prince" stuff. Those emails are terrible and only really naive people will answer, and from those people they can actually get the money.

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #831 on: April 12, 2018, 06:54:27 PM »
do these MLM sellers not realize that people might notice a difference from their normal, relatively articulate posts and their suddenly peppy posts with nearly every other word interrupted by a corresponding emoji? it's nice for the reader, because it's easy to notice what it is right away and move past the ad, but still. not the best marketing move.

The people who create email spam or the bots that troll chat rooms never moved past that either.

fair point! i suppose by my same argument, one would assume that this reasonably intelligent acquaintence of mine would recognize a pyramid scheme when she saw one - which clearly also hasn't happened.

Sad, isn't it? I've had to unfollow old friends on Facebook and block group invites because I got sick of the constant shilling for Rodan+Fields, Jamberry, Lularoe, Nerium, 31 Bags, Lipsense...and now an otherwise very intelligent old college friend is selling some new stick-on nail product (her very obviously scripted announcement went up today).

That’s the sad part when someone you think of as being rather smart starts selling that stuff.



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StockBeard

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #832 on: April 12, 2018, 09:16:43 PM »
I've read about the theory that those ads and bots are PURPOSELY bad. It's easy and cheap to spam thousands but it takes effort to chat one-by-one to actually recruit or sell, so those ads are an excellent filter to only keep those who are really clueless.

The same thing with other scams, like "Nigerian Prince" stuff. Those emails are terrible and only really naive people will answer, and from those people they can actually get the money.

Interesting, never thought about it this way.

lbmustache

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #833 on: May 03, 2018, 11:53:57 AM »
I am soooooo tired of people hitting me up for this. And it's always the same old trite BS... "are you tired of your 9-5" "don't you want to find another way" "look great and earn money too" etc. Uh, aren't YOU working your 9-5, while ALSO selling these bogus products on the side? Leave me alone!

Sibley

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #834 on: May 03, 2018, 01:20:52 PM »
I've read about the theory that those ads and bots are PURPOSELY bad. It's easy and cheap to spam thousands but it takes effort to chat one-by-one to actually recruit or sell, so those ads are an excellent filter to only keep those who are really clueless.

The same thing with other scams, like "Nigerian Prince" stuff. Those emails are terrible and only really naive people will answer, and from those people they can actually get the money.

Interesting, never thought about it this way.

On the other hand, it is a very handy way to discretely evaluate how much you need to worry about your elderly relatives. My parents are not quite to the stage of falling for it - they're checking with me or sister because they're not sure. But it's worrying for the future.

Beard N Bones

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #835 on: May 03, 2018, 02:29:19 PM »
While driving on Sunday I saw a mobile LuLaRoe unit - meaning someone took a stepvan/truck and turned it into a LuLaRoe "store".

The truck looked in overall great shape and the side display looked top notch. I'm betting it wasn't a cheap ordeal - more than likely $10k+ easily.

I wonder if they recouped the money before everyone became a "consultant"? Maybe they did, impossible to know.

You need to wonder no longer!  I've got your answer.
(Unless they are the originators of the company, and its most likely they aren't,) they did NOT recoup their money.  The following two articles articulate the reasons I am confident in saying so:
1.  MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING UNMASKED – A Complete and Compelling Case against MLM as an Unfair and Deceptive Practice by Jon M. Taylor
http://banvaz.com/MLM.pdf
2.  The Myth of "Income Opportunity" in Multi-Level Marketing by Robert L. FitzPatrick
http://www.pinktruth.com/wp-content/uploads/fitzpatrick-mlm-study.pdf

Kalergie

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #836 on: May 04, 2018, 01:44:47 PM »
Has anyone else been asked out for coffee by a friend and think hey it would be good to catch up only for them to open their ipad/laptop and show you a video on why you should join Dreamtrips/World Ventures and then try to convince you it's not MLM? Happened to me twice. So annoying. I really thought they wanted to catch up. Sigh.
Happened to me this morning. 

CheapskateWife

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #837 on: May 04, 2018, 03:49:56 PM »
I've read about the theory that those ads and bots are PURPOSELY bad. It's easy and cheap to spam thousands but it takes effort to chat one-by-one to actually recruit or sell, so those ads are an excellent filter to only keep those who are really clueless.

The same thing with other scams, like "Nigerian Prince" stuff. Those emails are terrible and only really naive people will answer, and from those people they can actually get the money.

Interesting, never thought about it this way.

On the other hand, it is a very handy way to discretely evaluate how much you need to worry about your elderly relatives. My parents are not quite to the stage of falling for it - they're checking with me or sister because they're not sure. But it's worrying for the future.
That is a very interesting yard stick...several years back, my dad wondered about my grandfather's cognitive abilities as he went from self employed mechanical engineer, to a guy who was seemingly addicted to buying As-seen-on-TV products.

mm1970

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #838 on: May 08, 2018, 12:37:54 PM »
OMG...the "Hey girl...did you have a chance to check out...?"

I know it's a cliche...but do they have to do it?

Hey girl...I'm 47 effing years old.

Anyway, hey Beachbody has a new eating plan out, dontcha know?  I love reading about diet and fitness, and buying cookbooks and food plan books and such...it's kinda a hobby of mine.  But I want to answer:

"hey girl, I'm kinda busy.  Husband traveling, kid baseball playoffs, running a half marathon this weekend, big work projects...not happening any time soon." 

And "well, for now I kinda have it all figured out, ya know?  I'm at a healthy weight, don't need to lose any, what I'm doing is working...not sure a $75 'plan' with videos and such and '4 new tricks' is really what I need".

Plus I'm a dinosaur and I HATE videos.  Hate them.  I want to read a book.

iris lily

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #839 on: May 11, 2018, 07:53:22 AM »
OMG...the "Hey girl...did you have a chance to check out...?"

I know it's a cliche...but do they have to do it?

Hey girl...I'm 47 effing years old.

Anyway, hey Beachbody has a new eating plan out, dontcha know?  I love reading about diet and fitness, and buying cookbooks and food plan books and such...it's kinda a hobby of mine.  But I want to answer:

"hey girl, I'm kinda busy.  Husband traveling, kid baseball playoffs, running a half marathon this weekend, big work projects...not happening any time soon." 

And "well, for now I kinda have it all figured out, ya know?  I'm at a healthy weight, don't need to lose any, what I'm doing is working...not sure a $75 'plan' with videos and such and '4 new tricks' is really what I need".

Plus I'm a dinosaur and I HATE videos.  Hate them.  I want to read a book.
The only “hey girl” message I will respond to is it it comes from Ryan Gosling himself.
« Last Edit: May 11, 2018, 07:55:04 AM by iris lily »

sparkytheop

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #840 on: May 12, 2018, 01:39:50 AM »
Now Rodan + Fields is facing a lawsuit...

http://www.scarymommy.com/cosmetic-mlm-company-rodan-and-fields-is-being-sued-and-absolutely-no-one-is-surprised/?utm_source=FBOnsite

Quote
The suit alleges that Rodan + Fields did not disclose the use of an additive that can cause severe side effects, including vision impairment.

Court documents filed in April 2018 in U.S. District Court in Oakland state, “Consumers of Lash Boost … have experienced serious side effects, including change(s) in iris color, eyelid drooping, itchy eyes, eye/lid discoloration, thinning and loss of eyelashes/loss of eyelash hair, eye sensitivity, eye infections, and vision impairment.”

Travis

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #841 on: May 12, 2018, 10:08:44 AM »
Now Rodan + Fields is facing a lawsuit...

http://www.scarymommy.com/cosmetic-mlm-company-rodan-and-fields-is-being-sued-and-absolutely-no-one-is-surprised/?utm_source=FBOnsite

Quote
The suit alleges that Rodan + Fields did not disclose the use of an additive that can cause severe side effects, including vision impairment.

Court documents filed in April 2018 in U.S. District Court in Oakland state, “Consumers of Lash Boost … have experienced serious side effects, including change(s) in iris color, eyelid drooping, itchy eyes, eye/lid discoloration, thinning and loss of eyelashes/loss of eyelash hair, eye sensitivity, eye infections, and vision impairment.”

300,000 consultants?!  Either a) half those folks have no customers or b) every other adult in America has to be buying this stuff.

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #842 on: May 13, 2018, 06:24:19 PM »
I don't have any new MLM stories lately, but someone I went to high school with has a conflict of interest on her sleeve that nobody else seems to notice (and pumping personal contacts for financial gain which this thread got me thinking).  A couple years ago she started hitting us all up on Facebook to go on a cruise.  I thought it was out of the blue and aside from accepting her as a FB friend ages ago I never even looked at her profile. This time I took a notice that her profile pic was of her in a Dominoes uniform which seemed odd for someone trying to put together a cruise. I dug a little deeper and saw that she is part of some travel agency group of which she appears to be the only employee (their facebook page is nothing but photos of her).  The cruise idea died on the vine from lack of interest.  Fast forward to this weekend where she's taken it upon herself to organize our 20th class reunion. She wants to do it at a casino a couple hours from where we all grew up which will include a venue, group hotel reservations, flights, and some other things that have to be booked well in advance (that she needs to be in the loop on for some reason).  I can't help but wonder if she's getting some kind of deal or kickback out of this arrangement that she's not disclosing.

So the reunion this summer is officially dead.  We're within the window for making venue reservations and only a handful of people confirmed their attendance.  A smaller group of us decided we're going to just barbecue or get together at a restaurant that we can reserve later this summer when more of our schedules intersect.  The "organizer" who complained in the Facebook group chat all morning long about how we need to put some more effort into this put forth "let's just plan something next summer that we can properly organize like trying the casino again or a cruise."  Nobody in our class but her is suggesting a cruise. Most of the folks I went to school with can't afford it.  Nobody has called her out directly, but a couple other classmates who know she's doing this to try get some kind of booking fee have made it loudly known these ideas of her will never work with our class.

woopwoop

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #843 on: May 13, 2018, 08:13:35 PM »
Just got hit up by an old college acquaintance who is selling Jamberry. "Hey Girl!" When I was in college, I chewed the crap out of my nails. I never wore makeup or fancy clothes. Why oh why does she think I would ever buy overpriced crappy nail wraps is beyond me. But I guess she's just spamming her friends list randomly. Block, block, block. I hate being targeted like that, it makes me feel like I'm not a person to them, just a mark.

mm1970

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #844 on: May 14, 2018, 09:16:21 AM »
Now Rodan + Fields is facing a lawsuit...

http://www.scarymommy.com/cosmetic-mlm-company-rodan-and-fields-is-being-sued-and-absolutely-no-one-is-surprised/?utm_source=FBOnsite

Quote
The suit alleges that Rodan + Fields did not disclose the use of an additive that can cause severe side effects, including vision impairment.

Court documents filed in April 2018 in U.S. District Court in Oakland state, “Consumers of Lash Boost … have experienced serious side effects, including change(s) in iris color, eyelid drooping, itchy eyes, eye/lid discoloration, thinning and loss of eyelashes/loss of eyelash hair, eye sensitivity, eye infections, and vision impairment.”

300,000 consultants?!  Either a) half those folks have no customers or b) every other adult in America has to be buying this stuff.
I know a few of these consultants.  One of them is a quite successful college graduate/ businesswoman in her own right.  So, I can totally get that there are products that you try, and like, and work for you.  For example.  (Though I'd argue there are probably much cheaper equivalent "product" out there, I don't use "product", so I don't know.)

Most recent FB post about her awesome upcoming trip to Greece with her boyfriend, financed by her "side job" at R+F! 

I dunno.  With the proliferation of Beachbody coaches -I've got a lot of people who suggest to me a "side gig" (or like the guy at the gym: "you should go back into the reserves and collect a pension eventually!").  While the idea of another stream of income is attractive -
I'm 47 fucking years old - do I need a side gig?
I have a full time job and 2 kids (um, they are my "side gig?"  Or maybe my second full time job.)

Just Joe

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #845 on: May 16, 2018, 09:03:02 AM »
I'm amazed at the crap people put/lather on their faces in search of "beauty".

If you need a reminder watch YouTube. There are people there who are unrecognizable once they are all dolled up.

OtherJen

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #846 on: May 16, 2018, 09:42:46 AM »
I'm amazed at the crap people put/lather on their faces in search of "beauty".

Right?! A couple of years ago, I kept seeing ads for products containing "snail extract" (i.e., the slimy mucus produced by snails). No thank you.

Topic. One of my friends has started selling 31 Bags. She's not pushy about it in person, but I might need to unfollow her on Facebook because she posts about a dozen times per day when she's having an online party.

Two other friends are now selling essential oils. I've gotten some super fun unsolicited advice about which essential oils I should use for my seasonal allergies because they're "so much better" than pharmaceuticals. Apparently pharmaceuticals are "chemicals" and "chemicals" are always bad, despite that they were designed to specifically target histamine receptors, have passed through rigorous research and clinical trial protocols with good safety and efficacy outcomes, and are much cheaper as Costco generics than little bottles of unregulated substance from a pyramid scheme. (I have degrees in biochemistry and immunology. I have no patience for woo-woo.)

FireHiker

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #847 on: May 16, 2018, 09:46:10 AM »
OMG...the "Hey girl...did you have a chance to check out...?"

I know it's a cliche...but do they have to do it?

Hey girl...I'm 47 effing years old.

Anyway, hey Beachbody has a new eating plan out, dontcha know?  I love reading about diet and fitness, and buying cookbooks and food plan books and such...it's kinda a hobby of mine.  But I want to answer:

"hey girl, I'm kinda busy.  Husband traveling, kid baseball playoffs, running a half marathon this weekend, big work projects...not happening any time soon." 

And "well, for now I kinda have it all figured out, ya know?  I'm at a healthy weight, don't need to lose any, what I'm doing is working...not sure a $75 'plan' with videos and such and '4 new tricks' is really what I need".

Plus I'm a dinosaur and I HATE videos.  Hate them.  I want to read a book.

OMG you sound exactly like me! I mean, I'm not at the healthy weight yet, but I'm getting there. Just sub out baseball for soccer and put the half marathon in 2.5 weeks. :) If you have any food plan for fitness books you could recommend as I'm getting more serious about it, would you mind sharing what they are? I'd rather read a book than a video too...I HATE videos and thought I was the only one who felt that way!

A slight acquaintance who absolutely does NOT know me is trying to push this new Beachbody eating plan. I got an email from her recently with that EXACT intro: Hey girl, have you had a chance to check out..." so this is absolutely hysterical to me (and a little sad...well, maybe a lot sad). I turn 40 this year and have three kids, and work as an engineer. I don't wear makeup or go out. There is exactly ONE person who can say "hey girl" to me and it won't make me crazy, and it is NOT random beachbody person I don't know...

OtherJen

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #848 on: May 16, 2018, 10:55:18 AM »
Oh lord, now the friend who sells essential oils is hosting a party for the friend who sells 31 Bags. It just keeps morphing and expanding.

Freedom2016

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #849 on: May 16, 2018, 11:15:36 AM »
I'm amazed at the crap people put/lather on their faces in search of "beauty".

If you need a reminder watch YouTube. There are people there who are unrecognizable once they are all dolled up.


I have unfortunately seen a few. I kind of feel bad for the women.

https://youtu.be/USTvFDum8po

That just sent me on a half hour detour...

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!