MLM HORROR STORIES #66 | Avon Lady showing up at competitor’s houses to intimidate them

[@carliebrown8267]

Hannah! Thank you so much for reading my story, this is Carlie from Story #3! I’m proud to say that I’m graduating college this week, and your videos have been my go-to as I get ready for my lectures. I hope you are enjoying motherhood and everything that comes with it 💜

[@HairByReneeLLC]

Congratulations!!

[@HannahAlonzo]

Congrats on graduating and thank you for sending in your story! ❤️

[@Jellzchen]

Congratulations on graduating, Carlie! ❤

[@jenna444]

congrats!!!

[@anainesgonzalez8868]

Not graduating but also put hannah before lectures

[@themysteriousone]

So grateful you took the time to prerord for our fixes,lol. Hoping your all recovered and enjoying your new bundle of joy.

[@DagmarDollmaier]

Memory unlocked! Yes, the tiny lipsticks! I loved them so much as a kid and had at least 30 of them. The woman across our street was an Avon Lady, excuse me, Independent Consultant and often gave them to me if I'd babysit her six children.

[@chip.butty666]

considering products as a form of payment, as they're accustomed to 🥶

[@malindayoung2914]

Damn girl 😮6😢

[@theloverlyladylo9158]

So, this has nothing to do with MLMs, but I was watching an old video of yours and you mentioned using argon oil. As someone with perpetually damaged hair, I figured I’d give it a shot. A week later and my hair has never been this silky or shiny! Thanks for the tip!

[@HannahAlonzo]

I loveeee it! So happy you’re enjoying it!

[@carolsummers8734]

Where I get my hair done, argon oil is what my stylist uses on my hair.

[@meredithmitchell8921]

This is a really weird thing to say, but I feel like this almost perfectly encapsulates mlms and the products they sell. Yes, things like lavender and stuff can help with sleep, but they’re not a “cure for insomnia/every Illness” tea tree oil is super helpful for a ton of stuff, but, again, it’s not the “cure for everything.” The broad strokes come from somewhere (usually) are helpful, but are corrupted in some way or completely overblown. I don’t mean to get deep on a mlm post lol but hey, stuff happens

[@ms.annthropic6341]

When I was a kid my mom had an Avon lady that would come over every couple of months and I also LOVED the little bullet lipstick testers. It was kind of nice TBH, my mom was a housewife and didn’t do a lot for herself so every once in a while the Avon lady would come over and I would hang out with my mom and her and watch my mom get her makeup done, and I always got to keep the little bullet lipsticks which I thought was so cool. I think back then Avon was more sales focused, actual direct marketing, rather than about team building because I knew a few Avon ladies growing up and they never seemed to be trying to recruit. (Not endorsing MLMs though)

[@stzxvkzzn]

I’ve always had this same impression about Avon. Maybe things have changed, but I think they were all about the products back in the day. There was an Avon lady that used to drive though our neighborhood and throw catalogs on driveways. We never ordered anything but as a kid, I always loved looking through them.

[@GjpgrD]

Don't know when, but at some point Avon's business model changed & they became an MLM. I used to buy from a work colleague back in the '80s/90s & I'm pretty sure it wasn't then.

[@mommy2libras]

They did used to be like that. I was born in the 70s and growing up, there was a couple of Avon reps in among my mom's friend's or women at church but they just sold products. Back then it was never pushed as a way to make a full time income- women were still mostly staying home with kids then so it was touted as a way to just make a bit of extra pocket money, not finance a family vacation for 4 to Disney or buy a new home or pay your bills. Avon, al9ng with a handful of others like Mary Kay, Tupperware, wicker (not sure of the actual company name but it was all wicker sh*t like wall hangings and baskets for end tables, etc) and Watkins were just seen as ways to get something different than you could find at local stores (unless you could afford Estee Lauder or whatever else was at the big department stores at the mall, you could only get the limited selection of colors and brands and products your drug store sold, for example) and make a bit of money at the same time. I remember going to Tupperware and wicker and Watkins parties with my mom and they were seen as a way to sell products, the hostess got free stuff (something for hosting but more items depending on sales) but mostly it was social, as a lot of these were mothers in working class families and back then there was no "girl's night" or ladies lunch for women like this. They were stuck at home 90% of the time and were running kids around the other 10. I remember them so well because I was often the oldest child and be told to keep this group of strange kids behaving in someone's den or back patio or something for an hour or two. And people weren't flocking to do it and over saturating an area, either. You'd have one or two reps in an area, or at least in a very large group of acquaintances - like your friend's sister or your friend's aunt, neither of whom you knew nor knew anyone they knew, might sell Tupperware or Mary Kay. Avon was a bit easier to come by but not so much that you knew several people personally who sold it. I absolutely loved those samples myself. Unfortunately, I still do buy the SSS oil when I see a booth at the flea market because living in the swamp, we knew about 2 decades before they started advertising it that way that it helped to keep mosquitoes away. I remember one year my mom bought me something I'd been dying for- this sampler of all their perfumes in mini bottles that looked like the larger bottles. Pearls & Lace, Odyssey, Lahana, Sweet Honesty, Night Magic, lol. I kept those bottles forever until I lost everything I owned during my divorce when I could no longer afford my storage area.

[@MahasheS]

​@@stzxvkzznI feel seen. Since I started watching Hannah's videos I have been trying to wrap my head around this thing. Growing up my mom sold avon and I have a colleague that sells Avon. She does not recruit but sells the products we have an Avon store in Cape Town town ( South Africa) and I know there's on in Durban. My mom never recruited for Avon but when she joined tupperware I remember her desperation to recruit even though I was young but I rwmeber attending these parties with her and they'd Tupperware branded cars parked and and ready to be won. My very supportive dad joined under my mom and I joined under my dad and aold to my teachers.

[@ellie5447]

Cancer Story #2 made me tear up 😢 So sad that this poor baby is still battling cancer and that someone said something so awful to Mum. I hope they are doing ok ❤

[@stzxvkzzn]

Things like this make me afraid to have any more. I have two healthy kids and would love a third but so much can go wrong. I hope he beats it and wish them the best.

[@d.awdreygore]

You said Rooibos perfectly! :) Unfortunately the crime part is just life here. My husband was mugged at gunpoint last year, he wasn't shot so we consider that "getting off lucky".

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

Yeup Here its like Oh ja we got robbed/mugged but we dont need to hold a funeral so we good!

[@wenharas1]

Here in the US we are becoming numb to gun violence. It’s very sad that our “leaders” don’t want to do anything that would upset the status quo.

[@emmac329]

Sarah America is nothing like South Africa, ironically all the gun violence takes place in democrat run cities were gun laws are the most extreme. People in South Africa don’t even have the right to protect them selfs with gun while criminals go around mugging people. Your comment is so ignorant to real problem.

[@laur83]

i agree with this. if you haven’t been a victim of crime here, you absolutely know someone who was/is. it really is sad how it wasn’t surprising hearing about the home invasion the writer of the story experienced.

[@biancascholten3121]

As a South African, my first thought at your pronunciation of Rooibos was "Oh! She pronounced it properly!" :D Love your videos and hope you and your little one are doing well!

[@ammalyrical5646]

Same here, but I'm Dutch. And I love rooibos tea. I just buy the tea though instead of MLM products and it goes surprisingly well with black coffee :)

[@Annie_Annie__]

I’m American and I’ve seen rooibos in products sometimes. The few times I’ve heard my fellow Texans attempt to say it, it sounds like “roo-ee-booze” or “roo-booze”. Now having heard the proper pronunciation compared to the guesses from locals, I can’t help but laugh at our feeble attempts to say it. We sound like the ridiculous hicks that people stereotype us as, lmao!

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

!! Fellow South African!

[@ida6950]

German here and love red bush tea. It’s great to drink in the evening as it doesn’t contain any caffeine

[@ElleriaZer]

I've definitely been saying it wrong, but I also despise it. Probably because it smells like angry millipedes. There are these tiny local millipedes that smell just like it when they are disturbed, and the smell will stick to your skin if you touch them. I just can't get that out of my head.

[@nancymiller4340]

I had the same experience with Avon. Customers came to me. I just left brochures in break rooms. Didn't sell it to make money, just to get a discount and meet people. Also had other reps get territorial with me. Ah, those were the days!

[@wenharas1]

I did it the same way. It could be fun and low key back in the day.

[@stzxvkzzn]

I always got the impression that Avon was about selling the products and not about recruiting. Is that how it was?

[@wenharas1]

@@stzxvkzzn it used to to be about products only, now it’s also about recruiting. And the pay structure has changed so it’s not as easy to sell just for the discount.

[@nancymiller4340]

@@stzxvkzzn yes, i was never told about recruiting.

[@katiempojer]

Avon is one of those with a loyal fan base.

[@darkhorsiesmedia]

I used to love the Avon lady! It was always very affordable and as a young teen it was within my pocket money budget. I never realised back then it was an MLM.

[@Ola_Stawinska]

For the Avon story, this is how I always saw that company, just girls or ladies showing you catalog from time to time and asking if you want to order something (thats why o was very shocked when i find out that it was an mlm). I had friends or family members being a consultant and they never pushed for recruiting just were trying to sell products to actual costumers and make some extra money.

[@persnicketypotato]

I have an aunt who had a very similar Avon experience in the 90s/2000s, in terms of the "chill hun with other stuff going on" thing, not the "stalked by MegaHun" thing. She kept good independent records did a little better than breaking even - her own lotion/makeup/whatever supply plus a little cash. She always had a regular job though, and nobody else in her (rural) area did Avon.

[@aechawk]

Parents already have guilt when their child is hurting, sick or anything like that. You never suggest someone is at fault for their child's illness, that is just horrible.

[@melissapetzer3560]

This is the best way I’ve heard someone from outside SA pronounce Rooibos! Good job!

[@ProfessorChaosKitty]

Story 4, the South African lady: I'm a Christian too, and I have a similar reaction to her and her husband with regards to the cult tactics of MLMs. It gobsmacks me that so many other Christians will not only not see/ignore the culty behaviour, but get up high in the companies

[@UncleMarco]

Hope motherhood is going well so far :) thank you for scheduling all the vids Monday wouldn’t be the same without ur content!! ❤

[@amandafrederickson3764]

I have a mini horror story about those little perfume samplers! When I was maybe 4 or 5, Mom was driving us home from Grandma's house and I got ahold of her purse in the back seat. I thought the little perfume sample was lemonade and somehow got the vial open and drank it. It was so nasty I started shrieking and almost scared Mom off the road. Whoops!

[@crayolaclouds2696]

I'm sorry for laughing as hard as I did at the mental image of a small child successfully breaking into a perfume bottle, chugging it and then screaming in shock and horror

[@MrsDrJiggles]

Picturing when Buddy sprayed his mouth with perfume in the movie Elf, except times 1,0000

[@meredithmitchell8921]

@@crayolaclouds2696 my first thought was as the John Mulaney bit that’s like “‘hey, is this whiskey or perfume?’ and i(John Mulaney) walked up, drank *all* of it and said ‘it’s perfume.’”

[@daftoptimist]

I’m very close and friendly with my nieces, and I gasped so loud at the last story with the aunt accusing her relative of wasting her time. I spend time with my nieces because they’re family and I love them, not EVER because I’m expecting to get something from them. What is WRONG with people?? How could you say something like that to any child, let alone a child from your family??

[@the_Sarahnator]

Story 3 made me think of something vaguely related: I commented on one of Isabella Lanter's videos about MLMs being a scam, and someone all-caps yelled at me about "club fees being the same thing" and if I don't understand that my opinion can "go in the bin." I had no idea what they meant until Carly's story where the lady said "it's $9.95 a month, just like a Costco membership!" I am chuckling now.

[@Dreaming5]

That’s awful😢

[@anne-marieolivier8318]

It’s really sad that we became so numb to violence in South Africa. I can totally see how the sales rep seemed to not have sympathy. I totally forgot Annique is a MLM.

[@HippyNinjaSimmy]

I watch these all the time and was wondering when/if South Africa would pop up. I've thankfully not had any firsthand MLM experience. But violence and loadshedding... That's another story 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@laur83]

i’ve also been wondering when SA would come up in an MLM story! i haven’t got a story myself but i was pitched one once. MLMs in other counties and continents besides north america really need more coverage!

[@JustaMossKindaLife]

Always love hearing these stories. I’m a kid of the 80’s and 90’s so I spent many nights and weekends at home parties. Not to forget those door to door sales calls. Now I have all those “friends” and even family that slide into my DMs about opportunities. I should send you the latest one from a registered nurse 🤦🏻‍♀️.

[@carolsummers8734]

Yes home parties were fun and a way to be with neighbors. I remember those Avon mini lipsticks. So fun for my sister and I to play dressup.

[@SoCalJellybean]

Hannah putting one Plexus item into a cart probably means she’s now on some weird Plexus list for the next ten years! 🤣🙄

[@melissashiels7838]

Wow, the one with the aunt schilling the stamps was wild. She didn't provide one single snack and has the nerve to get annoyed with a bereaved teenager! Crazy!

[@maybemeganjane]

Hi Hannah! Have you ever done a video about the history of MLMs? I’m curious how long ago they started and how many there are. That would be cool to know.

[@journeywithrosie]

That first story is giving breaking bad "stay out of my territory" 🤣

[@ivygregory3726]

Hannah's beautiful soothing voice telling horrifying stories... exactly the Monday motivation I needed to get some stuff done. ♥️ Hope you're enjoying your time with your sweet little family and that you're finding some time to take care of yourself and your own healing. Baby girl has the most amazing hair I've ever laid my eyes on. Congratulations mama. 😘🎉

[@HairByReneeLLC]

My mom did Avon for awhile and playing with the mini lipsticks did bring back good memories. 😅

[@maryeckel9682]

They were fun to play with! I even used them through high school because they were tiny and stayed shut, unlike those sticky roll-on lip glosses we had then.

[@libertymedicalcommunicatio4908]

Story 1: Apart from the Irish Mafia weirdness, this may be the only true MLM success story you've ever told. The only way to 'succeed' is to lower the bar to near floor-level.

[@MahasheS]

True. Felt the same way. That is how my mom sold AVON and she would make small profits from sales, was not recruiting.

[@lagatalola]

That technique of rushing you and guiding you through the process is the same one that scammers use to convince you of their scam. It is precisely so that you do it quickly and don't have time to think better about the situation.

[@mamamommy42]

as someone who just had a baby 8 days ago, i can concretely say that i would start throwing hands if someone tried to exploit baby for an mlm pitch. i can't even imagine how hard that must have been for the mom in story 2 and i hope her son is doing well.

[@contrarymargemarge9538]

I loved the Avon lady stopping by my Aunts as a child and really thought the anew products I purchased back in the 90s was really nice.

[@dorahnotani4316]

A South African horror story yay, but not yay happy for the bad experienceif the writer but yay we're finally featured in your videos

[@queenlilaerys13]

I wanted to say "yay South Africa!" and then realised that no, it's not yay. But the sentiment was just that I'm glad there are some South Africans who are realising the dangers of MLMs, because most people I know here still see them as fairly harmless, because they hide so well behind storefronts etc. And I say this as someone who worked for a business consulting company, and still does consulting on the side.

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

Its like Oh yay we are mentioned! oh wait we are mentioned _our crime rates shi_

[@Amrold]

My theory about story one is that a bunch of Susan's customers who liked the product but not the air of desperation she had were calling the new girl because they wanted the products without the extra pressure!

[@janabomersbach4466]

My Avon “lady” runs a cat rescue and any profits go to the rescue. I actually have a couple of Avon products I like so I buy from her. She is not pushy & I get to help the cats. ( I wish I could adopt them all) 😊

[@chelseajones4696]

Thanks!

[@MiriamVance.]

Can you imagine 430 Avon stores in a single town? 😂 So crazy that when you’re in it you can’t see other downline members are essentially hundreds of other McDonalds in the same town.

[@klundy7]

The two establishments across the street from each other reminds me of how Tim Horton's (Canadian coffee and donut place) opened a second store two places down from the first one at my university food court. In this case, there was enough demand from caffeine-dependent students that both locations almost always had a line

[@MusikGirl23]

Yup! Tim’s alllllll the way!

[@irrationalrationale]

You are always so kind and present information in a way that is helpful and useful. Your kindness increases the probability that someone can learn new information instead of become defensive. You are absolutely fantastic at this job and I appreciate you!

[@TheHandle1990]

I love Hannah and her videos. I just got diagnosed with MS. for those of you that don't know it's a neurological disease that attacks Neuro system. Doctors don't know how to prevent or cure. They can't even tell me what will happen (they can tell what can happen). They however do know how to treat to make symptoms "almost" disappear in most people. However, since my diagnosis I'm scared that some Herbalife hun, or Young Living hun will find me and try to convince me that their products will cure it or reverse any issues it's already caused. (I was hospitalized last week and newly diagnosed. There are also like a million "what if" scenarios running through my mind at the moment. And being pitched an MLM is one of those fears.)

[@maryeckel9682]

Remember that you have no obligation to be "polite" with anyone who does pitch you.

[@TheHandle1990]

@@maryeckel9682 I don't plan on it. I would be a little more stern than I was with my supervisor yesterday when he switched a shift with a coworker so he could keep an eye on me. ( But again a buddy of his was taken out of work a couple months ago because he collapsed because of the disease. He wasn't going to Neuro immunologist like he was supposed to.) My supervisor and I agreed I go to and listen to doctors and he doesn't need to keep a guard on me.

[@lindseys1528]

Everyone sending in stories: WE LOVE IT IF THE STORY IS LONG!!!!! No need to apologize lol

[@thebuttersnob]

I’ve been intimidated by an AVON lady too back when I was a Mary Kay consultant 🙃

[@HeyHonHorror]

Oh, the hover while they sign up... that is to make sure you enter the right upline or code so they get credit. Yeah, did that a lot.

[@2015fit]

I shot up when I heard Equilife. They are not an MLM, but do have an ambassador program. Their supplements are super high quality, third party tested. I swear by their full spectrum magnesium it actually significantly helped my anxiety.

[@cary1063]

My mom was an Avon lady when I was a kid. I didn’t even know it was an MLM until recently. We just liked the products and still do. She doesn’t sell anymore but she does order from someone at work

[@lammamamma2240]

They didn't become one until 2005. So sad, because I do love some of there things, and I regrettable bought skin so soft sun screen because it has bug repellent too.

[@timriehl1500]

I grew up with Avon; they were always good products and I can understand how it would be easy to be a successful "lazy" rep lol. I also never realized until about 10 years ago that Avon was an MLM.

[@Prokomeni]

@@lammamamma2240really? That’s crazy. This must be around when I signed up

[@Sarakatbee]

My cousins ex wife was THE MK lady in their small town. She even had the pink Cadillac, but eventually the over saturation got her, this was pre internet days, so she had nowhere else to grow. Haven’t spoken to her in years, no idea if she officially quit.

[@siximpossiblethings6388]

I was so bummed when I learned Stampin Up was an MLM. I have a set of their watercolour pencils I bought off of FB marketplace, and to be fair, they're actually pretty decent. I'm also a pleb who hasn't been spoiled with the high end brands, so who knows, I could be wrong and they could actually be terrible.

[@melissajohnson167]

SU is an MLM, but it's not quite as "culty" as a lot of them. MOST of their products are good quality (stay away from the alcohol markers), though they are more expensive in the long run, by the time you add tax and shipping. BUT, unlike a lot of MLM's, you CAN actually join and never have to sell to anyone else, or have parties, etc, or even recruit, if you're able to spend $280 every quarter. Or you do what a friend and I do - she's a demo, and we go in together on the stuff we want each quarter, and have never had an issue meeting her minimums. She gets to "stay active" and I get her discount. I've also signed up as a demo about 6 different times (whenever they've had a really killer deal on their starter kits - you can pick what you want in it) - and then just let my status lapse by never buying anything on my own account again (that's what will happen at the end of this month, Oct 2024). The difference for me with Stampin Up is that I DO use their stuff - I've made and continue to make a TON of cards that I give/send out to friends and family, put out in a box at church for the ladies in the Secret Sister program to use to send out, and so on. I also have a ton of NON-SU stamps/scrapbook supplies that I use. But for me, SU has been a very non-invasive, non-committal MLM to be in. PLUS, now the secondhand market for stuff as it retires is huge, so if I'm patient, I can get stuff for really good prices. Yes, SU is an MLM, but it's not (to me) one that generates the horror stories like so many do. This gal in Hannah's video - her aunt just sounds like a loser, period. Personality is a big turn on or turn off, and this lady - no. There are demos out there who turn me off, even though I love most of SU's products. If I had to go just by THEM - I'd never buy. But since there are LOADS of demos out there who are decent and not overly pushy, there's a lot of choice to be had! At least you know when you buy any SU stuff secondhand, it's no longer benefitting the actual MLM any more! Thrift stores are a HUGE treasure chest for it, too! ;-)

[@ginnysvec4809]

Was at a work event tabling this weekend at an earth day event. The theme was sustainability, and I saw MULTIPLE MLMs right across from our table. Who knows how many more there were throughout the event. I don’t understand how these types of events don’t vet the vendors better. Also at a previous event I complimented someone’s nails and she said they were from that nail MLM 🙄🙄🙄 Thanks for making us aware of the names and what to look out for with MLMs. Even when I didn’t recognize some of the names, I could spot them! They hardly got any people to come up to them all day. I wanted to go over and tell people to avoid them but couldn’t because of my job 😅 It was hard not to though haha!

[@melodyfaith3806]

Hey there, I have been watching your videos and just want to thank you for posting them. I’m currently in a mlm monat… after watching these I have decided to stop social selling, after my year is up (September) I will not be selling monat as a market partner. I can’t believe I fell for this, yes I have made money but not compared to what I have bought. recently I have found out that the products don’t actually work unless you have their oil (rejuveniqe oil) thank you again for opening my eyes up. Hopefully by September this year I will not be tied up in mlm stuff. I can’t believe I fell for this…. I was offended when I just had my baby 😢

[@melodyfaith3806]

Making baby steps are better than no steps

[@ashleymcgee3536]

That first one reminds me of when Marge became a real estate agent, “Hi, I’m Cookie Kwan, number 1 on the west side.”

[@pinkskiestoday]

Hi Hannah, hope you're having a beautiful time with sweet baby girl, hubs, and the twins (Zeke & Cooper). 💜

[@hatshub2635]

As another South African subscriber… your pronunciation of ‘rooibos’ was perfect! I appreciate that you’re the type of person to go to the effort to look that up in the first place ! The little details and your meticulous research make this channel soooooo binge-worthy! South Africa is awash with MLM’s too. Many from the US (Amway, Herbalife, etc) and loads of batshit local versions too. But it’s all pretty much EXACTLY the same thing! No difference at all between the MLM huns (and tactics) on this continent to the stuff on your side of the planet. Same lies. Same rhetoric. Same empty promises. Same cultish behaviour. Same scam! Same bullshittery! Love your vids! (too bloody much! 😉)

[@elizabeth184]

23:55 that little paw 😻🐾

[@clpearson991]

Man, I feel story #3. I had terrible cystic acne from about 9th grade to age 24. Turns out I needed medication for ulcerative colitis. Once that got under control, my skin improved a lot. I still have deep pitted scars. My mom never got MLM'd but she did try taking me to a 'holistic doctor' and I took a capsule of thieves essential oil once a day for quite a long time. ETA: Equilife has an 'ambassador program' that is described as a shared marketing/revenue program and have pretty vague requirements to sign up for it and an 'affiliate network' if you aren't any kind of 'medical professional'

[@missamanda2703]

My friends mom was the Avon lady into like 2006, and she retired. No one ever tried. She was loved and didn't push. When they got pushy, she left.

[@aechawk]

What bugs me about the last story is that a lot of these "parties" advertise a get together with friends to try something, nothing about spending money. And a lot of times, the person hosting says something along the lines that you don't have to buy anything, they would love for you to just come. What party is there that the attendees have to buy something? Usually there is a gift bag as a thanks for coming. Just crazy.

[@erinhartley857]

Honestly MLM huns are so sneaky. I posted in a PCOS group asking for weight loss advice. I got one hun who messaged me, suggesting all these products and stuff. Turned out she was with ItWorks. If my friend hadn't already been sucked into that(and escaped), I probably would have tried it. But I had already tried it from my friend's samples anyways and the drinks and even suppliments were disgusting

[@Sam-rn9di]

I love when you make the "you don't really see 2 McDonald's right next to each other, because idk how different the products really are between both companies but I worked at burger King for a little over a year and had a McDonald's 2 doors down. Because I hated most fast food when I worked at bk, everytime I was on break I just drove to McDonald's and got the most basic thing ever

[@simmerthreereturns221]

As an aunt I can't imagine treating any of my nieces the way she did.

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

The... The fact you got to add a trigger warning for the robbery made me go: ... Oh wait thats considered trigger warning worthy? Thats bad? ... God this country is harsh

[@MeowlodieHL]

That last story makes me so sad. My aunts would never even consider acting like that.

[@danidosez]

It’s wild to me that anyone would give these people their socials! That one girls parents failed her when they said if it seems like a legit sale, it’s fine. How does asking for a social security number seem like a legit sale? It’s all so unfortunate..

[@savannahthomson1174]

The story about the aesthetician is IDENTITY THEFT!! I have not seen somone call that out as what it is. This Aesthetician is an Identity thief. Someone using your Social Security Number and personal information for their own purposes is Identity Theft!! Carly is a victim of Identity Theft and should be pursuing this situation as such. Anyone in a similar situatiom, please pursue it as identity theft.

[@sarajanechandler2318]

Somebody’s been watching @MamaDrJones with that “you did the best you could with the information you had at the time” 😝🥰 congratulations on your sweet new baby. Soak it all in🥰

[@SpiralxShock]

It’s so interesting because since I started watching your videos last years I’ve been spotting MLMs everywhere 😅 So many huns near me have information plastered all over their rear windshields…

[@mrsmerily]

Thats how Avon works in my country. You needed to find a avon or oriflame lady and then ordered through them. Noone tried to recruit anyone. That is why it is always so weird to listen them in MLM stories... for sure there props were some people who might have tried MLM side, but never heared about it. And the sellers didnt want someone else to take their business away so they didnt recruit- so it was mostly just direct sales just as it should be.

[@Nailkita]

Lol thinking of how there’s like 6 Timmies in my small town 😅 and they all busy. The rare case of not over saturated.

[@MusikGirl23]

Tim’s all the way!!!

[@alexisk8888]

Can’t wait to watch. Always makes my mondays better (: Edit: after being there for 20 years and only having 23 people doesn’t sound very good.

[@nataschajansevanrensburg6222]

Oh my word a SA story, you nailed it !! Rooibos is a common type of tea here.

[@noreenelizabeth6617]

I got to listen to this with my father in law. He learned a little something.

[@kratze1738]

Definitely not always the case that "fully qualified" people can be fully trusted with product recommendations. It's easy enough to stop and do research before agreeing. If they are right, the Internet will typically back them up, and if it doesn't it's a fair conversation to have with them. Not an MLM story, but I had some heartburn/ issues once that had me to go to a gastroenterologist . During the original discussion I had with him in his office, I had made it clear to him that I hated taking medications, and only wanted to take them if they were crucially necessary. He nodded at the time and did not bring up anything else about meds. He also didn't discuss my eating habits or diet at all with me, nor asked questions about it. He scheduled a procedure that involved knocking me out so they could check things out. When I woke up, woozy and still loopy, the man told me that he was prescribing me a PPI blocker, and when I asked him how long I'd be taking it, he said, and I quote, "For the rest of your life". I was still a little out of it, so we swung by the pharmacy and filled the prescription on the way home, which fortunately did not cost much. I then did intensive research over the next few days on what PPIs were, as I wanted to be sure they were crucially necessary for my specific situation. After all, I'd told him I didn't want to take any drugs, and he'd never mentioned any to me during the consult. Turns out, while they are valid and useful in some very specific situations, they are considered very overprescribed; they re-route the way the digestive tract works, and if you stop taking them, they cause massive heartburn worse than what you started with, so it can become virtually impossible to get off of them. Also, there's research linking them to bone fragility and some other potentially nasty long-term side effects if you take them for years. The manufacturers typically suggest just 14 days for a course, and this guy wanted me to take them for life. I ultimately found several sources saying that some heartburn - possibly up to 80% or more - may come ironically from not having enough stomach acid, so taking stuff to reduce acid like Tums can actually compound the issue. I decided from the research to try another way first. I stopped taking the PPIs, and called a dietician. Best medical move I ever made. The first session of three was pretty much enough to almost completely fix the heartburn, no meds needed. I changed my diet, and it completely and almost immediately fixed the problem. Heartburn is now rare and always tied to eating something I shouldn't. I tossed the remaining pills out. Not to say, that it's bad for everybody, nor is this necessarily a call to mistrust doctors. It's just really easy to verify things, and there's no reason not to double-check. Changing up my diet to healthier options along with avoiding Tums except in rare situations worked really well for me. So always do the research as well as listening to the doctors. They are human, and can make mistakes or have medication bias (or conflicts of interest, like in the story here). And be wary of anybody - especially those in MLMs - prescribing something without a discussion or being willing to answer questions about your research. Also consider talking to a dietician, as they aren't too expensive and upgrading one's diet is typically going to do a lot of good.

[@bloomandpen]

Omg I’m South African and I had no idea that Annique was an MLM! I used to use it until I realized it was ruining my skin. Adds up 😂

[@crizmeow8394]

Can you imagine inviting your severely depressed nibling and yelling at her because they didn’t buy anything?? Ghoulish behavior

[@afossy10]

I'm an esthetician😭 that story made me so upset!! So irresponsible😵‍💫

[@IsaButecos]

Wow, this is so weird, I never knew that Avon was an MLM, maybe they operate differently here in Brazil?

[@MashaRistova]

Story 2 broke me…. I hope that little baby is doing okay…

[@erinfindsen4953]

1:21 YES the tiny Avon lipsticks

[@Prokomeni]

I sold Avon because I thought it was fun. I was too naive to realize I was also intimidated and then again before quitting. I spent a good chunk of money every month on my own stuff but that wasn’t good enough for them I guess

[@AsterInDis]

Avon lady in 1st story has a downline of 23 people, and had signed up 430... That's only 5% that's still (as of the time of the story) under her.

[@lydiarobinett6159]

I forgot about the tiny samples! Those were pretty cool as a kid😂

[@samanthakavanagh7034]

Lol I always thought it was weird, I live in an average size city - not big, not super small...... but next to one of our Walmarts that had a McDonald's in it for YEEEEEARS there is a McDonald's- only difference is the one outside Walmart has a drive-thru. There is also two money marts less than a block from each other, and two Starbucks in the same street corner. So weird.

[@HairByReneeLLC]

That’s another thing that has bothered me so much about party plan…”it’s FREE!!” NO! It’s not. 🤦🏼‍♀️😂😩 You DO expect to get paid through orders. I’d rather pay someone outright to come do a fun tasteful presentation about sexual health and teach me that stuff than have the elephant-in-the-room pressure of being expected to buy but the consultant isn’t saying that bluntly.

[@tawnyarasmussen1965]

The Avon bullet lipstick samples!! I remember those!

[@ishratakleker8746]

As a fellow South African its really unfortunate that almost everyone I know, knows someone who has been robbed like that in their house.

[@laurenmccook6632]

Your upload time is perfect for my 10:50-11:20 lunch break! (I teach 4th grade.) Thanks!

[@karenneill9109]

Vancouver has two Starbucks across the street from each other. Both are always busy! (One is tiny, and the other is pretty small, too. So they are limited in how many people they can serve.)

[@RobertaScottT]

Hannah - you are an absolute joy. So good at educating and your insight is amazing. So happy for you!!!!

[@mommy2libras]

I buy products online that are only legal to those over 21 (and yes, legitimate businesses with legitimate websites) and even they don't require my SSN to make a purchase.

[@cecarea6887]

Oh my word. 🤯You pronounced "rooibos" perfectly! Well done Hannah. 🤩. As a South African 🇿🇦, I am blown away by your pronunciation. You definitely get kudos and lollipops 🍭! Say hi to the baby and kitties for me. I'm busy composing my horror story to send to you , please be on the look out for it. You do great work, and I love your vids.

[@maryeckel9682]

Yay, you nailed the pronunciation of "rooibos!" It was trendy for a while in the early 00s, and a kind Dutch person taught me how to say it. I still like it, but a wonder elixir it is not.

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

It is helpful for tummy aches if drank without milk and sugar And if you soak in it, it does help for sun burn. You just stink like rooiboss for a week and I imagine that is expensive to do if you live outside of South Africa.

[@janejones7638]

I've been lucky to never fall for a pitch. It's not because I'm super-smart (well, I am) but it's because I've never had enough money to join them. I was living on credit cards so I couldn't buy things on credit because I had to keep it free for food not Plexus products. Also, I don't trust people so I wouldn't fall for the scam. If I could not have the events that causes me to not trust people not happen but I'd be more gullable, I'd choose for the event to not happen. This would mean I might fall for a scam or two. But I'd not have felt the world was a terrible untrustworthy place at age 5.

[@Lady-Lilith]

When talking about having 2 McDonald's across from each other I just thought of this big shopping center that had 3 Starbucks. One stand in the grocery store, and one cafe on each end of the plaza.

[@MusikGirl23]

Yeah. At one of the big malls in my city, there were two Starbucks…one full one and one in the Chapters (now Indigo), a Canadian mostly bookstore. The small one in the chapters didn’t have all the capabilities of the big one such as no hot sandwiches.

[@jesusfreakof2000]

It's so good to hear/see your videos! I have tried listening to the other MLM gals and while I appreciate their knowledge and frankness, none quite approach your empathy and compassion. As someone who is conservative and religious I have appreciated that you've kept things purely within the anti mlm realm. I know your stance on those things do differ from mine but I can listen to your commentary and just focus on our common distrust and frustration with these bad commercial cults. I think this also could help others searching as well as a majority involved do come from similar backgrounds as my own and may get turned off when poltics or anti religious commentary is added. Sidenote: I'm not opposed to those topics myself but can see people who are looking for a reason to not believe the reality of what these companies are doing, using the other divergent topics as reason to turn off the true message) I'm so glad I stumbled on your video back when I randomly Googled about those fizz bomb parties out of pure curiosity and while I hope you get all the well deserved baby snuggles your maternity leave allows, I selfishly can't wait for your regular return to videos. Thank you for taking the leap and for being you!

[@ictmeoy1988]

Have you heard of “7 figure accelerator”? I think it also goes under names like 7 figure franchise or 7 figure launch… recently heard about this and it gave me MLM vibes

[@mmmmmmmmaria]

i don't have or plan to have children but story 2 just made my blood boil. blaming a mother for causing her child's congenital illness by GOING TO THE PARK? seriously? what's next of the list of things pregnant women are not allowed to do according to mlm huns, eating vegetables? drinking water? sheer ridiculousness, i'm absolutely flabbergasted at the gall. i'm so sorry OP and her family are going through this, i'm gonna keep them in my thoughts.

[@kikiTHEalien]

Only pre-packaged food and powder shakes and alkaline water, of course 😁

[@mmmmmmmmaria]

@@kikiTHEalien while you sit on the couch smelling essential oils

[@kikiTHEalien]

@@mmmmmmmmaria Might as well add a few drops to your water for good measure 😄

[@lpronovost84]

That pink color looks absolutely gorgeous on you. I love your videos

[@xxbellajasmina]

There are two del tacos across the street from one another in a city I lived in as a child, but I’m not sure why. I think there is a reason having to do with zoning or city limits but I’m not positive. As of today, they’re in the same city but I don’t think it was always that way.

[@ElleriaZer]

I love how informative these videos are. Unfortunately I've started getting weird network marketing ads since I started watching, and sometimes those ads are actually longer than your videos.

[@amberjewel_beauty]

Wowww. My mom did Avon also when I was young and I loved the little lipsticks too. Forgot about them until you mentioned them

[@maryrowe1504]

Loved those tiny lipsticks!