Why Women Are Quitting Their Side Hustle: Leaving LuLaRoe

[@mickeyjay8516]

You aint the seller you're the buyer. These companis don't care who you sell it to cause they've already sold the product to YOU.

[@BeginAgainMC]

Mickey jay XXXACTLY!!!!

[@billieteggers2661]

It *is* a pyramid scheme then.

[@Thriftyrissy]

Bingo!

[@got2surf90]

Exactly

[@TheJaybrone]

Nailed it.

[@julianbell9161]

I’m no fashionista, but those clothes look absolutely horrendous

[@DanielFlores-fo1ee]

So the only reason I know aout this company is because my girlfriend's sister in law always wore what i called "clown clothes", so one day I asked her, hey where does your sister in law buy her clothes at, and she laughed and said "Luloroe" and here I am. Everything makes so much sense now , everything lmao.

[@michellemahbelle13]

RIGHT!! lol

[@Lexightonportia]

I was at a thrift store in Texas and saw a bunch of these clothes, brand new, in my size and got a excited until I got a closer look lol. The patterns were hideous and the fabric was super cheap quality. With the thrift stores deal the clothes would’ve ended up being $1-$2 a piece, brand new with tags, and I still didn’t want them lol.

[@weltonvillegal6258]

Like golf clothes on acid.

[@victoriag2543]

This sounds terrible but they’re like bigger woman’s clothes!

[@hypatia4754]

As soon as they say, "It´s not a company, it´s a lifestyle", you know you´re in trouble.

[@cuppatae834]

Honestly!

[@sesetio338]

It's not a job. Lol

[@shethewriter]

100% true

[@העבד]

Thats how Wework speak about their business. "Its not a real estate company- we are a community"

[@tanyas2342]

It's not a company, it's a cult!

[@Benjaminleo815]

World's okayest mom looks like a great mom and friend. Good for her having courage to get out of this cult!

[@misslesterb]

Roberta seems like a very good human, glad she got out.

[@ykMMD]

A good friend??? How many of her friends did she screw over to make all that money? She's just very good at projecting the image of a good and caring friend. None of it is true.

[@bricy6437]

She has her own KZbin channel and podcast : Roberta Blevins. She’s an asset to the anti-MLM movement!

[@WinterReflections]

@@ykMMD We forgive corporate monsters who've done so much worse, she's learned and deserves forgiveness and empathy. I also didn't see an indication she made much money in particular. And now she's trying to get other victims OUT.

[@millsykooksy4863]

I’m listening to her on Leah’s Scientology podcast right now

[@LetsSmash007]

When you give a company money for a job, you are a customer not an employee.

[@elizajane691]

LetsSmash007 so many people fall for this ....

[@staceycole5629]

While I agree with this message, businesses also have to purchase goods to sell to make money. With that said, this is a pyramid scheme in order to make real money instead of buying into a franchise.

[@LetsSmash007]

Stacey Cole thank you captain obvious. The only business here is Lulaxxx, by the motion of paying bonuses, the person is not a business as well. The person is an employee. Do we know any person joining a MLM then forming their own LLC? This would be two distinct businesses. See when Lulaxxx changes policy, you are the employee. If Lulaxxx changed policy causing a breach of contract between themselves and another businesses then litigation commences. So much more to explain here. Just a short bit.

[@bonniehowell4259]

I wish all the #Bossbabes that constantly post on FB and IG about owning their own "business" would realize this.

[@hanne9170]

Bonnie Howell thank you. I fucking HATE these stupid terms...girl boss, boss babe, lady boss bullshit. It makes my skin crawl when I see/hear these basic terms

[@annie_xo]

The thing I find so awful about MLMs is how they obviously target women looking for a sense of belonging. They don’t really sell clothes or whatever, they sell a dream to lonely women. It’s so predatory and sad.

[@stephanie8699]

is it more sad that they do it ..or more sad that these women fall for it. I fault the women ...they set back women's progress in society.

[@Codi892]

Sounds like K-Pop

[@zozocecp]

@@stephanie8699 They were lonely and taken advantage of because of it. Also, no, lol.

[@mette4666]

@thedeadmemer multi-level marketing. aka pyramid schemes

[@krumble8327]

Annie D I feel more it targets women who have children and struggle to work and look after kids. They really push the flexibility of working with an MLM and target working mums and women on maternity leave.

[@avuhhh]

this scheme also highlights a growing loneliness epidemic... hearing all these women talk about how happy they became to have a “support network” of sisters that they were terrified of losing really saddens me :(

[@TWHowl]

You might want to blame modern society or tech for this, then you remember the Yellow Wallpaper and realize that women have been stuck in quarantine like states for hundreds of years. Edit: lot of likes? Apparently I wasn't the only one made to read that short story during school! Women have for a long time been kept caged like birds by societies expectations, that book always stuck w me as an example of the history of that struggle!

[@queryq1330]

That's so true. It targets people who are vulnerable.

[@meinname5788]

avuhhh you are right about loneliness. BUT These women Are like on drugs. On dopamine... Addicted From success.... It's Not soooo hard To find 1 or 2 good friends. Just Go out, Do sports. Or join a club....

[@j.r.4627]

@@TWHowl yellow wallpaper could hands down be the best s.s. ever written.

[@FaridShahidinejad]

I think it's more about greed

[@Hollyberrystreats]

There was an adult film director on another LuLuRo video who said they used the leggings for costumes because they were so easy to rip!

[@hanadr]

I am going to hell for cackling so hard at this.

[@fbueller]

LOL!!!

[@mdezzco]

I laughed so loudly that I scared my cats and one of them knocked over a soda can.

[@teelesynclair5902]

😂😂😂

[@janicag]

At least there is some use for them... 😏😛😂

[@Miss_K3k97]

Am I the only one that thinks most of the clothes look really ugly..?

[@sicaford331]

Right! The shit people buy.

[@currentresident3775]

Kekistani Goddess I agree. But, I think some of the print/patterns aren't so bad, it's just the color combinations are really ugly.

[@orls9068]

It's like scrap on aliexpress

[@sionan7937]

Most of the clothes are hideous but they have a few really cute pieces. They do that on purpose so people would spend spend spend spend hoping to get a "unicorn" (rare, cute piece). Consultants can't pick out what clothes they get so they spend thousands of dollars on a box of leggings and just hope that it had a "unicorn" that they could sell for massive amounts of money and earn it back. It's like real life loot boxes

[@Miss_K3k97]

Shannon Griffin Yeah, real life loot boxes full of mold and holes 🙄

[@sarahb4401]

I feel like this says more about the isolation of modern motherhood than anything else

[@lw.1234]

TRUTH

[@MtnGirll]

Sarah Hdgsklansjd Modern women expect motherhood to be entertaining instead of just hard and fulfilling work. These women are overgrown toddlers.

[@karenyoung8068]

Motherhood has not always been isolation. It's only been in the least 30 years that empty houses have created the isolated environment. Mother of 3, I never realized the stark difference between my mother's generation of stay at home moms and me working part-time. All the houses were empty in my neighborhood and I was stuck at home alone with 3 children with social media advertising everyone's "best life." Back in the 70's /80s moms would have the summer to hang out with other moms who's kids are running the neighborhood or go hang out at the pool. Where now 40% of moms are full time employed, 20% part-time employed, and 40% stay at home. So those households that are at home, are mixed into neighborhoods that hopefully have other stay at homes but if they have no one in the area, that's isolation. It's a very cold, gotta be Pinterest perfect, kids prefect environment, making 100k+ culture or you fail. If you aren't a perfect mom (which no one is!) Then social media only adds fuel to the fire and isolates EVEN MORE.

[@denadear]

You are really right about that.

[@denadear]

@@MtnGirll -BS

[@petitionpeitition5806]

Friends don't let friends join pyramid schemes. 💛

[@EvelynRobinson22]

this! I lost a long time friend to Younique coz no one knew until she made a big speech on FB saying she was ‘starting her own business from home’ 😬 oh dear...she then FB messaged me their recruitment spiel and I unfriended her. her ‘voice’ was nowhere in the message, it was just copy and pasted “do you want to make money at home like me?....” NOPE!!

[@ilovenoodles7483]

@@EvelynRobinson22 So Younique is another pyramid scheme huh? I never even heard of them before but yet, I just typically go to the store in person and buy things.

[@EvelynRobinson22]

they’ll deny that they are, but basically...you can only buy their makeup through ‘consultants’ and their set up is the same as most MLMs, you buy your “kit” and people order from you

[@sweetox_9690]

@@EvelynRobinson22 What do you mean *"This!"* The op was promoting friend loyalty: "Friends don't let friends join pyramid schemes." You said you immediately "unfriended" yours when she joined one. How does your story relate to the op in slightest? That is the definition of a shitty friend is it not? 🤔

[@carluzahunter]

💯

[@barbmccafferty4533]

I felt so bad when they hammered the "for sale" sign and she started crying. I hope she and her family recovered and are living happy.

[@shelbymcphearson5472]

Seriously tho... that hurt my heart 💔

[@jamesellis6035]

Always remember where you come from and always live within your means

[@millsykooksy4863]

Yeah but what the hell did she do with her money

[@annapatricia3793]

@@millsykooksy4863 LuLaRoe kept pestering her to spend her money and share it on social media. Like cars, clothes, flights, jewelry, etc. From her doing that they benefit from the potential victims to crave for the luxury life. And unfortunately, she listened not knowing it would send her to losing her house.

[@Pretermit_Sound]

@@millsykooksy4863 did you not watch the video? It explains everything, in detail, about where all the money went. Where it had to go. Perhaps these women were naive, and probably didn’t use very good judgment, but so what. Nobody deserves to be treated like they were/are. The company’s owners are absolutely disgusting people, to be able to use someone’s new-found circle of friends, and happiness in order to manipulate them into doing the company’s bidding. Hopefully these women were able to repair their lives, and find peace after all they’ve been through.

[@riverrose2835]

This is extra sad because of the insane amount of waste created by the fashion industry... all this stuff only getting worn once... so much pollution & slave labour all around.

[@aristogatos1o1]

.b/ thredup and depop

[@Donnah1979]

100 %

[@asiamarill]

@@FightingForFacts7074 sadly not every country has good secondhand shops like the US seems to have.in my country the shops are horrible ,no variety in sizes and they literally tried to sell a 5$ H&M Shirt for 30. Thats how awful it is where i live.i wished i could buy second hand,but not possible here

[@hayleymadisonllc2180]

I agree nothing of real quality

[@dabdella1460]

@.b / they are everywhere and I have only shopped them most of my life. Goodwill, salvation army, consignment shops ,the list is endless and supply of outfits to pick is also A house can be furnished with less money and more offerings. Go to your phone book and look up second hand shops or some may be listed after goodwill and other well known names It is so much fun You can get good at the hunt and be pleased you got several items that would be a lower price than one item at what I call a real store. Dd

[@mcomeslast]

Any time someone is pushing for you to live beyond your means, that’s a red flag,

[@reginarobertkrystyn]

I know a couple who did very well with another company and they were told the same thing. Live big and show it off so they did. That company turned out to be a Ponzi scheme.

[@melocoton7]

mcomeslast of course! They need people to be in debt and thus needing to keep selling and recruiting 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@MzClementine]

Huge red flag. I’m so perplexed though. The clothes are hideous...

[@chainsawkitten3766]

Well, that’s sales in general.. I sold high end new construction, and when I started, my sales manager really pushed me to get an expensive car and clothes. If the people you are trying to sell to think you are successful, they will feel more confident buying from you

[@mcomeslast]

Chainsaw Kitten I get that. All jobs expect a “look”. But putting yourself in financial straights isn’t smart and that seems to be what this lady did. Sure take some bonus money, upgrade the wardrobe. It’s a career investment. But also save some or invest. She’s worked hard and has nothing to show for it.

[@allysonwalker7591]

Please be the start of a series. Expose senegence cosmetics, doterra essential oils, herbalife, scentsy...

[@Actionnelll]

Market America is another one of those pyramid schemes. $500 initial to join & $125 a month to stay in & sell their products. I quit 6 months into it. It's crazy how they can sell you the dream of success.

[@nicolebee2382]

Arbonne

[@Sixdays_aweek]

Classical Conversations...

[@MsMassiel11]

Definitely investigate Younique and the Huns

[@cndluluv]

I love how Thrive is attempting to distance itself from the negative connotations of tiered marketing since the Chris Watts murders

[@redcar6253]

The sad thing that isn’t talked about with MLM’s is that these women are clearly talented sales women and entrepreneurial. If only they could utilize that talent for their own small businesses or projects instead of for these thankless scam companies. It’s sad that they only saw their own potential in LulaRoe.

[@HumanBeanbag]

That's a really good point!

[@12dd4ds9]

They were Never smart women, basically uneducated. Get Rich Quick mentality. No critical thinking there.

[@elleofhearts8471]

You gotta remember tho, it takes more than good salesmanship, entrepreneurship, and an inviting personality to succeed in sales. Much less as an actual business owner. A big reason why so many talented people cant get their business off the ground is due to lack of funding. That's why the (relatively) low barrier to entry (don't have to go through a bank and get a business loan or worry about creditworthiness, or collateral, dont have to worry if your network can't pool together tens or hundreds of thousands to invest etc). And thats really attractive to people who are financially vulnerable and desperate (not enough assets to get a business loan but do have enough money to spare on a relatively small business investment that yields returns as fast as you can sell inventory). Thats the reason why mlms target military spouses, immigrants, people without secondary or post secondary education, single parents, elderly, religious people etc.

[@berngirl5624]

My mom (who was about 80 at the time) was right when she said " If everyone is selling, who is buying". She was right.

[@virgie4715]

Right! My aunt has always said this same stuff and she was right!

[@_birdie]

That’s fantastic. Actually reminds me of an episode of Schitt’s Creek. Every woman in the entire town is a rep of a “mary Kay” type of business. And someone new to the town decides to join it as well, does a whole party, tries to sell the products, and yet exactly what you said is what happens- they’re all sellers, so there aren’t any buyers Your mom was a smart lady ☺️✌️.

[@Itried20takennames]

The weird thing is that I thought these would largely die out with the Internet (they have existed for decades). Pre-Internet you didn’t have instant access to all the great videos like this one to counter the MLM propaganda. But instead…they got bigger - I guess because there is always a new generation coming up.

[@Saylor666]

Yeah it’s so strange to me that’s there’s these hugeeee conventions with all the sellers…. But no events for the buyers….. that would have been a huge red flag for me

[@sunnyscott4876]

God bless your mom.

[@dessaysso]

What about the stolen art?? This pyramid scheme company took people's art and prints and used them without permission. There are so many lawsuits against this shady company.

[@amiralamb]

Des Comer Wow!

[@derryltrujillo1112]

And I will enjoy it when in the end every judge rules against LLR

[@taylorhunt5459]

Unfortunately I imagine that was in some fine print. Wouldnt surprise me if this was part of the plan from the beginning, especially leverage in case someone was going to double cross them.

[@bstmeg5237]

@@taylorhunt5459 so much leverage I went to a free makeover from Mary Kay to see how much of a cult it was and they already started worth the leverage before they even higher you. They ask you to sell 300 dollars worth or 100 dollars worth at first and offer you a car within first fee months or year and they use fear tactics. Also it is a religious Christian cult if you do not admit to being religious they convertin their minds even of you claim you cannot be converted

[@draconiusultamius]

What a shitty company. Fucking people over wherever they go.

[@nicoleblack5249]

Whenever you hear “Part-time work for Full-time pay” it’s a scam

[@gdhse3]

😀😀😀

[@yippehanako]

I make full time pay for part time work but I also went to school for it and didn't just give my money to someone for a shit useless product

[@ghostphoto1789]

There are direct sales jobs where you CAN make residuals and set your hours. MLMs are not that. A real job will not require constant fees from you, and don't depend on you entirely to acquire lead and hire more sales consultants.

[@nicoleblack5249]

ghostphoto the point is there aren’t many LEGITIMATE jobs that you walk right into and your making a full time pay with part time hours. EVEN in direct sales. It takes time, experience and knowledge to get to that place. The 234 people that gave this comment a thumbs up, understood what I meant. Just like “mineral” that commented above you, she’s doing it but she also went to school so that she can be in that position. There’s just no way around it. Get rich quick ideas generally don’t work. I run a HR Consulting firm. We do pretty well and I’m able to set my own hours but it took years of 60 hour work weeks before I got to this place.

[@ghostphoto1789]

@@nicoleblack5249 Yeah I agree. There are no get rich quick schemes. I'm starting my own business and even that requires a great amount of time and risk. I've lost a lot of friends to pyramid schemes. I was just saying it is possible to have things MLMs advertise like residuals and bonuses in direct sales jobs. Except the difference is you actually make money in those jobs. In sales jobs, the product is what the company is selling. In MLMs, the product is the "sales consultants" they trick into signing up, and the actual product is an afterthought.

[@janebutterfly9450]

Sadly my older sister was a victim of this. She had just graduated from college and was going through medical issues and she was so motivated to be a part of this! Sadly she now has over hundreds of pieces just sitting there! So sad to see how much debt she went in for it and is now still paying for it!

[@mobwatch8119]

Sorry to hear that. If someone is stuck with that many, can they be cut into bits and sold in bundles for crafting? That's quite a popular product.

[@AKIsAClown]

You have to brain dead to fall for one of these scams. Your sister should’ve known better smh

[@Sarcastix7]

ANY job that requires you to pay to work for them is a scam.

[@LipSyncLover]

well I mean literally starting any business requires you to invest in capital so that's not a good measure of scam/not scam. Also franchises sort of work this way. You can own a baskin robbins if you buy that franchise in that location and then they give you the inventory. The difference is they make profit on their ice cream, not on recruiting.

[@derdytrout7123]

@lil cucky, just have to be able to lick 21 flavors.

[@LipSyncLover]

@lil cucky obviously theres a difference but my point still stands. There are scenarios where you pay up front to make money and its not a pyramid scheme

[@jexikavindictive]

@lil cucky no you don't but you also aren't running the business as a cashier. The idea of these mlms is that you are running your own company with the assistance from the main branch. Which is similar to a franchise. So it isn't even a comparison to bring up cashiers. The problem with mlms like lularoe is the recruitment.

[@nicholasseamans2614]

@@LipSyncLover Not exactly what he is highlighting there...

[@pattybaiano3297]

It boggles my mind that this company was so successful to begin with, I have never seen uglier clothes in my life and they were made like garbage.

[@grumpyotter]

Apparently when they started, everyone was really excited because they were so soft and comfortable, and the "unusual" patterns were part of the fun of it. I didn't even realize it was a pyramid for a long time (never bought any, just saw the hype). But what the company did was really clever--in the scumbag way--they'd make very few of the popular patterns, and you couldn't just order them--you had to order a box of 50 (or whatever) and MAYBE the pattern you wanted would be among them. Just like loot boxes in video games. So that encourages the consultants to order more and more in the hope they can satisfy their customers . . . kind of brilliant, actually, if you are a company with the morals of a snake. The buzzfeed article breaks it down pretty well: www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniemcneal/lularoe-millennial-women-entrepreneurship-lawsuits

[@grandroyaltyinc.9507]

Heyyy... be nicee lol

[@MoronsSquad]

You have to realize they never really „sold“ much. So the early days were just more and more sellers, which gave the impression of success... basic pyramid scheme

[@cmart7164]

grumpyotter that’s what SA face shields does. You can buy the one you want for 20 bucks are a box of like 5 and hope you get that one

[@quinitawhitfield9541]

My roommate bought some sugar scull leggings from a seller. I never understood it

[@Noneyop]

I work at a Goodwill. We get this stuff in ALL the time because no one can sell it.

[@socialitenoel]

I walked into my thrift store one day and someone must've donated their whole package. There was over one hundred pieces. I got a cute Mickey Mouse shirt for $2.99.

[@BeeKool__113]

I worked at a thrift and we would also get a ton of this stuff. Sometimes just a few items and then sometimes we would get boxes of all Lula Roe gear.

[@cerberez1]

Is Goodwill actually as bad a company as people say? I always hear that it's not really a charity and they exploit their workers...

[@BeeKool__113]

Ezra Farber Yes, it’s not as it seems. The pay isn’t the best. They were asking more and more of the associates but not paying them for what they were asking. I saw individuals with special needs not treated very respectfully or kindly.

[@szee8588]

I found out the CEO of Goodwill makes over $14 million per year. I think it's disgusting they get stuff for free and then sell baskets for $6, vases for $8. Why not sell them for $1-3, when you know the shoppers are poor.

[@pendragonfan101]

It’s really hard for me to feel bad for the woman that was making $50k bonus checks; she profited off of the financial ruin of countless women. She had to have known that pretty much everyone else was losing money, right?

[@kitchenmumma7596]

Cognitive dissonance

[@Ramboost007]

Yup. She came from corporate management too, she knew what she was doing. She just didn't pull out cleanly enough.

[@lucymuia2109]

She was selling to them . That's how business works

[@nakiviaallen642]

Did she truly make that though if they were requiring her to purchase "so much" of her own inventory? I may have understood this wrong but they were buying in with alot of their own funds.

[@satisfied656]

I recognized the problems in the first few seconds of the video.....sad story

[@drewapenner]

Vice hits their mark: informing me about a bizarre subculture I've never heard about before, but doing it with a soft touch and plenty of emotional depth.

[@starylize]

i’m hoping they put out more content like this!

[@132karissanelson]

Drew Penner in Utah this isn’t a subculture. I know about a dozen of these sellers and probably 4 dozen women who are apart of other schemes. It’s ridiculous

[@randomcommenter7343]

If you're interested in more stuff like this, check out reddit.com/r/antimlm It's been one of my favourite subs for well over a year (probably closer to 2) now. You can learn a lot about more schemes like this one! On the subreddit most people loved this doc. There's some AMAs from time to time from people who have been in or study MLMs like this one.

[@niandraladie2953]

@@132karissanelson Prepaid legal services lol. Or whatever their new name is. "Legalshield"

[@maryam6211]

This is really sad because one of the main reason these women joined this scheme is because of loneliness. These women must have seen so many warning signs and ignored them because LuLaRoe made them feel like they had a support group. They felt like quitting would mean losing their (fake) friends so they didn’t do it.

[@spenx09]

That's the worst

[@Myaccount923]

Exactly and wanting financial freedom. That’s all people want. When you really open your eyes you see the world for what it is. It’s all about greed

[@ivanvillalobos7734]

"CoffeZilla" and "Always Macro" talk about this. MLM's are master manipulators, they target the most vulnerable in our society, and give them a false sense of hope.

[@Tweetypi16]

That's how a cult works

[@zoekenny3619]

One of the women is still calling the other LulaRoe sellers 'friends' even after they disowned her because she quit the company. Fact is they were never friends. They behaved like friends because at one time you validated their own life choices, but as soon as you choose something different that challenges them and you've become a non-person. Totally cult-like.

[@Noirmariposa]

Those bonus checks were returns from their own money - not actually bonuses.

[@annaleigh1533]

Yeah and the cruises and vacations they thought they won were actually paid for my them

[@annaleigh1533]

@@Balletified what I meant was, all of them essentially are just reinvesting money they make from the company, by buying inventory to keep selling... so it's all just stupid lol

[@iBeFloe]

Seriously. They’re just shifting everyone’s money around to make it look like they’re making money. But they’re not. They’re expected to pay for their inventory again. It’s just a cycle of moving their money around & the actually company receiving it back.

[@kiterafrey]

They were a combo. It is a pyrmid scheme so the people at the top, the bonus is a mix of their own money and money returned to them from those below them that made purchases, so they’re also getting other people’s refunds. It is what makes this business structure disgusting.

[@dfazo6186]

Like that always sunny episode where they used coupons 😂

[@The_A_Cast]

The fact that the owner and co founder has the audacity to say that the employees and customers are “stale” should be more than enough to close the business down. Every single employee and customer should sue him just for saying that. Bring him back down to reality

[@jillmeredith2012]

He’s also very dismissive of women and sees them merely as breeders and workerbees. It’s a misogynist company that makes money off of sexism.

[@MadScientist-R.N.]

Is he wrong?

[@82566]

Is this company still in business?

[@camilanieto8673]

the real victim is my eyes because the clothes are hideous

[@monicaarcher885]

😂😂😂😂truth

[@originalunoriginal4055]

I think hipsters would disagree with you

[@rose4490]

I know that's right!

[@Shylade]

May they Rest In Peace. At goodwill where they are destined to sit until they end up at auction being sold by the pound.

[@La-familia-de-Fazio]

Monica Archer 😂🤣😂

[@janospergely3805]

the black woman was highlighted more in the intro than her actual part. would have loved to hear more from her side of the industry. she worked in the background!

[@veraraspopova9620]

Janos Pergely 1000% AGREE

[@e.theresebradley5966]

Janos Pergely Yes..

[@Dustie1984]

true, also the part when she said about how much supply they were receiving... it's mind-blowing... all that clothing was literally trash manufactured in Asia that will end up in America's trash bins and will have to be burned to get rid of, turning into toxic smoke to further damage the climate of the planet... apocalypse now.

[@flowerchild777]

I was hoping

[@flowerchild777]

@@Mashruz What a stupid close-minded, statement. Get passed color. You'll be a better person for it. WE ALL BLEED RED

[@09yulstube]

What I really wanna hear is Lashae's story, she seems to be far more aware of the behind the scenes than the sellers/recruiters.

[@Napalm_Candy]

SAME! She didn't get enough time to get much of anything on camera :/

[@er_cl]

'sounds like an MLM but ok' podcast is realllly good, they interview a lady in one of them that was quite high up within lularoe, she rubbed shoulders with diane, very creepy gross stuff !

[@er_cl]

just realised that the lady i'm talking about is the one who had to sell her house !! she goes into more detail about the gastric sleeve etc

[@smilesxo06]

@@er_cl yeah theres videos of a facetime she did with a ex consultant she goes more in depth over all. Also another good video if you wanna know more about Lularoe, münecat has really good ones. She goes more into stuff that other anti-mlm KZbinrs haven't. It's pretty long.

[@er_cl]

sʟʏ fox yess i'm subbed to münecat ! it's such a rabbit hole 😱

[@Itried20takennames]

Another MLM sign is that when you succeed, you are supposed to thank the company for giving you the opportunity. But if you fail, then that’s on you…you didn’t have enough drive, etc.

[@water2wine1]

When are these people going realize that they do not own their own business and that they are the customer? Really sad.

[@guyb6665]

could always be worse. At least clothes don't have a short shelf life like Herbalife!

[@mildtoxicity]

They are not even customers. They are sheep getting fleeced over and over without even realizing they are being fleeced until it's too late.

[@maggiekeeler6967]

They’re the customers with the liability of the company. So sleazy. These consultants are brainwashed.

[@Shylade]

More like these people are the product. The leggings are just a distraction prop.

[@CelesteAnise]

I had a lady selling amway approach me about it. She met me many times at starbucks and didn't mention amway she just talked about investing and other things. I even went to two of the meetings and everyone was so hyped and excited to be rich like the speaker. He made fun of people working and how rich he was and still no mention of what the supposed investment would be. I wanted to see how long this would go before anyone told me what it actually was. She had me read a book too. Finally I told her what you wrote and she said I am not a good fit for the company, I have had 2 others approach in the last 2 years with similar spills. I have a second sense for these things now. I straight up told an old couple yesterday if it was amway or anything like it I wasn't interested.

[@adippednail5925]

People laugh but it's really disgusting how these people prey on mothers and lonely women. I had a woman approach me and my baby daughter in a cafe having dinner . She was so friendly , telling me she and her husband were new to the area , she was looking for friends. She gradually starting asking me about my work and making money independently. She so casually tried to play me. It was wild

[@sydneyroth1853]

@It's Okay what's wrong with you? people with children can still feel lonely and can experience lonliness in different ways. you're just a bitter, sad person

[@lilangel6216]

Wasn't this what @oliviacarr was talking about?

[@caitie-wear2567]

Hey don't make me call Admiral Steve. Leigha!

[@skittles-circus-sys]

uwu

[@yutba]

4 years ago or so, a customer at my work asked me if I wanted a second job where I can work for him, he said he will write down the details, it was weird because I was looking for a second part time job at that time so I thought, wow, maybe my service or energy was so good where this guy wants me to work for him... maybe its fate? Anyway... he comes back to the counter and tries to casually explain this pyramid scheme to me and mentioned I would have to pay to start working. I was stupid at the time and didn't even know the term MLM but yeah, I told him I would be interested. When the guy left, my boss and other staff gave me a heads up about how dodgy that is and not to fall for it. I'm so glad I avoided that whole mess. The way the guy worded it was quite clever though and I can see so many others falling for that bs. I'm shocked at how many MLM's and pyramid schemes there actually are now and ones I have heard of before but didnt join the dots

[@dk-vo3tr]

The real scam is these woman being tricked into thinking those clothes look good...

[@logic7753]

Right.

[@jerriapproves]

hahahaha exactly

[@lighthouselithium]

omg i knowwwww

[@MollyFC]

These look like the clothes I wore in 1996 when I was 5 years old

[@wildwildItaly]

Agree

[@MissMiaAfroGoddess]

Woooow those leggings were $50 a piece?! Insane! The patterns too busy, they’re giving me a migraine.

[@jenniferbond7073]

Some of those patterns are like bad acid trips! Fugly to the extreme!

[@mochaest1994]

Yessss those designs are God awful

[@EarlyBirdCraft]

So crazy, you’d get a killer pair of leggings from Nike or Under Armour for $50

[@Sarablueunicorn]

These are cheap chinese factory leggings. At a local warehouse you can get them for 3 dollars piece and if you buy loads from the factory it's like 1 dollar per piece.

[@jujublue4426]

God I saw better leggings much cheaper than this, on freaking street markets!

[@GabriellaAnn]

I don’t even wanna think about the people in the warehouses making these items getting payed pennies to do so.

[@misterwinkybluff]

Children in China

[@inkbold8511]

Mister Winkybluff more like India, because one child policy has made those children become emperors in China. All from vice news.

[@scruffy281]

I know, and that's more than these ugly clothes are worth!

[@philmust3651]

Wait I saw an ad for people in poor countrys for this. This is a scam.

[@rosesweetcharlotte]

They're probably still making more than these women.

[@Speechiegirl1]

When the mom in yellow mentions all the friendships that were ruined due to her leaving, I just want to grab her and tell her they were never your friends!!!

[@bilbobaggins4710]

Hi 😊

[@anita_skye4151]

More like shake her!

[@sonjagarcia9252]

Same

[@tomweaverling1366]

I agree!

[@julia-ex7im]

this is exactly what a sorority is i just realized

[@valenciasmith3608]

If people unfriend you and not speak to you anymore because you're exposing the company then they weren't your REAL friends anyway.

[@YourFavoriteHayley]

Vee Orange no shit, it was a cult.

[@Artbug]

Vee Orange yeah Im pretty sure that was implied......

[@bonniehowell4259]

I seen a few people lose friends this way. I always get frustrated when I get an invite to a "girls night party" that's only disguised as MLM sale.

[@CourtneyHammett]

That's the really sad thing. Everyone thinks they're real friends.

[@Catherine3385]

It is that way with politics also

[@isabelrobinson3000]

When she was crying and even asked the man putting the for sale sign in her yard to thank the realtors for working with her, I lost it. I wish this company would crash and burn already for what they did to these women.

[@kimberly_helps_5847]

Agree that it's incredibly sad to see the pain of the women in this video. I watched the Amazon Prime 4-part series, "LulaRich", last night. The women sharing their stories in the Vice story and in the Amazon documentary should be acknowledged for coming forward to tell their stories about LulaRoe, but I have to wonder if some of the tears are also due to the realization by these women that they were part of the predatory pyramid scheme by receiving huge commission checks because they recruited others to "buy in" and perpetuate the cycle. As much as the women interviewed were victims of the larger scheme created by the Stidmans, these women (as trainers, coaches and mentors) also perpetuated the scheme by recruiting others who spent their money to buy in and then essentially became the customers who funded the commissions for their up-lines. The Stidmans should definitely meet their karma sooner rather than later, however the women who reaped the benefits of large monthly commission checks need to also face a reckoning.

[@CarisstaRashele]

Sameeee

[@pacwellness50]

She didn’t spend any of her 50k monthly commission on her mortgage? Where did all her money go???

[@intergalacticbnb]

@@pacwellness50 taking others out to lunch, driving fancy cars, and living lavishly to impress others for recruitment

[@jessicabell8838]

I feel no pity for people who create their own problems. It's like banging your head on the wall and then bitching cause you got a headache

[@melanieviselli9706]

When you have to PAY AN EMPLOYER TO BE ABLE TO WORK FOR THEM it is probably a huge scam.

[@Ddub1083]

lols... they arent employees, thats the whole point. How can we have labor working for us without having to pay them? Better yet, what if we came upw ith a way that made them pay us!!

[@sarahquill7423]

They're not an employer though, the people who work for them are independent contractors, so while it is shitty that they have to pay to work for them it's a weird grey area that isn't necessarily illegal.

[@Kingsman4101]

@@sarahquill7423 It should be

[@yxxdagod]

True

[@KaleidoscopeEffect]

Yeah, it's ridiculous... With just a little bit more job of looking into things, you can buy wholesale items on your own and sell them on ebay or something. And not because part of a nasty pyramid scam... And you can buy items just when you need them not when some else says you need them, you need to recluit no-one and you can even name your own online store :) People should stop falling for this crappy scams.

[@stacyneudahl4858]

empty consumerism run amok. So much waste & much pollution and exploitation of lonely women in American, and poor seamstresses in Bangladesh and Thailand working in hot over-crowded and unsafe buildings. Nothing good comes of this.

[@itsjustkady4594]

I could not say it better than you did. Bless you

[@tiffinyrae7614]

Stacy Neudahl - WELL SAID MY FRIEND!! How people are not aware of this is beyond my comprehension?? Thank you for posting AWARENESS TO THIS TRUTH!!!!

[@philasofi]

Girl yes!!

[@elainaswanson4364]

Stacy Neudahl the amount of waste produced is literally all I could think about for this video omg

[@oleneaz6662]

So true, America already has tons of clothes, every thrift store overfilled with stuff and most of them barely worn. These stuff werent ethically made, they were just about profits. We have enough of this cheap made stuff everywhere.

[@sandraxo8819]

The most disgusting part of this whole video was the CEO trying to convince her to get a gastric sleeve surgery. I lost it when I got to that part of the video.

[@legallyrequired]

Sandra XO I agree. Her mindset reminds me a lot of what I felt when an ex of mine pushed me into developing Anorexia and to join different “proana” groups. Weightloss should not be held in such a toxic mindset.

[@snapoutofit2151]

It sounded like the CEO could have been receiving kickbacks from the surgeon!

[@sandraxo8819]

@@legallyrequired Oh wow, I'm so sorry :(

[@sandraxo8819]

@@snapoutofit2151 Oh for sure! lol

[@weltonvillegal6258]

Snap out of it - You might not be far off.

[@katrinathatsit]

I’m just now hearing about this company-if this is what suburban mom fashion looks like, then I’m staying in the city FOREVER 😭

[@c4715]

I wouldn't worry, I think it's working class fashion.

[@asiagrabowska5092]

Polyester.

[@LP-iq3nr]

@@c4715 where do they work dressed like that?

[@anneblubaugh58]

I live in the suburbs and u could not pay me to wear this crap

[@anneblubaugh58]

@@c4715 I am working class. No thanks

[@DrMAngelo]

"They pushed recruiting, not so much selling" So...like a pyramid scheme?

[@zoelavenderlilypad7863]

Hmmm it's almost like that's what the entire doc is about

[@DrMAngelo]

@@zoelavenderlilypad7863 hmm its almost like thats the joke

[@GetaPetaHome]

Mortomor THIS IS WHY WE GAVE THE FTC- LuLaRoe *VIOLATED THE LAW* so stop blaming their victims.

[@adempc]

@@DrMAngelo The joke is that you made a comment that was just repeating the video? How is that a joke?

[@angelaindublin]

@@DrMAngelo what a funny joke

[@SacredFire777]

These clothes make Walmart's apparel look high end.

[@NadiaGirl1]

SacredFire oh yeah I’ve gone to Walmart and in some they are nice clothes I can even wear to work at an office.

[@michaelhart7282]

SacredFire and Target is haute couture

[@annastarr2043]

That's quite an accomplishment

[@xr6lad]

Let's face it; these are the sort of people that considerthe Costco food court as a suitable date night or anniversary place.

[@annastarr2043]

@@michaelhart7282 😂

[@Strawberrydewdrop]

I work at salvation army and we've been getting TONS of lularoe and I've been wondering why but this might actually explain it

[@christinag9015]

Hannah Paige same ! I work at a savers and I’ve seen the lularoe tag on a lot of clothes

[@BeeKool__113]

I worked at a thrift for a time and we would constantly get this brand in a lot. Some gently used and some had the tags still on them

[@jeanaquin]

Christina G I’ve been seeing lots of (new) Lularoe at thrift shops since about 2017

[@mintyskullz]

That explains why I saw a Lularoe and sadly bought it 3 years ago. I’m putting it on my yard sale

[@lawnclippingsg]

I work at a thrift shop in a small town (less than 2,000 people) and we got in a few dresses and shirts... now that I know the problem with the brand, I feel bad for however the pieces came to be in the area and whoever fell for the brand’s scheme.

[@Linda-ji8qd]

So sad, I have so much empathy for these ladies. Thank you for speaking up! My daughter-in- law got into this several years ago and was selling for a couple of years. At the time she was a stay at home mom. She's a wonderful wife to my son and great mom to my g-girls. I didn't want to insult her integrity, so I never said anything but I knew it was a pyramid scam from the beginning. She invested so much money in selling this over priced junk, even to the point of renting out some office space because she outgrew the half basement in the home. In the long run because of this, she lost a lot of money. 😪

[@Iris_Collins]

Someone mentions $5k to start, and I'd be laughing on my way out the door. I can invest that in my own business before throwing it away on theirs.

[@jac1871]

I would’ve made more money investing in enron

[@joshuadooley5236]

LOL same

[@anitalassiter4266]

Yeah! If I couldn't pick my patterns and peices no way would they get that much out of me. Also I had already spent it on their ugly leggings. Don't judge me they are buttery soft!!!

[@valuecalc]

@@anitalassiter4266 , but you need leggings that are very beautiful and that will display your beautiful shape so that you feel lighter than air.

[@jg-qj7ts]

Buying 3ibs of weed would be smarter, more profitable, and infinitely more appreciated by everyone.

[@kyleyoung1649]

I really appreciate the recognition of the dopamine response to this problem. It's exactly why people have a hard time admitting that this is a problem.

[@Katie-t1b]

Kyle Young exactly!!

[@hellaSwankkyToo]

yup!

[@lennonbrooks1083]

We get dopamine from everything we like though

[@Katie-t1b]

@@lennonbrooks1083 That's the point is that they were exploiting the dopamine hit these people were having to loop them into the scheme.

[@Tina06019]

It is the same dopamine response some people get from gambling; many folks will spend $2000 on a night in a casino, because of the thrill they get from the wins spaced out throughout the evening. As long as they can afford to lose that $2000, it is worth it for them. People get dopamine rushes from shopping, from drugs, from winning an athletic competition, from good sex, from sugar..... I actually get quite a rush of dopamine from making a « great find » at a thrift or consignment store - « It’s the hunt! ». I’ve had to take a long break from « thrifting » because my house was getting too full. But those brand-new knee high comfortable stylish leather boots that I found for $16....still makes me happy every time I pull them in.

[@Chibibutterfly]

When a company say they're family-oriented or the workplace is like a family, you better run. They will only exploit you and drain you like crazy

[@rastapauyogafun6710]

Like family does

[@mrn234]

When an actually proper company says (atleast where iam from) they are family-oriented they look after you when you have kids n stuff like that (like a in house daycare etc.) friend of mine works in one of those (they even have free or cheap trips for the Kids that are in school on the weekend/Holidays like going to theme parks or museums n stuff)

[@sin3358]

Worked at a bakery like that. I left after they found me a replacement since I didn't wanna stay there and two days after they called me saying if i wanna go back to work. The conditions are awful there, lol. Ofc the new person was smart enough to leave asap

[@missjess82]

That's the truth

[@nicolanimo8014]

Family to them literally means free! Like wth that’s sick to target a “vulnerable market” for money.

[@carlrosa1130]

Watched this documentary twice. This isn't about business or fraud. It's about women needing validation in their 'common' lives and finding it/getting addicted...then, being willing to pay just about any price to maintain it.

[@cristiana8079]

Validation. You nailed it 👍

[@carlrosa1130]

@@theacgkid I respectfully disagree with your statement - "Validation & money make the world go round." But I do get where you're coming from. Thanks for the comment.

[@vcgomeez]

Exactly.

[@ellietenenbaum3486]

Always preying on the lonely housewife... so sad.

[@meanie330]

Lol its lonely housewives fucking with other lonely housewives

[@juanpablorobayo3437]

Apparently some of the two most vulnerable groups for these types of culty scams are religious communities and army spouses.

[@nora4981]

They preyed on each other

[@ceecee8757]

Like Mary Kay, Lipsense, Scentsy, etc!! Ugh!!

[@OfAngelsAndAnarchist]

That’s the easy and cheap answer and it’s also not correct Men and women exploit each other and themselves It’s not about gender or race ya mook

[@bonniehowell4259]

I find it ironic that the CEO is calling the Reps and customers stale, when it's their clothing that smells like mold..

[@derryltrujillo1112]

You could write a book on the incredibly stupid things him and his wife say, or two.

[@ArmyGF88]

I was thinking the same thing...

[@DeadlyDeadlyBeees]

I was taken aback by how much of an asshole that guy was being in that segment. I though he would at least try to maintain a cheerful next-door-neighbor facade, but no, he acted like a sneering whiny jerk instead.

[@M_K_M_K_M_K]

DeadlyDeadlyBeees Right... that sounded like a four year old!

[@jazzchamp]

Stale is a retail term that suggests an item simply isn't selling and getting 'stale' on the shelf. I'm almost certain that's how CEO Mark Stidham was using the term. I can only assume that the Vice reporter didn't know this or simply used this clip in the middle of the 'outdoor storage' segment to generate outrage by implying the clothes were musty. If the latter is the case, Vice's reputation for being propagandists is quite warranted.

[@jessicahirsh6973]

The environmental impact of this must be astronomical.

[@artisticsquid]

I couldn't stop thinking about all of that just going straight to the landfill when it inevitably rips/falls apart

[@gabrielleolson4756]

THat's the fashion industry as a whole though, Forever 21, Target, H & M. It's all really bad.

[@sahayeda5220]

ikr. either end up in goodwill or the landfill.

[@melainebullock]

Makes me cry. The amount of waste that is unbiodegradable that we continue to buy from China is actually killing our planet right in front of our eyes. Burying things doesn’t make them go away

[@sahayeda5220]

@@melainebullock ikr! plus these clothes looked like shit to begin with. the injustice.

[@Benjaminleo815]

LOL I keep finding multiple lularoe dresses with tags, same dress in different sizes, in my local thrift shop. Now I know why.

[@SL-ul3yr]

"NO, *YOU'RE* STALE" Wow. That's a grown man.

[@ItsMzPhoenix]

What does he even mean by “stale”

[@brittaolson6550]

HERO_DREAMER I believe he means, I’m rubber you’re glue whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you. Just basic kindergarten stuff

[@boru1326]

Baahahahahahahahaah...... sooooooo STALE

[@carinaoliveira5850]

This is a telltale sign of a money-hungry leader. I can't believe he would say and also on film!

[@JenLovesBenz]

@@ItsMzPhoenix you're boring

[@Bitedownhardbitedown]

Vice - I would LOVE to see a full blown series on the different MLM or direct sales schemes! There are SO many I'm sure you could find a few from each who have also been burned by their companies. Great job on this. It is so eye opening.

[@melissabarrington1513]

I want to see younique! 🙄

[@thymeandtenderness]

I want to see ItWorks. Cuz.... they don’t work.

[@pootklopp]

Last Week Tonight has a great episode on youtube about Multilevel Marketing schemes. Check it out

[@hotmessjess3390]

Listen to The Dream podcast. It’s all about MLMs and will blow your mind. That ish runs deep...way deeper than you think.

[@SmaMan]

Rodan + Fields is spreading like the plague on my feed. I managed to get one of my friends out of it, but others are on their 5th pitcher of the Kool Aid.

[@selrahcf]

Lularoe deleted any comments on their Instagram about this documentary Hahahaha. 😢 **UPDATE: lularoe blocked me on IG

[@derryltrujillo1112]

Of course they did. As someone who once worked in their home office their modus operandi is "If it's not rainbows and unicorns we won't address it."

[@angela_somanythings5670]

@@derryltrujillo1112 YOU MUST help Unravel this mess, Since you were a part of it and now it's partly your responsibility to Expose IT!! No offense! Please Make another warning! This won't be enough!

[@snick420]

It's an arm of the Mormon cult. They don't do well with criticism.

[@cryssdee]

When they announced their new leggings line, I commented on how poor the quality was of the new leggings were and the new fit is absolutely awful. They deleted all my comments, HA

[@claudiaclaudia936]

600👌🏿

[@TheVegan6]

I never understood how these companies managed to last until I worked at a boutique thar catered towards middle-aged suburban middle & upper class women (not an mlm lol) but those women were so manipulative & mean-spirited it was absolutely insane

[@Todomo]

they also loooove that terribly ugly style of clothing

[@bazil4146]

I feel like if someone tried to make counterfeit lularoe leggings it would be a much higher quality than the legitimate product

[@graciearson]

The designs are already counterfeit 🤣

[@tysondennis1016]

@@graciearson So, the counterfeit of a counterfeit?

[@octoberward3243]

bet

[@isaacmoraesdornelasdesouza3314]

This sounds like a cult basically.

[@Pirategod23]

More like a pyramid scheme

[@iriscurry8478]

Because it is

[@sabersky1134]

It is a cult. Many of their tactics come directly from the playbook that cults use.

[@MiotaLee]

MLMs are basically for-profit cults xD

[@xr6lad]

Izuku it is. It's Amway all over again.

[@JesseMartineau]

Friends don't let friends MLM!!! Seriously these things have to stop.

[@gdhse3]

MLM schemes are the best way to have no friends, LOL!

[@Maulo93]

Well considering that the US President was part of a MLM I dont think it Will Ever stop

[@JesseMartineau]

@@Maulo93 they are a lot older than he is my friend.

[@jacquelynpeters7149]

I lost a friend of about 6 years when she posted about her first "party", she decided that her new Pure Romance friends were more important than a friend from Middle and High school.

[@mlagv4045]

I know I’m gonna sound like an idiot- but what is a MLM? 😅 English isn’t my first language so 🤷🏻‍♀️😅

[@vickijackson5547]

I always thought all that clothing was hideous, and I know that $5K start up price would have ended any "consultant" idea I might have had, even if I did see clothing I really liked. I can, however, honestly see how these women got hooked on the community/family aspect of this scam. It's very sad.

[@muffychao2373]

I’m sorry but the clothing looks out dated and tacky.😳

[@e.theresebradley5966]

Muffy Chao What year was this,??

[@shay1330]

I think it’s more for like 40-50 year old women. My mom would like a lot of it I think like the cardigans and bags and crap.

[@muffychao2373]

E.Therese Bradley what do you mean?

[@muffychao2373]

Shaylyn Jordan mine too lol!🤣

[@aw4417]

Shaylyn Jordan I’m almost 23 and I would buy those leggings, I love colorful clothing! (But I also have never cared about fashion trends)

[@Waterflame]

I had someone try to recruit me to LuLaRoe, and got really mad when I said that I wasn't going to get involved with a pyramid scheme... Guess I was right!

[@candigirl2122]

Right! And its ugly amd cheap too

[@Woosaidthat]

That’s what happened with me with Mary Kay and Young Living. 🙄 They take it as if you’re calling them stupid for getting involved themselves. No I said, you do you.... I just don’t want that for myself.

[@melissasaint3283]

Many years ago, two of my relatives got briefly sucked into a get rich quick scheme that involved getting people to buy things through a series of linked web pages. Every person in this scheme bought and maintained a web page that acted like a portal, and if someone purchased ANYTHING online by first going to your page, you were supposed to get like 2 cents or something...and as people purchased pages under you, you got a percentage of a cent for every item bought through their page. It made no sense at all and on sight it was clearly not a good plan. They asked a bunch of us to come to a pitch meeting at their house, and because we loved them, we went. My husband and I had already decided "this is a nonsense pyramid scheme" and were worried for them, but had decided we wouldnt say anything so as not to embarrass our relatives. But somewhow, even though we were silent, the middle aged couple pitching, who were pretty high up in this pyramid, could SENSE that we were gonna be a problem. They started by talking to all of us about how much you could make as you recruited other people, the perks, the conventions in Hawaii ("there are no mosquitos there!!") And slowly, slowly, talked more and more to just my husband and I....and then became aggressive and even a little nasty about how we were missing out on something amazing and we'd be needlessly grueling at our apparently dead end jobs for life (I was a college student, lol) because we were too foolhardy to jump in. We were there for HOURS.... All based, I guess, on body language because my husband and I never said anything. By the end I was totally freaked out. On our way out the guy was still trying to net us, and tried to make us feel bad about not having a car with a cd player in it (we did, he assumed wrong. He finally shut up after that) In the car, my husband was like "that's a freaking cult!"

[@elainebmack]

I'm so happy you saw it for what it was BEFORE the fact. Good move!

[@goblemom1]

My ex FIL got involved in a pyramid scheme for a bit. Every time he visited he would try to convince us to get involved. One day I told him it just wasn't for us and he got so mad. It blew me away because he is definitely not known for having a temper.

[@EspeoniaManga]

Y’all remember that episode of The Office when Michael insisted he wasn’t in a pyramid scheme and when it drew out the structure of the organization it turned out to be a...pyramid. Roberta did the same exact thing with her hands 😂

[@KIKO_01]

@Mx 2 Season 2 Episode 19, I think.

[@nesxd4637]

it's a job not a business

[@angelface101ful]

That's EXACTLY what I was thinking hahahah

[@PlinianExplosion]

I Lol’d

[@chesterwilberforce9832]

MLM's like this skirt the law around pyramid schemes by pointing to the fact that they actually sell a product. They do. And the proceeds from those sales go to the top .01% while everyone else makes nothing. It is a mathematical impossibility for everyone to make money. There aren't enough people on the planet. My ex sister in law and her husband were deep into Amway. I remember him saying "You're stupid if you don't join Amway." He would wear t-shirts that things like "It's hard to soar like an eagle when I'm stuck down here with the turkeys." They worhiped t heir "uplines" and talked constantly of going "diamond direct". 4 years later, with thousands of unsold products in their garage, they got out. They figured they'd spent 50,000 on product and sold a fraction of that. And this was the 1980's, so you could almost put another zero after that number.

[@screeningmimi]

Chester Wilberforce You have my sincere sympathy. It's just the worst ever to be invited to 'stop over' to someone's house for dessert, and see the flip charts waiting. :- ( "I think I feel Malaria coming on, 'scuse me."

[@azariahescalante7787]

I cant believe the CEO said you are stale and your customers are stale go find new ones.

[@PuddilyOops]

There’s stale and then there’s mildew and rot. ☹️

[@MsAshley3105]

Not one of these women say how they feel bad for the women they got to join themselves

[@dustin628]

That's a great observation! Yeah they seem really self centered. What about all the people who they conned into this that weren't making 50k a month?

[@outcornered]

Oh my god you're right

[@LynnAgain83]

Good observation! Very sad ☹️

[@liv97497]

I'm sure the guilt is there. But what it comes down to is the system of the company itself - most of these people didn't do it out of malicious intent. But you're right though, if it were me, as soon as I realized what was going on I'd try my damnedest to get people out as soon as possible.

[@3rdWorldMiss]

This is edited.

[@rachelnstephens]

"Mama and Papa Roe" - wtffffff this is a cult.

[@acameron513]

A leggings cult...

[@Vickiluv]

OMG these women were so thirsty..this gave me the creeps. She was having a lady boner for a watch!! WTF!!

[@missmericano6260]

Its a southern thing I swear 😂

[@ThoughtdaughterRegan]

Cringe af

[@angela_somanythings5670]

Rachel, hey girl!! Totally a cult, i have tried to warn people about this and other pyramid schemes, their Worldy ego aimed at an imagined success prevents them from hearing the truth! You should do a video on this and other pyramid schemes!! Love ya!

[@brittaolson6550]

I have watched this 4-5 times…these ladies are so funny and savvy. It’s not for lack of intellect that this happened to them. These companies are predatory.

[@colie2020]

They are predatory. They were fine when they were making money. Its all a scam

[@dianecarman1979]

50,000 dollars / month very impressive...

[@Nick-yq5zv]

Lmao you're just wrong im sorry, these are adult women who are responsible for their own choices and lack of career/critical thinking

[@whatthefrenchtoast9541]

The majority of women who are "recruited" are stay at home mothers. They want to be able to earn an income and stay home with their children. It is understandable how someone could fall for it because you would think if it was a scam, surely some entity could shut it down for being predatory. Sadly, government agencies aren't providing any protection from these "companies", and they are allowed to thrive. I've always worked outside of the home, so I can't fully understand the thought process of these ladies. I'm also not going to rip apart women who entered into something with the intention of helping their families.

[@sharonwaddell2548]

High schools need a good financial education curriculum and show videos such as this. Great job!

[@troublemaker1228]

Absolutely agree. Schemes like this popup over the generations the youth need to know before entering the working world

[@currentresident3775]

sharon waddell I absolutely agree. I really wish it would happen.

[@TourPace]

It can be a really simple, 5-minute course that goes something like this: Not everything is it appears to be. Before you invest thousands of dollars in a company, consult with a business professional such as a banker or financial advisor. Rule of thumb: If a bank won't give you a loan for it, listen to the reason why.

[@bstmeg5237]

They have since the early 2000s you're also clueless if you think all schemes even of obvious schemes don't seem like decent business opportunities when in need. You've obviously never been coerced before even tho most intelligent and stable person can be scammed even by something they never would've thought they'd get involved in.

[@currentresident3775]

teamdamien Stephan I think the tried and true advice applies here: If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

[@mariajuanesta3319]

Now can we talk about the "ItWorks" girls who sell tea, Vaseline and plastic wrap. I lost like 10 friends because of them bombarding me with their "recruitment" junk.

[@AN-jw2oe]

Brittany Gazia Fortunately, and unfortunately, it seems to have filtered out the fake friends.

[@mochs62512]

Oh god, i "sold" itworks for like a month. I realized that NO ONE cared about my fb posts, ig posts etc. But i also make soap as a hobby and my friends and coworkers were way more interested in that. I quit itworks after not making a penny and focused on thing i ACTUALLY made.

[@bonniea8189]

@@mochs62512 And I bet you actually enjoy making soap too.

[@ieatgremlins]

Brittany Gazia So annoying.

[@mochs62512]

@@bonniea8189 i do! I haven't done it in a while, but i do love my finished products. And so much more awarding when someone buys somethibg i made vs a product im trying to shell

[@akishaparker7976]

My mom is gullible to stuff like this. This reminded me to check in on her more often

[@rgdssd]

Akisha Parker my mom too! 😂

[@noonelikesmycomment3891]

My mother too! Just recently she was telling me about a scheme like this.

[@aparna2701]

My mom as well. And she seems so enlightened when talking about these companies.

[@BreyonnaMorgan18]

Akisha Parker Mine too. Herbalife got my mom once.

[@whoisdesirtv]

A LOT OF OUR PARENTS are victims of this. My dad was part of HLife (You know the name). I was so upset since I went to school for business. I didn't talk to them about finances for 10 years. Now I am fixing everything, very frustrating.

[@americandevo]

Why does the state of Washington get 4 million? Any "damages" should go to the real victims. The women who were stuck with thousands of dollars in unsellable clothing should be the ones getting their money back. Joining a class action lawsuit means a judgement will be split - a law firm gets the lions share and a former consultant will get a check for $127.43.

[@that_90s_chic21]

I’m just surprised so many people want the clothing. They look tacky and amateur, not to mention the PRICE!!

[@Kevinthewoman]

A lot of people I the latter day saints community want the clothes because it's not very revealing, the dresses cover the shoulders, and go down to the knee, and if not they're a bunch of leggings to cover up. For a church that requires women to wear dresses to church, this gave a lot of them more options to wear and to be able to mix and much. But honestly the clothes kinda remind me of like pre school vibes.

[@annmariebusu9924]

Corey Escobar I am surprised it’s the quality of the clothes that seem to end it. Why did they that fall. The clothes are ugly though.

[@gaebren9021]

What I find scary is that the manufacturers of the cloths are owe $33 million by the company. Not only is LuLaRoe screwing over the sellers they are not paying the people producing the clothing.

[@rdc197810]

Since you are pushing this crap onto family and friends they guilt buy some ugly leggings.

[@kiaralebron2276]

Exactly my mom used to buy it off her cousin who is a consultant and once I found out I was like...MOM! You're spending nearly 40 dollars on LEGGINGS! Not even real trousers or jeans...leggings that you can't even wear to work. And she woke up from that nightmare fast

[@amberrhea5293]

i remember when these were popular in my little hick town a few years ago. everyone looked like they'd just escaped the circus. it was hard to look at.

[@mypillowguy445]

That's hilarious 😂😂

[@BFiorini-b9o]

🤣🤣🤣 i love when people are completly honest

[@dawnfitness73]

😂😂

[@oichiazai1]

i liked some of the patterns but i still would not buy from them

[@helpyourcattodrive]

Lol🤣

[@darlingjewel6938]

Oh boy they said $5000 to start. That would make me turn and runaway really fast.

[@momentsformoms9467]

Darling Jewel Same. I do a bunch of apps & website things but nothing where recruiting is the only way or where I have to pay.

[@leilanim7338]

Moments formoms would you mind sharing some of the apps or websites you use? I’ve always been interested but have always been a little skeptical & haven’t found one I trust enough.

[@momentsformoms9467]

@@leilanim7338 www.earningstation.com/account/register?ref=2143449 bzz.bzzagent.com/s/melissadeangelis976624 RewardShopping - Reward Yourself. (APP)-shopkick code:604643 Crowdtap.com today.yougov.com/refer/_ccroQwzxFmSJHyMIdN2rA/ , verydice(app)code:312385 Fetch Rewards(app)Code: UU7JQ Website or app-savingstar (rebate,grocery shopping) Checkout51 (rebate,grocery shopping) **-also receipthog Website or app Irazoo.com- ZGJPM6 -- Inboxdollars.com-www.inboxdollars.com/r/1425400164?ref_src=link www.mypoints.com?rb=30113326 www.swagbucks.com/lp-savings-button?cmp=695... There might be more,but that's what I had saved in my email draft when I firs tstarteed trying to organize them.

[@agentorange20]

Darling Jewel $7000 is what they stated they would have to start investing and that they’re highly encouraged (basically forced) to use proceeds to purchase more product that to they’d have to sell and using those proceeds, rinse repeat.

[@imvzz]

Gotta spend some to loose some, right?

[@violetweiner6883]

This is relatively unrelated to the documentary itself, but when she said how much the Louis Vuitton charms cost I was stunned bc I used to work at the American branch of the costume jewelry company who produced those charms. They're pot metal (shitty zinc and aluminum alloy) plated in base metal, and cost less than $1 each to actually make, including what the laborers were paid

[@jsanto210]

The way people will spend out the nose for a brand name, not a product, but a brand name, is ridiculous

[@alexandria3583]

you know that scene in the office where michael is describing something thats "not a pyramid scheme" and jim walks over and draws a triangle around the tree of people michael just drew? edit: holy shit ive never gotten this many likes hi friends

[@barbarakowal9150]

Hahaha I was once at the Kyani showing - had that scene in the back of my head for the whole time. Was smiling like crazy when they repeated it’s not the pyramid scam for like hundredth time.

[@yujuti8416]

That's what I thought at 6:30!! When she was making the "massive tree" hand gesture I was thinking "Oh girl you just pulled a Michael Scott ....we need a Jim to draw the triangle!", then at 10:03 I was like "Ah here comes Jim's triangle....."

[@TheDeenerdoo]

Yup...😳👀

[@AmethystEyes]

Alexandria love your profile picture of Cermet.

[@Ninniboo226]

Every time I hear things like this or all the makeup ones it’s like omg people ?!?! Wake up! It’s crazy how obvious it is to some people and others are the Michael Scott 😭

[@KikiDiki]

I distrust anyone who calls me "sister" just because we're both women. There's something so hollow and phony about that. Know me first.

[@londons_legacy]

Why is this sooooooooo trueee!!?

[@J_Kwan]

Yeah, it's like guys who kiss your hand. No thankyou, forced intimacy gives me hives.

[@margiedenavarre7919]

Kaelah, you are SO right!

[@lucoai153]

@J R So the tea is that you're being fake. If you're regarding someone as your sister, when you don't actually feel like they're your sister, that's you giving validation to OP's initial statement. I would 100% not trust a single person who calls me "sister" because we happen to share a gender. I have a real sister, and some random fake stranger ain't gonna compare to that kind of bond. It may be a wild thought, but you ARE capable of being kind to someone who's a friend. They don't have to be a sister or a mother to you to remember to be kind and welcoming to them.

[@ellietenenbaum3486]

@TheAmazingLittleRose lol!

[@michaelmccarthy4615]

Thanks VICE, this is reporting. The more information the better.

[@corysmith3447]

backlash to feminism all over youtube

[@that1dude735]

Lol

[@cc3184]

Jean Sullivan it’s always something new. Scentsy, body by vi, lipsense, monavue, dead Sea line etc. It seems like I’m hearing about this crap less on social media so maybe enough people are getting savvy.

[@margaretdunne1765]

@Jean Sullivan People just need to eat less and exercise more, instead of spending thousands of pounds on the dieting crap advertised 😕

[@richebronsonify]

Every one of these women knew exactly what they were doing- they just didn’t care while they were living the high life. Every single one of them would do it again, given the opportunity. It takes a “special” kind of person to KNOW they’re involved in a scam.. and they just keep scamming everyone they know and meet. Disgusting and I have ZERO empathy/sympathy for ANY of them. More than half of them left LulaRoe.. and went right straight to another one! Can’t STAND these type of (phony selfish materialistic) people!

[@katyanaa]

My mom fell into this schemes before. Selling “slimming” detox coffee. It did not work, and the few times that she forced me and my sisters to drink it, we got really bad stomach aches. She’ll sell it to her friends and say it worked, look at her daughters- we were thin because we did ballet and ate well, not because of some stupid coffee. It took my dad threatening to divorce for my mom to realize that she was sinking her savings on a pyramid scheme.

[@moniebugg8721]

Sooooo basically...the Scientology of fashion?

[@gillian.grace6]

Monie Bugg hmmm fashion... is that what we’d call it? Lmao

[@moniebugg8721]

Gill B lmao! Girl you know you're right! Basically they let a whole bunch of 5 yr olds color some leggings!! And look a friend of mine has 3 pair that tore up, girl she use them for cleaning rags...a damn shame...I hope they get SOME type of money back

[@gillian.grace6]

Monie Bugg lmao they’re such a mess. But oh damn cleaning rags?!?! Lol I mean, I guess you gotta use them for something 😂😂 that’s pretty innovative hahah

[@norml6874]

Monie Bugg no this is 💯 a Mormon thing so more like warren Jeff’s cult of fashion

[@moniebugg8721]

@@norml6874 so true! Gotta get more recruits, gotta get more wives...they were *stale*...Selfishness and Greed are a hell of a drug...

[@dianeeharris]

Actually to me... it looks like you're not the seller/distributor.... you're the buyer. Because you've already bought the clothes from the company....and from that point on they don't care who you sell to.

[@kissit012]

That's how sellers/distribution work. Retail and convenience stores do the same. Most of what you buy is resell. That's part of why they can do sales and write offs. Some items work differently though

[@madisonjillmiller9320]

Yes genius that’s why pyramid schemes are illegal and not FTC complaint

[@MtnGirll]

Dianelaine JesusLives That's how every MLM works.

[@Irene-gq4jr]

Dianelaine, may I correct you. They don't care who you sell badly stored, easily ruined crap, mass produced by sweatshops in Asia to, then leave the agent to take the flack for it.

[@YasmeenLee]

@@MtnGirll This is so unfortunate but most legitimate MLM do not require you to purchase any inventory to start and if they do... RUN.

[@nathantherealtorsonoma]

The friends that "unfriended" her weren't her friends. They were fellow cult members.

[@olgs37]

Any friendships made while in an MLM are always, **ALWAYS** conditional. If you leave, that condition is broken and... wait a second... what friend? You were my friend? Since when?

[@grumpyotter]

And I feel sad for them, too--because their uplines instruct them to cut ties with anyone who isn't "positive." Elle Beau's blog about Younique is awesome and tells all about this kind of stuff. Warning . . . you start reading and you won't want to stop. ellebeaublog.com/poonique/

[@nathantherealtorsonoma]

@@grumpyotter Thanks for the link. It is a good read.

[@alexmousley7213]

Indeed, but the good thing is that they will be out within a year or two and looking for other ex cult members to find solace with.

[@tomasviane3844]

Clever you! 😅

[@adamarlem9863]

Leggings can be cut to make wide headbands : use larger ✂️sharp sewing shears. From the ankles, the ankles for ponytail ties, the hip-waist areas to make a turban type-- with a few hand stitch to prevent unraveling where you cut 🪡🧵

[@dedepyle7046]

Great idea

[@adamarlem9863]

@@dedepyle7046 thank you, you can make many, and if scrunched only the colors show. Post that, or really horrible colors🚀 rags for your favorite mechanic :)

[@dedepyle7046]

@@adamarlem9863 awe, you are welcome.

[@derekah.3359]

That man: "I have been hearing some whining about my inventory is stale. NO! Your're stale, your customers are stale. Get out and find new customers."... This man speaks like a true PIMP.

[@youwilobey]

I worked at a thrift store for a few years and the amount of LuLaRoe clothes we got was absolutely insane. Never sold a single piece either lmao

[@kittymeyers315]

Even though they are ugly, I’d probably buy them around Christmas and donate them to people who do need clothes so

[@allisonfick7748]

@@renata11033 nothing wrong with buying clothes at thrift stores. I've found designer clothes for cheapppp. Anyone who pays $50 for a sweater is a fool. The markup on clothing is insanely high.

[@sunday.mourning]

@@allisonfick7748 so true!

[@dungeonkitty9979]

right?! I was just chuckling at a rack of brand new LLR at my local Goodwill yesterday...no thanks 🤣

[@youwilobey]

@CactusHeart79 lol right? tbh tho, some truely appalling shit did make it past the donation processors and onto the floor. usually when we had new people on staff

[@rockpapaman]

All of this clothing looks horrid.

[@decembersixx6237]

It is the ugliest crap to be so expensive. I'll get the same looking stuff at Dollar General for $6.99!

[@kingbradley8058]

It's the suburban white mom starter pack

[@OfficialCANVAS]

@@kingbradley8058 empowered*

[@lapinchechismosa]

December Sixx LoL it’s literally not dollar store bad 😂 they do have some good stuff

[@EllicottCity1]

An eyesore to say the very least😳

[@notizzyb]

Omg I can remember so many of my friend’s moms being “consultants” for lula roe, and I had so many lula roe leggings because of it. I had literally no idea which is the weird part.

[@sgarridojr]

First huge red flag.... 5k minimum order???? Wtf

[@ItsLaurenE]

I will never thankfully have 5 grand just laying around to deposit into a scam like this. Sadly I have friends who have split the business just to begin and about a year later they put their shop "on hold"

[@Shakira8xo]

A pyramid scheme within a pyramid scheme.. they so had a deal with that surgeon

[@robertacole1622]

Right!

[@TheMLMPolice]

Deanne (CEO) received a nice kickback for every referral.

[@TheTuellfamily]

That's what I figured, but I wish that aspect of the story would have been investigated more or just not brought up at all.

[@bethangla3426]

Yeah so the surgery would cost 5,000 so Deanna would charge 6,000 for the referral to the Mexican doctor so she would make a commission of $1000 this is what I heard being passed along in the lularoe community

[@JanPospisilArt]

Right? You gotta innovate, even in the pyramid scheme racket.

[@cait8573]

Golden rule: If you have to pay to work at a company, its either a scam or a MLM.

[@jakemitchell7786]

So it's a scam?

[@cait8573]

@@jakemitchell7786 yeah, MLMs are pretty much the same thing as a scam. Never, ever pay money to buy into a job. Itll all go downhill from there

[@Alexandra-qc9te]

@@cait8573 I feel so bad for people who are actually so naive that they're victimized. It's also easy to be taken advantage of when one is vulnerable in any way. The right snake on the wrong day certainly has free reign to poison us.

[@anahihern1]

I told a friend that she was in a pyramid scheme. She told me it was an MLM and the products worked for her. And I shouldn't say anything if I haven't tried the product. I will not buy a product that has a history of hair damage and baldness. I wished her luck and left the chat. Edit: Yes, it's Monat

[@milkglassfairy7641]

@@cait8573 just like modelling ‘agencies’ and the like... if you have to PAY for a job... it’s not a job. MLMs are disgustingggg.

[@microsoftpainenthusiast8096]

Imagine thinking that you had friends who just used you the whole time.

[@NewPhone-vj4sc]

Gaslighting on a corporate level.

[@brookem4904]

YES

[@jenh9426]

welcome to corporate america....

[@teresahowick5197]

Omg! Yes!!

[@dawnstonerock884]

New Phone YES AND AMEN!!!

[@_esmeralda_5112]

What does gaslighting mean ? 😅

[@coreymonday1375]

"She took time out of her busy day to be on that video call"....you know damm well that was the only thing she did that day

[@annectialee3965]

Yep!! The owner class is The Sweet Spot

[@oliviagrace6914]

Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and died on a cross for our sins so we live again! God is our Father and Creator and raised His Son Jesus from the dead! Confess and repent of your sins and God will forgive you!🥰

[@MarieAntoinetteandherlittlesis]

Lol So true!!! This is so funny

[@Salutations26]

People really put people on a platform and it is sad.

[@shelocsher2396]

😂😂

[@ThePhantomSafetyPin]

"The more I spoke out, the more I lost friends on Facebook." Then honey, they were never your friends.

[@imamberatkins1111]

You have the greatest name hahaha phantom safety pin where the hell could it be

[@sofriendleei]

Or it shows the brainwashing these MLMs use

[@b.menendez1525]

I just heard of this company; the ugliest rags ever. I'm surprised they sold. It is also really terrible that this company preyed on people. Lastly: if you have to pay to hang out with people, they are NOT your friends. People you connect to on FB are NOT your friends just because FB calls them that.

[@hermanubis7046]

I was thinking the same, who would buy these ugly af rags?

[@briancrawford8751]

If you have people on your list of Facebook friends who aren't your friends in real life, just delete them. No good is going to come of collecting a list of strangers on a page and then posting about your personal life so that they can read about it.

[@b.menendez1525]

Or better yet, leave FB, have a real life instead of a virtual one. It is really annoying how much time people spend on their virtual lives instead of meeting and talking to the real friends sitting next to them.

[@briancrawford8751]

@@b.menendez1525 Yes, that's an even better idea. I have a FB page, but I hardly ever use it and go months or even over a year without even logging in. It's a massive waste of time, causes depression, and makes it even easier to inadvertently offend people.