Name: Emily
Are You Active or Inactive?
Soon to be inactive
Amount of Initial Inventory You Purchased:
$900
How were you recruited? Tell us all the details.
I had a couple classes in college with a girl who was extremely into Mary Kay. She devoted at least 50 hours per week into MK at the expense of her classes and other responsibilities. She kept asking all the girls in our department to host facial parties for her. After e-mails, texts, and asking in-person, I finally agreed to host a party for her. I invited all my roommates and a few other girls. All of us intended to only spend maybe $20 on some eyeshadow/lip gloss/etc. We ended up getting sucked into the MK hype and ended up spending wayyyy too much money. Four of us agreed to meet to talk about joining MK the next morning. I ended up signing, then was immediately approached about which level of inventory I wanted to purchase. I had thought purchasing inventory would involve spending maybe $300… boy, was I wrong! I was being told I should borrow from my parents, private lenders, and any other number of sources to start at $1800 minimum wholesale. I ended up telling my SD that I could do the $600 level so I got some of the bonuses, but when I went through and ordered with my SD, I somehow ended up charging around $900 to my credit card. The red flags should have gone off when I was being told to ask my parents for over a thousand dollars, or take out a student loan with no intention of putting it towards school costs. Additionally, I was told I should place my order by midnight that night to help my recruiter’s numbers out (fortunately I at least put my foot down on this). Although my recruiter and SD were very nice people, I did not appreciate the amount of pressure placed on me to spend money I didn’t have.
Do you have a memorable experience from your time in Mary Kay? If so, please tell us about it.
As a full-time college student with two other jobs, I didn’t actually have too much time to put into MK. I was told that I could work on it only a few hours a week and make great money, so I chose to try it out. My most memorable experience with MK was a realization I had when I finally was able to figure out what the feeling I got every time I asked people about hosting parties was. When I asked a family member or friend about hosting a party, the response I almost always received was ‘Okay, but I don’t plan on buying anything’, which I knew translated to ‘Don’t try to pressure me into buying stuff I don’t want’. I realized that I felt sleazy about asking friends and family to host parties because I knew they would end up spending money they didn’t want to spend either to be supportive or out of the MK hype. I knew I couldn’t do this to them, so I decided then that I wanted nothing to do with MK. This was the best decision I’d made since I started down the pink path.
What are you doing now?
I am currently waiting for my check to come from the MK product repurchase department. As a related note, I searched for hours on MK sites to find information about how to go about sending back my unused inventory and found absolutely nothing. The only way I finally found out what to do was from this site!
Other than that, I am still a full-time student, working two jobs relevant to my area of study and planning on going to grad school and getting a job that doesn’t require me to spend obscene amounts of money and sell people I care about things they don’t need or want.
Feel free to include any additional comments here:
I now carry an MK business card in my wallet, on which I’ve written “Don’t be impulsive!”.
My daughter is brainwashed with MK, I know she has spent over 4500 on product she was told if she had would help her sales, only what she rarley sales is never what she has and she continues to order. Then she has had a few what I call parties but facials for ladies she does not know and has driven all over NC. I went with her to deliver product $30 worth drove my care and it took us 45 minutes in the country to a house off the road up in the woods, I was very worried she would not come back out of the house.
She has been talked into going to beach meeting 300 dollars plus gas and milage, and Dallas trip way over 1500 for that. She thinks she will be making money hand over fist! I can not talk her out of this mess. She has no clue what she is doing . I worry myself sick thinking she will get knocked in the head going to her meetings in a studio that is on the end of a dead end street across from a construction site, and she picks people up she does not know and takes them to and from these meetings. She is pregnant, has two children at home and thinks she will be able to spend more time with them if she quits her full time job and just does MK. WHat a load of bunk!
I did try to help at first and bought a kit, but could not sell but 140 worth of product no one wanted it at work or church. and everyone knows some one who use to sell it.
I am up at 1245 because for a family oriented supposedly company they are NOT.
kids get home from school at 230 she leaves to go to MK meetng Mon, tues, wed. and Fri and Sat, that leaves thurs and sunday for kids, she leaves the house at 530 and does nto get home until 11 sometimes, with not thing but debt to show for it. if something happens to her doing this STUPID job I will put this story in every paper in the country. I do not know what they put in that makeup to make people follow the koolaid but I hope the people at the top of the pyramid can sleep at night I can not knowing my daughter and others like her have gone in debt for this false dream. People should not be so STUPID. WAKE UP!!!
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I’ve been to several parties recently where the fake compliments were flying. It seems they zone in on one or two persons and compliment them repeatedly with statements like Your skin is like peaches and cream, You are so fun to be around, Isn’t she girls, I just love this girl, People who wear bright colors have great personalities, This is such a great group of her friends and I mean that. It was hard to listen to after awhile. She ended up saying that she’s in a contest, it wouldn’t be right of her not to share the opportunity with us. And would it be ok if she did it would only take 5 minutes and she believes we are all there not by chance and if this is not for us then maybe it’s for a good friend in financial need.
Then they don’t give you a catalog just a sheet to order sets of stuff. Circle your dream products and I’ll tell you how to get them half off.
Anyway, it was the same at the other party even with a different consultant. Not many people ordered but she showered the one gal with tons of free stuff. I though maybe they were good friends or sisters but no. I’m not a brainiac or anything like that… but I know when i’m being duped or someone else is. She’s definitely after the sweet push-over. She wants that girl to sign up. I’m pretty sure She going to make the mistake all these girls did.
They have another tactic about saying they need you for a before and after model shoot to help the consultant win and you win too. I certainly do not want to be made up like them. It reminds me of stage make up. I guess people are gullible and vain to buy into all this. In addition, I found out they have parabans, SLS and especially bad petroleum in most of their line.
I’m lucky I’ve had friends who made the mistake that I can learn from … do NOT get caught in the web of the PINK lies (” Sincere Compliments ” ). Get product for 50% off and then spend $600-1800. and it just goes up from there. They are very well scripted.
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It is not uncommon in the streets of where I work to be approached with the fake compliments so they can reel you in. I’m glad I’m not the only one that doesn’t buy into the praises of my skin, style etc. Ulterior motives! Many women in the office are targeted because they fit the dress code of skirts, dark colors and nylons and heels. (found that out later) So that’s one less thing for consultants to have to teach them. The compliment always starts out like oh I saw you walking this way before and you look wonderful. Do you work in the evening? (sounds Stalker-like) I’m looking for career minded women to help me with a before and after portfolio. It will cost you nothing and I am sure we can have a good time. Invite some friends and tell them you maybe in our next ad in (whatever Magazine). Anyway, our office went to one out of curiosity and the MK Consultant had picked her prey. The ultra fakeness had just begun. She took the one girl in the group that was the most talkative and bolstered the compliments at her and gifts. Not even the girl who hosted it got what this girl did. Why? I thought we were at an intervention for a Manic Depressive. She did the opportunity and said to move levels quick and get your car you could get inventory. Only 100 to start but 1800 if you we serious about it like she was. And look at her today an independent women making her own hours. She would help you get credit cards even if you had no credit or she could put it on hers and you could pay her back. I left and didn’t buy anything so did 3 others. We left and talked in the parking lot and determined as Spunky that that girl would be MK very soon. Last post so I can erase MK from my memory and move on without hundred of dollars of inventory to look at. Those that fell in. So sorry…take a good friend who can talk you out of it or wait a month before deciding and research. The opportunity will still be there.
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Well…. i hear so many compliants about MK. Mostly, if not all, towards the whole inventory must have.
Also, must realize that every shipment fee is 8.75..no matter how much is shipped. I rather get inventory…pay 8.75 for the entire thing, instead of 1 item plus 8.75….
They all seem to have lack experience in the cosmetic world as a retail seller. Meaning, yes we all love makeup / skin care. But how many MK consultants actually worked for another cosmetic line commission based, or period?
I have 2 years in that aspect. This is YOUR business, MK just gave you an oppurtunity. If you dont like parties, talking, or sharing then of course how can you expect to be successful.
I worked at Lancome, Estelauder, Sephora, and myself as makeup artist.
Women rather try stuff before buying. When it come to cosmetics , if you dont have sample / testers, they would rather ignore the product. In the business of comsetics, when women pay for an item, they want it RIGHT AWAY! IMMEDIATE:Y!!! why? because they want it for that night, or tomorrow so that they may feel even more beautiful than they did before.
Take a look a sephora….
They must always keep eveything in stock. (Stock = inventory). If something is out of stock, you lost a sell.
Now MK gives the consultant an option to have inventory, not mandatory. With that note, Inventory is whole sale..then you resell for full price. So if you bought 100 sold for 200 you keep 100 and use 100 for inventory. That easy
Its all a matter of running a business. No i am not a consultant, but am thinking about trying.
I am a makeup artist since 2007. I get asked all the time if i sell my product which i do not since it is my kit.
But if i used MK as i do my services, products will be sold easier.
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Jessrenea – I have to disagree with you about inventory. Yes, you should have a basic demo kit for women to try so that they can experience the color/quality before buying, but you also don’t need a plethora of it on your shelf. I don’t sell MK, but I do sell cosmetics from my home. I have a demo kit with a sampling of some of our lines, but if they want to buy they either order from me or my website. The only thing I can give them immediately is our Custom Blend foundation, and that’s only because I mix it right there, specifically for their skin. I carry no other inventory and my business does very well.
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If that was me, I apologize profusely. Ironically, from one of the consultant training cd’s done by a Pastor (Not a Mary Kay SD) he talks about the pain principle. Hurting people hurt people. I was a hurting person trying to cover up my pain with cosmetics. Because I was hurting, I hurt a number of girls with my selfishness, just trying to get to the top. Looking back, I see how awful it was.
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This orignal post is exactly what happened to me, guilt trips from recruiters about having inventory, I unfortuantely fell for it and purchased $1800. Then every time I tried to sell the product, I too felt sleazy. I wasn’t making NEW friends, I was scaring away everyone around me. No one likes to be hounded for hosting a party, or buying your products, or signing up to help you out.
My aha-moment was when I hosted a brunch, all expenses paid, I had mimosas, bagels, crossaints, the works… and only two people showed up. Mind you I spent over $100 on food and drinks, planning for 10-15 girls. One of those girls was my BFF and the other was my husband’s co-worker. Talk about embarassing. Oh and then I had to do damn beauty class to save face.
Never again…..
I think MK has potential, but I would never advise anyone to fall into their inventory trap. I am sending my products back and never want anything to do with this company or their recruiters again!
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