Your Name: “Kristin”
Date Joined Mary Kay: Didn’t! (Almost did recently)
When Left Mary Kay or Still Active?: Just a customer
Initial Inventory Purchased: Nothing, thank God!
How were you recruited?: OK, so I’d like to share my story, because I *almost* joined recently.
It all started when I was duped into “winning” a “facial” over a year ago by an MK rep who had staked out my gym. After this disappointing facial “party”, where I sat in a run-down building next to strangers and applied teeny bits of product to my OWN face, I was pressured until I caved in and bought a skin care product. Over the next year, I occasionally got catalogs in the mail.
Then one day, I got a call from a woman who had taken over the other lady’s customers. She invited me to a training session.
Memorable experience you had in Mary Kay:
So I show up to the training thinking that my new MK consultant is going to be there. The director asks me whose guest I am, and I tell her and mention that I’m wondering if the consultant will be there. Of course, the director says she knows her but she fails to inform me that this woman lives clear in another state and never had ANY intention of being there! The director asks me how I met the consultant, and I tell her that she took over for another lady who once sold me a product. Then the director goes, “Well, she must have thought an awful lot of you to invite you here!!!”
…wtf? Do you REALLY think I can’t see through that fake smile of yours? …I shrug it off and sit down.
Suddenly there appears another consultant next to me who doesn’t know that I’m “taken.” If we were in a bar, I’d say she was seriously coming on to me. Suddenly the director interrupts us and informs her that I’m already spoken for.
“That’s OK! No problem! Golden rule!” the woman next to me blurts out awkwardly.
So I sit through the meeting and listen to the director drone on and on about herself the ENTIRE time- how she’s been selling MK since the age of the dinosaurs, how this is her 50th free car, etc.
And then I watch as people compare notes on how much they sold. I see the cheesy pin prizes, and I watch as the director congratulates one of the consultants on her accomplishment of being eligible to… guess what… BUY an ugly red jacket with an MK logo. (No offense to anyone who particularly likes that jacket but seriously, it’s like having to buy a bridesmaids dress that you will never wear again.)
After the meeting they give me one of those facials. That’s right, the one where I actually give MYSELF the facial.
And then all of a sudden, the director is on me like a badger. “So which skincare set are you interested in purchasing?” Umm, didn’t I just say like 50 times that I like the cleanser I already have? Why are you trying so hard to sell me the ONLY thing I specifically DON’T NEED???
“Well, I really don’t need the cleanser,” I protest.
“They are all designed to go together,” she says, smiling.
After about 5 minutes of this, she gives up and starts trying to sell me the new EXTREMELY SPECIAL and RARE $50 kit. Everyone ELSE had to pay $100, you see.
“Well, what’s in it?” I ask.
Silence.
“I mean, you sort of need product up-front in order to sell, right? Is there enough in here so that I can start selling?”
You should have seen their faces! They looked like deer in the headlights. I watched them all look at each other and pause and not know what to say. So instead they just hand me a pamphlet which shows how much MORE I’d get with the $50 kit and why I shouldn’t delay. Of course, it fails to mention that the size of the kit is SMALLER than the $100 kit and isn’t even enough to hold a class.
Meanwhile, I ask, “Does anyone have a kit that I can see, so I know exactly what comes in it?” Of course, nobody does. One woman pulls out a few of those one-time use samples and says how I’d get a bunch of them and how there is enough in them that customers can use them 2 or 3 times each.
In the end, I bought ONE product- the one that I actually NEEDED.
I don’t have any hard feelings for any of the MK girls. I know they’re just doing their job and trying to get by. The director rubbed me the wrong way, but luckily I’m not her customer. I don’t mind paying full price for MK products when I need them. I simply don’t appreciate being badgered- especially when the person is wearing a totally fake smile.
What did you learn from Mary Kay?: I learned not to be afraid to ask the “hard” questions and to always check stuff out on the internet and talk to people if I have a funny feeling. And most importantly- to follow my instincts!
What are you doing now?: At the moment, I’m enjoying a nice glass of wine. 
Additional Comments: Good luck to everyone out there!
Your Name: "Kristin"
Date Joined Mary Kay: Didn't! (Almost did recently)
When Left Mary Kay or Still Active?: Just a customer
Initial Inventory Purchased: Nothing, thank God!
How were you recruited?:
OK, so I'd like to share my story, because I *almost* joined recently.
It all started when I was duped into "winning" a "facial" over a year ago by an MK rep who had staked out my gym. After this disappointing facial "party", where I sat in a run-down building next to strangers and applied teeny bits of product to my OWN face, I was pressured until I caved in and bought a skin care product. Over the next year, I occasionally got catalogs in the mail.
Then one day, I got a call from a woman who had taken over the other lady's customers. She invited me to a training session.
Memorable experience you had in Mary Kay:
So I show up to the training thinking that my new MK consultant is going to be there. The director asks me whose guest I am, and I tell her and mention that I'm wondering if the consultant will be there. Of course, the director says she knows her but she fails to inform me that this woman lives clear in another state and never had ANY intention of being there! The director asks me how I met the consultant, and I tell her that she took over for another lady who once sold me a product. Then the director goes, "Well, she must have thought an awful lot of you to invite you here!!!"
...wtf? Do you REALLY think I can't see through that fake smile of yours? ...I shrug it off and sit down.
Suddenly there appears another consultant next to me who doesn't know that I'm "taken." If we were in a bar, I'd say she was seriously coming on to me. Suddenly the director interrupts us and informs her that I'm already spoken for.
"That's OK! No problem! Golden rule!" the woman next to me blurts out awkwardly.
So I sit through the meeting and listen to the director drone on and on about herself the ENTIRE time- how she's been selling MK since the age of the dinosaurs, how this is her 50th free car, etc.
And then I watch as people compare notes on how much they sold. I see the cheesy pin prizes, and I watch as the director congratulates one of the consultants on her accomplishment of being eligible to... guess what... BUY an ugly red jacket with an MK logo. (No offense to anyone who particularly likes that jacket but seriously, it's like having to buy a bridesmaids dress that you will never wear again.)
After the meeting they give me one of those facials. That's right, the one where I actually give MYSELF the facial.
And then all of a sudden, the director is on me like a badger. "So which skincare set are you interested in purchasing?" Umm, didn't I just say like 50 times that I like the cleanser I already have? Why are you trying so hard to sell me the ONLY thing I specifically DON'T NEED???
"Well, I really don't need the cleanser," I protest.
"They are all designed to go together," she says, smiling.
After about 5 minutes of this, she gives up and starts trying to sell me the new EXTREMELY SPECIAL and RARE $50 kit. Everyone ELSE had to pay $100, you see.
"Well, what's in it?" I ask.
Silence.
"I mean, you sort of need product up-front in order to sell, right? Is there enough in here so that I can start selling?"
You should have seen their faces! They looked like deer in the headlights. I watched them all look at each other and pause and not know what to say. So instead they just hand me a pamphlet which shows how much MORE I'd get with the $50 kit and why I shouldn't delay. Of course, it fails to mention that the size of the kit is SMALLER than the $100 kit and isn't even enough to hold a class.
Meanwhile, I ask, "Does anyone have a kit that I can see, so I know exactly what comes in it?" Of course, nobody does. One woman pulls out a few of those one-time use samples and says how I'd get a bunch of them and how there is enough in them that customers can use them 2 or 3 times each.
In the end, I bought ONE product- the one that I actually NEEDED.
I don't have any hard feelings for any of the MK girls. I know they're just doing their job and trying to get by. The director rubbed me the wrong way, but luckily I'm not her customer. I don't mind paying full price for MK products when I need them. I simply don't appreciate being badgered- especially when the person is wearing a totally fake smile.
What did you learn from Mary Kay?: I learned not to be afraid to ask the "hard" questions and to always check stuff out on the internet and talk to people if I have a funny feeling. And most importantly- to follow my instincts!
What are you doing now?: At the moment, I'm enjoying a nice glass of wine.
Additional Comments: Good luck to everyone out there!
Popularity: 10%
It’s true. And I nearly laughed myself out of my chair when I heard it.
NPR’s Morning Edition on January 27th, 2009, did a story on how, supposedly, companies like AVON and Mary Kay are seeing big increases in sales.
Reporter Gloria Hillard interviewed Mary Kay director Linda Klein. Says Hillard in the story, “Klein says a new rep. working full-time can expect to earn close to $50,000 a year.”
Really? Can I see some numbers somewhere that substantiate this claim, Ms. Klein? Because I don’t know of any AVERAGE Mary Kay rep that earns $50,000 a year.
Even directors, who flash those big checks around, aren’t really making as much as you think. They rarely tell you the expenses involved, including time, required to receive such commissions. And they hardly ever tell you that those commissions aren’t based on the sales of the consultants they recruit but rather the orders for inventory that those consultants place with the company. Lots of that inventory winds up in the basement or at garage sales when the women who join realize that the earnings claims are overstated and the time commitment grossly underestimated.
You can listen to the complete story here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99898912
As is predictable, many Mary Kay consultants have shown up on the NPR site to leave their positive comments about the company.
Popularity: 11%
Just wanted to post this to increase the likelihood that resellers and liquidators will see this. I have posted this on eBay as well.
Mary Kay Inc Files Lawsuits Against Numerous eBay Sellers of Mary Kay Products
Dateline: December 4, 2008
If you sell Mary Kay products on eBay…beware! Mary Kay Inc. may be coming after you.
In the last week, several eBay sellers of Mary Kay products have been served with lawsuits.
You may also be aware of the ongoing lawsuit that Mary Kay Inc. filed against Touch of Pinks Cosmetics, and eBay seller who also runs a separate online store selling Mary Kay products.
The Mary Kay consultants who spend their days policing the listings on eBay and turning Mary Kay sellers in to Mary Kay Inc. are surely gloating and celebrating now. Unfortunately, there’s no evidence that these sellers have done anything wrong. And especially given that Mary Kay Inc. has yet to win any judgment against seller Touch of Pink, these additional lawsuits seems a little premature and aggressive.
If you sell Mary Kay products on eBay, I would urge you to make sure you be careful — whatever that may be, I suppose, at this point. Mary Kay Inc. is out for records from these sellers to see if they are purchasing products from active consultants and directors in the company. They assert that this is interfering in their business.
We will have to wait to see how this all plays out, but either way, it is vitally important to anyone liquidating all those excess Mary Kay products on eBay, and for that matter, other sellers of similar products.
Popularity: 7%
TRUE and FALSE.
To become a Mary Kay Consultant, you must sign an agreement and pay $100 for your “starter kit.”
However, in order to stay “active,” you must place a $200 wholesale product order with the company every three months.
Now, it makes sense that you can’t just sign up and never place a product order. That would be silly, since the whole point is to sell the product. And it makes sense that in order to be considered a Consultant that you would have to order certain minimums to be able to represent the products.
What doesn’t make sense is the big presentation on “initial inventory packages” that comes after one has signed the agreement, and the sudden push by your Director to start your Mary Kay venture with hundreds, even thousands, of dollars worth of inventory.
The problem is that in my observation and experience, Directors almost always emphasized the $100 starting figure and never mentioned what came after that: a hard push to buy an “initial inventory package.”
Many women know nothing of the impending “Inventory Interview” they will be subjected to once they join MK and many current consultants feel guilty recruiting women with what they feel is only half of the story.
Popularity: 21%
I am currently active in Mary Kay and have been for almost 2 years. While I enjoy looking through your site for the stories of why people have gotten out of Mary Kay and made my job so much easier, I also find it entertaining to see your take on things.
It’s all about perception, not deception. More of, glass half full, half empty really. If you are willing to WORK, if you are really ready to run a BUSINESS, then you’ll probably be ready to succeed. However, if you would rather WORK for someone ELSE, and answer to someone else, and let someone else take responsibility for everything that you do, then you are ready to make someone ELSE successful.
To the consultants that have stopped selling, I say thank you. It makes my job much easier.
Bre Garcia
Popularity: 1%
I received an email one day from a Mary Kay consultant telling me that they made $80,000 selling Mary Kay last year.The educated skeptic in me doubts it highly, but if true, good for her.
However, let’s look at some numbers. In order to make $80,000 in Mary Kay, you would have to sell at least $160,000 retail at full price. And have NO expenses.
Since having no expenses except for inventory is impossible, that means your total retail sold would have to be much higher in order to have a profit of $80,000.
That would be some incredible sales and put this person in some very rare percentage of consultants.
But I have to wonder…
Is she selling that much or making that much?
You see, it’s not uncommon for people in business to have lots of sales and therefore conclude that they are making money. Actually, the opposite is very often the case.
I saw it a lot in eBay sellers when I was a reseller there. Just because they had money rolling in, they thought they were doing great.
But they weren’t sitting down and looking at the whole picture: the time spent, fixed expenses, packaging, fees.
I suspect a lot of times it is the same with consultants and directors.
At weekly Mary Kay “success meetings,” there is usually a point where they recognize the Consultant who sold the most in the past week. In our meetings, which were the combined units of six directors, the majority of consultants sold nothing. Many sold $100 or $200 retail. But a prize went to each consultant who sold $500 for the week. There was usually one or two people who managed to achieve this.
But that’s retail sales. So $500 retail means the most they netted would be $250. In reality, when you figure time and other expenses, it is much less.
My director used to spout off her recent commission check, which was always impressive. But she never said a word about her expenses.
She had two part-time, salaried assistants. She, along with the other Directors, paid monthly rent on a huge, multi-room meeting space to hold weekly “success meetings”. Then there were all the special events like recruiting brunches, retreats, career conference, and Seminar. And what about the cost of the director suit each year? These expenses are just the tip of the iceberg.
Most importantly, what you never hear mentioned as an expense for Mary Kay consultants and directors is one of the most ignored by many people in business: TIME.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you are running a profitable business just because you have lots of sales. But the truth comes when you take the time to account for all your expenses involved in acquiring those sales.
Activity and sales doesn’t equal profit. The only way to know if you are actually turning a profit is to sit down and list all of your gross sales and your expenses. Once you’ve subtracted your expenses from those sales, you must then look at how long it took to make that net profit. What did those sales equate to when broken down to an hourly wage?
Only then will you know if you are making a profit or simply selling…and whether it’s worth it.
Popularity: 2%
Lots of times, we get visitors who have decided that they are going to reject a lot of the Mary Kay hype and hoopla and do Mary Kay “their way.”
Usually, what doing it “their way” means is not giving in to pressure to buy lots of inventory every time new products come out; not trying to recruit everyone they come in contact with; not pressuring people to hold appointments or classes. Read more
Popularity: 5%
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