I saw something on shared social media this week that has really kind of struck a nerve with me. Now, I am going to warn you right here, before you get any further in. If you are easily offended, you probably shouldn’t read this. Or maybe you should. Maybe you need to hear to what I am about to say. If you are going to read this, I encourage you to read all the way to the end. You might just be surprised.
Direct sales (aka party plan) “jobs” such as Tupperware, leggings, makeup, weight loss, etc. are all the rage for stay at home moms right now. You know what I’m talking about. If you are on Facebook, you’ve seen it. You’ve been invited to a party, added to a group, hit up to host a party, or even been asked to join one. Am I right?
Wowza! Those ladies are so annoying! I haven’t freaking heard from you since high school (and we didn’t even like each other back then!) so why in the world would I want to host a party for you?! 5 seconds after accepting your friend request, I might add. Join your team? You are out of your mind. I'm mean, honestly, you are so spammy that I almost threw up. I didn't jump on social media to buy that crap. BLOCK! Now head on over to Twitter to tweet something funny about those ridiculous scamming moms, too lazy to get a "real" job.
Now, hold on. I am going to go out on a limb here for a second. I am willing to bet that at least a good chunk of you who are agreeing with this right now, also complain about “those people” who just live on welfare and spend YOUR hard earned tax dollars. Tell me I’m wrong.
Here’s where I am going to offend you. (Ironic, since you don’t seem to find that bashing any of the women I mentioned above might be offensive. Just sayin’) Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
PICK A FREAKING SIDE ALREADY!! (Did she just bust out the CAPS lock?) You can’t have it both ways. You’ve really gotta choose ONE thing to complain about and stick with it, already. PS- your posts about being overworked and underpaid, and how much you hate Mondays and your job are soooo much less annoying... said no one, ever.
Do you have any idea how many of these women were (or still are) on some form of government assistance when they decided to work a party plan business? Too many to count. Do you know how many of those women have worked their way out of a desperate situation? A TON!! Give them a flippin’ break!
“But they annoy me to no end,” you say. “They are spammy and it bugs me,” you say. Stand up and shout it from the rooftops if you’ve never made a mistake at work. Go ahead. I’ll be right here when you get back… And then I will call you a liar. Why? Because no one is perfect. Let me repeat that for some of you who need to hear it again. NO ONE is perfect. Not even you. I know. That must have hurt a little. My mom always told me that the truth hurts sometimes. These women may have approached their business the wrong way a few times. Maybe even a lot of times. Sometimes it was so bad it was gag-worthy. I get it. Sometimes it is pretty brutal. Trust me! I know! I get added to 5-10 fb groups a week. MINIMUM! All of them want my money. Sometimes it is super annoying. Don't even get me start about the random friend requests and the messages that immediately follow. Not the best approach.
BUT....Is that the worst thing in the world? At least they are trying. They are learning. They are making effort! For some of them, this is the hardest, most courageous thing they will ever do. It is WAY out of their comfort zone. It is a last ditch effort to save their family from going homeless. It is the ONLY thing keeping clothes on their children. Without it, there would be no diapers for their baby.
So, now that we’ve all come to terms with reality, let’s go over some things. The next time you see one of “those” girls working their business, tell them that you are proud of them for doing everything in their power to support their family. Or at the very least, just keep scrolling. You know you can do that, right? I wish I could say I am sorry if my little rant offended you, but I’m not. Were you sorry when you made fun of someone just doing her best to feed her family? I didn’t think so. Sorry, not sorry. It had to be said.
Let's turn this around for a minute. If you were making mistakes at work, I'm sure you would hope that you'd have a chance to learn how to do it the right way before people just threw you under the bus and told you to quit your job. Or would you prefer that they openly mocked you on social media instead?? Tell me that wouldn't bother you. Why can't we all just be nice? Is it really that difficult? You don't have to agree with someone to be kind to them. Their dream doesn't have to be your dream. You don't have to understand why they chose the path they are on. You don't know their story! So maybe the next time you see someone working their direct sales business, you'll re-think things. Maybe not. Someone once said, "you will never regret being kind."
To answer the question, "Do people who sell oils/leggings/makeup/dishes not know about Target and Amazon?" Yes. We do. Did you think we live under a rock? We even shop there sometimes. We just happened to find a better way. We won't mock you for going to your 9-5 every single day for the next 50 years, if you don't mock us for staying home with our kids while we bring in a paycheck. Deal?
To all of you moms out there who are working that business, good for you! I am proud of you! I think you are strong, and brave, and amazing. You can do this. It isn’t always easy, but you can do this!
*Photo credit: Younique
