Raise your hand if you have to go to a pampered chef/tupperwear/naughty lingerie/home accent/wrought iron sconce I don’t need/and/or/candle party in the next few weeks.
I’m done. I’m not going. I’m not buying the crap to help you out or to stick in my guest bathroom.
I’m not going for the food or the free drinks or the mingling with other women I only know from seeing them at some school function last winter.
I’m not going to throw a party so you can get the extra large hurricane vase and I can get a 20-percent discount.
I’m not going to ask the same people I ask every single time to come. And I’m not going to go to their parties because they’ve run out of new people at work to invite.
I’m not going to feel obligated to buy something cheap so you can get your discount. I’m not going to make people I know feel obligated to buy something from me because I bought at their last party.
I’m not going to be tricked into thinking I need 2 dozen plum scented votive candles. I’m not going to buy yet another measuring cup that can’t seem to measure the solids or the liquids correctly after the first dishwasher safe cycle.
I’m not going to feel bad, either.
Stop the madness.
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Sounds like some love and compassion for your fellow human beings is in order. May you ALL be blessed with peace and unconditional love and support by your friends and family.
My wife has been selling Pampered Chef for 12 years. She has been totally brainwashed in to believing that she is making all this money, spending more time with family, etc etc. That is a load of crap. She spend at least 7 weekends during the summer doing craft fair booths, does all these shows, goes to Chicago for a convention every year, misses numerous baseball, basketball, and other children activities. I love taking my children everywhere, but they always ask why mother doesn’t come. I don’t tell them because she is totally obsessed with Pampered Chef. Also, I refuse to answer the phone because it is impossible for me to carry a notepad around and take messages. And I won’t mention all the Pampered Chef crap laying around the makes a cluttered mess. And after all this is done, she gets her 1099, subtract expenses, and she ends up makin a couple thousand dollars. This is not worth it folks. I did the math and she worked over 1000 hours last year. That makes it roughly $2.50 per hour. And they advertise this “business” as being a money machine and to spend more time with family. What a load of crap. Even if she gets 10 people under her, that might add about $4000 – $6000 to her income, but then less time at home managing them. Get the picture, any of this multi-level sales, there is 3rd and 4th line people that make decent money. Her regional director has 135 people under her and she makes good money by having all the puppets make money for her.
well i don’t mind the parties it isn’t like you are forced to buy something and if you are then you shouldn’t go. Hey some women have these types of jobs because this all they can do, so i will support my friends especially if they are single moms just trying to make a living. I mean if we boycott every company in America that was over priced then we would be eating dirt and living in cardboard boxes.so if you go and buy something use it , I’m sure it will pay for itself. I am going to host one this month and i don’t really care if my friends buy something or not. either way it will be fun.Get happy women!!
oh and let me add oh my gosh , were you so so so offended to be so angry and so full of hatred towards this type of work that people do.
there are worse things in this world to get so heated over just remember if we buy it keeps our economy going , so what do you or your husbands do for a living what if people just stopped buying into their companies.We buy what we want and what we need.so ladies take a deep breath and chill , don’t knock other people for making an honest living.This is still America, this land was built on opportunity. God Bless All
My God, you need real help if you have this much time to ‘complain” about attending one of “those” parties. All y ou have to do is politely refuse the invitation instead of wasting people’s time with y our opinion. Get a life please. I was actually looking for a PC product and got this stupid website.
My friend and I were going to both do the Pampered Chef Parties together where we host each others parties. Living in Okinawa, JP it is hard to find a job, and I wanted to do something to bring in a little more money to help pay off our credit card debt. My freind hosted her first party a week ago and invited only her friends. Of course she made them feel obligated to buy something. With her knowing I was going to do these parties as well she asked me if I was going to buy something from her. The nerve! Needless to say we are no longer friends and I am not going to do those stupid chef parties. I was looking at the products on the table and they are all so cheap! I looked at the products on line and the prices, and they are overpriced and cheap! I am somebody who likes nice things. I earn my money and I like to spend it in cash on nice expensive brand names. I love my Louis Vuitton that I payed in cash. I put that in there because I know top named products, I grew up with them and so will my kids if I have any. All my kitchenware and cookware is Calphalon and Onieda products. I bought a bunch of Onieda cooking spoons, spatulas, turners and more the other day and they cost all together 25.00 in US dollars. However, I did buy them at the base exchange so they were probably marked down by a dollar. I looked at the same products online at the Pampered Chef website and they were cheaply made and cost 12.00 for one cooking spoon! I new right away I was not going to do anything with Pampered Chef. I don’t want to sell cheap overpriced products to people and nontheless even say that I am that cheap of a person to use them. I think people that really like these products have never tried anything better and really have no idea what really good products are. If you are curious in the differences in Pampered Chef and Onieda go look at the website and compare it’s quality. For those of you that have not heard of Onieda, it is the Louis Vuitton of cookware. Except you are not paying for those ridiculously overpriced items. It is all quality that makes every little bit of difference. As for inviting your friends to these things, well, that is not a very freindly thing to do now is it? I swore to myself that when I do the Pampered Chef (although, I’m not anymore) that I would only advertise and not invite any friends only for the reason that I do not want them to feel obligated to buy anything from me. It is bad form, and poor judgement. If you are going to sell overpriced cheap things have some class and do not invite anybody you know. Or for that matter don’t get your own mother and family members to buy anything.
My wife has a 4 year degree in accounting. Had a good job then became a stay at home mom. So, she could find a job if she wanted to do something productive. As mentioned, I am not sure why Pampered Chef promotes this business as a way of spending more time with family. The children are at school in the day time. Her shows are not during the day, they are on week nights and weekends. I am like a single dad because when she is not doing booths, shows or meetings, she isolates herself in her office closing shows and making endless calls. Every night she is home, 7:00 she heads up to her office, closes the door, and that is that. Excuse me if all think I am negative, but reality is, she is neglecting her family and PC has brainwashed her.
I hate Target and Walmart. I hate the low pay they give their employees. I hate the cheap quality of their items that you can buy from the store. But yes, I buy at Walmart. Target, I go very rarely. The last time I was in Target in November ‘08 was to buy overpriced prescriptive glasses. The glasses already are falling apart (March ‘09) from normal use. I spent well over $300 to have my nose hurt as I write ’cause the metal piece lost it plastic coating. Eventually I may go back to any eyeglass store and get it fixed. I won’t be returning to Target ever again. As a working mom, I love the idea of earning free quality products whether it is as a consultant or hostess. It works for me. The concept is simple: It is selling without permanant walls. You gather a few friends and that’s it. My goodness, no one is asking you to invest thousands of dollars. If you don’t want to go don’t. Let the people that are there have fun. You don’t want to host a “party” in your home- don’t . Do a catalog show. Now, there are online parties too. As far as Oneida goes, so what. Buy where you want and stop slamming PC and especially hardworking consultants! And yes, I may become a PC consultant too in the future. LOVE IT! (((())))< Have a very motivating day!
Elsie
To the husbands, does your wife know that you do not support them and that you think that what they do is pointless. As a single mother who works full time, having the second income that PC has provided me has been a godsend. The time I commit to it does not take away from my child. Are you looking for a miad and Nanny to do everything around the house or a wife who can take pride in what she is doing.
I have read the comments about having a business that you can do while staying at home. I understand because when my kids were young I wanted to be home with them. my brother in law talked to us about having a business from home where we could use our own products and show others how to do the same. We also service customers because our products are very high quality and they are consumable, meaning that you use them up and order them again. We have vitamins, cosmetics, and home care items. We both retired from our jobs in 1994. I am happy we did it. the name of the company that has given us this great opportunity is… AmwayGlobal…. if you want more info. let me know. The PC thing is fine, but the thing is you can only buy so many kitchen items, then you have to find other people …. in our business, everyone is using laundry detergent and skincare, so your customers stay your customers….and you can look for new ones if you want to make more money…. I like it.
and have been making a good living in this MLM since then.
I had to smile when I read SS’s comments about knowing good products. Here’s a secret about the kitchen tools industry: many of the products offered by Oneida, OXO, Pampered Chef, Williams-Sonoma, SurLa Table, etc (even Target and Walmart) are actually made by the same manufacturers. The difference lies in the specifications and design details that each brand negotiates into their contracts. These are generally determined by what is important to the market being targeted, coupled by what that targeted demographic is willing to pay.
Sometimes the only difference between a $20 kitchen tool and a $30 dollar one is the name of the brand it’s being sold under. A brand’s ’snob appeal’ can easily double or triple the profit margin it generates. The same is true of a product’s celebrity-affiliation; don’t ever assume a kitchen product is superior simply because a celebrity-chef’s business manager negotiated an endorsement deal with a manufacturer. On the flip side, products marketed at bare-bottom prices, are generally bare-bottom quality as well.
As for SS’s observations, Oneida is a decent company, but their products are mass market for their demographic (i.e their customers tend to buy ‘the name’ versus the features designed into their products.) As for Pampered Chef, their reputation (and brand recognition) is largely based on a committment to customer service and satisfaction. They actually rate higher in these areas than any other US kitchen tool distributor to include, among others, OXO, Kitchen-Aid, and Martha Stewart. (This is according to a 2007 survey sponsored by the Home Furnishings industry which is the parent category for these type companies.)
Ten years ago, I bought almost exclusively from the high-end stores such as W-S and SurLaTable. While living in Europe, I discovered I could often find the very same items locally for a significantly lower price. That broke me of my ‘kitchen snob’ tendencies. All said, when it comes to kitchen tools go for what works in your kitchen, and what feels good in your hands (especially true when it comes to knives). Multiple brands now reside in my kitchen, though when I think about it, all my Oneida has been passed to assorted nieces and nephews. I’m generally not willing to part with PC products.
First, Clay, you are an idiot! You obviously do not understand the concept of expenses to bring down your income. When your wife drives somewhere, she can deduct 55 cent a mile…if you get 20 mpg, you are paying about $2 for that 20 miles, and the government is allowing her to deduct $11…was that actual $11 spent NO!
Also, maybe she is holing herself up in her office because she doesn’t want to be around you! I did that in my early years…being a career woman turned stay-at-home mom, I was YEARNING for soemthing mind stimulating! Talk to her, ask her to curtail the nightly in the office, nicely! When my hubby did, I did! I realized I could make calls during the day when my kids napped.
As for the rest of you that think our products are cheap, I am glad to say you are in the MINORITY! Everywhere I go, when I mention that I do Pampered Chef, EVERYONE says “I LOVE PAMPERED CHEF”! Unsolicitated!
Please, allow people to make a living the way they choose. Allow people to make their own determination about our company and products. We do not brainwash anyone! People dive into the business because they want.
For me, I pay the mortgage on my 3000+ sq ft house and all the bills, all while working about 25 – 30 hours a week…can you say that?
I realize I’m coming in late on this but I too was searching for opinions on PC and came across this blog. I have to speak up for the men on here who are getting bashed by women who don’t seem to care what their husbands think. Marriages don’t work when both people don’t participate and if PC is more important to a woman than her marriage there is a problem. I use to be the kind of women who would lock myself away in a room to do my thing and think that I was doing some good for my family – but I wasn’t. Just like these men state, my husband was taking care of the kids and missing me – along with the kids. Too many women think they deserve a career – that’s BS. If you are a single mom and you have to work I understand that of course. But if you are a married women with kids be a MOM.
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