I never really understood why you can't buy this product at the same time that you buy toothpaste or shampoo.
What is the benefit, perceived or otherwise, to marketing a product, be it skin lotion or bottled water, through a cult? Why not just put the stuff on a store shelf and sell it like everything else?
That being said, I take a certain pleasure in seeing this cult's stock price decline. Would like to see the same happen to LDS Inc. stock price.
More than that -- MLMs make the MAJORITY of their money by pulling marks into their scam, and pumping money out of the marks. The majority of their money is made through the Ponzi scheme part of the whole thing.
The products they sell -- things like NuSkin -- are actually just involved in order to keep the schemes barely legal. Some court case years ago decided that as long as MLMs were selling a legitimate product, they could conduct their Ponzi schemes legally.
So that's why they all have a product they sell, and yet, if you look closely at what is happening, they de-emphasize that product and push the "prospecting" for new marks, ahem... "members."
Mormonism and MLMs operate in similar ways. You pay money for a story. MLM products tend to have little or no value. Testimony adds perceived value, and hype adds a little more. Couple those with fantastic claims, and you have the illusion of exclusive value, i.e. only Mormonism can deliver the kingdom.
My mission president went to work at NuSkin after the mission. I was never overwhelmingly impressed by this guy on the mission, and afterwards, even while still a TBM, I lost all respect.
It takes great patience and ruffling of a few feathers, but standing ones ground on a principle of "real" honest dealings pays off in the end. What a great time in the world. Seems like the information age is pulling the curtain back on so many secreted and corupt orgs. and corps. Love it.
I have a family member that works for Nu-Skin and is an event planner of sorts. Apparently of their next big events is that Nu-Skin is chartering an ENTIRE CRUISESHIP for some big event they are holding.
She always tells me stories about how much money they throw around and think nothing of it. They told me they were considering changing venues for an event they were planning and they had already put down a $200K deposit on the place that they would lose if they changed venues and for awhile they were seriously considering doing just that.
I've never understand the appeal of their products even on an international level. I've used their shampoos/conditioner and would compare it to Suave. There face products are nice, but comparable to Loreal or some other budget-friendly brand. I think I need to make my own brand of personal care products and start peddling them to the wealthy in China.
I tell you something else about my experience with MLMs -- EVERY TIME (without fail) that somebody has invited me to join up with one of those scams, EVERY TIME without fail, it has been a local member of the LDS church!
Now, I know that there are alot of non-LDS involved in MLMs, but -- even though I live in the southeast US where there are very few Mormons -- the fact remains that everytime somebody has tried to get me entangled with one of those MLMs, it has been a fellow church member who was trying to do it.
BTW, I was never stupid enough to involve myself in one of those schemes. It is so obvious, the money is made in the member prospecting (ie, Ponzi) side of the scheme.
Speaking of MLMs, has anyone heard of ReLiv? It is a dietary supplement that some of my TBM family have been selling. It is sold in the MLM fashion so I steer clear of it, but I am wondering if any of you have heard of it.