Am I right in thinking that HerbaLife is one of the MLMs preying on mormons (among others)? As I don't use supplements but I know the name, I'"m assuming that I first read about it here.

I just read a rather damning article about their products:

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/herbalife-or-herbadeath/

Sounds like nasty stuff.

Tom in Paris

If it is then I must join. In Article Of Faith 13 it says "we believe all things" so I just have to believe in this MLM. And besides, I'M GOING TO BE RICH :) Well that's not counting 10% of my gross income, fast offerings, money to pay for lots of Book of Somethings [I don't like saying the name of the book because its a victory for Satan according to our holy prophet Nelson], money to pay for expenses for all the kids we got to have to build up the kingdom, and more. So far my MLM luck has been abysmal as the Holy Ghost got me into them and screwed me over financially because our loving Heavenly Father wants me to be tested. But this time is going to be different. You just wait and see. At the same way that fictional Linus in Peanuts will be getting all the goodies from the Great Pumpkin in the most sincere pumpkin patch on Halloween night I'll be laughing in my non-delusional way in all of your faces when I strike it SUPER RICH with this MLM and my totally non-fiction non-delusional gospel :)

It is an MLM but not specifically Mormon.

I didn't mean that it was specifically mormon, but I thought it was one of the big ones which preyed on mormons (like DoTerra). Maybe I'm wrong.

From what I hear from my sister who jumps from one MLM to the next, throwing hard-earned cash into each one but joining each bandwagon too late to see any real profit, HerbaLife has significant LDS participation, but then, these sorts of marketing schemes appeal to a large chunk of the LDS population.

Unless my parents hand over my sister's inheritance early, her poor husband will need to continue to practice medicine until he's at least seventy because money that should have gone into retirement accounts went to MLMs instead. My mom is afraid of the inheritance going into MLMs and is trying to find ways of structuring my sister's inheritance to minimize the degree to which it can be blown in this manner. My dad is worried about hurting my sister's feelings by remitting her inheritance differently than the rest of us will get ours. My mom rightly doesn't care.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2019 09:54AM by scmd1.

What might your parents' take be on late adoptions?


ETA: I am an orphan!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2019 09:51AM by elderolddog.

I'm not sure; I will need to ask them. As much as I would love to have you as a brother, though, your more lucrative bet is to be adopted by my inlaws. They're worth easily eighty times the sum of my parents' assets . . . and we'd still be related, albeit by marriage.

Wow! That was very kind of you!!

I'm an only child. Concomitant with that fact comes a host of expected characteristics, 'spoiled' being the most notorious (and accurate).

The notion of having a brother is something I've never considered, despite mormonism telling me that everyone's my brother and "...I've a mother there..." One mother was enough!

Being well into my 7th decade all I could guarantee you as my brother is laughter and getting grounded, which in my case meant coming straight home from school and pulling dandelions from the lawn and having a big pile of them to show my mom when she got home from work.

That punishment was the same no matter what the infraction.

It's pleasant to muse on this late-breaking development and I thank you again for mentioning it.

And if you act right away, I'll throw in a FREE personality exam!

Does your surefire weight loss method involve consume fewer calories than one expends? If so, you're onto something.

Amputation is another guaranteed method of weight loss.

Let me take you down to your local Diarrhetics Center and we'll clear those nasty engrams you picked up on some errant past life. We'll start with the Putrification Rundown, and move on until you (and your bank account) have achieved the state of "Empty."

Perhaps you were on the losing side of the Great Interstellar Space War, and haven't gotten over it?

Very clever and much appreciated, but why so bashful?

>>Does your surefire weight loss method involve consume fewer calories than one expends? If so, you're onto something.

Years ago I was telling my (then) physician about the new diet I was undertaking complete with the rationale. I was much deflated when he replied, "So you are reducing your calories." lol

Jane Fonda, skinny as a rail, cashed in with her "Jane Fonda Workout" tapes. Turns out she was bulimic!

Did ya see the facebook post of before and after photos of a chubby guy. It said he was on Herbal for 3 months and he lost.....$200!

Sort of getting the thread back on-topic. Answers will be, I expect, based mostly on anecdotes and personal impressions. Now, the question:

Are there MLMs that are particularly appealing to Mormons? Herbalife, Shaklee, and Amway have a track record separate from LDS members. (I'm sure Mormons are involved with them.) But are there MLMs that are especially attractive to Mormons?

I'm asking in regards to (1) product types, and (2) specific past and present MLMs.

Let's not get into the rip-off nature of them, unless particularly relevant to LDS. I'm sure we all agree they're rip-offs.

Actually, one of the reasons I posted this was because the first place where I ever heard in detail about MLMs was RfM. Amway was the big one discussed here, but DoTerra was another one, as I think was HerbaLife. There was also one whose name contained the word 'skin' (I think).

I don't want to prejudice other posters, but I'm thinking that there's a certain category (or two) which show up more frequently on MLM fads among Mormons.

Soft Machine Wrote:
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> There was also one whose name
> contained the word 'skin' (I think).

That presumably would be Nu Skin.

My impression is that LuLaRoe is a distinctly "Mormon" MLM (the product is "modest" women's clothing).

Yes, the founder is Mormon and the way she runs her company definitely has a Mormon flavor to it. I remember from reading about LuLaRoe that Mormon modesty standards are enforced at the company's conventions.

I don't know if LLR is doing as well as it used to. The market got oversaturated with representatives, and there were problems with its business model and product quality.

Last I heard, LLR isn't doing as good because there have been issues with the quality of the fabric being used, with many items having holes and tears. Thrift stores now have entire rows of LLR items because the representatives weren't able to sell them.

There are a few documentaries on Youtube about LLR.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6eujSJ0-RU

Plus, the reps have been forced to accept the terrible pattern designs along with the good ones. The business model has been unworkable.

My mantra is, "I don't do MLMs," but a couple of teacher friends bought into the LLR hype. So I went to take a look at their offerings. I found the patterns to be childish and the items (IMO) overpriced for what they were. I also don't like the company's "take it or leave it" attitude (if an item you like is not available in your size, too bad. Feel free to make an extended online hunt on your own.) Add in the ridiculous Mormon modesty standards, and the company to me is a complete turn off.

Other MLMs have surged forward to fill that niche.

millionaires in the making and great tips first few annual world conventions in SLC. Then reality starts setting in. Tips not so good. Most gone in 5 years. Xango went just that way. Maybe lasted a little longer.

mav Wrote:
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> millionaires in the making and great tips first
> few annual world conventions in SLC. Then reality
> starts setting in. Tips not so good. Most gone
> in 5 years. Xango went just that way. Maybe
> lasted a little longer.

There are some MLMs that have lasted for decades. I think these are the less predatory ones with better products to sell.

Nu Skin is a really big one with Mormon or LDS origins. I think there are a couple others in Utah that are vitamin or nutrition supplements of some kind.

BTW did you see the Netflix documentary on HerbaLife?