Camu

Have you been bitten by the Scentsy bug?  

I haven't.  But I was never one to keep potpourri or burn scented candles or spray my rooms with air freshners either.  I'm not even sure exactly what they are, except they're supposed to make your rooms smell good. 

When I see products like this, products that were designed specifically for women to sell from their homes, I always think of the book I read by my favorite social-worker-in-journalist-clothing, Barbara Ehrenriech, entitled Bait and Switch. She goes off on these kinds of companies, which are structured similarly to pyramid schemes Amway, for an entire chapter.  Participants are often forced to buy inventory at the outset and then essentially asked to prey on their friends and neighbors to purchase stuff through home parties.  Corporate brainwashing leads them to believe they can make oodles of money and end up driving pink Cadillacs, but in reality many end up in the hole and saddled with a bunch of inventory they don't need and can't sell at any price. (Do you know how many garages sales I've been to that sell Mary Kay products?) 

I've certainly been invited to my fare share of these soirees. You're always told when you arrive that there's no option to buy anything, but after being served evil carbs chips, dip, brownies and wine at a friend's home, no one is going to walk away empty handed.  And I have to say, that stuff is generally expensive and pretty much frivolous. Of course, isn't most of the stuff we buy frivolous?  Here are some of the main offenders: 

Tupperware

Mary Kay

Pampered Chef 

Avon

And perhaps some lesser known ones: 

Heritage Makers

Willow House

Diva Girl

Thirty-One 

Read her book if you want hard numbers.  It's pretty illuminating.  So to speak. ->