"I Love the Smell of Avon in the Morning. Smells Like...Victory"
Is direct selling the solution for cash-strapped households looking to bring in some extra green?
According to the AP, Avon, Tupperware, Mary Kay Cosmetics etc. are seeing a swelling of their sales forces of late from part-timers trying to make ends meet.
From AP:
Armies of new Avon ladies, Mary Kay reps and Tupperware sellers are advancing on living rooms across the country, their ranks full of professionals forced to take a second job amid the recession.
This trend is not new, as a glance at the data from previous recessions makes clear:
In the 1990-1991 recession, the number of direct sellers increased 8% to 5.1 million Americans. In the 2001 recession, the work force increased to 12.2 million.
And while 2008 figures are not yet available, in 2007 an estimated 15 million people nationwide were in direct sales. Some 58% of became reps as a second job, according to the Direct Selling Association, a trade group that represents 200 U.S. companies.
More great news…I was just sitting around the house this weekend saying to myself, “You know what I could use more of? More desperate housewives ringing my doorbell trying to sell us stuff we don’t need.”
Attention Avon, Tupperware et al: My wife has the internet now…it’s cool, she can buy stuff from home without any assistance. Keep walking.
Before you pooh-pooh direct selling as being negated by the Internet, consider Castells paradox:
“as more information flows through networked connectivity, the more important become the kinds of interactions grounded in a physical locale” In other words, Castells suggests that face-to-face settings for transactions will be accorded increasing value by market participants as machine-mediated interaction becomes more common.
So people will trend *toward* Avon and Tupperware parties, not away. Whether this translates into higher profits for these companies is still debatable — search costs for finding those interested in the parties may reduce profits.
Before you pooh-pooh direct selling as being negated by the Internet, consider Castells paradox:
“as more information flows through networked connectivity, the more important become the kinds of interactions grounded in a physical locale” In other words, Castells suggests that face-to-face settings for transactions will be accorded increasing value by market participants as machine-mediated interaction becomes more common.
So people will trend *toward* Avon and Tupperware parties, not away. Whether this translates into higher profits for these companies is still debatable — search costs for finding those interested in the parties may reduce profits.
Before you pooh-pooh direct selling as being negated by the Internet, consider Castells paradox:
“as more information flows through networked connectivity, the more important become the kinds of interactions grounded in a physical locale” In other words, Castells suggests that face-to-face settings for transactions will be accorded increasing value by market participants as machine-mediated interaction becomes more common.
So people will trend *toward* Avon and Tupperware parties, not away. Whether this translates into higher profits for these companies is still debatable — search costs for finding those interested in the parties may reduce profits.
I’m a New York City-based financial advisor at Ritholtz Wealth Management LLC. I help people invest and manage portfolios for them. For disclosure information please see here.
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Also (and I have no statistics to back this up) I’ve heard anectodal evidence of increased “Cash for Gold/Jewlery” and “Adult Toy” parties.
Just an FYI…
Also (and I have no statistics to back this up) I’ve heard anectodal evidence of increased “Cash for Gold/Jewlery” and “Adult Toy” parties.
Just an FYI…
Also (and I have no statistics to back this up) I’ve heard anectodal evidence of increased “Cash for Gold/Jewlery” and “Adult Toy” parties.
Just an FYI…
dont forget the combined cash for adult toy parties…
dont forget the combined cash for adult toy parties…
dont forget the combined cash for adult toy parties…
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Before you pooh-pooh direct selling as being negated by the Internet, consider Castells paradox:
“as more information flows through networked connectivity, the more important become the kinds of interactions grounded in a physical locale” In other words, Castells suggests that face-to-face settings for transactions will be accorded increasing value by market participants as machine-mediated interaction becomes more common.
So people will trend *toward* Avon and Tupperware parties, not away. Whether this translates into higher profits for these companies is still debatable — search costs for finding those interested in the parties may reduce profits.
Before you pooh-pooh direct selling as being negated by the Internet, consider Castells paradox:
“as more information flows through networked connectivity, the more important become the kinds of interactions grounded in a physical locale” In other words, Castells suggests that face-to-face settings for transactions will be accorded increasing value by market participants as machine-mediated interaction becomes more common.
So people will trend *toward* Avon and Tupperware parties, not away. Whether this translates into higher profits for these companies is still debatable — search costs for finding those interested in the parties may reduce profits.
Before you pooh-pooh direct selling as being negated by the Internet, consider Castells paradox:
“as more information flows through networked connectivity, the more important become the kinds of interactions grounded in a physical locale” In other words, Castells suggests that face-to-face settings for transactions will be accorded increasing value by market participants as machine-mediated interaction becomes more common.
So people will trend *toward* Avon and Tupperware parties, not away. Whether this translates into higher profits for these companies is still debatable — search costs for finding those interested in the parties may reduce profits.
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