Renee

I initially found this website on Thanksgiving 2006. I originally went to Google to find out about someone who had just become NSD in record time, (I was curious to read her story) and there were some not so good posts about her on Pink Truth, so I clicked on, and instead of reading about her, I found exactly what I needed to know regarding Mary Kay.

Let me back up a little bit more. I started Mary Kay just out of the blue, about five months ago, and at the time I was really not sure why I started, but I had been using MK off and on for several years along with other products, so I felt I might like at least being able to buy them at discount.

Anyway I signed up with a friend who lived out of state, and our director was in another state also. So days later the director called me and asked me questions about why I joined and if my husband was supportive and how much inventory I was going to buy. I thought all those questions were pushy from the beginning, but I continued on and bought the minimum 600.00, so that I could get the bonuses along with signature look.

After that she (our director) suggested that I begin going to the local success nights, so I agreed and a couple of months later I started those, I thought they were nice at first, but then it started to seem a little like some sort of hustle. We were always in some sort of challenge or always asked to bring someone to either our training sessions or to the success nights.

Then I saw a pattern - at the end of every success night the guests were asked what they wanted to take home (as in purchases of product) or if they were interested in becoming consultants and given applications on the spot. Usually these women seemed to be hopeful and happy and sometimes uncertain about becoming consultants, but most would still sign on (I didn't think that was right to sign them even if they were not really sure what it was about…) like me.
In all, I attended about three success nights; then after I found the PT website, I have not been back.  Those posts were all too familiar - the amount of money spent using the credit card:

• Getting the starter kit - not to mention everything was so time sensitive (pushy really)
• You have to get the starter kit within 15 days of signing on if you want to get the bonuses including signature look
• Then there's the deadline for the preferred customer thing
• Then your business kit with cards and stamper
• Then propay, if you want to accept credit cards to fill your orders (I was even thinking about getting one of those credit card printer things, so I could look even more professional... yeah right!)
• Then boulevard if you really want to do it right
• Then there's the seminars to help you build your business. I went to about two of those, and of course paid a fee for each one, the last seminar I went to was the tax one, because I knew I was through after that - gotta at least get the tax thing right!
• Then since we were getting into the holidays, I made professional brochures to pass out, bought basket making supplies, too much!!
  

Even though I had not been in MK long, I spent around $2,500 in four months. My husband read some of the posts and related to the husband who wrote in, saying that the MK activities took his wife away so much that they were becoming used to hot dogs for dinner, which was our situation on a couple of occasions. That part really didn't make sense to me - spending so much time away. That doesn't sound like the dream job to me, especially for that type of activity, definitely not worth the while, and so fake!

Then you have to create this "I" story, so you can recruit and draw more into the company, that's if you want to move up or "enrich womens lives" ... whatever. To me all that happened in such a short time was a bit much to say the least, and I still have not really sold much. I didn't want to have parties, so I didn't. I just attended the meetings and handed out the look books and sent them out every month.

I still have product on the shelf, but needless to say it will be sent back! I did have a wonderful Christmas though. Praise the Lord I found this website, thank you sooooo much Tracy for beginning it. I hope that everyone who is even thinking about joining MK will think twice before joining. I thought it was Christian based, but it is not really. If it was, it would not turn you into some sort of person who begins to look at people as profit and numbers and not like the people they are, and it also wouldn't make you feel like you are lacking something for DECIDING that it's not for you and that your family is more important.  You know?

I was told when I decided not to come to any more meetings, that I "quit" and was made to feel like I am fickle or something.  I have already retired from one job and am finishing up a degree program, I am perfectly capable of sticking with worth while endeavors - whew! I got sidetracked, anyway I was also told that it is typical for family to pull you away from MK. Let me just say that our "family" doesn't pull us away; we are pulled away from MK because it's wrong!  The discernment God gives us shows us that!