Last year I was in desperate need of employment, I'd seen an advert in the Charlotte Observer Classifieds for a couple of years now and decided "What's the worst that can happen? A janitor at a strip club?" The ad read similar to this:
*WANTED*
Happy, energetic people with a desire to have fun
Call Roxie
704-555-5555
Lo and behold, they claimed to be a "marketing company". I've been burned by a REAL marketing company and a fake solicitation marketing company before, so I inquired. I was given all kinds of facts and numbers and of course promises. 30-75K a year, all just for having a great attitude and showing perfume to people. After a rather short "interview" process, I was asked if there were any concerns. I said that as long as I wasn't going to be hanging out in parking lots or knocking on doors, I had none... For the next two weeks of "Manager's training" I was hanging out in parking lots all over North Carolina, trying to push knock off perfume (albeit pretty good knock offs) on the worst of humanity's rejects.
Brian and Diana (owners of the local branch) and Denny (claiming to be from a Chicago branch) kept trying to inspire me to do better. After two weeks I sold 4 bottles and made 5 bucks. I had spent over $250 on hotels and food and another 200 on gas. I was flat broke. I called in and told them I was done. I had no more money for gas or food and no more time to waste on them. I had later on met with another person who was from a New Orleans branch and he told me that each and every person that comes through is lied to. There's no chance to make a higher "position" without proving you can lie nicely. We even practiced lying to each other one day now that I think about it. The FNP's are used to push bottles until they're weary. If they are able to push bottles without lying they are fired. They want liars to hire more liars. Honest people are treated like crap in this pyramid scheme.
If you get sucked into this scheme, due to desperation or dishonesty, please keep looking for another job, and DO NOT go on "blitzes" or "fun cars". That's where you plus one or two others and a "veteran" (in my case it was always Denny) go across the state and YOU pay for gas, and YOU buy the "veteran's" food, while HE flirts with the night maid at a dingy motel until she gives him a room key. This takes place on a weekend usually.
Be safe and careful. Working for Wal-mart is better than running from the cops with a box of perfume. Unlicensed solicitation is illegal. It's a public nuisance. For the sake of your pride, keep away.
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