My wife told me she’s going to one of those Longabarger (sp?) basket parties. She quickly added that she doesn’t plan on buying anything (uh huh…).
Whats up with (some) women and these home commerce parties? To me, it seems like a zero sum guilt driven barter system. If I go to your basket party and buy some stuff, then you gotta come to my candle party and but stuff, and then we both go to a co workers Pampered Chef party…and then we gotta buy the cookies that our co workers kid is selling for band camp…
It seems like that the money made with one proposition gets spent buying stuff at another function (that of course you have to go to, since you made them come to yours).
When I ask most women, they explain (with the facial expression reserved for “morons who just don’t get it”) that the parties are really just excuses to socialize…
Which leads me to ask…why involve the middle man, do you really need the “buying stuff” activity in order to socialize? Can’t you play cards…do games/sports/hobbies …or just chat?
Does this fall under the same rubric as group potty breaks in pubs?..something men are just destined to not understand?
Guilt. It’s all about guilt. A woman has a party cause her friend started selling it and she’d feel bad if she didn’t have a party for her. Then she invites all her friends who come (even though they usually don’t want to) because they’d feel guilty about going because the hostess came to their stamping/basket/Mary Kay/candle party. And the beat goes on.
Me, I’m breaking the mold. I don’t have them and I don’t go to them (unless it’s a something I’m really interested in, which is books or gardening and I haven’t seen any parties for them).
BTW, watch for those Longabarger baskets. Those suckers are expensive!!
I’ve been invited, and once in a blue moon, I’ll go, especially if the hostess is someone I really like, or if I know everyone in the office is going.
I seldom buy anything, unless it’s something I need, and even then, it’s really gotta be spectacular. I don’t host parties, either.
As for the catalog stuff that seems to sprout every fall and spring like mushrooms in the lawn, I just ignore it altogether. I hate that I can’t turn in an order privately(at least keeping it off the order sheet in the catalog). There are people who keep track of who’s ordering from whom, and it’s really uncomfortable if I order from Sue but not from Mary. So, I just don’t order from anybody.
I got sucked into one of these a couple months ago. A friend that I’m close enough to to not want to hurt her feelings, but not close enough to to tell her I think these kinds of parties are a waste of time, hosted a basket party. The women were oohing and aahing over a $40 basket that the person selling the stuff suggested as a good thing to keep in the pantry for your Sweet 'n Low. Please.
30 women were invited to this one, but only 7 showed up. All but 3 of the women who didn’t come called that evening to say that something had come up. The only redeeming thing about it was that I did get to meet some women who live near me and that I’ve seen since. I did buy a ceramic item that I’ve used and will use, but I’ll save my basket-buying for WalMart (not that anyone needs a million baskets, anyway).
I do think the other women who were at the party were there because they like the baskets. They all seemed to collect them and they were really interested in all the stuff. They didn’t even drink the wine (I got through half the bottle by myself) and they all got out of there as soon as their order forms were completed. I think it’s a suburban housewife, cliquey sort of thing. Maybe they like their guests to know that they spent $100 on the basket that’s holding their kids’ toys?