SDMB Females: How Do You Feel about Invintes to Tupperware or Other Retail "Parties"

[LilyoftheValley]

I had a friend who hosted Stampin Up. She also made really nice cards and sold them (not through parties). I don’t mind parties like her Stampin Up or scrapbooking ones because they always had lessons about using the materials and you went home with a little craft. It’s like arts & crafts time for adults, but with wine, food, and chatter. In those cases I don’t mind paying a little more than I’d pay in a store for an item, because I feel like I’m getting more out of it.

I’m not a big fan of the Tupperware, candles, Pampered Chef party, though.

One of these days I’ll go to tanookie’s for a “use my tools” night. (That’s a scrapbooking thing, not sex toys, for the record. ) I’m working on a baby book for ValleyGirl, and I don’t want to buy special tools just for limited use.

[lisacurl]

@Padeye

Oh, it’s even better. Candye and her band performed at our wedding. It was a fluke that it all came together as she managed to book a gig at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix that evening and she informed us we were the last people ever getting the “friend price.” She didn’t expose her rather voluminous golden bozos but considering that the pastor and his wife were sitting across from the band it’s just as well.

My brother told me that all my cousins at the kids table (they’re all pushing forty) were gossipping about how I got Candye and her band. Several of them were familiar with Candye’s work before she had a band. One of them asked my mom how I knew Candye and she said, “Oh, they’ve been friends for years.” Lol, my mom is so full of shit, I love her. My brother said my stock in the family shot way up after that remark.

She sang Etta James’ At Last for our first dance so that song will alway have a special place in our heart. We saw her at the RR about the time of our first anniversary and she spotted us in the audience as we came up to dance. She played At Last in our honor. That is cool.

The Tupperware party was a hoot. She sang an a capella song for us and I have a DV tape of it somewher. She’s got an amazingly powerful voice and range. She takes the Tupperware seriously but has some innovative uses such as showing us which were best for storing condoms or keeping your dildos from getting lint all over them. TheLadyLion made a cake in her honor using a two part mold to make a bowling ball cake. Candye was so impressed that she had to compare her cupcakes to the one TLL made. I ducmented the occasion but with the understanding that those photos don’t get published

It’s official. Padeye is the coolest Doper ever.

[Cherry2000]

Yeah, sorry, but count me in as another person who hates these “parties” with a passion.

No matter what the hostess says about not feeling pressured to buy, you do. That’s why you asked me, right? I mean, if you just wanted to socialize you could invite me over when there wasn’t a flea market going on in your living room, right?

Uh…I’d rather be staked to an ant hill with jam in my ears.

[alice_in_wonderland]

If I’ve been invited to the person’s house for reasons other than flogging merchandise, then I’m much more likely to attend. However, if someone I don’t really know, or am not friends with invites, I say no. Ditto for “Just ordering out of the catalogue!” yetch.

Regarding hosting - I’ve hosted a few partylite, tupperwear, etc. My mandate is that no one should buy anything unless they totally love it, I don’t give a crap if I get the free stuff, 'cus I have a tonne of stuff already, and really it’s just an excuse to come over and have really good snacks, because I’m the queen of snacks. It usually works out ok. FWIW, I’ve only ever agreed to host a party because a friend needed and extra signup at her party to get a prize or something.

Finally, they’re kind of tacky. Sometimes still fun, but tacky.

[Tamarin]

@Shirley Ujest

>Snip<
…the woman was just one of the most rude, persistantly irritating salespersons I’ve ever encountered. she also looked like she stepped out of some Way-Back machine from 1979 in a once peice jumpsuit, huge oversized glasses and feathered hair. She was my age or a little older ( 33). It hurt to look at her.
>Snip<

Shirley, I have to ask. Did this woman have a hyphenated last name? I think I’ve been to a couple of her parties.

Pushy, rude, irritating, jumpsuit, huge glasses, feathered hair…all of it.

I think I met her when I was stuck in, what I call, “The Evil Party Circle of Doom”. That’s where you go to a friend’s party, and you can’t afford to buy anything, but you want your friend to get all that free stuff, so you sign up to host a party because that way you don’t have to buy anything, but she still gets her free goodies. Of course, you make your friend swear to come to your party because you booked off of hers. So now you have a lame party and maybe 4 people show up, and they feel guilty because your party is so lame so they buy some crap they can’t afford, and maybe one of them signs up to host a party because they are broke…but of course they make you swear to show up at their party…and so begins TEPCoD.

To answer the OP, I don’t resent being invited, but I’ve learned to say no. I’ll very rarely attend one of these things. I did go to a sex toy party last year, and that was a blast. I’ve also attended 2 party lite parties that were actually fun, but that was mostly due to the fact that the consultant was excellent (fun and witty with no hard sell) and the fact that there were margaritas involved.