Saturday, July 17, 2004
Quixtar !
Firstly I will make this posting small following the request of one commenter :)
They swoop on you like vultures waiting on their prey.. They will find you and engage you in conversation at the most unlikely of places ..I have personally been "accosted" at the mall, in the train, at the train station waiting for the train and most sacrilegious of all (for me atleast) in a bookstore. I am talking about the Quixtar agents, or as they like to call themselves Independent Business Owners (IBO's) !
Quixtar for those who dont know is a multilevel marketing organization (also previously known as Amway in the US, still known like that all over the world, since being closed down here), which works by individual people recruiting others to work "under" them, who in turn recruit more etc. Based on the sales of the people "under" you, you get a commission. So the primary aim for you is to recruit as many people as you can under you.
This post is because I have seen so many of my friends, being sucked into it, make it their religion and then come out of it, several thousand dollars lost, and hours of hours of valuable time wasted. Moreover, because it so much takes over their life, and they want their friends also to be a part of it, unfortunately they have become social pariah's.
Here is a Dateline expose on the whole phenomena. - DateLine expose' ¶ permalink
They swoop on you like vultures waiting on their prey.. They will find you and engage you in conversation at the most unlikely of places ..I have personally been "accosted" at the mall, in the train, at the train station waiting for the train and most sacrilegious of all (for me atleast) in a bookstore. I am talking about the Quixtar agents, or as they like to call themselves Independent Business Owners (IBO's) !
Quixtar for those who dont know is a multilevel marketing organization (also previously known as Amway in the US, still known like that all over the world, since being closed down here), which works by individual people recruiting others to work "under" them, who in turn recruit more etc. Based on the sales of the people "under" you, you get a commission. So the primary aim for you is to recruit as many people as you can under you.
This post is because I have seen so many of my friends, being sucked into it, make it their religion and then come out of it, several thousand dollars lost, and hours of hours of valuable time wasted. Moreover, because it so much takes over their life, and they want their friends also to be a part of it, unfortunately they have become social pariah's.
Here is a Dateline expose on the whole phenomena. - DateLine expose' ¶ permalink
Comments:
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Ah, a topic that jogs many a painful memory, as anyone who has ever been 'Amwayed' will attest to! :)
The irony of the whole thing is that the Amway dude, superficially, personifies the very qualities you would look for when making a new friend! A disarming smile that makes you feel like your happiness is the very reason for his existence, warmth and concern that would make your childhood friends feel worthless, and a level of enthusiasm and curiosity about your career that could only be matched by your parents!
So much so that when one attempts to be genuinely friendly towards a fellow desi, it backfires! One can see them scurrying away from you at warp speed with hushed whispers of 'Amway.. Amway.. ' echoing in the background!
If upon reading this someone goes 'What is being Amwayed?' I can only say - Oh you poor naive soul! If by some divine intervention (that's got to be the only reason) you've never had an Amway agent inflicted upon you, do not worry. It will soon be rectified, much to your utter dismay! Just hang out at the local grocery store, swank mall or the city subway station and you shall soon be blessed!
Nice post Anirudh! :)
The irony of the whole thing is that the Amway dude, superficially, personifies the very qualities you would look for when making a new friend! A disarming smile that makes you feel like your happiness is the very reason for his existence, warmth and concern that would make your childhood friends feel worthless, and a level of enthusiasm and curiosity about your career that could only be matched by your parents!
So much so that when one attempts to be genuinely friendly towards a fellow desi, it backfires! One can see them scurrying away from you at warp speed with hushed whispers of 'Amway.. Amway.. ' echoing in the background!
If upon reading this someone goes 'What is being Amwayed?' I can only say - Oh you poor naive soul! If by some divine intervention (that's got to be the only reason) you've never had an Amway agent inflicted upon you, do not worry. It will soon be rectified, much to your utter dismay! Just hang out at the local grocery store, swank mall or the city subway station and you shall soon be blessed!
Nice post Anirudh! :)
As someone targetted by Amway types, I know exactly what you are talking about. As they say, a mind is a terrible thing to waste, and surely, these people can do better. Interesting read. Cheers
I can echo the same feeling too.There was this guy who accosted me at Barnes and Noble and then scheduled a meeting to discuss "e-commerce" opportunity.You know what a fool I was to entertain this guys who chewed up so much of my time (which I think is worth infinitely more than the other guy's time).
Too Bad that they had to resort to something like this instead of doing something of their own let it be a poem,social work or some personal project which in the long run would help them as well as their peers rather than these "network-effects" type of thing.
Too Bad that they had to resort to something like this instead of doing something of their own let it be a poem,social work or some personal project which in the long run would help them as well as their peers rather than these "network-effects" type of thing.
Great blog. I am a crookxtar critic also. I believe people sold on this worst of all businesses have been corrupted by it. They mix greed, religion and cultism to create their "Land of Will" and attempt to proselytize their fellow man. At best they are a cult of con men victims who victimize others. Hmmm? Don't vampires work the same way. Dracula bites one, and then the bitten must bite others. With all the time and thousands of dollar down the rat hole, if these con men/women had invested in a legit business, then after five years they really might be sitting pretty, not victims of their own organization. I am advocating a A&E style Intervention program for these poor souls. For more, I have posted my views on Quixtar and multi level scams at http://quixtarisacultintervention.blogspot.com
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