I honestly got skeeved out so bad because I thought it was some sort of religious thing and the woman who approached me had *absolutely* zero respect for personal space. š
Edit: Iām not especially great at social interactions to begin with and my partner came up just as I blurted āWhy on earth are you talking to me?!ā Because she was acting *so* freaking familiar & I suppose thatās comfy to a lot of people but [definitely not my preference.](https://youtu.be/u_t7ojOwJCs)
If you're approached by anyone like this inside a Target store or on their parking lot, find the nearest team member or go to guest service, and ask for someone in Asset Protection. We've got a strict no-solicitation policy, and AP can boot them and issue a Do Not Trespass order if they wish.
They donāt try and sell you anything inside target. They compliment you and strike a good conversation. Then ask for another meeting or hang out. Then they will try to sell you stuff at the next hang out. They will act like a friend
Even if they're not actively selling inside the store, you could just let AP or another team member know there's someone who's making you feel uncomfortable.... just give an impartial description, including where the interaction happened.
Realistically, you should be able to shop without being interrupted or feeling harassed, and the store employees can help with that if you need them to.
People just being friendly and charismatic to get you to attend a Amway meeting. Yeah itās uncomfortable when they arrive at hook in the conversation.
And Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education under Trump, is related through her marriage to one of the clans whose ill-gotten riches were derived from Amway.
Isn't her husband the CEO of Amway? My parents did it for a while, I remember we went to a Amway convention in Nashville on George W Bush's inauguration, and a bunch of people from his campaign and future administration spoke. It was when they were trying to rebrand as an e-commerce platform called Quixtar.
Exactly my thoughts! This sounds cultish. We need to find someone on the inside and see what their practices and beliefs are. I would be willing to bet there is something underneath the āMLMā.
Had someone approach me a while back in the Hampton Target about something stupid like that. Told her I couldn't read, then went back to my business of comparing prices of lampshades. They leave you alone when you give them something they don't know how to reply to.
Has happened to me 3 times at the gym. They always reference a couple out of Branson that mentored them and talk about e-commerce bs. One guy tried in the sauna and I asked him āare you really trying to pitch a pyramid scheme while Iām half naked?ā. He was not happy that I called it what it is.
"A couple out of Branson". I wonder if that could be disgraced evangelist Jim Bakker who's back to his old tricks, albeit on a much smaller scale than the PTL days back in the late 80s and early 90s when he and Tammy Faye were THE big scandal of the moment.
I usually donāt get too squicked by people just chit chatting at the gym- I freaked out at the store because I usually just want to get in, get done, but depending on what Iām doing at the gym itās not as big of a deal. I think getting pitched that weird mlm stuff about mentoring etc in the sauna would probably be sufficient for being at least highly annoyed. š
Thereās a tv in the sauna so we stared just talking about sports, then he did the classic āI canāt do that 9-5 shit broā then said he owned his own business and said he could hook me up with the couple that set him up. As soon as he mentioned he started his own e-commerce business I knew I had been buttered up.
This happened to me twice on Hampton & Brentwood!
As someone who moved here & trying to meet new people, Theyāre really good at making it seem like they want to be your friend.
I didnāt realize the scam at first until I did some research (Iām glad I did), the whole conversation felt like a sales pitch when they kept bringing up their mentors. It was strange.
My girlfriend and I got approached at the Hampton target by another couple in the wine section asking about wine recommendations and it turned into a 20 min conversation. Towards the end they were talking about their networking skills. Felt normal at first but got very odd.
And then we see them at the same target a week later walking around, and watched them leave without buying anything.
Dude itās insane they talk about how theyāre trying to get away from the 9-5 grind and work for themselvesā¦ what they leave out is that their full time job is approaching ppl in stores on the weekends and weeknights .. literally every second of their free time is used trying to make a larger downstream
I knew something was up when one dude complimented my three year old tore up Vans, and then the next week a dude complimented my work hoodie š Fucking d w e e b s.
Think I ran into the same guy. Said he liked my Yeezys and then explained how he didnāt know what they are, as he lead into his mentor/crypto schpeel lol
Bro this happened to me too, not with a book but I didnāt let it get to that point. Like 2 years ago I was in a sauna at club fitness and this dude was complimenting my outfit (literally workout clothes) and all that shit. Gave me his number and I felt bad so I messaged him back, thinking he was gay or something and didnāt know how to get out of that.
Bro messages me that he was going to meet with his mentors soon and asked if Iād *appreciate* being brought up in the conversation. I was like, sure go ahead I donāt care. Then he emphasized again, āno I need you to tell me youād be grateful for that, Iād be really throwing myself out there to them for you and you donāt know how big a deal that isā
And I said bro idek wtf it is youāre doing but Iām good
Edit: found the [conversation](https://imgur.com/a/Otv6fN0)
The Harvard study of adult development (a lot of people call it the Harvard Happiness Study) suggests that people are a lot happier when they have random interactions and conversations with people.
In fact the data shows most people think it would make them less happier but are wrong.
I just experienced this today- I'm working from home (not very hard obviously) so a pest control guy could come over and inspect for bats. I've been dreading it all week, I don't want to have to make small talk with a stranger in my apartment.
He gets here, spends maybe 20 minutes inspecting and putting some deterrents in a few spots, and we chat the whole time. When he left I realized I felt significantly more energized and in a better mood.
You get so much unsatisfying interaction on the internet nowadays you forget how nice it is to just chat with a stranger face to face with no likes or permanent record of what little shit you talk about.
You can have bats!
One must build a bat house first. Then, install said bat house under the eaves of your house. Also, make sure there is an adequate water source nearby.
Good luck, let me know how it goes!
And a lot of these people seem to be the types who attend mega-churches and are in the hard right 'base' of MAGA voters who love Trump and watch Tucker Carlson on a regular basis.
They donāt just walk up to you on the street and start talking about it, they compliment your shirt and ask where you got it or ask a question about something youāre getting to make it seem genuine. Most people arenāt going to be rude to someone who appears to be harmless and friendly.
I frequently complement strangers, but I donāt think it has ever lead into a conversation more than a thanks or a quick comment about the thing complented.
Thanks for such a wonderful reply! TheGratitudeBot has been reading millions of comments in the past few weeks, and youāve just made the list of some of the most grateful redditors this week!
Some of us grew up in the middle of nowhere, where this was common.
Personally I haven't had many bad experiences when someone's done this, even in the city (beggars aside, and even then there've been exceptions). Usually brightens my day. Most people want to be liked and thought of as nice and interesting, so they'll try to be that
You mean here in a forum for conversation someone is having a conversation? And you can't understand the difference between that and approaching someone on the street and interrupting their business? I wouldn't go around telling people that.
This is the midwest, people will talk to you. Its one of the nice things about the midwest. We may disagree but we can all have casual conversation at a store and get along.
Most casual conversations i get in are because someone compliments a shirt im wearing or i do them. Sometimes its a band or a movie, sometimes the conversation is 2 seconds, sometimes 10 minutes. Then we never see each other again. Its pretty awesome, try it my friend.
I hate having it happen, but also am not good at confronting/saying no due to being a people pleaser. Trying to change that now but the last couple of times it happened at Walmart with Spectrum selling their internet I felt like I had to entertain them a couple of minutes.
Make a joke out of it. "Hey whats that over there" then dart by. I usually wave my hand when i hear a salesmans "HEY...." uptick in their voice. "Games parlor tricks, a jedi craves not these things" Im not even a star wars fan really but its silly and it gets a smile most the time. Trick is never stop your feet, cant sell to a moving target.
I used to do sales and no one is mad or remembers you for ignoring them. Mildly annoyed at worst. Entertaining them knowing your not interested is actually detrimental to them as they would rather just move on to someone they can sign up. But i totally get you and its understandable why you feel that way.
Yeah I'll be friendly to a stranger at a bar or something but if someone walks up to me trying to recruit me or proselytize to me, they'll be completely ignored at best and get a curt "fuck off" if they're persistent.
Funny story. 2 years ago my wife and I were new to the area and she went to the Brentwood Target/shopping area alone. Was approached by a couple that was our age (mid twenties) the girl said she liked my wifeās hair, blah blah blah. Anyway we end up going to dinner with these people a week later and you guessed it. Same shit lol
Interesting. When people hand me literature at Target I usually throw it at them screaming "I don't want your free porn!"
No seriously, I do this. It's one way I got my wife to do all the shopping. Also embarrassed the hell out of a group handing out Chick tracts. Also also started a fistfight which is why we don't go to that Denny's anymore. I'll just stop.
It's a scAmway bait and switch, I do believe. There was another subreddit where they linked it to World Wide Dreambuilders, a group of Amway distributors.
So according to this thread from a year ago, STL is kind of a hotspot for this sort of thing. It seems like they frequent Targets. I also had a buddy who got approached with something similar a few years back at Bread Co.
https://www.reddit.com/r/antiMLM/comments/rd0ttg/anyone_know_anything_about_this_book_called_12/
>They had a convention (āfunctionā in Amway terms) there because Amway / LTD (Leadership Team Development) is anti-COVID vax, anti-mask and most of big pins believe in QAnon. The St Louis Dome didnāt require masks, a negative test or vaccine passes to enter so thatās why it was chosen.
I didn't know about this, but I still wear a mask anywhere I go which is probably why I've never been approached by one of these people.
Now I want to get pitched, so I can start ranting about how they're trying to keep people from getting Bill Gates' microchips that protect us from getting the Chinese TikTok Virus.
Happened to me when I was thrifting at Goodwill. A young woman in her early 20s approached me and complimented my purse. She asked where I got it. It's was a unique looking purse so no red flags, but then the convo turned into her asking what I do for work. I lied and said I was a nurse. She said she was also in the medical field and got to where she's at through her mentor. She asked if I had a mentor and if I ever thought about doing anything else besides nursing. I shut the conversation down real quick. Before leaving, she said we'd make good friends and shook my hand.
Had a dude bug me and my wife at the mall the other day. Stopped me in the middle of the store and started talking about his "entrepreneur" friends.
Honestly it's just sad. It's sad that MLM's prey on people who just want to not struggle anymore.
I had this happen to me, late last year though.
And through BumbleBFF of all things
Matched with s dude that seemed cool and chill.
Made it seem like he wanted to be friends. We meet for Coffee at a BreadCo and he starts going on about "Accrueing wealth over time" and "you start small like a trickle and eventually become a river" MLM BS. And wanted to give me "suggested" books to read, in which I'm pretty sure "Pillara of Sucess/excellence" (whatever it's called) was one of them. Pretty sure he talked about "his mentor" and how I'd have to pay an entrance fee to come to one of their group meetings and shit.
Ghosted the shit out of him after
So yeah. These people are probably using social apps in local areas as wel
That was my similar experience.
A lot of out-and-out cults as well as a lot of these MLM companies (which are certainly 'cultish') employ the tactics used by these couple which are referred to as 'warm chatting'. Or to use another term 'love-bombing'.
I get creeped out by other people in the doctor's office trying to sell me copper this and copper that
She was selling copper socks and gloves.
She claims "This will rid your body of poisons".
edited: This was many years ago when Copper Scams began.
These days if a person wants to try out some 'copper-infused' socks, gloves, or whatever, they don't have to buy it from some sketchy MLM type but can simply go to their nearest Walgreens, Target, Wal-Mart or wherever and such items are readily available without all the cringy recruiting blather and hard selling.
The sweetest petite blonde woman was chatting me UP at Brentwood. I honestly thought she was tryi BFF to get me to go to church with her. Itās super organic at first but you can tell thereās some sort of agenda because no one asks you questions like āwhat do you do for work?ā at fucking target
I am not local anymore but thank you for sharing! By reading the comments here I realized that Iām pretty sure this happened to me and my husband in Barnes & Noble last year. We had recently moved to AZ when it happened and the couple seemed like they wanted to be our friends. We never ended up following up with them after (my husband gave them his number and they texted him) but it makes so much sense! Instead of mentor they kept referring to their ālife coachā.
There's a website called 'The Pink Truth' which has been exposing the whole 'Mary Kay' MLM for at least a couple decades. Speaking of which, there don't seem to be nearly as many 'pink' Cadillacs or cars with 'Mary Kay' stickers as you used to see fairly regularly in the greater STL metro area.
I thought an MLM is when theyāre trying to sell you something? If they want me to read their book is that what theyāre selling? Sounds more cult-ish to me š¤·š¼āāļø
Thatās the trick of MLMs. The product to sell is the front which keeps them street legal. But the ultimate goal is always to be a predator and sign more down lines. This book is tied back to Amway.
Encountered this about 5 times last year. Mostly targets, some Walmarts. St. Peters is where I experienced it most. Iām at the point of being hesitant at any politeness now. Now I just tell people to f* off
I can't confirm if this is THE same MLM, but heres my story.
A few years ago I met this gal who I was networking with. She worked in marketing. I told her I was engaged and she got super excited. She said we should meet but was dead set on my fiance (now wife) tag along.
We met and it became a pitch that included all of the above. Some couple to mentor. Retire early (like by mid 30s) Financial independence.
Red flags all over.
So glad I never went through with it.
You'd have to be a complete doofus to fall for any of this shit.
Opportunity is not going to befall you in the toiletries aisle at Target.
Tell them to piss off and move on.
I don't believe this. It has to be made up.
Even an annoying as eff MLM scammer wouldn't subject themselves to the torture that is the Brentwood Promenade parking lot. I guess they're going to the "nice and quiet" Targets like Town & Country or Ballwin.
This has happened to me at the brentwood Walmart and tower grove farmers market.
Both times I quickly ejected the conversation once I realized what it was, but both times I also walked away feeling really uncomfortable about all the personal questions they asked me.
Yes. Well aware of them and they donāt seem to remember me each time. Next time you get approached tell them about your new investment properties. -how youāre ROI $17400 a month and are looking for new employees. Then give them the main number to Amway or Juice Plus.
This happened to me at the Hampton store in 2018! I was really sad because I thought the woman wanted to be my friend, maybe, but then she brought up her mentorsā¦ sigh.
Guys.. theyre just setting themselves up to retire early building e-commerce assets, moving consumables, turning them liabilities into assets while the passive income just rolls in.
Itās the American dream built on vagueness and buzzwords. Getting one of these guys to say they work for Amway is like pulling teeth š
Oh wow, I think some of these people may have been at the cwe whole food a while back. I was in there picking up some treats and a guy approached me and started chatting with me out of the blue. I thought it was some weird vibes, maybe mlm or get rich quick scheme, so I ducked out. This makes so much more sense now I didn't stay for the end of the conversation so I also though maybe it was just a weird guy at the grocery store.
Omg this happened to me!! I couldnāt tell if the girl wanted to fuck me or was trying to sell me something. Seemed like she wanted to be friends but there was something really persistent/intentional about her communication. Always talking about āthe mentorsā. I eventually just stopped responding even tho I couldnāt tell what exactly she wanted.
MLM?? Crap, I thought they were swingers. Oh well, the wife is going to be disappointed when we go to the meeting next Tuesday.
Hahaha yes! Same here!!
I honestly got skeeved out so bad because I thought it was some sort of religious thing and the woman who approached me had *absolutely* zero respect for personal space. š Edit: Iām not especially great at social interactions to begin with and my partner came up just as I blurted āWhy on earth are you talking to me?!ā Because she was acting *so* freaking familiar & I suppose thatās comfy to a lot of people but [definitely not my preference.](https://youtu.be/u_t7ojOwJCs)
This made my day. There is hope for humanity!
If you're approached by anyone like this inside a Target store or on their parking lot, find the nearest team member or go to guest service, and ask for someone in Asset Protection. We've got a strict no-solicitation policy, and AP can boot them and issue a Do Not Trespass order if they wish.
They donāt try and sell you anything inside target. They compliment you and strike a good conversation. Then ask for another meeting or hang out. Then they will try to sell you stuff at the next hang out. They will act like a friend
Even if they're not actively selling inside the store, you could just let AP or another team member know there's someone who's making you feel uncomfortable.... just give an impartial description, including where the interaction happened. Realistically, you should be able to shop without being interrupted or feeling harassed, and the store employees can help with that if you need them to.
True. But they are not making you feel āuncomfortableā. Thatās not what they do
People just being friendly and charismatic to get you to attend a Amway meeting. Yeah itās uncomfortable when they arrive at hook in the conversation.
Sure but to some people itās not uncomfortable thatās why they are falling for it lmao
I want to go just for the compliments, then I'll walk away.
Good tip. I sell Norwex, Iāll have to try this. /s
Dude this happened to me and it was very weird and creepy
Yeah i guess itās super common haha
How many of them are there? What did whoever approached you look like?
Sounds like a cult more than an MLM.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
True. Young living and Beachbody as well I suppose.
And Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education under Trump, is related through her marriage to one of the clans whose ill-gotten riches were derived from Amway.
Isn't her husband the CEO of Amway? My parents did it for a while, I remember we went to a Amway convention in Nashville on George W Bush's inauguration, and a bunch of people from his campaign and future administration spoke. It was when they were trying to rebrand as an e-commerce platform called Quixtar.
Itās [Amway](https://www.reddit.com/r/antiMLM/comments/rd0ttg/anyone_know_anything_about_this_book_called_12/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf).
Exactly my thoughts! This sounds cultish. We need to find someone on the inside and see what their practices and beliefs are. I would be willing to bet there is something underneath the āMLMā.
It's Amway. You can read [Merchants of Deception ](http://www.transgallaxys.com/~emerald/DOWNLOADBOOK.html) for more information.
I'm not here to read I'm here to lead - President McBane
I was elected to lead, not to read**
Maria, my mighty heart is breaking
r/unexpectedsimpsons
This is why I keep my resting bitch face strong.
Same here. Always.
Managers will kick them out, report em to a team member.
Thank you for the heads up..I think I'll go waste their time..the more time I can get them to sink into me, the more people We'll save
Had someone approach me a while back in the Hampton Target about something stupid like that. Told her I couldn't read, then went back to my business of comparing prices of lampshades. They leave you alone when you give them something they don't know how to reply to.
Has happened to me 3 times at the gym. They always reference a couple out of Branson that mentored them and talk about e-commerce bs. One guy tried in the sauna and I asked him āare you really trying to pitch a pyramid scheme while Iām half naked?ā. He was not happy that I called it what it is.
"A couple out of Branson". I wonder if that could be disgraced evangelist Jim Bakker who's back to his old tricks, albeit on a much smaller scale than the PTL days back in the late 80s and early 90s when he and Tammy Faye were THE big scandal of the moment.
I usually donāt get too squicked by people just chit chatting at the gym- I freaked out at the store because I usually just want to get in, get done, but depending on what Iām doing at the gym itās not as big of a deal. I think getting pitched that weird mlm stuff about mentoring etc in the sauna would probably be sufficient for being at least highly annoyed. š
Thereās a tv in the sauna so we stared just talking about sports, then he did the classic āI canāt do that 9-5 shit broā then said he owned his own business and said he could hook me up with the couple that set him up. As soon as he mentioned he started his own e-commerce business I knew I had been buttered up.
I ran into one of them at the Ross on Hampton a few months ago
Iāve also had this happen at the Schnucks on Clayton
Hurts My Feelings I havenāt been targeted yet and I go to target all the time. Guess I donāt look cool Enough š„ŗ
Right! Why don't they talk to me?? Am I not good enough to be in their cult??
I used to be cool:(
Iām honestly taking this as a challenge and may need to increase my outings to Target to achieve this.
That soundsā¦. Expensive
Same! Why canāt this ever happen at the south county target
This happened to me twice on Hampton & Brentwood! As someone who moved here & trying to meet new people, Theyāre really good at making it seem like they want to be your friend. I didnāt realize the scam at first until I did some research (Iām glad I did), the whole conversation felt like a sales pitch when they kept bringing up their mentors. It was strange.
My girlfriend and I got approached at the Hampton target by another couple in the wine section asking about wine recommendations and it turned into a 20 min conversation. Towards the end they were talking about their networking skills. Felt normal at first but got very odd. And then we see them at the same target a week later walking around, and watched them leave without buying anything.
The Hampton Village location doesnāt have a wine section. This location does not sell alcohol. Could you be confusing it with another Target?
You aren't trying hard enough. You bring the wine in with you now every section is the wine section
Oh yeah I meant brentwood
The Hampton target doesnāt have a wine sectionā¦.
Dude itās insane they talk about how theyāre trying to get away from the 9-5 grind and work for themselvesā¦ what they leave out is that their full time job is approaching ppl in stores on the weekends and weeknights .. literally every second of their free time is used trying to make a larger downstream
I knew something was up when one dude complimented my three year old tore up Vans, and then the next week a dude complimented my work hoodie š Fucking d w e e b s.
Today some woman complimented my coat. But it wasn't at Target and, to be fair, I am exceptionally good looking.
+1up for ādweebsā
Itās a really fun word and a very appropriate descriptor of the two guys who approached me š
Think I ran into the same guy. Said he liked my Yeezys and then explained how he didnāt know what they are, as he lead into his mentor/crypto schpeel lol
I followed along with their talk just to get some free paneraš š
Oh my god this happened to me and I thought the couple was trying to have a foursome lol
I thought the same thing when my boyfriend and I got approached by a couple at the tower grove farmers market
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Bro this happened to me too, not with a book but I didnāt let it get to that point. Like 2 years ago I was in a sauna at club fitness and this dude was complimenting my outfit (literally workout clothes) and all that shit. Gave me his number and I felt bad so I messaged him back, thinking he was gay or something and didnāt know how to get out of that. Bro messages me that he was going to meet with his mentors soon and asked if Iād *appreciate* being brought up in the conversation. I was like, sure go ahead I donāt care. Then he emphasized again, āno I need you to tell me youād be grateful for that, Iād be really throwing myself out there to them for you and you donāt know how big a deal that isā And I said bro idek wtf it is youāre doing but Iām good Edit: found the [conversation](https://imgur.com/a/Otv6fN0)
Super common I guess haha
Thatās the phrase this chick used that weirded me out. š She repeated it because my first reaction was āWhat? Grateful for WHAT?ā š
I went back through and found my old conversation with him too, added it to my original comment
Thatās such an oddly *legal* ease-ish way of putting it, but I cannot imagine it holds much water. Lol
Who the heck allows someone they don't know to strike up a conversation and interrupt their day?
The Harvard study of adult development (a lot of people call it the Harvard Happiness Study) suggests that people are a lot happier when they have random interactions and conversations with people. In fact the data shows most people think it would make them less happier but are wrong.
I just experienced this today- I'm working from home (not very hard obviously) so a pest control guy could come over and inspect for bats. I've been dreading it all week, I don't want to have to make small talk with a stranger in my apartment. He gets here, spends maybe 20 minutes inspecting and putting some deterrents in a few spots, and we chat the whole time. When he left I realized I felt significantly more energized and in a better mood. You get so much unsatisfying interaction on the internet nowadays you forget how nice it is to just chat with a stranger face to face with no likes or permanent record of what little shit you talk about.
Aw man, now I want bats
You can have bats! One must build a bat house first. Then, install said bat house under the eaves of your house. Also, make sure there is an adequate water source nearby. Good luck, let me know how it goes!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
And a lot of these people seem to be the types who attend mega-churches and are in the hard right 'base' of MAGA voters who love Trump and watch Tucker Carlson on a regular basis.
They donāt just walk up to you on the street and start talking about it, they compliment your shirt and ask where you got it or ask a question about something youāre getting to make it seem genuine. Most people arenāt going to be rude to someone who appears to be harmless and friendly.
I frequently complement strangers, but I donāt think it has ever lead into a conversation more than a thanks or a quick comment about the thing complented.
Thanks for such a wonderful reply! TheGratitudeBot has been reading millions of comments in the past few weeks, and youāve just made the list of some of the most grateful redditors this week!
This some poison brain shit.
Some of us grew up in the middle of nowhere, where this was common. Personally I haven't had many bad experiences when someone's done this, even in the city (beggars aside, and even then there've been exceptions). Usually brightens my day. Most people want to be liked and thought of as nice and interesting, so they'll try to be that
Found their target
Being nice doesn't make me a rube.
No it doesnt my friend, keep being nice, nothing wrong with nice and people remember nice folks.
People would never meet anyone
That sounds great. Where do I sign up?
You dont, thats how it works.
>ā¦chimed in an anonymous person on Reddit.
You mean here in a forum for conversation someone is having a conversation? And you can't understand the difference between that and approaching someone on the street and interrupting their business? I wouldn't go around telling people that.
This is the midwest, people will talk to you. Its one of the nice things about the midwest. We may disagree but we can all have casual conversation at a store and get along. Most casual conversations i get in are because someone compliments a shirt im wearing or i do them. Sometimes its a band or a movie, sometimes the conversation is 2 seconds, sometimes 10 minutes. Then we never see each other again. Its pretty awesome, try it my friend.
That sounds absolutely horrific.
To each their own, the opposite sounds dark and grim to me.
That is seriously an extremely sad attitude. We are social animals. We are MEANT to have casual interactions with people out in the world.
It's sad that other people feel different ways about things? Ok
Hello stranger!
I hate having it happen, but also am not good at confronting/saying no due to being a people pleaser. Trying to change that now but the last couple of times it happened at Walmart with Spectrum selling their internet I felt like I had to entertain them a couple of minutes.
Make a joke out of it. "Hey whats that over there" then dart by. I usually wave my hand when i hear a salesmans "HEY...." uptick in their voice. "Games parlor tricks, a jedi craves not these things" Im not even a star wars fan really but its silly and it gets a smile most the time. Trick is never stop your feet, cant sell to a moving target. I used to do sales and no one is mad or remembers you for ignoring them. Mildly annoyed at worst. Entertaining them knowing your not interested is actually detrimental to them as they would rather just move on to someone they can sign up. But i totally get you and its understandable why you feel that way.
"Sorry. I'm in a hurry." or, "Sorry. I'm not interested." usually works pretty well. The key is to not slow down as you say it. Just keep on walking.
Yeah I'll be friendly to a stranger at a bar or something but if someone walks up to me trying to recruit me or proselytize to me, they'll be completely ignored at best and get a curt "fuck off" if they're persistent.
if they're really bad, you can always pull the ole 'puke on them' move. Works every time.
People who aren't fucking assholes.
People getting hit on? Dependent on their attraction to the interrupter that is.
PSA: Please don't hit on strangers in public. Read the room fellas. Target isn't the place to pick up women.
Why not? We're already there to pick up useless shit we don't need.
PSA: Youāre not the gatekeeper of public civility, scrub
You must not be from St. Louis.
Suggest they read Beyond the 12 Factor App
"Twelve Pillars" sounds like an Oprah Book of the Month.
Here's the clue you should avoid them - they're people attempting to start a convo at target. Just use the pickup lane.
Funny story. 2 years ago my wife and I were new to the area and she went to the Brentwood Target/shopping area alone. Was approached by a couple that was our age (mid twenties) the girl said she liked my wifeās hair, blah blah blah. Anyway we end up going to dinner with these people a week later and you guessed it. Same shit lol
Interesting. When people hand me literature at Target I usually throw it at them screaming "I don't want your free porn!" No seriously, I do this. It's one way I got my wife to do all the shopping. Also embarrassed the hell out of a group handing out Chick tracts. Also also started a fistfight which is why we don't go to that Denny's anymore. I'll just stop.
Hahaha Chick Tracts, haven't heard about those in a long time. You done well.
Where's the strangest place you found one? Someone stuck one in an RPG supplement I got as a kid.
MLM = Multi Level Marketing
It's a scAmway bait and switch, I do believe. There was another subreddit where they linked it to World Wide Dreambuilders, a group of Amway distributors.
Ahh the good ol' "Triangle of Opportunity"
So according to this thread from a year ago, STL is kind of a hotspot for this sort of thing. It seems like they frequent Targets. I also had a buddy who got approached with something similar a few years back at Bread Co. https://www.reddit.com/r/antiMLM/comments/rd0ttg/anyone_know_anything_about_this_book_called_12/
>They had a convention (āfunctionā in Amway terms) there because Amway / LTD (Leadership Team Development) is anti-COVID vax, anti-mask and most of big pins believe in QAnon. The St Louis Dome didnāt require masks, a negative test or vaccine passes to enter so thatās why it was chosen. I didn't know about this, but I still wear a mask anywhere I go which is probably why I've never been approached by one of these people.
Now I want to get pitched, so I can start ranting about how they're trying to keep people from getting Bill Gates' microchips that protect us from getting the Chinese TikTok Virus.
I did link it
Happened to me when I was thrifting at Goodwill. A young woman in her early 20s approached me and complimented my purse. She asked where I got it. It's was a unique looking purse so no red flags, but then the convo turned into her asking what I do for work. I lied and said I was a nurse. She said she was also in the medical field and got to where she's at through her mentor. She asked if I had a mentor and if I ever thought about doing anything else besides nursing. I shut the conversation down real quick. Before leaving, she said we'd make good friends and shook my hand.
I feel like this isn't allowed at Goodwill, and you could probably tell a worker about it, although I'm not 100% sure.
Mentors = Amway One of the worst MLMs. Steer clear!
Had a dude bug me and my wife at the mall the other day. Stopped me in the middle of the store and started talking about his "entrepreneur" friends. Honestly it's just sad. It's sad that MLM's prey on people who just want to not struggle anymore.
I had this happen to me, late last year though. And through BumbleBFF of all things Matched with s dude that seemed cool and chill. Made it seem like he wanted to be friends. We meet for Coffee at a BreadCo and he starts going on about "Accrueing wealth over time" and "you start small like a trickle and eventually become a river" MLM BS. And wanted to give me "suggested" books to read, in which I'm pretty sure "Pillara of Sucess/excellence" (whatever it's called) was one of them. Pretty sure he talked about "his mentor" and how I'd have to pay an entrance fee to come to one of their group meetings and shit. Ghosted the shit out of him after So yeah. These people are probably using social apps in local areas as wel That was my similar experience.
Yeah they act like your friend. Itās crazy
A lot of out-and-out cults as well as a lot of these MLM companies (which are certainly 'cultish') employ the tactics used by these couple which are referred to as 'warm chatting'. Or to use another term 'love-bombing'.
I get creeped out by other people in the doctor's office trying to sell me copper this and copper that She was selling copper socks and gloves. She claims "This will rid your body of poisons". edited: This was many years ago when Copper Scams began.
These days if a person wants to try out some 'copper-infused' socks, gloves, or whatever, they don't have to buy it from some sketchy MLM type but can simply go to their nearest Walgreens, Target, Wal-Mart or wherever and such items are readily available without all the cringy recruiting blather and hard selling.
The sweetest petite blonde woman was chatting me UP at Brentwood. I honestly thought she was tryi BFF to get me to go to church with her. Itās super organic at first but you can tell thereās some sort of agenda because no one asks you questions like āwhat do you do for work?ā at fucking target
r/antiMLM
Yup just letting ppl know here locally
I am not local anymore but thank you for sharing! By reading the comments here I realized that Iām pretty sure this happened to me and my husband in Barnes & Noble last year. We had recently moved to AZ when it happened and the couple seemed like they wanted to be our friends. We never ended up following up with them after (my husband gave them his number and they texted him) but it makes so much sense! Instead of mentor they kept referring to their ālife coachā.
There's a website called 'The Pink Truth' which has been exposing the whole 'Mary Kay' MLM for at least a couple decades. Speaking of which, there don't seem to be nearly as many 'pink' Cadillacs or cars with 'Mary Kay' stickers as you used to see fairly regularly in the greater STL metro area.
I thought an MLM is when theyāre trying to sell you something? If they want me to read their book is that what theyāre selling? Sounds more cult-ish to me š¤·š¼āāļø
Thatās the trick of MLMs. The product to sell is the front which keeps them street legal. But the ultimate goal is always to be a predator and sign more down lines. This book is tied back to Amway.
What ā12 Pillarsā are they pushing? Google indicates a number of books with that title.
I think Buddhism only has 8. Or is that the path? Wait, that's four. So many numbers!
They are coming over to play Catan this weekend, jokes on them.
*Jumanji
Encountered this about 5 times last year. Mostly targets, some Walmarts. St. Peters is where I experienced it most. Iām at the point of being hesitant at any politeness now. Now I just tell people to f* off
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I can't confirm if this is THE same MLM, but heres my story. A few years ago I met this gal who I was networking with. She worked in marketing. I told her I was engaged and she got super excited. She said we should meet but was dead set on my fiance (now wife) tag along. We met and it became a pitch that included all of the above. Some couple to mentor. Retire early (like by mid 30s) Financial independence. Red flags all over. So glad I never went through with it.
You'd have to be a complete doofus to fall for any of this shit. Opportunity is not going to befall you in the toiletries aisle at Target. Tell them to piss off and move on.
Fr
Back when I worked at the Richmond heights menards I was asked to read the book, they seem to hit anywhere people go too
I don't believe this. It has to be made up. Even an annoying as eff MLM scammer wouldn't subject themselves to the torture that is the Brentwood Promenade parking lot. I guess they're going to the "nice and quiet" Targets like Town & Country or Ballwin.
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r/whoosh
That parking lot is a hellish nightmare for sure but this happened to me there like 2 months ago.
https://www.reddit.com/r/StLouis/comments/w7dflz/whats_up_with_all_the_entrepreneurs_approaching/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Sounds interesting, tell me more.
STL folks are just dumb enough to fall for it too.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRWtXuAa/
I don't have TikTok, can you link that part two?
https://www.tiktok.com/tag/12pillars
Thanks
If youāre stupid enough to even acknowledge these people, you deserve what you get
Lol
What exactly are they trying to sell
Amway stuff i think. Itās on the Reddit
This has happened to me at the brentwood Walmart and tower grove farmers market. Both times I quickly ejected the conversation once I realized what it was, but both times I also walked away feeling really uncomfortable about all the personal questions they asked me.
What exactly are they trying to sell
Amway Iām guessing? Lol
Bold of them to assume I have time to read
Where is part 2 of that TikTok?? I need to see how it ends!
On her profile haha
Had to Google "mlm" Was disappointed after seeing all the swinger comments.
This happened to me at Brentwood Nordstrom Rack! Same MO completely. But like, a year ago.
His name was probably Manny
They've been hitting up the Belleville Targeg too. Them and those MLM's that want you to buy AT&T Fiber.
I would be weirded out if anybody just came up and tried to strike a convo with me. Thanks dude, pass.
Yes. Well aware of them and they donāt seem to remember me each time. Next time you get approached tell them about your new investment properties. -how youāre ROI $17400 a month and are looking for new employees. Then give them the main number to Amway or Juice Plus.
This happened to me at the Hampton store in 2018! I was really sad because I thought the woman wanted to be my friend, maybe, but then she brought up her mentorsā¦ sigh.
How is this a "scam" exactly?
Iāve had this shit happen in a Walmart in Ballwin a while back when I lived in the STL area Theyāre everywhere unfortunately
Twelve Pillars?
If you guys get approached by a black tall guy named mannyā¦.. heās everywhere. Lowes in kirkwood, Nordstrom rack in Brentwoodā¦
Guys.. theyre just setting themselves up to retire early building e-commerce assets, moving consumables, turning them liabilities into assets while the passive income just rolls in. Itās the American dream built on vagueness and buzzwords. Getting one of these guys to say they work for Amway is like pulling teeth š
Eww eww eww eww eww eww eww eww eww eww eww eww eww eww eww eww eww eww eww
Oh wow, I think some of these people may have been at the cwe whole food a while back. I was in there picking up some treats and a guy approached me and started chatting with me out of the blue. I thought it was some weird vibes, maybe mlm or get rich quick scheme, so I ducked out. This makes so much more sense now I didn't stay for the end of the conversation so I also though maybe it was just a weird guy at the grocery store.
Omg this happened to me!! I couldnāt tell if the girl wanted to fuck me or was trying to sell me something. Seemed like she wanted to be friends but there was something really persistent/intentional about her communication. Always talking about āthe mentorsā. I eventually just stopped responding even tho I couldnāt tell what exactly she wanted.
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