Women Say They're Stuck With $20,000 Of Worthless Clothing In A Lularoe "Pyramid Scheme"

https://www.buzzfeed.com/stephaniemcneal/lularoe-class-actions?utm_term=.le7767E6#.cjXQ6Qy6

From Wikipedia - "LuLaRoe's main products are brightly-patterned leggings, shirts, and dresses. The company's clothes tend towards modesty, based partly on the Stidhams's Mormon religious beliefs. LuLaRoe releases a finite quantity of items in each fabric pattern, and once a product has sold out it generally does not return. Different LuLaRoe distributors are not able to choose specific patterns, and each distributor is provided different products for their inventory."

Gee, what a surprise -- another mormon pyramid scheme collapses.
I'm shocked, I tell you. Shocked.

Most of you people just don't even know what you're talking about. Who in the world has $20,000 total worth of clothes who is a regular (not a celebrity) Mormon. The religious clothing is no where NEAR that amount..... and NEAR doesn't even come close.

The article was about women who were fleeced out of $20,000 inventory for worthless clothing they could not sell off.

Were these women suckers or not?

Would a smaller investment in what you call 'religious clothing' with a similar outcome of unable to sell them off not be considered a scam?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2017 07:05PM by Amyjo.

"Religious clothing"? This is about LuLaRoe. Are you saying that LLR's "brightly-patterned leggings, shirts, and dresses" constitutes "religious clothing"?

And I see that you're not providing any evidence or data, only opinions and assertions. Why don't you back up your claims so you don't wind up looking like some TBM/LLR yes-(wo)man?

doesn't look like that poster actually read the article, either.

What do you think the odds are that she's an LLR "distributor?"

LuLaRoe was founded in part to appeal to the "modesty market".

https://www.racked.com/2016/6/16/11898266/lularoe-leggings-facebook-multi-level-marketing

I liked the bit about the folks being blamed for not selling enough. If they only worked harder, they'd sell.

I wonder where the MLM leaders got that blaming message from?

Encouraged to sell breast milk?

They must have read about church members in South America being encouraged to yank out their gold teeth for the temple.

Wait.

$20,000?

Or worthless?

Which isit?

:)

They paid $20k.
What they got for their $20k was worthless.

I've got $20,000 worth of worthless clothes

:)

The clothing line was too tacky and funky to be sellable in the longterm. I can't believe how so many women were suckered into it.

If their 'market' was primarily Mormon stay-at-home moms, then it makes perfect sense.

Nice racket while it lasted for the owners.

Another MLM scheme bites the dust in Mormon Land.

I'm not that familiar with the clothing line, so I went to the website to take a look because I wasn't so sure "tacky" was fair.

No, you were kind. That's more than fair. LOL

And because the only way to get that stuff is to find a Luluroe lady and host a party, I have no idea what the pricing is like, but I'm going to go right out there on a limb and guess that it's not only overpriced, but that the quality is garbage. I've never yet purchased anything from one of those MLM marketing "parties" that didn't fall apart within a couple months, or sooner even. My sister did a jewelry thing a couple decades ago -- all that was cheap plastic crap and it was all broken within weeks. "Oh they'll take it back and replace it. It's GUARANTEED." Right. Nobody's going to pay shipping to have some broken piece of junk plastic jewelry replaced.

They dress this way, the evidence is all over Facebook. Has anyone in UT every noticed how cookie-cutter fashion is there? (OK, yea, like everything else so what's the surprise, right?)

But seriously. It doesn't take long for a "fad" to catch on there and everyone follows it to a "T", no matter how ridiculous. I know that fashion is like that to some degree no matter where you go. However, UT women are particularly conforming. Sort of like the "Emperor's Clothes". Everyone tells each other how wonderful they look. You wait to hear someone say, "hey look, the Emperor is wearing hideous clothes," but nobody every does.

notmonotloggedin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It doesn't take long for a "fad"
> to catch on there and everyone follows it to a
> "T", no matter how ridiculous.

Especially when the seller is TBM. Then the suckers...err. buyers can feel righteous about supporting a fellow church member while dressing horribly. Win-win!

How could a clear thinking individual expect to sell $20,000 worth of clothing out of her house. I don't understand. That is a huge amount of money, especially for a young family, to throw away. Greed seems to a part of Mormonism as well as the desperation to live the socially expected lifestyle. This is sad.

Oh brother. NONE of you know what you're talking about.....that's what's sad!!!!

Please explain...
You aren't saying this was a viable business, are you?

My SIL tried to sell Mary Kay cosmetics. She charged $5000! on a credit card to start her inventory (and didn't tell my BIL). Each month to make her selling quota she charged more. When she finally admitted that she wasn't going to ever make a profit she had charged $16,000 and had just about that much unsold product in her basement. MK took some of it back, but I guess she will be giving away expired products as gifts the rest of her life.

Nobody could sell those clothes, they are butt-ugly. Cheap, sleazy fabrics, horrible clashing patterns and colors. Who would fall for such a scam? Molly Mormon mommies, I guess.

They are too busy looking for my taste. I prefer more traditional classic styles. Not trendy stuff. The fabrics look cheap to me too, and tacky.

Those are the styles that would be the shortest lived in my wardrobe.

When I saw the pricing for them it seemed like they were overpriced and overrated.

Their only hope is to start a new religion with Lularoe as its holy undergarments.

A lot of my friends children (25 - 35) have bought these clothes. They like them for the comfort.

Over time I have heard them complaining that the quality of the fabric is going down. They also complain that the best patterns only seem to land with one person per region.

Might have been a good idea, but they over saturated the market with too many people selling in too small an area.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2017 06:42PM by sbg.

Once all your potential buyers are also "distributors" you're sunk. Only the top level people make decent money.

Don't know anything about this particular MLM, but sounds like the original market was very limited to begin with - Molly Mormons who want "modest" clothes to cover up their Mo garments.

LLR sounds like many other MLMs that exhort new recruits to do whatever it takes to buy more (overpriced) inventory than they can afford. Like other MLMs, most of the income comes from recruitment and sales to "consultants" or "distributors" instead of sales to retail customers. Most people who get into MLMs end up spending more than they make and never recover their "investment" in product. This is how MLMs work.

Is anyone surprised that many women who "invested" their money into this MLM "business opportunity" also failed? It would be shocking if they didn't, especially in Utah, where incomes are low and most potential customers also have been/are involved in MLMs.

I missed that this is related to Utah/IMW/ or the LDS...

also, I hope that everyone signed up for the proper business/occupation licenses, etc.; without them, they probably ran up an (unpaid) tax liability.

The owner is Mormon, it is a MLM (Mormons especially love MLMs,) and the company promotes a "culture of modesty" that involves publicly shaming women at its conventions who do not adhere to Mormon standards.

See this thread:

LuLaRoe "Culture of Modesty"

http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,2003833



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2017 10:20PM by summer.

that stuff is....seriously?

I don't care what anyone told me, I would NEVER sink a dime into that hideous garbage.

Sadly, though I see that many TBM relatives in UT have, convincing each other how wonderful they look in these "poke my eyes out" "coordinates".

I agree, the only thing those would be good for is a "loud pants" contest that allowed leggings, but it's far overpriced. That, or the legging/pants equivalent of an ugly Christmas sweater party.

It's sad that those mormon women are still so gullible and naieve that they would fall for a scheme that would turn around and kick their butts ..... Like its not bad enough they believe in the chuch bull shit but they believe in any bull shit that comes along.

So the idea was for each seller to acquire 10 outfits in all the sizes and styles; then the seller would have 20k worth of inventory?

Also, am I the only that thinks modesty shouldn't just relate to styles and cuts of garment, but also patterns and colors?

I'm hardly a prude, but I've always believed in dressing appropriately for the occasion.

Again, nudity - nudist shows its positive attributes...

I do use clothes when appropriate, but hope Never as a status signal.

Yes, this is another aspect of our "CULTure" that Morg & GAs exploit.

How come none of the pictures of those fan-dang-go leggings show garments rolled up in a bunch around their thighs. In the 80's when styles were simular we saw the thigh rolls and sagging flaps in the back.

Think of all the ex-Mos who have $20,000 worth of useless garments.

So you're just now telling me they're not really bulletproof?

I knew someone that tried to enlist me in this business. I told him I didn’t think I could sell the product. When they asked me why I said “because they are ugly“. She stop talking to me. RMM

burn it all.

paul hutchinson Wrote:
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> burn it all.

This is a terrible idea!

It may not be great clothing on any number of levels, but it is CLOTHING, and there are people in every community who need it. (We are heading into winter right now---at least we are in the Northern Hemisphere. Don't deprive people of clothing they need, and that you have no further use for!)

Find out which community groups and centers give clothing to those who need it the most: the homeless, families with catastrophic circumstances, etc.

Just because it is not saleable doesn't mean it isn't WEARABLE!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2017 10:13PM by Tevai.

If the Spirit told these women to get in on this program then it will all work out well, even financially. Furthermore, if someone comes out with some story claiming that it was a scam then to think negatively about it would create a Doubt. And remember that they and I have been well instructed by a super holy revelator named Uchtdorf to doubt our Doubts so it is not possible to consider that a program such as this could fail. In fact maybe the Holy Ghost will inspire some to put even more money in. I suppose I could do so myself if I can get another payday loan.

If what I wrote makes good honest sense to you then you may yet learn to think like a TBM.

I have a pair of the pants that I wouldn't wear out of the house, but they're super comfy and not too ugly. I basically bought them to support a non-mo friend that was trying to sell them. Honestly, the "modest" style of most of their product makes me want to punch something. We live in Georgia and I see women wearing this crap a lot.
As far as the business model, you cannot blame poor Mormon when for trying to have a purpose and make some money. Being a stay at home mom with multiple kids and NO appreciation or time for herself. That is exactly why these kinds of pyramid schemes attract so many poor Mormon women. It's sad and makes me furious.

The women were advised to maintain a $20K inventory at all times? Sounds like a latter-day version of a year's food storage.

who sell LLR. I have never been interested in buying or selling those butt-ugly, mismatched clothes. Both women are currrently not employed outside the home. That must be the hook. One got a loan from her elderly mom to start her business. She is always having a live FB event or sale.