I received a question from the site asking about this one. I've seen it at fairs, etc, but I don't know much about the company.

Anyone want to add some info for this person?

This is too ironic.  I just hosted a Tastefully Simple party at my house this past Saturday!  Love the products!!!!!  The consultant is a friend of mine; she's also my Longaberger lady (when I have an extra $80 to spend on a basket).     Anyway, I didn't get into any conversations with her regarding the business side of her T.S. business, but she did tell me that her commission is 25% to 36%--depending upon if it's a catalog show or an in-home show.  So from the consumer end of things, I love Tastefully Simple!

if the commission is 25-36% then she isn't making diddly - and you have to be careful because people who are "winning trips" in an MLM are doing it because they built a huge downline. Personally I do think TS producs are overpriced - but that's because I know how much a muffin mix really costs. I won't quibble about the products being tasty (I'm sure they are!) but MLM is never a good way to make money. They all operate essentially the same way - and I'm SURE there are TS reps out there with a pantry full of beer bread, know what I mean?

If you just want to sign up for the entertainment of it and because you love the food - great. But don't expect to make a real income from it. MLM is a scam. >:(

You're right PC.  36% is nothing. 

I know I'll never get involved in another MLM or direct sales company again.   I just know that I loved eating the samples last Saturday.   

Yeah, I remember that CM people seemed to have a lot of inventory.  Is that even a viable "business" anymore since you can buy the stuff anywhere now?  Back when they started, you couldn't walk into Target, Michaels, etc. and get acid free paper and cute stickers, etc.

I know you hate MLM's, PC, but I did make money in Longaberger.  There are truly people who are addicted to buying baskets who have the money to spend.  My former branch advisor sent me an email awhile back with the new compensation info (I was curious after I started reading all the MLM stuff on your blog), and it's not a lot--something like 5% if you have $2,000/mo and personal production.  There used to be 3 levels, and about three years ago they had a "new day" and got rid of the National sales directors which saved the company boatloads of money.  They can never take your branch or region away (6 consultants to branch, 3 branches to become a region or whatever they're calling it now).  There are no cars to win, and you send all your sales in to the company and they send it to the hostess, and you keep your 25%.  And they pay for all the hostess stuff, too.

I think the thing that really helps is that there have been "bitch about Longaberger" websites for a long time.  I started selling 9 years ago, and quit selling 5 years ago, and we had them the whole time I was a consultant.  I had 10 years between my MK stint and my LB "career" and I only had one person, a friend of my SIL, say "don't you remember me from when you used to sell Mary Kay?" How embarrassing!

I have not been to one of those Tastefully Simple parties.  I am so out of the party scene.  The last one I went to was Southern Living at Home, which my MIL is selling.  It was about 4 years ago at my SIL's.  I still haven't had a party for her and she finally quit asking! My two SIL's have one about every other month for her.

Ok, done rambling.......

Well, as you can imagine, after selling Mary Kay, Longaberger looks pretty good in comparison!

But I think I've said this before, the whole reason I ever ended up on your blog was because my best friend was body snatched by Arbonne, and instead of selling me anything wanted me to just sign up to be a consultant.  When I told my husband, he just said "please don't".

As if.......

I answered you on the other thread. :o)

I want to love TS...I really do.

I sampled it at a women's conference, where I rented a table to display/sell MK back in the day.

While I like some of the things I sampled, I don't like the price.

8.99 for an 11-oz jar of caramel sauce for ice cream?!

Beer bread mix for $4.99?! Would you like to know what the ingredients are in that Beer Bread mix? Here it is:

Enriched bleached flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour,
enzymes, ascorbic acid, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate,
riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium
bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate), salt, dextrose.

Let me translate that for you: Flour, sugar, leavening agent, baking soda, salt, and more sugar.

That's it. You're paying a premium price for something you could whip up in two seconds at home anyway!

The box is 1 lb 3 oz. You could spend $4.99 TOTAL for a 5 lb bag of flour, box of baking soda, some salt and a 5 lb bag of sugar and make DOZENS of loaves of beer bread. For Pete's sake...you still have to add the beer of course.

Done raving...but it just irritates me. I'm missing out...I should have started an MLM long ago I guess. Look at all these people getting a ridiculously inflated price for basic ingredients, getting people to pay THEM to sell it and making a huge profit.

If you love beer bread, I've got a recipe for it that is super easy. I'll find it and post it in the food section.