LuLaRich

[BitterApple]

I'm not sure if any of you follow Dr. Todd Grande on YouTube. He does great analysis videos on true crime, mental health and human behavior. He just posted his take on LuLaRoe, and it's an interesting watch. He draws a lot of parallels between MLM's and religious cults:

https://youtu.be/dP86akC9lEY

[GaT]

I just finished watching this. I don't know if I've been under a rock, but I don't remember ever hearing of LuLaRoe before, unless like others, I thought they were the same as Lulumon (who I have heard of). The worst thing in all this was the "retire your husband" thing, they really were trying to create a company store where they owned the whole family. I also thought that pretty much all the clothes looked like crap, not sure who their customer (the one that ends up just buying the clothes & not becoming a retailer) is, I don't think anyone trendy is wearing their clothes, & that's coming from someone who hasn't been trendy in years LOL

[Rootbeer]

On 9/23/2021 at 11:51 AM, Quickbeam said:

I watched all the episodes….my one take away was how hideously ugly the merchandise is. I didn’t see a single Lularoe item I would wear even if it was free. I wondered in my head if this was a Pacific coast thing….warm weather living, loud garish prints. 
 

I had a friend who did make a living selling Mary Kay. She hustled and it well supplemented her retirement income. I have no sales gift …. I guess MLM can work, but it is not by saddling sad women with a garage filled with “product”. 

The thing is, Mary Kay lets a consultant buy in for 130 bucks and then she has to purchase just a couple hundred bucks of merchandise over 6 months or so to stay in the game.  LulaRoe required a $2000 buy-in and had women waiting in line for the 'privilege'.

Mary Kay at least gives its consultants a fighting chance at making some dough.  Most of the people who bought the initial 2 grand of merch from LulaRoe never had a chance, especially as the company failed to maintain the quality and foisted unsellable merchandise on their consultants and refused to take any responsibility for it.  Mary Kay is quick to replace any product that arrives in less than perfect condition and never expects a consultant or customer to keep defective product.

[meatball77]

The big difference between LLR and the other bazillions of MLMs out there is the buy in amount and the amount $$ of product that they were requiring their consultants to buy.  Most of the MLM's are catalog sales, so the Huns only need to have their samples to display (which isn't cheap) and then their monthly required sales, they order the products for their customers and deliver them.  So, there are people who just sign up and just sell to their friends and themselves, if they lose everything they are losing $500.  LLR's buy in was like $5,000 along with huge monthly requirements so women were losing tens of thousands of dollars.

The other way that LLR was different (and this could have kept them going had they actually run the business well) was that they didn't allow the distributors to pick out what they would receive in their shipment and every distribute received a different inventory.  This meant that customers would shop from multiple distributors to find their favorite patterns in the correct sizes (and it allowed those facebook lives to be profitable), it also meant that people were stuck with Hamburger Vagina leggings.

If they'd actually used good business practices they would have remained in businesses but they allowed their greed to take over and they grew too fast which led to a major oversaturation of the market.  The total absurdity of how they were handling their product --they couldn't even bother to store their goods in a warehouse or storage area, really--along with the quality tanking is what knocked them out.

Edited September 27, 2021 by meatball77

[merylinkid]

59 minutes ago, meatball77 said:

If they'd actually used good business practices they would have remained in businesses but they allowed their greed to take over and they grew too fast which led to a major oversaturation of the marke

Their business model was based on consultants buying product.   It is clear that it was never about selling products.   Once they cut the bonus checks to actual sales not product bought, everyone got pissed.    So it was all about recruitment and buying from the head office, not actually selling the leggings.   If it was about selling the leggings why not do a deal with Amazon?   Or get in one of the stores?    

I'm going to say this again -- there are NO GOOD MLMs.   Mary Kay isn't better because you lose less money.    You still lose money.    Even the "successful" folks admit they don't make a whole lot from selling.   The top 1% make the money from those lower down being required to buy a certain amount of product every month whether they have the orders to support it or not.  

[Scout Finch]

I own exactly three pieces of patterned clothing and those are tops. I prefer solids, especially from the waist down. I can't imagine buying anything with those garish colors and patterns! Add me to the list of people who were confusing LLR with Lululemon until just recently.

Edited September 30, 2021 by Scout Finch

[auntiemel]

On 9/21/2021 at 11:16 AM, BitterApple said:

 I have some as well. My husband bought me a few pairs from a business associate's wife. This was before the quality went to shit, and the patterns were pretty tame. I have to admit, they were super soft and comfy, and perfect for knocking around the house. However, it's not something I'd buy repeatedly or want a lot of, so I can see how consultants maxed out their customer bases pretty quickly. You can only hit up family and friends so much before they block you on social media. 

Goshengirl1, I was surprised by the company's obsession with weight as well, especially given that the average American woman isn't rail thin. It almost felt like it was just another one of Deanna's controlling Mean Girl tactics, i.e., if you wanted to stay in her clique, you had to do what she said. She certainly wasn't a skinny Minnie in that interview, so apparently she doesn't stick to her own script. 

 

On 9/24/2021 at 9:11 AM, Mrs. Hanson said:

I had to back it up and again!  "Oh yeah, it was so funny!!!  You are cordially invited to the marriage of our daughter to OUR SON!  Ha ha ha ha!!  Oh the hilarity!"   Look, I have a cousin who, through my birth uncle (hate that term) passing before I was born, his widow remarrying and having a son, that male cousin and I have no blood but we ARE COUSINS.   We are related, period.

So......you are so poor you are cutting up a hamburger to split seven ways then you are on a flight?  Look, I used to get the number two cheeseburger meal as a treat for me and my then toddler sons but I was cheap, not broke.  And I didn't then hop a flight.

And I do not buy for one minute the "My mom tossed $3000 in five dollar bills off the banister and said keep what you want."  A couple of things:  way to make your kids fist fight each other over cash, way to treat your kids without parity and WHAT A WASTE OF THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS.

I saw a LLR dress in an upscale thrift store and it was beyond ugly.

Yeah, when I saw that, I was like, "Oh, shit, it's about to become the Hunger Games up in here!"

On 9/24/2021 at 12:23 PM, merylinkid said:

 You know all those MLMs are STILL requiring product purchases each month.   

I realize I'm a rarity, but I'm actually signed up with 3 different MLM companies because I genuinely like the products. None of them require monthly product purchases to stay signed up. I've never signed anyone up under me, I've never sold any of the products, I've never even really talked to the people who signed me up after I was in the system. I just order what I want off of the websites.
 

[Momofgreengables]

The two most shocking things about this documentary were:

#1 - How UGLY these clothes/patterns are: I was searching the entire docu-series for just one piece that I could imagine myself buying/wearing; and I couldn’t find a single one! I never heard of this company before the scandal. When I first started seeing things pop up about the company, like many others mentioned, my first thought was, “Do they mean Lulemon?” I’m surprised the comparison wasn’t brought up in this series. Did this woman purposely choose the name of her company to resemble an already successful one to piggyback off their success? 

#2 - How they stored boxes and boxes of inventory OUTSIDE, knowing it was getting rained on and moldy: I wonder how those conversations in management went? I wish the interviewers had asked the owners if they knew about that and why they allowed that clothing to be sent out anyway. Of course, they would have slithered around the truth like they always did when confronted; but I would have liked to see it. What in the world could have been going through their heads in sending out this obviously ruined merchandise!?! Did they tell their workers to include one or two wet and moldy pieces in each order in the hopes that no one person would get too much and make a huge fuss? Did they assume that each person would just shrug off a piece or two? Even if they were short on space, surely they could have found somewhere to store these pieces that wasn’t OUTSIDE! Whose bright idea was this??? 

[Sugarbeetle]

On 10/1/2021 at 2:38 PM, Momofgreengables said:

2 - How they stored boxes and boxes of inventory OUTSIDE, knowing it was getting rained on and moldy: I wonder how those conversations in management went?

I just completed a supply chain management course for grad school, and I gasped when I saw this part. This is what happens when you expand without doing any kind of strategic assessment or forecasting of your supply chain. This is what happens when you use Google Sheets to manage sales and inventory rather than proper supply chain and sales management tools. Oh and hiring your uneducated children to run major departments. See people deserve to fail. 

[applecrisp]

On 9/24/2021 at 3:08 PM, jmcd44 said:

This is extremely unverified, but in the LLR Facebook group I'm in (never sold/bought LLR, just loved the documentary), the claim is that the doctor/one of the doctors at Obesity 4 Me in Tijuana is related to Deanne and her sister. 

I could've watched four more episodes at least.

Watch The Way Down on HBO. It is about a registered dietitian who started in weigh loss and ended up with a church and cult. She is based out Nashville. 

Tip: watch her hair.

[Sugarbeetle]

On 10/4/2021 at 9:38 AM, applecrisp said:

Tip: watch her hair.

The ads alone! That hair is insane, and I was a teenager in the late 80s/early 90s. 

[Cinnabon]

This forum disappeared from my home page? Makes it hard to find and keep up with comments.

[MaggieG]

Well this was fascinating. I own one pair of LLR leggings, I got them from a friend of a friend who was selling them on FB at the height of the craze. I got them mainly because I love leggings and this was the only pair that had a not so crazy pattern. I found out later that she wasn't actually a LLR retailer, she would go to parties herself, buy several leggings pretending they were for her, but then would resell them. Not sure if she ever got in trouble for that.

I also would have liked a few more interviews with people on the bottom who made almost no profit. I cannot believe some of these women making $40k a month in bonus checks. Some people make that in a year! You would think they would have saved some of it. 

I just had to laugh at the irony of cousin Sam getting scammed himself by a weed dispensary (was that what it was, I can't remember the details). At least Courtney didn't fall for that one. 

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, MaggieG said:

Not sure if she ever got in trouble for that.

Well that's pretty smart.  Did she sell them for more than what she bought them for?

And I don't think she can get in trouble for selling a tangible object she purchased.  I supposed LLR could get onto her and tell their partners not to sell to her any longer but the partners might not care.

[MaggieG]

9 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Well that's pretty smart.  Did she sell them for more than what she bought them for?

And I don't think she can get in trouble for selling a tangible object she purchased.  I supposed LLR could get onto her and tell their partners not to sell to her any longer but the partners might not care.

I'm not sure how much she bought them for, I wish I could remember how much I paid for them. Maybe $15 or $20? After watching the doc and learning about the $5k buy in, I figured at the time she couldn't afford the buy in which is why she did it that way. I don't think she sold them for very long because she stopped posting about it after a while.

[MicheleinPhilly]

38 minutes ago, MaggieG said:

I'm not sure how much she bought them for, I wish I could remember how much I paid for them. Maybe $15 or $20? After watching the doc and learning about the $5k buy in, I figured at the time she couldn't afford the buy in which is why she did it that way. I don't think she sold them for very long because she stopped posting about it after a while.

This reminds me - does anyone who has done a deep dive into this know what you receive in return for the $5,000? Like how many pieces of clothing does it buy you? Because for $5,000 I would expect them to send me 1,000 pieces of their crap but I suspect it is SIGNIFICANTLY less. 

[peachmangosteen]

On 10/13/2021 at 1:49 PM, MicheleinPhilly said:

This reminds me - does anyone who has done a deep dive into this know what you receive in return for the $5,000? Like how many pieces of clothing does it buy you? Because for $5,000 I would expect them to send me 1,000 pieces of their crap but I suspect it is SIGNIFICANTLY less. 

At some point, I believe they showed the different tiers and what you got for what amount of money. It was pretty quick so you'd have to pause it to see everything. And I don't remember where exactly it was. So, no help basically lol.

[Scarlett45]

On 9/23/2021 at 11:31 AM, Melina22 said:

Years ago, a lady in our neighbourhood did really well selling Avon cosmetics (do you have Avon in the US?). She's the only woman I ever knew who did, but "hustle" is the perfect word for what she did. (In the sense of work hard, not in the scamming sense.) She went door-to-door on a regular basis, showing the latest products. Every time I decided I wouldn't buy anything, and every time she convinced me to buy something. I was never mad though because I never felt pressured and always liked what I bought. Wow, she was such a great salesperson. One in a thousand really. I haven't met anyone like her since. 

Yes we have Avon in the USA. They are pretty popular in the black community, my Mom’s generation (baby boomers) always knew an “Avon Lady”. 
 

I have a few pair of LulaRoe leggings/items because they did this Disney collaboration and I went “oh park clothes!” I had no idea what the back story was, and two of my Facebook friends were sellers. My items are still holding up from 2017 (my mom has some of their tunic type things) but if I knew what I know now I wouldn’t have participated. 

On 9/25/2021 at 3:56 PM, merylinkid said:

Like if you didn't get one of those 3000 pairs of ugly ass leggings your life was OVER.   Which I will say that was one thing they got right -- scarcity breeds demand.   FOMO is real and they milked it for all its worth. 

I know! They really played into the psychology of it. I was not going to work that hard for Nightmare Before Christmas leggings🤣. I do like my fun Halloween ones and I got some Olaf one’s on Mercari to wear to a child’s birthday party. I then found out that the leggings are PERFECT under work pants in the winter. They keep the body heat in and are not binding, and so thin your trousers just go on and lay nicely. Before COVID I loved them under work clothes when I was on public transit during a Chicago winter. 
 

The documentary was interesting. I learned more about the origins of the company and how the grew and then crashed. I don’t purchase items from MLMs any more- but Lularoe is not going to end up a Mary Kay or an Avon. 
 

I did always know they were a different company than Lulemon. 

 

On 10/13/2021 at 12:49 PM, MicheleinPhilly said:

This reminds me - does anyone who has done a deep dive into this know what you receive in return for the $5,000? Like how many pieces of clothing does it buy you? Because for $5,000 I would expect them to send me 1,000 pieces of their crap but I suspect it is SIGNIFICANTLY less. 

Approx 305 pieces accord to this article.

[Mrs. Hanson]

I finished episode #1, not sure that I want to watch people lie to me for three more hours but hey I guess I can bite the bullet. 

I don't feel sorry for these people who TAKE ON DEBT via credit card or a bank loan - the lady who took out a loan without her husband's knowledge?  Geezaloo.  Not a sexist at all, but that hubby should have driven her back to the bank and returned the loan, paid it back asap and then taken control of their finances.  I mean, you have a husband,  You have kids.  Don't buy into this stupid dream.

[auntiemel]

I just wanted to add that, in this day and age of the internet--especially in a gig economy--there are a lot (and I mean A LOT) of ways to earn a side income with absolutely no startup costs. There are even more you could get started for less than $100.

I've been making a living entirely online since 2006. Just like with MLMs, in internet marketing there are a lot of get rich quick scammers out there who will sell you a dream for a high cost, and not a lot of practical follow through. And a lot of people can't/don't gnore those. But they should. LOL.

I'm just posting this because I feel like there might be people who watched this doc because they've been in MLMs, or they were tempted by them, because they are just SO desperate to make a little extra money on a flexible schedule, just to make their family's lives a little bit easier.

I've known a lot of people who were working to build their MLM businesses. The vast majority of them did not dream of $40,000 bonus checks. They dreamed of making their kids' Christmas a little better, or socking a way a little every month to take their family on a nice vacation in the summer.

If that's you--I just want you to know that that IS possible, and there is a better way. You don't have to fall victim to these people!

I won't get into a whole detailed roadmap, but here are some points to consider:
 

• Think about what skills you might have, and then offer them up as a service. Can you write? Design websites? Act as a personal assistant? Even if you don't have a perfectly packaged skillset, think about your strengths. Are you creative? Detail-oriented? A people person? Brainstorm a list of what those strengths might lend themselves to, or Google it, and then offer up those services on marketplaces.
• In this day and age, you can learn anything and everything on the internet. So, if you don't have a skill that's in demand, you can learn it. Go on forums and find out what service providers people are looking for. Do they need Wordpress help? Do they need search engine visibility? Do they need copy written? There is legitimately almost no skill in the world that you couldn't learn via YouTube. Or, if a more structured environment suits you better, you could drop $10 a month on Skillshare. I f'love Skillshare! Once you've learned that skill, offer it up as a service on marketplaces.
• If you can make things, then make them and put them up for sale. Write books (fiction or non-fiction) and offer them via Amazon. Design things (mugs, t-shirts, printable planners, wall art) and put them up on Etsy. Make videos about your passion and put them up on YouTube. There are so many possibilities.
• Lastly--and this is the most important tip--this will not make you a millionaire. Especially not overnight. LOL. People who make real fortunes on the internet have advertising budgets, marketing savvy, and years of experience. Anyone who tells you that you can easily get there overnight just by buying their course is LYING TO YOU!
  
  But what I've described here will build up quicker than you think into a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a month. And you don't have to make outrageous commitments to anyone (read: join a cult) to get it. LOL  You will TRULY be your own boss. And you won't have to spend a lot of money, or even ANY money, to start. It is hard work, but it pays off.
  
  If this situation describes you, I really hope this was helpful, and I truly wish you the best! ☺️

[TattleTeeny]

These Stidhams are horrible but I can't help but wonder if they deliberately planned to be so sleazy. Note that I am not defending or protecting or apologizing for them, but I am somewhat skeptical that either one of them is smart enough to have created what would amount to a "long con" -- especially if the products were of a much higher quality early on. I think they started out with more or less pure intentions and then took a greedy, sleazy turn when the opportunities arose to cheap out on fabric and manufacturing and storage and on how to treat people.

Oh, and if they had that much dough for bonuses -- I mean, lots of people would feel ecstatic to get a fraction of those! -- why not just, you know, spend more on the company and product? Or cap the number of associates? Because that was confusing to me too: if you were a seller in a certain geographic area, I assume the people physically attending your parties would also be in about that same area. So, while recruiting them to work under you would gain you what is almost free money, it would also saturate the area with sellers and who would want that? Or was that explained away because different people had different styles of the clothes?

I like the designer chick; she would totally be my work friend.

Also, I'd be the worst person to approach to do a thing like this! Maybe I'd buy something from a friend but hell no to selling anything. I'd also probably ask why in hell I'd pay $25 for stuff that is not that different from &12 Target options (unless the early quality was something really special?). I am going to look at Goodwill for this brand -- not to buy it but just to get a look at it!

Quote

She bugged me a bit. Her whole “I create art for a living” No you stole designs and changed them 20%. Not my definition of art.

Quote

Also the artist lady bugged.   No changing something 20% does not make it okay or avoid copyright infringement.    It's still derivative. 

Points about what constitutes art aside, that copyright infringement rule is pretty standard, even for non-"art" art, like charts and graphs (which I often see in my current job; we can change the styles of those elements by at least 20% or reprint exactly after confirming with the content owner and applying the content owner's preferred copyright disclaimer). Same as my last job, which was the creative team for a retailer's online and print publications. And you still need the skills of a trained designer to make those changes. That said, whether this is some “official” thing or just some random “understanding,” I have no clue; my pint is merely that the LLR people didn’t make it up for their own gain (shockingly).

Edited December 6, 2021 by TattleTeeny

[Quilt Fairy]

I came across a preview for a new documentary about LuLaRoe, this one on Discovery+:

Quote

New York, NY – November 17, 2021 – discovery+ announced today the revealing new documentary, THE RISE AND FALL OF LULAROE, a film that pulls the curtain back on the multi-level marketing company and features interviews with retailers, warehouse workers, designers and others whose lives were profoundly impacted by the organization. Through a partnership with BuzzFeed Studios and journalist Stephanie McNeal’s in-depth investigation, THE RISE AND FALL OF LULAROE uncovers parts of the story that haven’t been heard before, including recent developments and first hand accounts from sources who are speaking out for the first time. It includes authorities such as cult expert, Rick Ross, Cultish author Amanda Montell, and blogger Christina Hinks, who was one of the first to expose LuLaRoe’s innerworkings. The film will world premiere December 13th on discovery+, the definitive non-fiction, real-life subscription streaming service.

 

[chocolatine]

On 12/14/2021 at 7:46 PM, Quilt Fairy said:

I came across a preview for a new documentary about LuLaRoe, this one on Discovery+:

I saw the trailer for this on YouTube and the people in it seem to have even more of a victim complex than the ones in the Amazon series, talking about "the American Dream" and crying about everything they've lost. I don't feel sorry for anyone who thinks that "the American Dream" means easy money.

Edited December 19, 2021 by chocolatine

[Minivanessa]

On 12/14/2021 at 8:46 PM, Quilt Fairy said:

I came across a preview for a new documentary about LuLaRoe, this one on Discovery+:

 

On 12/15/2021 at 10:06 PM, chocolatine said:

I saw the trailer for this on YouTube and the people in it seem to have even more of a victim complex than the ones in the Amazon series, talking about "the American Dream" and crying about everything they've lost. I don't feel sorry for anyone who thinks that "the American Dream" means easy money.

I watched the Discovery+ documentary. I thought it wasn't nearly as well done as the LulaRich docuseries. Repetitive and meandering.

A former LLR hun, Jill Domme, is front and center throughout. I thought she looked familiar. Yep - she's the one in a YT video "I Filed For Bankruptcy After Lularoe And Now Work 2 Jobs." In which we learn that (a) this was her second bankruptcy and (b) she's still on the MLM train, now with two other MLMs. At the end of the Discovery+ show she reveals she's still shilling for those two MLMs.

I have no love for MLMs in general or LulaRoe in particular. And also no particular admiration for Ms. Domme's money management skills* or her career choices. Because I believe there are no good MLMs. At all. 

*ETA: In the Vice YT video I linked to, it's disclosed that her background includes a "shopping addiction" which apparently led to her first bankruptcy, and that "Jill is now working to pay off $39k+ in tax debt." Okay, then. 

Edited December 27, 2021 by Jeeves

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, Jeeves said:

*ETA: In the Vice YT video I linked to, it's disclosed that her background includes a "shopping addiction" which apparently led to her first bankruptcy, and that "Jill is now working to pay off $39k+ in tax debt." Okay, then. 

If someone has that much tax debt, it means they've earned six figures. There's no excuse for being so bad at managing money in this day and age when anyone can check out a personal finance book for free at their local library, and there are a ton of free online resources as well.

[Quilt Fairy]

13 hours ago, Jeeves said:

I watched the Discovery+ documentary. I thought it wasn't nearly as well done as the LulaRich docuseries. Repetitive and meandering.

Thanks for taking the hit for us, @Jeeves.

[Linderhill]

I just watched this over the weekend.  My niece loves Lularoe clothing because of the easiness of the knits.  I haven't heard of any quality issues with items she's had.  I hadn't even heard of it before my niece started wearing it.  Interesting program, I might have to check out the Discovery+ show now.

[magpye29]

You can find a lot of Lularoe items at consignment stores here where I ;ive (SE Massachusetts). @Almost_3000 is correct about the leggings--they really are soft and comfortable. I have a couple of the dresses, too--the A-line style. Very easy to wear, which is great when you're the substitute  teacher at your school and don't know what grade you'll be working in on any given day. I am built like an apple on two pretzel rods, and the A-line is very forgiving. Also, I like loud print pants, so that appealed to me.

I had a friend who used to sell Mary Kay. I never liked the product that much, because the consultants always looked a little garish to me (not my friend, though--she kept to a muted palette). Anyway, when her husband retired from the Army, she decided it was time to let the Mary Kay go. She was mortified at how much product she had, knowing that she would only get a small fraction of the money she'd spent on it back. She consigned some, had a sale at her house, and had a couple of yard sales and STILL had boxes of product. I don't remember what she eventually did with it all, but I still have some of the Satin Hands lotion I bought from her.

Edited January 24, 2022 by magpye29
clarity

[Scarlett45]

On 1/24/2022 at 1:14 PM, magpye29 said:

I had a friend who used to sell Mary Kay. I never liked the product that much, because the consultants always looked a little garish to me (not my friend, though--she kept to a muted palette). Anyway, when her husband retired from the Army, she decided it was time to let the Mary Kay go. She was mortified at how much product she had, knowing that she would only get a small fraction of the money she'd spent on it back. She consigned some, had a sale at her house, and had a couple of yard sales and STILL had boxes of product. I don't remember what she eventually did with it all, but I still have some of the Satin Hands lotion I bought from her.

Yeah most consultants end up with a bunch of inventory. With the Mary Kay items, assuming they weren’t expired I would donate them to a shelter or to organizations that help women in need. Personal care products can get expensive, and I can believe that when someone is going through an awful and stressful time- at least knowing you have toiletries can do wonders for your mood and making you feel a tiny bit secure. Also try going for a job interview without a proper outfit, and depending on your skin type/hair texture no products- women are held to a high standard of what’s “professional”. 

 

On 1/24/2022 at 1:14 PM, magpye29 said:

You can find a lot of Lularoe items at consignment stores here where I ;ive (SE Massachusetts). @Almost_3000 is correct about the leggings--they really are soft and comfortable.

The Lularoe leggings SAVE ME during Chicago winters. They layer perfectly under any pair of pants, and when it’s -5 like today, I am thankful for them. I also like them as pjs. I may buy more on Poshmark/Mercari. 

[monagatuna]

On 9/29/2021 at 5:19 PM, Scout Finch said:

Add me to the list of people who were confusing LLR with Lululemon until just recently.

A lot of people make this mistake--in fact I was googling around to see if LLL had ever sued LLR for trademark infringement* and one of the autofill suggestions on Google was "lululemon pyramid scheme." So you're not alone in being confused.

*For those of you unfamiliar, trademark laws stem from a policy argument of consumer protection. You can have the same/similar name or marks (logos) as a different company as long as it wouldn't confuse the consumer. So, for example, you could have a web engine called Surf's Up, and you won't infringe on the trademark of a surf shop of the same name. 

But two clothing companies, both of which have cult followings, with such similar names? Market confusion is rampant. Just based on the name, it's no surprise that a brick-and-mortar legitimate business that sells high-end sportswear famous for its leggings gets confused with a similarly-named scam company famous for its leggings. Alas, I couldn't find anything about any TM suits by LLL. My guess is that they have their own problems (quality control issues, size inclusivity issues), and they're, if I'm being honest, too hoity-toity to believe their high-end product sold in shiny stores on Rodeo and 5th Avenue will be confused with ugly, cheap leggings peddled by desperate moms in Utah. In fact, knowing how LLL rolls, it wouldn't surprise me if they saw cheap knock-offs as a tool to weed out people who can't afford their products.

Don't get me wrong; I love lululemon. I have a number of their garments and have run thousands of miles in each, and even years later they all look nearly-new. They are absolutely worth the price if you're able to invest in good workout clothing. But to say that women susceptible to these kinds of schemes are not their target market would be putting it lightly. That's the only explanation I can think of behind why LLL would not be more protective of its brand (or, perhaps, their attorneys have run the numbers and found it would not be worth the expense/effort--TM suits are very hard to prosecute, so it might be a longshot based on the distinctions between the brands).

[Dianaofthehunt]

Late to the party, as usual!

I watched this series in one go this afternoon, as a preparation for the upcoming “Shiny Happy People” by the same documentarians. 

As other forum members have said, most of my observations have already been covered.  But here are some nagging things that BUG the HELL outta me.

As a woman and a feminist, I was furious and embarrassed by the childishness on display, from the exaggerated fem voices, to the unbelievable naïveté of the housewives, to the clumsily executed prints. And the inevitable, vomit-inducing religiosity!

Issues not mentioned that I wanted to know about: at what point did production move from Deanne’s dining room table to Pacific Rim countries and their woefully underpaid workers? And at no point was fiber content of the merchandise mentioned…I’ll bet those bales of trash have never been near a cotton farm. 
And the adolescent cooing about how “sooooft” the stuff is…must we continue our adult lives as toddlers in footed pajamas? No wonder the rest of the world thinks we’re idiots.

No serious adult woman would set foot outside her door clothed in that trash, unless she’s checking the mailbox. This series was an inadvertent lesson in how unfulfilling housewifery is. Please; make a real living.

 

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Dianaofthehunt

[mostlylurking]

Add me to those that are late to the party!  I just finished watching Shiny Happy People so I thought I’d take a look at this as well.  Woo boy.  This was bad.  I’m on the last episode.  Like everyone else has said, what’s stuck out the most was how massively UGLY these leggings were.  It’s like they were trying to out ugly each other.  If I was that designer lady I would have been embarrassed to put out such ugly creations.  I would not want to be associated with this in any way, but I guess for some bad publicity is better than none at all.

I had heard of LuLaRoe but never bought anything from them as I have a zero tolerance policy on MLMs.  I didn’t really feel bad for any of them.  Even the lady wearing the flannel shirt, who came across the most sympathetic, bothered me when she thought she could just say “Peace, I‘m out!” And all would be forgiven.  Umm.  No.  She was complicit and was partially responsible for all those people underneath her who lost their life savings.  Yes, ultimately it was their decision but preying on weak or desperate people is not ok.