PSPS Day 3 - 10/29/2019

Day three of no power.

Power went out on Saturday evening, Oct 26, 2019, at 7:06pm. We were mentally prepared, had already gotten out candles, flashlights, etc. But since we were not sure of when it would go off, it was still a surprise. I had just picked up my headlamp/flashlight and had it like a bracelet around my wrist, and sat on the edge of my bed to charge my phone, when ploof, there went the power. It was just dark enough that we had to light the candles to eat dinner, which prompted Rosalie to say, we should eat by candlelight all the time!

Sunday was a time of calm mixed with stress and anxiety. We are lucky that UVAC (the gym) has a generator and has stayed open during this entire time. We brought Rosalie to entertain her, as well as ourselves, on Sunday. I spent some time on the treadmill and elliptical while she sat with Alex in the lobby and colored in her coloring book. We had heard of a fire in Potter Valley earlier that morning, but thought it was already contained, when we got warnings that in fact, it had spread and was prompting evacuations along highway 20. I decided to take Rosalie to the pool anyway, and we were in the pool and swimming happily when Alex came over to share more news. It was getting worse and I began to get nervous -- but what can you do? It was far enough away that we were not in danger, and not even really in danger of getting an evacuation warning, so staying and swimming seemed like the best thing to do.

We found out later that evening that Rosalie's school would stay open during the power outage, so we prepared to get ready for a somewhat "normal" week for her.

Without work, it certainly doesn't feel normal to me. Plus, with the sun going down earlier and earlier, and no lights in the evenings, I have been going to bed earlier than usual, and getting up earlier than usual too. Reading a lot. Good thing I checked out a bunch of books at the library.

It's a strange, surreal time.

What did I get myself into? My Lularoe experience

Note: I was never a consultant, although at one point I seriously considered it! I was "in deep" but only as a customer.

In early 2016, I was invited by a friend to a small brunch "party" to check out some cool new clothes I had seen her posting about online. I was intrigued. Not typically one to wear leggings, but I was about 10 months postpartum and feeling like I could use a new wardrobe. I was sick of still wearing my maternity clothes while carrying around my darling sweet little baby (who was quickly approaching 1 year old!). What's the harm in just going to take a look, I thought?

I convinced my husband to stop by, after our morning brunch, "just for a minute". He stayed with the baby in the car while I ran into my friend's mom's house. There were racks of clothing, baskets of leggings, women milling around, snacks on a back table. Friendly people asking me if I had any questions. Great! What could be easier than shopping for clothes in someone's house? I have always hated shopping and it only got worse with my postpartum body. I felt some of the shirts and dresses, which had fabrics I didn't really care for. They felt thick, and I knew I would get too hot in them. I tried on one just for fun, and it was way too tight! Not for me. Then I felt the leggings. Oh my goodness, they were so soft!

I remember pulling them on gently, thinking, there is no way these are going to be comfortable. Nothing fits me. But I was wrong! They felt smooth and cradled me nicely. I was so surprised they fit! I went back and forth about buying them -- after all, $25 is a lot for a pair of leggings! But I caved, and bought them. Even though I didn't love the pattern. Even though they were mostly green, a color I don't wear often. I think the fact that they fit, and fit well, won me over. I fell down the LuLaRoe hole, at that precise moment. It was March 2016. Little did I know it would take me nearly three years to crawl back out.

Snowball effect

I began buying more, slowly. A pair of leggings here, a skirt there. I bought a few shirts, and I liked how they were long enough to cover my rear. I liked the stretchy waistband of the skirts. They didn't dig into my sides. I felt pretty again. I liked the patterns, I found solids in colors I liked. One of my friends began a shop, so I bought some things from her. Then I found that there were tons and tons of people all over the country selling! I could search all the groups and find the best stuff! I bought and bought, sometimes late at night, on my phone, while my husband slept. 

The company was purposely creating a sense of urgency, by only making 2,500 items in each fabric. I don't know when I found that out but I knew from the beginning that if you saw it and you liked it, it was now or never. The likelihood of finding the same fabric/pattern in the same size or style was low. So there was this little voice in the back of my head, telling me to buy or it would be gone forever! I still remember one Amelia dress I didn't buy, because I hadn't yet tried one on in person and I wasn't sure of my size. It was black with a cool design that made it look like it was covered with lace. It would have fit me. But I passed and someone else snapped it right up. Sad face.

There were these enormous groups on Facebook, "VIP" groups, for each consultant. They were easy to join. We weren't VIPs. We were just regular people who were buying overpriced shitty quality clothes, and doing it willingly! I readily admit that I was one of those folks, for almost three years! There were so many women clamoring to buy buy buy! That also created pressure, knowing that someone else was there waiting to buy it, if I didn't claim a piece right away. There was always a small feeling of satisfaction if I got something and someone else also wanted it, kind of like a validation that it was a valuable item of clothing. 

What about the clothes?

The clothes were anything from a standard solid cotton t-shirt to a highly patterned polyester/spandex blend. I found a few fabrics that were unusual, like modal. Super soft! There were rayon blends. Something they were calling "jacquard" which meant that the pattern was woven into the fabric instead of being printed onto it. There were sweater-like knits, and some lace patterned as well. The variety was pretty cool but it was hard to buy online because even if I asked about the fabric content of the clothes that didn't always tell the whole story. Some of the poly/spandex blends were super stretchy, and some were less stretchy. Some were "slinky" and some were "cottony". But this aspect made it fun to search for things, too. And with a baby, and living in a small town with few choices for clothes shopping, online shopping just made sense. At least it seemed to at the time. 

The tags insisted that I needed to wash on gentle and hang to dry. Soon I had clothes hanging all over, so I wouldn't "ruin" them. After a while I gave up hang drying, it was just too much of a PITA! I started washing cold/gentle, and drying on the delicates/low heat setting. Some of my clothes showed pilling and signs of wear. One of my pretty lace coverups was ruined. I took it back to the consultant who I had gotten it from (also a local gal, and a friend) who let me pick out a different one and she tried to send it back to the company as "damaged". I have no idea whether she was refunded or credited for that item. After that I would hang dry a few select items (or just not wash them as frequently, especially the sweater/cardigan things since they didn't really get that dirty) and it was all good for another few years. I had a wardrobe of fun, comfy clothes. I got compliments! People asked me where I got them! It felt good, for a while.

When did the tide being to turn?

I've been trying to piece together when things started to turn around for me, and also for the company. I know at some point I took a step back and realized I had spent thousands of dollars on a whole new wardrobe, over the course of 2+ years. Maybe that's not totally ridiculous. But after a lifetime of getting hand-me-downs, buying clothes at second hand stores or discount stores like Walmart and Ross, and wearing things for as long as possible, I went from spending maybe $200 per year on clothes to $1000+ per year on clothes. Truth is, I haven't even added it all up. I'm a little scared to face my reality. 

It is an interesting phenomenon that I didn't blink an eye when spending $35 on a t-shirt but I look at items at a store and I seriously question whether I need it or not. For example, I was strolling through Target yesterday, by myself, with nothing in particular on my list. I was perusing the women's dept. There was a rack of cardigans, light grey, dark grey, and soft pink. Hmm, cute. And super super soft! They have my size in the light grey! Awesome! Then I looked at the price tag. It was $22.99. I didn't even try it on, let alone buy it. Why is that? Is it that I can go back to Target and buy it later if I want to, so there is no urgency? 

I noticed early on, that while more and more people I knew personally were becoming consultants and buying into this gig, there were also people leaving. One of the biggest sellers I purchased from early on had a big clearance when they went out of business. I got some cute dresses I still wear for much much lower that retail, and probably even lower than the wholesale price paid for them. At that time, even the stuff that was left when consultants were GOOBing was cute. So it was a good way to add to my wardrobe more cheaply. Then my friend who had been one of the first people to mention the company to me also went out of business. I bought as much as I could from her, just to help her get rid of her inventory and move on (it was also stuff I knew I would wear). She got her first inventory right around the same time I was invited to my first pop up here when I bought my first pair of leggings. 

With so many consultants going out of business it seemed like a good time to get some massive deals on clothes! But I was finding fewer and fewer that I actually liked. The bright patterned outfits started to seem really tacky to me. The Carly dresses, while comfy, started to feel like the most unflattering things in the world to wear. (Side note: they are, probably.) Layering everything was getting annoying. The leggings weren't fitting as well, and some had giant holes! I was luckier than some, and only got a few leggings with holes (which I returned) but that debacle also led me to find a Facebook group called LuLaRoe Defectives - the original group is long gone, having been "zucced" (i.e. shut down by Facebook). There is a new group, as well as a subreddit I follow, specifically related to LuLaRoe. I have in the last few weeks immersed myself in the truth about this company, what it has done to former consultants lives, and what it is still doing to the current "retailers". 

Currently, there are 37 lawsuits filed against LuLaRoe and LLR. Some are for copyright infringement for stealing the images and designs on their clothes from artists. In one case they even left the artists watermark on the leggings. Seriously. The biggest and most recent is a class action lawsuit filed by the Washington State Attorney General. This one is a big deal because they specifically name the owners/founders in the lawsuit, and they are openly accusing them of running an illegal pyramid scheme. It's no surprise to me, really - although I had my head in the sand for a long time about that. Anytime there is compensation for something your "downline" does, or there are bonuses paid out for product purchased by the consultant rather than product sold to the end consumer, you are running an illegal pyramid scheme. It's not that complicated. 

I feel pretty embarrassed and exasperated by the entire thing, and although I still wear my LuLaRoe clothes I am starting to slowly begin replacing my wardrobe with other brands. I'm glad my friend got out when she did. I still have a few contacts with people who are still selling and I worry about their well-being given all that I have learned.

Multi-level marketing, direct sales, network marketing - whatever you call it, it's the same. Pyramid. And in my opinion these schemes are preying on people and destroying our country.