I had an interesting inspiration recently. I thought of Amway like Las Vegas. Amway defenders will swoop in and claim that Amway is not gambling, therefore, not a valid comparison. But even with that, I still say Amway is like Las Vegas. The diamonds parade around on stage, trying to display the appearance of success and that "anyone" can do the same. To that, I say "anyone" can put a few dollars in the mega bucks slot machine and hit the big jackpot. As if "anyone" means everyone, which is what is often implied by Amway leaders. I heard comments like "everyone one of you" in this room can go diamond. That's the same as saying everyone one of you that has a lottery ticket can win the mega millions or whatever lottery is being drawn.
While the diamonds portray some dream lifestyle, so does Las Vegas. The strip hotels are fabulous and opulent in luxuries. Just walking through some of the newer hotels can leave you in awe. And all of this can be yours for the right price. You can get almost anything you want in Vegas if you have enough money. In Amway, you can get almost anything you want if you can fool enough people into believing in you, allowing them to follow your coat tails and sign up somewhere in your downlineWhile Vegas might be legendary while the glitz and glamour, the casinos are full of people willing to lose their hard earned money in the hopes of shrinking it rich. The same thing applies in Amway, except that most Vegas visitors understand that the deck is stacked against them and that winning would be great but not expected. In Amway, the downline are led to believe they will all make it big and be on stage as emeralds and diamonds. The stark reality and the insidious part of Amway is that the hotels and can luxurious and opulent while the streets of Vegas are littered with homeless people and the casinos are full on people losing money each and every day.
Las Vegas was not built on winners and the Amway diamonds are not built on winners. Amway is built on millions of people churning and quitting. While in Amway, they hope or believe they will eventually "make it". In the meantime, they spend money on products and training that they would have not otherwise, and that doesn't factor in the loss of time. At least in Las Vegas, even if you lose money, you probably had a good time and a few complimentary meals or perks. The same cannot be said of Amway.
At least in Las Vegas you have one chance in forty of hitting a number at the roulette wheel, and a fifty percent chance of winning if you play Odd or Even, or Black or Red.
ReplyDeleteYour chances in Amway are one percent against 99 percent that you will make any money at all!
Amway is so stupid it is beyond belief that anyone could remain in it for long.
All the payouts from gambling jackpot winners, as well as the impressive gambling infrastructure and the profit of the gambling houses, are built on the contributions (net losses) of gamblers. It should be no surprise because gamblers as a group is by far their most important source of income.
ReplyDeleteAll Amway successes, the Amway corporation's flashy head quarters, Amway's profit, as well as the income for the few distributors who supposedly make it big, are built on the contributions (net losses) of people who thought they were building a business for extra income. It should be no surprise because distributors are by more the majority of buyers of Amway products.
Both are redistribution systems. Both work by skimming money from the very people attempting to earn money through the system. Surprisingly, gambling houses pay about 90% of the money coming in through slot machines, back. Amway pays back 30% of money earned back in commissions according to their own admissions. That is actually very high for household sales commissions (supermarkets barely do 10% commission on household goods, which is part why the Amway products are so expensive, they have to accommodate the 30% in the price). The problem is the 30% gets split amongst a whole army of middlemen. And Amway distributors spend a lot of money on expenses to allegedly improve their business, as well as a not insignificant amount of time. Which means it costs 100 downline a lot more than $10 each to give $1000 to their upline, much more than it would cost 100 gamblers to make another one win $1000, which is not a lot more than $10 each. Gambling, which I do not recommend, is a much more efficient redistribution system. Gamblers as a group loose only 10% of what they put in. I would like to hear that number from Amway distributors, but I know it is not 10%.