STONEHAM - One thousand dollars. That was Lauren Cotter'snumber. The amount her guests needed to spend so she could earn thejewelry on her wish list. A $118 linen bracelet with Swarovskicrystals that's a real conversation piece. A $98 rope chain necklacethat can also be worn as a bracelet, a belt, and a headband. (Yes,it's that versatile!)
It was a Wednesday evening, and the stylish and bubbly Cotter,33, was hosting an old-fashioned home-selling party at her mother'shouse. A program manager for a nonprofit, she threw the party as anexcuse to get together with pals, but also as a way to scoreaccessories. The more her friends, family, and colleagues bought,the more Cotter got for free or at discount.
The lousy economy has brought back not only the Tupperware partyand the Avon Lady, but their spawn: parties at which guests canpurchase virtually anything: exfoliating body scrubs, scrapbookingmaterials, bamboo salad claws, chocolates, even meat. As the varietyof parties has grown, so has the number of people doing the selling.
At Cotter's party, Stella & Dot jewelry was for sale. It's a mid-priced line that's enjoying buzz thanks to fans like Jennifer LoveHewitt, Kara DioGuardi, and Paris Hilton. Between sipping wine andgossiping about Tiger Woods's mistresses, Cotter's guests agreed that while they did not like Paris Hilton, they definitely liked the$79 Stella & Dot hand-painted turquoise enamel necklace she wasspotted wearing on a beach.
Cotter's cousin, Melanie Wall, 30, a vivacious registered nurse,decided to buy two necklaces. She was motivated to shop in partbecause she loved the jewelry, in part to help her cousin earn herhostess reward, and also for the most basic reason anyone doesanything.
'One hand washes the other,' Wall said, explaining that she plansto host her own jewelry-selling party, and figures that if she buysat Cotter's party, Cotter will buy at hers. 'Of course,' Cotter saidsweetly.
Think of it as the retail version of the circle of life.
The Direct Selling Association reports that the number ofindependent sales representatives who hold parties and sell door-to-door, reached 15.1 million in 2008, up from 15 million in 2007,according to the most recent figures available. Cash-for-goldparties, where friends gather at a pal's house to sell their gold,are also growing in popularity. Sales figures, meanwhile, were downslightly, from $30.8 billion in 2007 to $29.6 billion in 2008.
Many people getting into the direct-selling industry are thosewho've been laid off or need additional sources of income, said DSAspokeswoman Amy Robinson. Hosts like Cotter generally earn no money - their rewards are in free or discounted merchandise. Independentsales reps, however, earn a commission on sales.
Carrie McGraw, of Wellesley, started as an independent rep forStella & Dot seven months ago. Her husband is in the financialindustry, she explained, and with the economy the way it is, shedecided to bring in money so the family could 'continue life as weknow it.'
So far her commissions have paid for her children's hockey,ballet, and gymnastics activities, an upcoming trip to Disney World,and the mortgage, gas, and groceries. The job gives her theflexibility to pick up the kids after school and also allows her tospend some pleasurable time socializing in the evenings.
McGraw was working Cotter's party in a pleasant, low-key way, butsales weren't far from her mind. 'That is such a great piece onyou!' she gushed as Wall tried on a necklace. 'With your hair color,the turquoise is stunning.'
Women have dominated the home-party industry since the Tupperwareparties of the late 1940s. But men are starting to get involved,too, and perhaps none are more visible than those working for ManCave, a year-old firm whose sales representatives sell meat,barbecue tools, camouflage hats, and beer mugs at MEATings.
'This is a way for guys to get together and their wives not tosay this is just about hanging out and drinking some beer,' saidJohn Ladue, a Man Cave salesman from West Springfield who has a dayjob selling advertising space.
At his parties, Ladue grills, talks sports, and does 'what guysdo.' He earns a 25 percent commission on purchases made at MEATings,which translates into a couple of hundred dollars per party, hesaid.
'When your job is to hang out with your buddies for a couple ofhours, and you get paid to do that, it's like living the Americandream, as bad as that sounds.'
Not everyone is so enthusiastic about home parties. For some,such invitations feel more like obligations to spend money than anopportunity to socialize. Many unwilling guests take the easy wayout and simply make an excuse, but Trent Hamm, the author of '365Ways to Live Cheap,' and his wife sent a preemptive e-mail askingfriends not to invite them to social-selling parties. In turn, hepromised not to inflict parties on others.
'Why don't you just give your friend two dollars and everyone ishappier?' he said.
Kit Yarrow, a professor of psychology and marketing at GoldenGate University in San Francisco, blames societal changes for thebitterness some invitees feel. She recalled that her mother and herfriends loved home parties because they presented a chance to getout of the house and to buy products not otherwise available.
'But every element of that equation has changed,' she said,noting that women no longer need an excuse to go out with friends,and that purchasing any product at any hour of the day has becomeroutine.
'A good rule of thumb,' she added, 'is to avoid taking PayPal orcredit cards from your friends.'
But home parties are back with a vengeance. Carolann Killinger, astay-at-home mother from Rockland and an independent salesrepresentative, or 'chocolatier,' for Dove Chocolate Discoveries,says that people seek her out asking her to throw parties at theirhomes. She serves brownie kabobs or chocolate martinis while guestsshop for fondue equipment or ingredients for white chocolatesmoothies.
But even as she tries to bring in money by selling at houseparties - she earns a 25 percent commission on sales - Killingersays she understands well the pressure felt by those on the otherside of the invitation. When it's her turn to be a guest, she said,she often finds herself searching her mind for someone - anyone -she knows who needs a gift.
'I already have enough spatulas,' she said, 'I don't wearjewelry, and my husband's a firefighter, so candles are out.' Butshe buys anyway. What are friends are for?
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