Can I Attend a Sales Party If I Know I Won't Buy Anything?

That is the entire reason I have one :) I will be having a tastefully simple party next month just so that I can get some kid free time, hang out with my friends, and try some yummy food at the same time. I would not be upset if someone came and did not buy anything.

I always tell my friend I'd like to go but most likely won't buy anything, and they've never had a problem with it and I've never bought anything. I was just invited to a jewelry party and the friend was upfront with, you dont have to buy anything, just come have a good time.

The people I know that have had parties, thier biggest fear was that no one would show up and it would be a big flop. So showing up is actually a supportive thing to do. When I have gone and known there was no way I would buy anything, I would offer to help or bring an appetizer or something. I've also taken other people with me that might buy something and the hosts appreciated that.

Like everyone said, don't feel pressured. I just had a Mary Kay party and I know my one good friend didnt' buy anything. And the thing was, my free or discounted stuff didn't depend on the sales of my party. It was based off of how many people attended and the number of "bookings" the lady got (like people booking parties or facials w/her)

what kind of party is it? I agree with others - that YES you should go and NO there should be no problem with it.

But I ask what kind of party it is b/c when I used to sell Mary Kay - I would pay for those samples of eyeshadow and those mascara throw-away wands and those pressed powder samples. It added up. Also paid for the pamphlets. So don't take a pamphlet if you're going to take it home and trash it. The seller would probably prefer you don't take one if you're just taking it to be nice.

I totally wish I had a party to go to just to get out of the house.

Offer to be her assitant if she needs one (to pass out cotton balls or mirrors) if the host is indeed your friend. She'll appreciate your support.

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Absolutely!! I have parties like this to have people over...everyone wants a REASON to go and sometimes just chilling isn't it. So yea, I do not get upset if people don't buy at mine. Of course it's nice because I get more free...but I always tell people not to be pressured. If you don't like the stuff or can't afford it, TRUST me I understand :). Go and have fun!!

If the host is your friend then it should be fine. I have gone to a couple different sales parties without buying anything. Just let them know that you are already at your spending budget for the month and that you can't buy anything, but that you would love to come to the party if its ok. I'm sure it will be.

Just show up.
Don't worry about buying anything if you can't. Seriously, these parties can be really fun without the buying aspect. Most are awarded points for attendance and not actual sales. Besides, how sad for someone to go through the trouble and have no one show up because they're worried about having to buy?
The people who agree to book the party get points for doing so and often get free stuff so why not just have a break from the kids and attend the gathering?
Don't take your purse. Take your driver's license in your pocket and that's it.
Some people will buy, some people won't, but it's a huge pain to organize a party like that for people to be too afraid to come. A turnout is the most important thing. The distributor or whoever she is still has to load her stuff up and take an evening out of her time whether anyone buys anything. It can at least be fun. I honestly don't know anyone who believes they will get rich on these parties.

I say go and have a great time. Support the person who invited you with your presence.

Best wishes.

If you are invited to a sales party and can not buy anything that is fine. Attending does not mean you are under any obligation. However, if you ASKED to be invited, you should purchase something no matter how small. If you are not sure, tell the hostess ahead of time that you would love to attend but know you can not purchase anything. Take your lead from her.

I may be the only one with opinion, but here it goes. It depends on the type of party. If it is Tupperware party or even a pampered chef party then I say go right ahead. If it is a MaryKay party or a spa party, where the person who is selling is using product or doing an actual service, then it would my opinion that you should skip it. This is coming from me because I have done home parties as a job and as the seller it is very frustrating if you use $40 or $50 worth of products and then no one buys anything. So then the poor woman (who is probably doing it not because she "believes" in the product, blah, blah, blah) who is trying to make some extra cash to help her family out, is out not only her time but also the cost of goods, which trust me, she did not get for free. Sorry for the run on sentences :)

Yes you can - and I have done that before. I have told my friend IN ADVANCE that I will not be purchasing anything. In most cases, they have several people who have said the same thing and either stick with it or just cave in and get something.

We, too, are following Dave Ramsey's road to financial freedom (Total Money Makeover) and at the rate we're going, we'll have our 12K car paid off in one year :)

I would just go and tell them that there really isn't anything that you are interested in. But I wouldn't say that before the party cause then they would think that you just want to go and get free food. Maybe there will be something small and reasonable that you could buy. If you tell them ahead of time then they will most likely not invite you again. You are never obligated to buy something just because they invited you. Thats like going to a yard sale. If you don't see something then you don't buy. Simple as that. Have fun at the party.

Please go. Like the others have said, let the host know in advance that you are not intending on buying. If it is a friend, she shouldn't care. They (consultants) count on hooking you into getting 'something' once you are there to see how wonderful their products are. Also, many times the host will get a little something extra for X number of people attending. Stay strong and just say no. I already know you will....Dave's Snowball is a great motivator!

BTW: I have been on all three sides of this scenario (consultant, host, party-goer that doesn't buy) and at no time in any of these rolls did I feel anything was wrong with it. Have fun!! :)

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***EDIT***
When I was a consultant, the products I showed were my own. I did not need to buy samples for trials (like Mary Kay parties). I did however have to buy the pamphlets, catalogues, receipts, future host incentives (to get guests to book a party), and door prizes. I also gave a gift to anyone that was invited that brought another person. These things came out of my own pocket, and I certainly did not go into business to lose money. I did not care if people came or not but the more the merrier even if sales were low. Just don't take anything with you. (Some parties with low attendance had higher sales than bigger parties, so you just never know.)

That said, I agree with these suggestions:
~ don't take a catalog unless you plan to buy
~ don't invite yourself if you don't plan to buy
~ do bring a friend (if you are invited to do so - most consultants encourage this - maybe she will buy something)
...and if you don't want any followup calls or emails, simply don't fill out anything with your information (drawing slips, surveys, etc)

I don't have any better answers than you've already gotten, I just wanted to apologize for Jo G's answer. I think that your decision to get out of debt is wonderful. It may be true that people who have always managed their money may not need or want to hear about your financial issues (and good for them, by the way) but I can guarantee that if she had the balls to go through with and say what she SAID she'd say that NO guest (in debt or otherwise) wants to hear rude sarcasm in the face of someone else's ephiphany and she would probably never be invited again either!!!

Have you been invited? If you've been invited and you're not inviting yourself, then you're under no obligation to buy anything. Sure, they hope people will buy, but there are always some people who don't buy anything. It's no biggie! Just go and enjoy yourself.

I agree with MK. I am a rep for party business and I welcome anyone who wants to come. If you personally cannot buy anything financially or not you may know someone else who could benefit from my product or even the oppourtunity of selling it. You should not be ashamed to show up and have adult conversation that is why I started my business to begin with and then it was the money. I think we could all learn from you and sticking to a budget. Good Luck and have fun at the party.

yes you can, you don't know what the lord has in store for you, it don't hurt to look, so you will know the prices of things and maybe when you be able to purchase it soon God loves you.

Updated

yes you can, you don't know what the lord has in store for you, it don't hurt to look, so you will know the prices of things and maybe when you be able to purchase it soon God loves you.

Updated

yes you can, you don't know what the lord has in store for you, it don't hurt to look, so you will know the prices of things and maybe when you be able to purchase it soon God loves you.

C., after reading this it does look like I am being a bit more harsh than I intended. That was not my intent. I think part of my intent was to vent frustration. There are a lot of people who got over their heads and are pretty obnoxious about it. I have no way of knowing whether you are one of those people. Still since you asked this question it does show a bit of embarrassment with what you got into and some people when embarrassed tend to justify their decisions. What I should have said is go have fun and don't try to justify it by giving advice. There is a group of us that it comes off as you are criticizing our decisions when we feel like we have been making pretty good choices all along. Hopefully that makes a bit more sense.

I really am glad you are making good choices now. I have always made good choices because I know how hard it is to do what you are doing now.

Oh and MK, if you had been at the party I was thinking about when I posted before you would have cheered me had I said that. It was a Pampered Chef party every time we looked at something she was asking, do you really need this, how many meals can you make with $68 and stuff like that. No one wanted to buy anything. I am actually surprised she wasn't kicked out by her friend who was hosting. :(

I am a Mary Kay consultant and I am never offended if people come and do not buy. Yes, I buy all the sample size and demo products, but they are a tax write off, so it's no big deal if I demo something and no one buys it. I am always happy to meet new people and get my name and products out there because you never know; that person may fall in love with the products and decide to purchase a few months down the road, or give your name to a friend, etc... I never discount a nonbuying face. So, that being said, go and have a great time having adult time.

I would just tell the hostess that you cannot purchase anything. She will then, probably, say--"Oh come anyway! We'd love to have you!" If she just smiles and says "that's fine maybe you can come next time," then I'd just sit this one out.

If I'm invited to a sales party, I'll go even if I'm in the situation you're in (which we are...LOL.) Even if I don't buy anything at the party, I'm more likely to buy something another time if I see the presentation and the products. I've hosted parties and didn't mind people coming just to hang out. I actually hosted three. Two of them, I sold nothing but had a good outcome and the other one no one came. I was more happy with the ones where people came and didn't buy anything. I did really well with the business even though no one bought anything that night. I still get checks every month although I'm not doing much with the business now. I wouldn't worry about it, if you get invited. If you're not invited, then I probably wouldn't ask if I can come to socialize. =) Good luck and congrats on doing the Dave Ramsey snowball debt-free!!!!

Definitely! I've done that several times and I just let the hostess know in advance that I won't be able to purchase anything. They usually receive something extra for the total number of people that attend also. Go and have some fun and don't feel bad that you can't buy anything!

I say go. Attending a party is not a requirement to buy the products. Of the parties I've been to in the recent past, I haven't been pressured into buying anything. I, myself, recently hosted a jewelry party. If I had 10 people attend I would get credit dollars to spend on any items I wanted. So you being there might benefit your host in that way. Also, a person at my party who didn't buy anything booked a party so the consultant benefitted by booking another party.