Woman who received products from a friend’s multi-level marketing scheme for her 40th birthday says she feels ‘let down’ over the ‘impersonal’ gift – but do YOU think she is being ungrateful?
- British woman was disappointed with the 40th birthday present from her friends
- Posting on Mumsnet, said they opted for an item from MLM Tropic Skincare
- Many responses to the thread agreed the gift seems ‘impersonal’ and ‘generic’
- Other were divided, arguing the pandemic has impacted people’s finances
A woman who was disappointed with the gift she received from her friends on her 40th birthday has divided opinions over whether she is being ‘ungrateful’.
Posting anonymously on Mumsnet, the woman explained how she had received a gift box from British multi-level marketing company Tropic Skincare at a socially distanced picnic to celebrate her milestone birthday.
She said her friends usually buy each other gifts that are directly related to their individual interests, however one of them has recently become an ambassador for Tropic and is ‘obsessed’ with promoting the products.
The woman sparked a lengthy debate, with many agreeing they would also be disappointed to receive a generic present, while others argued the gift might have been chosen because the pandemic has impacted their finances.
A British woman has sparked a discussion about multi-level marketing companies, after revealing a friend who is an ambassador for Tropic Skincare gave her an item from the brand for her 40th birthday (file image)
Explaining the situation the woman wrote: ‘Basically, I’ve known this particular group of eight friends including me since school (almost 30 years now!!) and I’m the last of the group to hit the big 40. We had a lovely socially distanced picnic in the park yesterday where they excitedly gave me… a gift box full of Tropic stuff.
‘One of the girls has recently become a Tropic ambassador and honestly, she’s become quite obsessed. It feels like every conversation winds back to Tropic somehow and she keeps asking everyone if they’d like to host pamper parties (so much fun and a great chance to catch up with wine if nothing else!).’
The woman confessed she doesn’t like any type of multi-level marketing company and has always excused herself from parties aimed at selling the products.
She said her friend who is an ambassador for Tropic Skincare is unaware of her views on the company.
Continuing, she wrote: ‘There’s two reasons I feel a bit let down. Firstly, it’s just so generic and impersonal… Secondly, it just irks me that my Tropic selling friend has probably got paid commission and this might be the main reason for the gift choice.’
Posting on Mumsnet, the woman explained she was disappointed because her friends usually give each other gifts that are suited to their individual interests
She added: ‘AIBU and a horrible, terrible and ungrateful friend? Or am I right to feel disappointed by this? For info, I tried not to let my feelings show and did thank them all. In the end, it was a minor blip in what was otherwise a truly wonderful day.’
A stream of responses agreed they would also be disappointed to receive a gift from a multi-level marketing organisation.
One person wrote: ‘Sorry your friends have been brainwashed by the Tropic seller. It was very thoughtless of them. Bung it in the food bank trolley at the supermarket and treat yourself to a nice of chocs or bottle of vino.’
Another said: ‘YANBU to be hurt over the generic so-not-you ‘gift’ from such close friends, especially when you’ve been so thoughtful about everyone else there. And a MLM company to boot, ugh. Clearly the Tropics friend pushed for the idea, no other reason for it than her need to earn a commission.’
A flood of responses to the post agreed they would be disappointed to received a ‘generic’ present on a milestone birthday
Others argued the woman should consider her friend’s financial situation may have been impacted by the pandemic.
‘You can’t return it – not unless you want to look rude and ungrateful. Your friends probably genuinely thought that you’d like it. What with everything else that’s going on, a lot of people don’t have the mental energy to put the usual amount of time into shopping for gifts. They can’t really buy you an ‘experience’ gift right now. Accept that they meant well and don’t let it play on your mind,’ wrote one.
Defending the woman’s friends, another added: ‘Looking at it from the other point of view, maybe they were really stumped. Do you have an obvious hobby or passion? Or maybe they were restricted by not being able to book something because of the restrictions? Perhaps also short of money for the same reason? I wouldn’t necessarily jump to the conclusion that they don’t care.’
Others argued the woman should consider that her friends brought the item because the pandemic has limited what they could buy