Why People Suck

Story time, Littens!

Last week I was browsing in a Barnes and Noble when a woman around my age approached me and started asking questions about what sort of books I like. Anti-social me was like ...huh? But the allure of gushing about books won out and I ended up recommending her some David Mitchell and Margaret Atwood and after about twenty minutes of chatting she asked if I'd like to get coffee with her at a later date. 👇

biblio_ginger Wow! 🤔 Very intriguing! 6y

2BR02B So I was like, potential friend meetcute, okay! And gave my number. She texted me over the weekend and we agreed to get coffee on Wednesday. We met up last night, and after a short preamble she launched into what sounded suspiciously like a sales pitch. I asked "is this about some multi-level marketing scheme?" Ding ding. I immediately felt super uncomfortable and vaguely preyed upon, but I humored her for about thirty minutes and then said ? 6y

Ddzmini 🤣🤣🤣 kitty cat 🐱 6y

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2BR02B that due to a relative's bad experience with MLMs I was not and would never be interested. I guess it's not a huge deal, but it left me kind of depressed. Is that really a tactic these MLM people use? Exploiting people's fondness for books to sell dubious health supplements? Cause that sucks, a lot. Maybe I was naive, but I feel like my faith in humanity has been eroded somewhat by the encounter. 6y

2BR02B So here I am on Litsy, home of the best people ever, trying to get it back to some extent, I suppose. End rant. 6y

PerksOfBeingABookworm Maybe it‘s just the researcher in me, but it seems a little unethical too. If you‘re going to make a sales pitch, and do it in such a way that you ask a person to give up their time and money, you need to be upfront about what you‘re doing. I understand why it upset and I would be irritated with humanity too. 6y

rubyslippersreads A woman approached me in the book aisle of the 99¢ Store and started chatting about books. Then she segued into trying to sell me a phone! ? 6y

AmyG Wow. I am always very leery of new people that I meet. This story is a first for me. Don‘t let it get to you. There are way more decent people out there. 6y

LeahBergen That‘s downright sneaky and underhanded. 😠 6y

candority Wow, that is not okay! It would be one thing if she had brought it up when she first spoke to you, but to arrange a separate time under the pretense of talking about books and starting a friendship is unacceptable 😠 6y

CSeydel That‘s downright peculiar. I don‘t know where you live, but if a stranger in a bookstore asked me to get coffee I‘d be very perplexed and vaguely alarmed. But I‘ve also lived in smaller towns where such friendliness is more common and not as alarming. I have also been the victim of several sales pitches from “friends” and acquaintances, and it‘s always so awkward. Anyway, don‘t give up on humanity just because of one aggressive wacko. 6y

JaclynW Sneaky. And not cool at all. 👎👎👎 6y

MicheleinPhilly As if I needed more motivation to be anti-social. That‘s not cool. 6y

Velvetfur Wow... This is what makes me so antisocial. If anyone I don't know tries to start a conversation with me I'm very wary and don't talk to them much, there's always an ulterior motive. But then, I grew up in Liverpool UK where people talked to strangers because they wanted money or sex. It's different on Litsy though! They're not like that here! 😀 6y

tjwill Ugh, not cool. 6y

Quirkybookworm Just how many of us are anti social/introverts here?? 6y

Skyrimir So sneaky. A similar thing happened to me, someone I had recently met invited me to a pool day/cookout but it turned into a marketing spiel selling diet products. I felt tricked, but also upset she thought I needed dieting products... 6y

2BR02B @PerksOfBeingABookworm She probably felt she couldn't be upfront at B&N because she knew she'd get reported as soliciting. 6y

Weaponxgirl That's awful! Don't let one idiot put you off though. I've been unable to contain myself even though I'm introverted when I see someone looking / reading a book I love. Although I'm far to shy to take it to the next step of asking to meet up again. That's just a weird way to pitch things 6y

Jas16 Ugh that is so underhanded 6y

2BR02B @AmyG Me too, generally. But she targeted my weak spot- literature! 😖 6y

saresmoore Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww. I‘m sorry. 6y

2BR02B @LeahBergen @JaclynW @tjwill @jas16 IKR! Who has time for such nonsense? 😡 6y

REPollock Ok that‘s shady AF. Not the asking to coffee, I met a new friend that way at a hat shop. The secret sales pitch. She‘s lucky you‘re polite; I tend to see red when I find myself in a situation like that and used to be the sort to cuss ppl out and pitch a bitchy. 6y

2BR02B @candority I guess that's what direct distributors have to resort to after they've alienated their friends and family. 6y

2BR02B @CSeydel We're a friendly crowd here in the Midwest! 😄 Just the idea of having to badger my loved ones into buying off-brand products practically gives me hives. I could never go for that! 6y

emilyhaldi Omg these people and their MLM schemes are taking over ... Gross 👎🏻 (edited) 6y

2BR02B @MicheleinPhilly @Velvetfur @Quirkybookworm I hope my story didn't exacerbate anyone's anti-social tendencies! I think the best lesson learned is just to ask directly "are you trying to sell me something?" and if their answer seems cagey, politely but firmly excuse yourself. Or if you want to embarrass them ask how much money they make because it's probably negative monies. 6y

2BR02B @Skyrimir Ew, that is 10x worse than mine! I would have completely hit the roof! 🤬 6y

Quirkybookworm I understand what you meant @2BR02B . Just curious how many of us are introverts. 6y

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Omg!! That SUCKS. I would have totally gone in for this too and excited to make a friend who likes books. That is UNFORGIVABLE. Arrrrgh. 6y

Velvetfur @Skyrimir The absolute cheek! You should have asked her when her baby's due, assuming she hadn't mentioned pregnancy at any point 😈 6y

Velvetfur @2BR02B Nah you're ok, I only have to read a few news stories to make me more antisocial! 6y

quietlycuriouskate Ugh, what a deplorable way to behave! I hope Litsy is restoring your faith in human nature. 6y

2BR02B @Weaponxgirl I know, I'm the same! Although from here on out, I might feel compelled to add the disclaimer of "by the way, I'm not trying to rope you into an MLM pyramid scheme." ? 6y

2BR02B @REPollock At the time I was too taken aback to do anything but back away slowly. 🤐 She definitely deserved a loud public shaming, though. 6y

Soubhiville Oh weird. 6y

laurieluna This happened to me at a previous job. I was talking to a guy about how I was doing drama at uni, and that I enjoyed facilitating groups to put on plays. He basically said that he works for a company that facilitates those sorts of groups too. Gave me the number for a lady to see if I could join them in any way. I met up with her (in public) and it was one of these. I sat mortified for an hour listening to the pitch...👇 6y

laurieluna Then dumped all the stuff she gave me in the bin on the way home. I blocked their numbers as they kept calling me. I felt really preyed on as I spoke so passionately to him about facilitating groups of young carers to put on plays and I thought I'd be involved in that sort of thing again. 😔 6y

2BR02B @miralunasbooknook Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry that happened to you. Why those people would think you'd be interested in their "business opportunities" after they blatantly misled you is beyond me. What dishonest cads. 6y

laurieluna @2BR02B yep. It has given me a deep mistrust of strangers in public now. Rarely strike up conversation with people. But the past couple of days especially have shown me what amazing people there are out there too! It's all relative. 😊 6y

Redwritinghood That‘s definitely not ok and I hope you told her so. 6y

Clare-Dragonfly Ugh, what an icky thing to do. I feel like if someone asked me to meet up later for coffee I would have assumed it was for a date and said I was married. I wonder what she would have said to that 😂 6y

readordierachel Wow, that's garbage. What an awful way to market something. I would almost be inclined to actively protest something that marketed to me that way. 6y

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