Miami Herald:
At Janine Rodriguez’s office, overtime has been slashed, bonuses have vanished, employees are getting laid off, and she’s getting nervous about her own job.
Her solution: Spend two nights a week cooking at the homes of strangers, in front of an audience of the host’s family and friends, pointing out the virtues of cheese graters, garlic presses and other culinary tools. All are made by a company called The Pampered Chef, and she’d be happy to sell them to you.
As the job market continues to deteriorate, more people are choosing the same route as Rodriguez, looking for alternative ways to make a buck.
Laid-off construction workers become handymen for hire. Ex-bankers start doing people’s taxes. College grads join yearlong volunteer programs.
And some, like Rodriguez, try direct sales. Whether it’s selling cosmetics, kitchenware or life insurance, people who may never have considered a career in sales are embracing the occupation to supplement dwindling income or to tide them over until they find a job in their chosen field.
The Direct Selling Association says the number of people involved in that line of work increased by an average of 8.4 percent a year during the last two recessions.
Photo by Crystl