It’s been said that when times are rough, women turn to makeup. But now, it’s to sell it.
Companies such as Avon Products and Mary Kay, direct sellers of cosmetics, have seen an increase in sellers of their products as people — mostly women — try to find new careers or look for ways to help pay the bills.
For seven and a half years, Sandi Fullenwider has been the district sales manager at the Avon Training Center in Gainesville. The district includes Alachua, Bradford and Levy counties. The amount of orders has dropped recently, but Fullenwider said sales are up because there’s an increase in representatives. She said “quite a few” of the new reps are people who have recently been laid off. And there are others, such as Lewis Troutman and Leah Placke-Troutman, who want to supplement their income because of rising expenses.
The husband and wife both have full-time jobs at the University of Florida. Leah Placke-Troutman said “with little to no effort,” they are bringing in an extra $500 to $600 a month as Avon representatives. It costs $10 to start selling with Avon and $100 for Mary Kay.
“You can make it what you want. It’s all about what you put into it,” she said. “Just about anybody can do this. I wonder why I didn’t start doing it a long time ago actually. … It’s a good thing to get into, and it’s kind of fun.”
Photo by Jennie R. F.