Amway/World Wide Dream Builders pyramid scheme recruitment in YEG?

Long story short, my (now) ex-girlfriend was in Amway unbeknownst to me when we first started dating. I was first told that her and her mother ran a small online vitamin shop, seemed legit and passed the stink-o-meter to me.

Fast forward a couple of months and she invited me to a convention for "other small online vitamin shop people" in Edmonton (we both lived in Calgary at the time), I thought it seemed like a fun idea and I wanted to support her, so I agreed to go. Just after accepting, I thought it was time to ask for some details on how her business worked. It was at that time when I learned that how one person provides you with "a business opportunity" and bestows you the honour of entering their club...of which they take a small percentage of your sales of unnecessary vitamins or 12 boxes of toilet paper. At the time, I was a business major in university and said that sounded an awful like a pyramid scheme. Then came the speaking points of how it is not a pyramid scheme but something "multi-level-marketing". In essence, if an organization provides you with speaking points of how it's not illegal, it's probably not the most ethical of opportunities.

The next weekend we made the trip up the QE-2 to Edmonton and this convention at the City Centre Mall and stayed in the Delta Downtown. We got to the first session and I was blown away.

What followed first was a background presentation while we were seated with the following: jewel encrusted Lamborghinis, Castles high upon the Rhine River, piles of money, basically everything short of Scrooge McDuck's money bin. I was confused, but I went with the flow. Then, the first presenter entered. Almost immediately my girlfriend's hand hit my leg to indicate that I needed to stand. I politely asked why I was supposed to stand and was told that just what I needed to do. I honestly don't remember what the person's presentation was about but what I do remember is ordinary, everyday people around the room eating up everything that was said. One slightly older man, maybe in his early 60's was behind me and weeping uncontrollably.

I then realized where I was. I was at the Simpson's episode where the Simpsons join a cult.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPpv9lAtr8M

Long story short, the relationship didn't work out and a lot of it was sadly around the idea of Amway. It's an organization that takes advantage of those who are just looking to better themselves. The only people that make any money are the ones at the top and the people at the bottom are taken advantage of.

My best story of it all though, was buying something at a local electronics store with my girlfriend where she thought the sales associate was a "really good salesman" and might be a good fit for this "business opportunity". She took his card and called him later to "get coffee" to discuss this opportunity. I told her, he likely thinks you're asking him out on a date. She didn't think so. Needless to say, the guy apparently walked out after about two minutes of hearing her pitch at the local coffee shop.

/r/Edmonton Thread