WW sales techniques!?!

[Emmaline]

At a WW meeting I was astonished that a young girl who must have been all of 13 if that, was in charge of selling products such as the calculators and packets of food stuffs, etc. When I asked to buy the calculator she went into this rather feeble attempt to up the sale by going into a waffle about buying something more expensive and when I refused that then continued on to another product.
Now I consider putting young people in charge of selling quite annoying but then it becomes offensive when they are taught to continue to badger people into other sales... apart from which, is it legal for youngsters to be put in these positions in the first place?

 

[LittleMissThin 17]

I used to do this at the same age (my mum was the leader so I helped out) but I was taught to just explain about each product if asked and not to push a more expensive one and to demonstrate the electrical items.

Maybe she had been told to up her sales and instead of 'being clever' she foolishly told you?

I wouldn't say all young people were lie this- I never badgered and pushed more expensive items, I was always polite and helpful at 13.

 

[Emmaline]

Thanks for your input but it still begs the question as to whether this is legal.

 

[M and M]

She was probably just trying to look 'knowledgeable'! I would def say she was related to the leader in some way, as I doubt they would be paying someone that age to do it so she was prob helping out her mum/aunt. But I'm with you on the 'not appropriate' aspect, I mean, you don't want to hear a sales pitch from a child, I'm not thrilled at seeing kids there at all, nothing quite takes the gloss off getting a silver 7 like having some 8yr old looking at you like you have ten heads on you! And yes, I know some people don't have anyone to babysit but it's sometimes awkward for the other members and possibly not an ideal exposure for impressionable young minds either

 

[Boo]

I'm a clerk at my WW meeting & also sometimes look after the 'shop' too but I never launch into a sales pitch ever.
I let people browse & ask if they need any help & demonstrate any of the electrical items etc.
I wouldn't want a child selling me products etc.

Personally I hate it when there are any children present at my meeting as they are very distracting & sometimes their parents have no control over them & you can't hear the leader talking. Thankfully its not very often that this happens. x

 

[LittleMissThin 17]

I'm a clerk at my WW meeting & also sometimes look after the 'shop' too but I never launch into a sales pitch ever.
I let people browse & ask if they need any help & demonstrate any of the electrical items etc.
I wouldn't want a child selling me products etc.

Personally I hate it when there are any children present at my meeting as they are very distracting & sometimes their parents have no control over them & you can't hear the leader talking. Thankfully its not very often that this happens. x

I never found me being 13 made a lot of difference to sales or anything, however all of the members did think I was at least 16 with most of them asking me what I was doing now I'd left school or even college! It could have been because I looked a lot older than I was and also I was/am very mature. Maybe a 13 looking younger would be more likely to put someone off than one who looked older?

Being almost 20 now, I can understand why people wouldn't want to be served by a child but I too hate it when people bring their children to meeting- one lady brought her baby as she had no-one to look after it but it just cried all meeting. Several others have had theirs who run around all the time and it makes me wonder why they aren't quiet because I used to have to go when I was about 5 due to no babysitter and I had to sit quiet or else.

Sorry to hijack this; I typed more than intended.

 

[Bridesmaid-to-be]

i agree i think being served by a child is bad (but acceptable if there is not enough hands and they are only helping out a parent / family member during school holidays) .... but to have them giving a full sales pitch would make me feel they were there for more then just to pay for what i wanted and this would put me off wanting to buy stuff!!

as for children coming i don't have a choice but to take my daughter as i'm a single mum and have made myself try to budget a bit better so i can afford £20 a month for class and i can't afford a baby sitter too. however this is the main reason i didn't go to a class last year when i tried to diet (and failed) .... or previous years when i knew i needed to diet but couldn't afford too as i felt she was too young and noisy to come too .... however i have started going to an evening class so i cook her a dinner at lunch time and then take her tea with us .... a sandwich, pack of crisps, some fruit, a cereal bar .... and it keeps her reasonable quite long enough for the leader to hold the meeting ..... but she is made to sit on the chair and eat and behave or she would be in trouble .... and if she did start to miss behave i would not stay for the meeting as it wouldn't be fair on other members .... they don't pay their money to hear someones child screaming and i would not be happy if someone else brought theirs and they were playing up the whole time.
..... however my daughter does start school in september so i will then see if i can change for a day time class while she is there and then i'd only have to take her with me in school holidays .... i'm sure my leader does a day time one on a different day!

 

[Starlight]

Thanks for your input but it still begs the question as to whether this is legal.

She wont be employed by WW, she wont be getting paid, as already said she'll be helping out probably her mum/auntie etc so absolutely nothing illegal involved.

Nothing to say shes been told to do the sales pitch, possibly just an over enthusiastic (perhaps slightly precocious) teen, wanting to show mum/auntie that shes helping and in the process is building her part up a bit

 

[IreneH]

I used to run the shop at my WW meeting. I didn't get paid nor get a class free.

Irene xx

 

[Emmaline]

Very interesting points everybody.
Thanks for the input once again....