Don't blame the posters, put the blame where it belongs on SU. They are the ones who chose to make all of this a big secret.

Cbet, I am sorry your demo is leaving. I know when I have loved a direct sales product it is always a bummer when the consultant you have come to know as a friend decides to get out of the direct sales business. I hope you can find another group setting to get together and play with stamps and paper!

I wasn't talking about demo or hostess benefits or rewards.

I was saying no one "forces" anybody to do anything. Including spending their own money to keep demo status, if you are not happy with the terms of original contract, just say NO.

Now with the new terms that SU is putting forth, each demo, business or hobby demo, must make the decision on their own if the new contract and bonus, rewards will work for them.

I'm not sure where you are getting your information but what you are saying is not true~

• Hosts will still get a 1/2 off item with a qualifying order or party
• Demonstrators can still earn Hostess Benefits
• There are points to be earned by EVERY demonstrator~ no one has to qualify
• The quarterly minimum is staying the same for every demonstrator as is the 20% discount

Your information is all wrong~ it is to bad you are making judgements without the correct information.

It is not a big secret~ the information is there for all demonstrators to read and ask questions about. When misinformation is spread, it is spread by posters who have no idea what the plan is.

I've been a demo for almost 11 years, and you honestly didn't offend me at all, so no apology necessary. I am sorry for both you and your demo. Having a good relationship like that is a blessing and to see it change is sad. I have some lovely customers--actually, they've become friends to me--and there have been several times I've stuck it out because of them.

I love our products, and I enjoy the benefits, but I am not an SU-only gal. Never have been. Too many beautiful things in the world, and I never intended for this to be a true source of income for me. If I leave SU, I will do so with gratitude for the wonderful ride I've had. As I said in another forum...changes, even those that don't negatively impact us personally, sometimes take us on another path, and it doesn't mean either I or SU have failed each other. It only means I am on a new leg of my creative journey.
:-)

To be clear, I will be fine under the new plan. However, there can be times when I would not fundamentally agree with a change because of the impact it has in others. Unfortunately I tend to be overly sensitive that way. I don't think that makes me a bad person, just probably not very business savvy or profit-driven, lol!

One, I don't think not putting out a new hostess program for customers in Feb. that won't go in affect until June is keeping it a big secret. Everything else is on the business demo side, and really doesn't need to be privy to customers per a company announcement (obviously if someone is looking at joining their upline should let them see the entire new plan).

Two, even if you think it is a secret Stampin Up is not forcing you to type out details that you don't know for are a fact are true, and to continue putting out misinformation when several demos have ready confirmed that your previous details were wrong.

So sorry for spreading misinformation. I can see I'm only getting bits and pieces now. Scrap everything I've said, except support your demo!

What is with the hostess clubs, which run for months? Let's say, your the last one to earn the hostess benefits in June, wouldn't you be disappointed, when your rewards were less than the others?

But I really like the idea of an even percentage for the hostess rewards, but again, cutting down to 10% (for the first level) is in fact a price increase! Since they are already overpriced, maybe they should change the direct sales system in some way - why should a third person earn money, if I order directly through the SU website? :confused: I really don't understand this. If I'm going to attend a workshop, fine, the demo has a lot of work and should be paid for. But with an online shop, there shouldn't be a person in-between! And the customer service of SU might be great, but with the demos I have made also quite different experiences, so I would be really happy if I could buy directly from SU. :)

Oh, and since the sales in Europe were so much better, the hostess rewards will surely increase there. :D Now, you have to buy for a minimum of $225 (200�), until you earn hostess rewards. So I'm pretty sure, they will lower the first hostess level up to $150 (let's say 135�). ;) Oh, and maybe the could fix the price difference, since a big shot is for over $118 ($99.95 in the US) and the magnetic platform for over $55 ($39.95 in the US) in their European catalog, for example (and this prices are calculated with the current rate of exchange, on the first day of validity of the catalog, the big shot was equivalent over $143 and the magnetic platform was $67! :shock: )

A demo that is running a club should inform her members either that they are in a current club that will be affected, or before she does sign ups for a new club. But, Stampin Up cannot control how demos run their clubs.

My stamping career started as a SU! customer. I was a faithful buyer for many years... until a company came along with no restrictions/angel policy. We are artists. Crafters. Designers. Its sad to see our industry so up in arms. This makes me so sad...

I hope you are not referring to me who has no idea what the "plan" is. As I said, I logged in and watched the videos every Tuesday.

Yes, you can still earn a half price item...... ONE. and that is at $450. Currently you can earn up to 4 half price items..... at $400, $500, $700, and $900. Come June, you can earn ONE (1) half price set. So if your order is $400, that is not enough for any half price items. Now it would be the rare customer who would order that much but a workshop or your turn to host a club would usually mean less or zero half price items.

Let's say your order is $900 (you, a workshop, a club, etc)..... still just ONE half price item.
Sounds like a reduction in hostess benefits to me.

I also was introduced to Stamping (almost 20 years ago) by way of Stampin' Up!
Stamping has been my hobby, my passion, my therapy.

Please don't let these changes take the Joy out of your stamping!
Karen S

One is still better than ZERO like it used to be. I get that it's not ideal that they are changing it but it's still more than we used to get. As far as the 50% off item goes. And really? I wonder how many people had workshops that qualified for more than one? That's a BIG workshop! And I'm the QUEEN of big orders :roll eyes: and I think I've got the 50% off threshold once, maybe twice. I don't think a majority of people are going to be losing out on that aspect at least.

Karen - Not happening! I've been going to my demo's classes with my mother and a couple of her friends, and I'm pretty sure we're going to keep getting together on our own. And I'm in the process of cleaning/sorting/organizing the 7th pit of hell (otherwise known as my crafting cave) and I'm sure not going to let that effort be in vain :)

;););)

I already weighed in earlier in this discussion, but I've been following it since, and wanted to say something else. There have been valid points on both sides of this issue, but something still wasn't "sitting right" with me that I couldn't nail down. Here are my thoughts this morning:

As far as demos being "forced" to maintain minimums: ANY SALES POSITION REQUIRES THIS. I have a daughter in sales who has been in several different companies. Her father was/is in sales. I've worked in sales. There is ALWAYS a quota that you have to meet to keep your job. Stampin'Up! is no different in that regard. If you don't like quotas, you should stay out of sales (that would be me...)

On pricing: I have no issue with the prices of ANYTHING that Stampin'Up! sells except the dies. All of their other items are similar price points to similar products elsewhere. Yes, the stamps are at the high end of the range in price, but they are also at the high end of the range in quality. Ditto on papers and such... The dies seem to be considerably higher, and "exclusive" isn't much of a justifier, in my mind...

As far as the cuts in hostess benefits: Going back to the "other businesses" for examples, there is a thing in retail called a "loss leader" - something that they sell below cost to get you in the door, knowing that once you're there you will more likely purchase something besides that item. At Home Depot it's 2x4s, at many grocery stores it's milk. The sales ads in the Sunday paper are full of them. Hostess benefits are - in my mind - Stampin'Up!'s loss leader. They probably don't make any money off of them, but they DO motivate people to spend more. If I'm just placing an order with my demo then I only get a couple of things. If I'm hosting a workshop I approach friends to see if they want to order anything even if they can't come, and I buy - easily - three times more than usual. The result is that what would be a $30-$50 order for my demo (just me) becomes a $150-$300 order (for me and my friends). I'm motivated to push her sales for her because I see a benefit for me. Take away any or all of that benefit and I'm significantly less motivated, making it harder for her to meet her quotas.

On "the demise of Stampin'Up!": They are too strong to die, period. Yes, some will be disenfranchised or disappointed or not loyal or whatever. That's true of many companies, not just Stampin'Up! How many threads going how far back are there about Papertrey Ink, for example? And yet, here they are still, apparently as strong as ever, and people are loyal (or not) and buy from them (or not). The same will be true for Stampin'Up!

For me, personally, the differences in Stampin'Up!'s compensation plan or hostess benefits or anything else won't amount to much because I only order periodically, and it's mostly tools (punches that go with stamp sets that I already have, for example). My style and SU!s have diverged enough that I don't feel compelled to buy much in the way of stamps. That's a style thing, though, not an "I'm peeved" one...

Sorry for the long post, but I feel better now ;)

Glad to hear you will continue classes...
now about the pit of hell...
One of these days, I will come home, and there will be a camera crew from Hoarders in my craft room.
Karen S

Had to laugh!!!!! I'm a Hoarder too! Do you ever wonder why we bother cleaning and organizing when we just mess it all up again?;)

Sometimes I find things I forgot I even had.............. HAH

Well, if they do, there are bound to be royalties... what would you, could you, spend it on ;)

I would love a Craft Room makeover!

My designer would be Nicole Curtis from Rehab Addict
or
Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper

Love the Shabby Chic look, and refurbishment of old things

Karen S

Yes, especially the dies are overpriced. But, in my opinion, the stamps and the products from other brands (such as the Big Shot from Sizzix) are too pricey, too.

That is absolutely what I think. So cutting down them has to go along with decreasing the other prices of stamps, dies & branded products.

Prices. Just like everything else prices have gone up!

Cost of material may have gone up. So for them to cover some of the cost they raise the prices.

Yes I think some of the prices have gone up. But mostly on the Dies and stamps. Everything else seems to have remained the same.

Prices gone up, yes, but not the wages. So pretty hard times to come for stamping companies, I guess.

Wages is something that needs work on...I will agree! Sometime I feel like we live in the dark ages.


I guess what it comes down to. Is what are you going to spend your money on.

My dh provides for us. It's just me and him & our two cat's. Personally I don't spend a lot money in other places. Other than our regular monthly bills and living expenses.

So buying from time to time for things that will help me. Stay creative. Doesn't hurt us!

So therefore I choose to spend mine on Creating Materials.

Just received an email from my demo, blendabilities are discontinued. Anyone else get the word? Any reason as to why?

I am not a SU demo - however - someone told me yesterday that they were having manufacturing issues in China.

The issues were with the manufacturer here in the US. They just didn't meet Stampin' Up! standards so they pulled them from the shelves. I'm thankful Stampin' Up! has the integrity to not sell an item they are not 100% sure of.

Interesting - good to know! You are right, it is better to pull something that is sub quality than to try to make sales! They made a good decision!

I wish they'd have figured that out before I bought every set they had!

Use them~ I'm sure they work fine

Oh, I am! So far so good. I'm just concerned about what the quality issues are and if I can expect problems.

They were coming in dry ~ so if you're using them then yours are fine.

if that's the only quality control issue, then I'm fine because I think I've used them all and none were dry

you really need to make sure the lids are on tight so they don't dry out and I did notice I have to push the brush tips in on some. Some of the tips you could see were out a little and I just pushed them back in. not sure why that's happening. I thought at first maybe I was using the other end that would have pushed the tip out on the other end but I don't think that's the case

Wow, no blendabilities? S0 glad I didn't hop on that train!

Unfortunately, the manufacturing was leaving microscopic holes in some of the markers when the tips was welded to the marker. They didn't look any different than the markers that were perfectly good. Because, the number of faulty markers climbed from an acceptable range at the beginning to 30 to 40 percent of the markers (when they discovered what was causing the issue) and the manufacturer couldn't offer a solution they chose to discontinue over selling a product that might arrive to you defective.

Mine seem perfectly fine- maybe by the time they begin to dry out they'll have a solution. I also have spectrum but the colors aren't as pretty as su.

Before they had discovered what the problem was, I had ordered the skin tones set - one of the 6 was dried out completely. I called SU! and they replaced the entire set (didn't ask me to send back the original set). The second set was fine. I then ordered the grey set, and again one was dry. I just called SU! when I heard about them pulling them from the shelves, and they have credited my Mastercard for the full amount of both sets, including the taxes paid (not the shipping, but that is because they were part of a larger order and I would have paid shipping anyway). No questions asked, no issues, just "yes, we've had some manufacturing problems, and we are so sorry about this - we'll just go ahead and credit you back for them". I sort of feel guilty, as I now have three sets - one with 5/6 working just fine, one with 6/6 working just fine and one with 2/3 working just fine - and I haven't paid a thing for them.....