Become a hostess with the mostest... (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Become a hostess with the mostest...

8:33am Tuesday 19th August 2008 in

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With the credit crunch biting hard, can we afford self-indulgent shopping sprees anymore?

Shopping is fun but it can hit your purse hard. How many times have you walked through a store and ended up filling your basket or trolley with items you didn’t really need, but couldn’t resist?

Then there’s the stressful and downright exhausting side to traipsing around the shops, elbowing your way through crowds, tripping over pushchairs and trying to keep a lid on your mood as mild irritation spills over into blind fury.

Take a deep breath and relax. Shopping needn’t be so stressful – or expensive.

Home shopping parties have undergone a revolution in recent years. Three decades ago it was all Tupperware, but now home shopping offers everything from underwear to face lifts.

It’s a far cry from the 1970s when women gathered in each others’ homes for cups of tea and animated chatter about plastic kitchen containers. Husbands were packed off to the pub or banished to the garden shed.

But times have changed, and so have the items passed around at home-selling parties. These days you’re more likely to find women trying on lingerie or even trying out Botox in the comfort of their own living-rooms, or those of friends and neighbours, while getting through several bottles of wine and a mountain of cheese nibbles.

Not only is it fun and comfortable, you can save money from home shopping too. You’re not using petrol to drive to the shops, for a start, and you won’t end up with a shopping basket full of things you don’t need and can’t afford.

Home parties are more successful than ever, with thousands held in the UK every week. As well as saving money on buying products (which often come with two-for-one deals) you can make some extra money by running parties.

Thailand, Zambia, New York and Rio de Janeiro are just a few of the exciting places that Sylvia George has visited over the past four years.

Not on family holidays – but with her employer. And not on business – the no-expense-spared vacations were rewards for her hard work.

Sylvia, of Shipley, is a consultant with Virgin Vie At Home. She holds parties to promote and sell the company’s products, ranging from cosmetics to jewellery to homeware. And she loves it.

“It is fantastic – such a brilliant opportunity. It is so flexible, not nine to five, and if you want to earn extra cash while working around another job or family commitments it is perfect.” Sylvia’s passion for the products shines through. Bubbly and attractive, she is the perfect advert for her wares.

“I love the products,” she says, holding out a jar of honey and orange blossom bath syrup, “Smell this – isn’t it gorgeous?”

Virgin Vie has brought her considerable success, most recently a promotion to an area sales manager overseeing a large team of consultants selling cosmetics, jewellery and homeware.

But, she stresses, the job is not only for those who are aiming for the top. It has, she says, something to offer everyone, and is a great way of boosting your income during the credit crunch.

“Whether you are saving for Christmas, for a new kitchen, or putting money aside for a ‘shoe and handbag’ fund, it is ideal. You can save for treats like taking the children to the cinema and for a pizza, or to cover household bills.”

She adds: “If we can help anyone at all make some extra money for any reason whatsoever, that would be great.”

One of the beauties of the work, Sylvia says, is that there are no targets, no reason to feel pressure. “There is a place for everybody – whether you have one party a month or every evening of the week. It boosts your income and your confidence.”

She describes the parties – which can bring the host a clutch of free cosmetics – as “girlie nights in with a few glasses of wine”.

“It is so much fun,” she says. “You meet so many lovely people – I’ve made so many friends through Virgin Vie. At the moment, with the credit crunch and bad weather, people are fed up – working for Virgin Vie could change that.”

Former Bradford Council worker Syliva, 53, joined the company – owned by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson – after ten years as a party planner selling homeware for Princess House, a company which no longer exists.

The mother-of-three immediately found her feet with the company. “You start by asking friends and family to host parties and things quickly develop through word-of-mouth. It really snowballs if you want it to, but you can do as much or as little as you like,” says Sylvia, who takes her neatly-packed cases of products to three or four parties every week.

A percentage of sales is returned to the consultant, who can also sell products as ‘personal sales’ to regular customers.

Success can bring rewards such as occasional trips for your own family, and a High Flyer Club offers holidays in exchange for points. “You save points for every pound worth of goods you sell,” says Sylvia, who took her husband and daughter to Toronto and the Niagara Falls. “It was amazing – we had a room with a hot tub on the balcony overlooking the falls. We sat in it and watched an amazing firework display.”

“It is flexible – providing your are over 18, age is no barrier, and you can do it whether you have a job or not,” she says.

Of the firm’s 12,000 consultants, around 75 per cent have other jobs.

“You can fit it around your family and work, and it is ideal for retired people, or those whose children have flown the nest,” says Sylvia.

For more details about training to be a Virgin Vie consultant, contact Sylvia on (0113) 3909874 or sylviageorge@f2s.com or visit myvirginvieathome.co.uk