For women in post-war 1950s Britain, invitations to parties at their friends’ houses started to come thick and fast. Tea and cakes were dished out – and so were plastic boxes. The aim of the hostess was to sell an innovative brand that had come over from the US and still survives today – Tupperware.
Fast forward 60 years and ladies (and to a lesser extent, gentlemen) are still being invited to parties with a hidden agenda – but now they can find themselves coming home with anything from a £16 mango wedger (courtesy of Pampered Chef) to a £145 statement necklace (Stella & Dot).
Parties where your host tries to flog you anything from wine to knickers now account for 35% of direct selling – the name given to the practice where someone sells you something outside of a shop environment.
This slice of the market has more than doubled from 14% five years ago, according to new figures from the Direct Selling Association (DSA). “Direct selling parties are social occasions where you can buy in a leisurely manner from a friend rather than a shop you have no connection to,” says Lynda Mills, director of the DSA.
“The increase in the parties