Beware – the Avon Lady is back!

‘Ding dong, Avon calling!’…

Remember that catchy advertising line from the seventies? well, it worked wonders for the company back then and the Avon Lady is making a big comeback in the UK these days.

Tough times and high levels of redundancies are seeing an upsurge in women from the world of finance and retail signing up to be Avon ladies – so expect the Avon lady of 2009 to be one with attitude and ambition. Don’t laugh either – my Mum was an Avon lady back in the early 70′s when it was the domain of the housewife with some time on her hands.

It certainly filled a gap too. Women who otherwise were untrained career-wise, or stuck at home, had the opportunity to branch out and earn their own money selling door to door. It was not easy either as it involved walking miles around your designated ‘territory’ carrying a largish bag which was quite heavy. The profits were not great but you got to meet other women in your neighbourhood and maybe sell a few lippys along the way.

Unlike the Nutrimetics empire you did not get the chance to earn a car or trips to extravagant conferences in Hawaii but women like my Mum, and our own Avon lady Uula, became their own boss and learned all the in’s and out’s of cosmetics and perfumes.

Mum lasted about six months as an Avon lady as she eventually went back to the job she had before I came along but I also did a stint with Avon – working as a packer in their factor at Frenchs Forest in Sydney. It was one of the best jobs I ever had as they were a great firm to work for and really looked after their employees.

The downside was that after spending a week on the perfume line I inhaled so much of their ‘Bird of Paradise’ and ‘Tai Winds’ fragrance that to this day I cannot abide any Avon perfume near me.

So when you hear that ominous ‘ding dong’ – don’t be afraid…it’s only “Avon calling!”

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