Avon, Mary Kay Ranks Boom As A Second-job Option

JUANITA COUSINS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Armies of new Avon ladies, Mary Kay reps and Tupperware sellers are advancing on living rooms across the country, their ranks full of professionals forced to take a second job amid the recession.

Becke Alexander, sales manager for New York-based Avon Products Inc., hears each week from laid-off bankers and stay-at-home moms, but also gainfully employed people worried how long they'll stay that way. All of them are willing to knock on doors, host parties or do whatever else it takes to peddle some makeup.

"'I need money.' That's what I've been hearing since about November," Alexander said. "There are no hobby seekers coming here. It's people with a legitimate need." ...