In previous blogs I let it be known that as a kid my family did not have money. My dad worked hard, my mom tried to be a stay at home mom, but eventually had to go to work outside the home for a paycheck. Luxury items were reserved for my mom and dad mostly, and were very few.
I remember the Avon lady coming every so often. My mom wasn't able to order often, but she did occasionally buy a gift for my grandmother for mother's day and cologne for my dad at Christmas. About once a month the Avon lady would come and leave a bag of samples hung on the front door's doorknob. Inside the white paper bag custom printed with the Avon logo were samples of the newest colors of lipstick and 2 or 3 sample vials of perfume. My mother coveted these deliveries because the samples were her mainstay for makeup. Lipstick was the only makeup she wore for years.
As little girls do my sister and I decided to play dress up with my mother's lipstick samples. That could have been the same day we gave each other haircuts, but I may be blending two memories. Needless to say we ruined the lipstick and made a big mess on each other's face and my mom's dresser. I think I still have welts from where the wooden spoon found it's mark on my bare butt that afternoon. It was a rare occasion the threat of the wooden spoon became a reality, and for my mom to actually use the spoon the event leading to the punishment must have been really bad.
My mom still has the bottles that contained the cologne she bought for my dad sitting on the shelf over the toilet in the bathroom. The Avon lady eventually stopped coming to our house, and that is the very first job my mom every had. She became the new Avon Lady for our neighbohood. Oh the fun my sister and I had with all those samples!!!
I remember the Avon lady coming every so often. My mom wasn't able to order often, but she did occasionally buy a gift for my grandmother for mother's day and cologne for my dad at Christmas. About once a month the Avon lady would come and leave a bag of samples hung on the front door's doorknob. Inside the white paper bag custom printed with the Avon logo were samples of the newest colors of lipstick and 2 or 3 sample vials of perfume. My mother coveted these deliveries because the samples were her mainstay for makeup. Lipstick was the only makeup she wore for years.
As little girls do my sister and I decided to play dress up with my mother's lipstick samples. That could have been the same day we gave each other haircuts, but I may be blending two memories. Needless to say we ruined the lipstick and made a big mess on each other's face and my mom's dresser. I think I still have welts from where the wooden spoon found it's mark on my bare butt that afternoon. It was a rare occasion the threat of the wooden spoon became a reality, and for my mom to actually use the spoon the event leading to the punishment must have been really bad.
My mom still has the bottles that contained the cologne she bought for my dad sitting on the shelf over the toilet in the bathroom. The Avon lady eventually stopped coming to our house, and that is the very first job my mom every had. She became the new Avon Lady for our neighbohood. Oh the fun my sister and I had with all those samples!!!
3 comments:
That's funny - my mom was and still is an Avon lady! She lives out in the middle of Nebraska and does quite well with it, selling to farmer's wives.
Let me know if you ever need more lipstick samples.
I did not know that the company had door to door reps any more. She must have a lot of fun. How many ladies can she see in a day? I have never been to Kansas, but in my mind's eye the land is flat and many many many miles between farms.
Yeah, my mom just "got the internet" not too long ago but most of her customers don't so she still goes door to door. She spends a lot of time driving as not all of them are in the closest town, but out in rural areas so I'm not sure how many she sees in a week. I know she makes President's Club or whatever it's called every year and she has a case full of Mrs. Albees (sp?).
Post a Comment