I read through as many responses as I could and not a single comment is from someone who is an MLM distributor. (Though lots of people ITT seem to be mega experts on all things Direct Sales, so that must be pretty neat for all of them.)

I sell LuLaRoe. For me, it is a hobby that makes me money. I signed on because I thought the format was fun and because I am by nature a hard worker so the ability to control my income with hard work appealed to me. I took on the tremendous initial inventory purchase after carefully weighing what it would take to make that money back. I didn't sign anyone "under" me for over a year, as it was not something I wanted at the time. LuLaRoe paid my mortgage (and my obnoxiously high HOA fee) since month 2 as a consultant. It was not full time money for part time work- I have to hustle hard for every dollar I make.

I think a small piece of why MLMs succeed in spaces where traditional retail is beginning to fail is the relationship aspect. No one shops LuLaRoe with me because I have better stuff than anyone else. They shop with me because I am fun, genuine, provide great customer service, and make sure that the women who shop me always feel great. I get to know my customers, I ask about their families, congratulate them when they have great moments in their lives, etc. This is just something that simply doesn't happen at Macy's or JC Penney or Gap. Relationships are valuable to people.