It was one of those days and then I had a Slimming World Target Member.
There are some days/events when everything goes right, and then it just hits the fan royally. Today was one of those days. It started off really well. I started work at 8 a.m. My office is only a few minutes from home, but I prefer to work away from home. I had a lovely day in front of the computer. There’s nothing new there. That’s what I do every day. At 3 p.m., I left the office to help set up the Slimming World group with my friend. She like to get to the hall early to have enough time to avoid running around like a mad woman, setting everything up. To set up for a Slimming World meeting takes about an hour. There is a lot of kit to unpack from the car. Then there are the computers to set up, the scales and the kitchen. Then a Slimming World Target Member ruined my day. More of that in a minute.
Slimming World like to have everyone sit around in a horseshoe seating pattern, so there are a lot of chairs to move around. You need a table for payment, a table for weighing, a table for new members and an interest table. There are several plastic boards to put up, banners and A-frames. It just takes a lot of time. I like to be there in plenty of time so I can sit and relax for a few minutes, have a cup of tea, and greet the members as they arrive in a relaxed and friendly frame of mind.
I only wanted a key.
When we arrived today, the group who had the hall just before me (the WI or some other group) were finishing off. We always wait until they leave but need to be in to start to set up. She have a few people who help her set up and some of them arrive earlier. My friend went to one of the caretakers for the hall to ask if it was possible to have another key as some of the equipment is stored in the basement. Snappy is not the word.
“No, you can’t have another key; they are expensive, and you don’t pay for set up, but you are always here”.
“OK, not a problem,” she said, “I was only asking”.
“People take a key and never return them. It’s unfair on us”.
At this point, she just said thank you and walked away. There was a bit of a frost in the air until all the ladies left, and we sighed in relief. After they left, I had to tell my friend that we had a little run-in with one of the ladies in the kitchen area. They had spoken to the lady who was in the kitchen to tell her not to close the door as we were going to use the kitchen. She just looked at them, locked the door, put the key away, and walked off.
Am I being spied on?
We finished setting up just in time as the members started to arrive. The actual meeting was wonderful, one of the best in a while. There was another consultant who joined as a member who wants to lose weight. I don’t know about you, but somehow, it puts you on edge. It is like being judged. Will she return and say the group didn’t do something or said something wrong. My friend wasn’t worried.
The session went extremely well. We had 46 members turn up, and 26 stayed for Image Therapy. The room was buzzing, and everyone was in a good mood. There were more laughs, and I have, to be honest, a few innuendos going around. We certainly had a naughty corner.
My friend wanted to discuss everyone’s plans for the next 12 weeks and what everyone wanted to achieve. How they would get there, and what they needed to change to ensure they met their goals. Yes, we are coming to Christmas, so it is a perfect time to start planning. She had some Slimming World magazines that she gave out free to everyone for some added help and tips. The raffle went down a treat, and everyone had a plan and left happy. When my friend gets going she is on fire.
Target Member
Then, one woman approached my friend to say she was still at Target, and my friend was really pleased for her. She congratulated her again. She was at Target a few weeks ago and has the Target book where you now transform your weight loss journey into a maintenance plan. This still takes 12 weeks because Slimming World don’t want you to gain weight. Then she said
“And I don’t have to pay anymore”.
She has mentioned this a few times, and most of the time, my friend is pleased and tell her that being at Target and coming to the group for free is a bonus, and we love having her there.
However, this time, she was boasting and doing a kind of jig. It made my friend a little mad. So, she did something so out of character I was taken aback a little:
She replied to my Slimming World Target Member…
“You do realise that I only get paid a percentage of the money I take from members. I don’t get paid by Slimming World. When target members come to a group, I don’t receive any payment or credit for them being in the group. However, I am thrilled to have you here”.
Her interrupted reply was:
“Well, I’m a Slimming World Target member and entitled to come to the group”.
She smiled and walked away as if she got something over on my friend. I have no idea what or why she has this attitude. The sad thing is, I overheard her a few weeks ago talking to her friend and stating that she will set her current weight as her target. She plans to stay at her current weight for a few weeks and will work on losing a few more stones. She intends to reset her target every three pounds, so she never has to pay again. Slimming World rules state that resetting your target has to be by 7 pounds each time to avoid this or at the consultant’s discretion. I know she had this conversation with her already.
She is currently at the bottom end of her target. When you set a target at Slimming World, the rules state that you can come to the group free of charge as long as you stay within 3 pounds up or down of your target weight. Next week, she will probably be out of target. She will have lost another pound. We will then have to have the conversation again. Its such a shame that a Slimming World target member ruined my evening when we should be celebrating her loss.
The Mood Changed
The group’s mood was so high, and this conversation was so sad. I don’t understand why she thinks getting free access to Slimming World is such a massive thing. If she doesn’t like the group, she can find one that suits her needs better. She doesn’t have to stay with my group. I h heheard of another Slimming World Consultant who has 10 target members in their group. They only have a group of 43 people. That means 33 paying members. They are not taking much home at all. See here for Slimming World earnings.
I went home feeling a little deflated because of her, I know it upset my friend. She then did her Slimming World admin, to find that her computer had just been upgraded, and, unfortunately, there was an error in the system. She had to call Slimming World’s Head office to get them to log into my computers and fix the error. A task due to take 30 minutes took 2 hours 30 minutes, and when she was finished, She was totally frazzled and pissed off and called me.
I’m Off to Bed to dream of my Slimming World Target Member!
She put’s so much energy into running a group, planning and running scenarios about what you will talk about. Physically moving the kit is exhausting as well. It can be heavy carrying 9 or 10 boxes into the hall and out again. Then, when you get home, bring them inside to keep them safe. Finally, to have the evening finish like this was infuriating.
Oh Yes, and for all of this, she earnt the grand total of £80.23 (7½ hours = £10.70 an hour, the minimum wage is £10.42. Above minimum wage by £0.28. Rockefeller move over).
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