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CNN Sunday Morning
Soldiers Sell Mary Kay Makeup
Aired March 02, 2003 - 10:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. military's make-up. As tens of thousands of female soldiers deploy to the Persian Gulf, many have their Mary Kay makeup tucked in their duffels and some of those women are serving Uncle Sam and Mary Kay. CNN's Jen Rogers is in Los Angeles with that -- Jen.
JEN ROGERS, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka. That's right. What do pink Cadillacs and Army tanks have in common? Well, more than you might imagine. Military women, both those in the military and those just married to it, are turning to a 40-year-old company for a little extra cash and finding more than they bargained for.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROGERS (voice-over): Mary Kay has an army of sales reps around the world and it turns out some of them are in the Army as well.
MARGI ENO, SENIOR DIRECTOR, MARY KAY: It's great in the military because as they move around it's a portable career so they can with it them wherever they go.
ROGERS: Margi Eno, who drives one of the coveted pink Cadillacs doled out to top Mary Kay sales reps, heads up a unit near San Diego. Her sales team is made up of 145 women, 44 of whom are either a military spouse or in the service themselves.
ENO: We actually have a couple of women in my unit who are on ships and are deployed. And before they left they stocked their little lockers full of Mary Kay and on payday, everyone comes to them because they're -- what are they going to do on their off time, you know, on a cruiser or a destroyer or something like that?
ROGERS: Marlena Freeman is a bank teller whose husband was recently deployed. She signed up with Mary Kay last year and for her, it's more than just a second job.
MARLENA FREEMAN, MARY KAY BEAUTY CONSULTANT: It's really nice to go and talk to people about, you know, what I've been going through.
ROGERS: These three navy women have become new Mary Kay foot soldiers. All have children and all have husbands who have recently left for the front-line.
JENNIFER MURPHY, MARY KAY BEAUTY CONSULTANT: When he was home, he had a second job and now being deployed, we don't have that extra income so it puts a strain on us.
ROGERS: Of course, joining Mary Kay doesn't mean you'll have a pink Cadillac next month or even next year but the mobility and flexibility are still a draw for military families who tend to move once every two to three years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROGERS: Now, Mary Kay isn't the only direct selling line to be attracting those in the military, but regardless of what you choose to sell, the mobility only goes so far. If you get transferred to an international base, there are more hoops to jump through and it becomes a little bit trickier to operate your business -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, very good. Thanks, Jen.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired March 2, 2003 - 10:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. military's make-up. As tens of thousands of female soldiers deploy to the Persian Gulf, many have their Mary Kay makeup tucked in their duffels and some of those women are serving Uncle Sam and Mary Kay. CNN's Jen Rogers is in Los Angeles with that -- Jen.
JEN ROGERS, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka. That's right. What do pink Cadillacs and Army tanks have in common? Well, more than you might imagine. Military women, both those in the military and those just married to it, are turning to a 40-year-old company for a little extra cash and finding more than they bargained for.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROGERS (voice-over): Mary Kay has an army of sales reps around the world and it turns out some of them are in the Army as well.
MARGI ENO, SENIOR DIRECTOR, MARY KAY: It's great in the military because as they move around it's a portable career so they can with it them wherever they go.
ROGERS: Margi Eno, who drives one of the coveted pink Cadillacs doled out to top Mary Kay sales reps, heads up a unit near San Diego. Her sales team is made up of 145 women, 44 of whom are either a military spouse or in the service themselves.
ENO: We actually have a couple of women in my unit who are on ships and are deployed. And before they left they stocked their little lockers full of Mary Kay and on payday, everyone comes to them because they're -- what are they going to do on their off time, you know, on a cruiser or a destroyer or something like that?
ROGERS: Marlena Freeman is a bank teller whose husband was recently deployed. She signed up with Mary Kay last year and for her, it's more than just a second job.
MARLENA FREEMAN, MARY KAY BEAUTY CONSULTANT: It's really nice to go and talk to people about, you know, what I've been going through.
ROGERS: These three navy women have become new Mary Kay foot soldiers. All have children and all have husbands who have recently left for the front-line.
JENNIFER MURPHY, MARY KAY BEAUTY CONSULTANT: When he was home, he had a second job and now being deployed, we don't have that extra income so it puts a strain on us.
ROGERS: Of course, joining Mary Kay doesn't mean you'll have a pink Cadillac next month or even next year but the mobility and flexibility are still a draw for military families who tend to move once every two to three years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROGERS: Now, Mary Kay isn't the only direct selling line to be attracting those in the military, but regardless of what you choose to sell, the mobility only goes so far. If you get transferred to an international base, there are more hoops to jump through and it becomes a little bit trickier to operate your business -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, very good. Thanks, Jen.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
