The Southwestern Company Internship Difference Blog

Southwestern Advantage has consistently promoted the importance of doing things the right way when it comes to selling to families door-to-door.  As one of Nashville’s oldest companies and the oldest direct selling company in the nation, our longevity is proof of our comittment to excellence in all areas.  One of those areas is the continued safety of both the college students who sell our products and the families who purchase them in our homes.  Because of this, I am disheartened to see stories like the one below, especially so close to my home and the headquarters of Southwestern Advantage.

A van crew with Texas plates was stopped in Maury County, Tennessee.  WKRN, a Nashville-based ABC affiliate, caught up with the Maury County Sheriffs Office  to find our more.

It turns out the five occupants of the van were selling magazines door-to-door and had a variety of arrest records ranging from theft and weapons to solicitation of a different kind – prostitution.  Some had no form of identification.  Currently, there is no solicitation permit required in Maury County.  The business the van crew was selling magazines for has an “F” rating from the Better Business Bureau.  

I hope these young people are able to turn their life around and focus on helping people rather than the activities their records show they have been involved in.    As a homeowner, be safe by asking questions to know who the person at your door is, what company they are with and look for red flags to see if they are ligitimate or not.  If you are ever uncomfortable, it is okay to tell them “no.”  Also leep in mind, there are way many legitimate door-to-door salespeople than there are bad ones.  You just don’t hear about all of the good ones because they are operating the way they should be.

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