Mac is openly spilling inside information, saying that you can get paid for becoming a scout and introducing women to Universe, or that women can choose whatever class they want depending on how much they contribute. Is that really okay?

This is Mac. By coincidence, I just had tea and sandwiches for lunch with a scout I’m on good terms with. When I showed him Representative Kida’s response, he said, “Exactly. We were given instructions like that, and it was really difficult to deal with.” He said they probably want to cut ties with the old-generation scouts who approached and recruited girls on the street, and focus entirely on an online affiliate-based model. The reason I’m writing this is to report that I was able to corroborate what Representative Kida said(^^;). It really does seem they were going through a period of major change.

Our representative, Kida, will answer. “Mac is spilling all the behind-the-scenes details. Is that okay?” → It’s fine. “He’s making fun of you. Is that okay?” → It’s fine. “Can you tell us whether what Mac says is true?” → There’s no way Mr. Mac would lie. I believe it’s true. I’m thinking, “Huh, so that’s how it is,” and learning a lot from him too. That said, if someone eventually starts posting unfunny jokes like, “Scouts get girls hooked on drugs and sell them off to Macau,” I’ll delete them because they’re not funny. In my previous answer, I wrote something cool-sounding like, “From scouting to affiliate marketing! *cue determined pose*,” but the actual transition was incredibly difficult—such a huge challenge that it could have driven the company under. Everyone involved, including accounting and marketing, worked unbelievably hard. So information about scouts that’s along the lines of “I heard it from someone” or “I read it in Shinjuku Swan” is completely irrelevant to me. By the way, personally, I believe professional scouting services absolutely need to exist. I think they should be regulated through either a government licensing or registration system, with taxes and compliance properly managed.

Aizawa from the Event Team at East Customer Loyalty Group will answer. Since Date◎Yume requested my response, I’ll answer. “By becoming a scout and introducing women to Universe, you can get paid.” → Broadly speaking, that’s true. If you introduce a friend who then joins, you’ll receive a thank-you payment. Similarly, if you introduce someone you met online and they join, you’ll receive compensation. If you plan to do it seriously, you could also register and work as an affiliate. The payment method will be different, but you’ll receive proper compensation. However, street scouting is absolutely not allowed!! It violates local ordinances, so we won’t interview anyone introduced that way, no matter how beautiful she is. We’ll also end our relationship with the person who made the introduction!! “If you’re a woman, you can choose whichever class you like depending on how much you contribute.” → I don’t think that’s correct. I’ve never heard of anyone having that kind of special status. That said, there have been cases where a woman heard her class directly from a male member and strongly demanded, “Why is it this class?!” In those cases, we’ve had no choice but to change it. However, we do warn male members when making new offers. It really causes a lot of trouble, so please don’t tell anyone your class... “They’re just salaried employees, after all.” → Since that’s the honest opinion of a male member, it’s valuable feedback. Becoming excessively close to a particular member could lead to various problems, so I’m sorry. “They seem extremely stressed and are harsh with subcontractors.” → Are there subcontractors for Universe?? I don’t think there are any dating clubs subcontracted by Universe... Could they be talking about a club run independently by a scout? Do they introduce women to their own club before referring them to Universe? “They’re making fun of me. Is that okay?” → Were they making fun of you?! Maybe I’m just insensitive, but I honestly didn’t notice at all.

I’m Seattle, a male member. Since this is an anonymous question box, it would be boring if we only posted safe, inoffensive questions and answers. Someone like Mac is invaluable. He’s Japan’s most famous male member of Universe Club.

I’m だて◎ゆめ, a male member. That’s a good question... I’m not staff, so I probably shouldn’t answer, but it’s definitely something I’m very interested in... I suspect about half of it is true. But who knows? Let’s wait for the staff to weigh in. Maezawa-san and Aizawa-san, it’s your turn!