Probably no more of a scam than any other unsustainable capitalist activity. The psychological pressure techniques are not pleasant, but also not illegal. Are they any worse than the techniques employed to persuade people to enter an overheated housing market?
@MrGoodbar I think it's because they began to carry other than soap/cleaning products years ago, and even sold catalogs to gift to ppl for, e.g., a wedding or anniversary.