School fundraisers. UGH (1 Viewer)

Alf S · Sep 4, 2014

Well it's that time of the year again it seems.

My daughter brought home her sales sheets this last week to sell stuff for her dance class so reluctantly, I took the form to work to see if we could sell anything. Luckily, the items being sold appealed to several folks so we had a good sale overall (sold bacon/sausage/chicken strips).

Now here's where it starts getting a bit trickier.

The flood gates have opened and now several folks, including two folks who bought from us, put their snack sheets out (popcorn and cookies). So as much as I don't want to spend $16 on 36 cookies and $14 on a small bag of popcorn, the guilt is too much since these nice folks boguht from us, so I signed up for both lists.

Thing is it's a vicious cycle that seems to never end. If another "buyer" has a sale for their kids school, I pretty much feel obliged to buy something from them.

I just wonder when the cycle can be broken or will it just keep going and going year in and year out.

Oh well, I guess I'll be loaded up with several snacks between now and next year when most sales start to wrap up.

So are any other folks feeling the pinch?

Adam Gregorich · Sep 4, 2014

Thankfully our kids school has moved to scrip cards (gift cards) that they encourage school families to buy and use themselves. That along with Shoparoo means the kids won't have to fundraise for the PTA this year. Scouts is another matter. Popcorn sales start soon. Hmm popcorn goes with Home Theater I may need to post a link

Paul D G · Sep 4, 2014

We don't bother. After years of feeling obligated to buy magazines from my nieces (knowing full well my brother would guilt trip us if we passed) we decided we didn't want to do the same to my family. I don't bring these in to work either. We go through the catalogs and if there's anything we or the kids might want we'll buy something just to help the school.

Sam Posten · Sep 4, 2014

Nuke them from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.(Says the guy who has to sell 50/50 raffles for his fire company twice a year or more)

Aaron Silverman · Sep 4, 2014

Yeah, we just buy a few things from my son's catalog to support the school. The whole concept annoys me. I'm generally a low-taxes guy, but not when it comes to public schools!

Mike Frezon · Sep 4, 2014

This is one of those topics they conveniently fail to mention in the making-babies handbook.

DaveF · Sep 4, 2014

Adam Gregorich said:
Thankfully our kids school has moved to scrip cards (gift cards) that they encourage school families to buy and use themselves. That along with Shoparoo means the kids won't have to fundraise for the PTA this year. Scouts is another matter. Popcorn sales start soon. Hmm popcorn goes with Home Theater I may need to post a link

And boy is that popcorn expensive! It's like a dollar a kernel; two if you want it popped. Tasty, but should take a page from Girl Scouts on pricing vale

And yes, I was talking to my wife this weekend about this. We're going to getting the neighborhood kids ringing the doorbell soon. I wish I could make direct donations. I'm ok supporting the kids, but I don't really want the junk being sold.

Dennis Nicholls · Sep 4, 2014

Mike Frezon said:
This is one of those topics they conveniently fail to mention in the making-babies handbook.

You needed a handbook?

Mike Frezon · Sep 4, 2014

Dennis Nicholls said:
You needed a handbook?

Didn't your high school counselor hand you one?

Stan · Sep 4, 2014

Alf S said:
Well it's that time of the year again it seems.

My daughter brought home her sales sheets this last week to sell stuff for her dance class so reluctantly, I took the form to work to see if we could sell anything. Luckily, the items being sold appealed to several folks so we had a good sale overall (sold bacon/sausage/chicken strips).

Now here's where it starts getting a bit trickier.

The flood gates have opened and now several folks, including two folks who bought from us, put their snack sheets out (popcorn and cookies). So as much as I don't want to spend $16 on 36 cookies and $14 on a small bag of popcorn, the guilt is too much since these nice folks boguht from us, so I signed up for both lists.

Thing is it's a vicious cycle that seems to never end. If another "buyer" has a sale for their kids school, I pretty much feel obliged to buy something from them.

I just wonder when the cycle can be broken or will it just keep going and going year in and year out.

Oh well, I guess I'll be loaded up with several snacks between now and next year when most sales start to wrap up.

So are any other folks feeling the pinch?

Okay, call me Scrooge, Grinch or Mr. Negative, but I can't stand this stuff and never fall for it. When I was a boy scout, we sold things to keep our troop going, but we didn't just put out sign-up sheets for our parents to take to work, we went door to door and did it ourselves.

What do the kids possibly learn from this?

Jim517 · Sep 5, 2014

I am SO glad my kids are out of school !!

schan1269 · Sep 5, 2014

Mike Frezon said:
Didn't your high school counselor hand you one?

Lol on those brochures.

Even funnier...

Jamming Nicki Minaj "Anaconda" while reading those...

Mike Frezon · Sep 5, 2014

schan1269 said:
Lol on those brochures.

Even funnier...

Jamming Nicki Minaj "Anaconda" while reading those...

Those were one of the funniest things to come out of the TV show Glee. They were always on display in the counselor's office. Hysterical stuff.

Aaron Silverman · Sep 5, 2014

Stan said:
Okay, call me Scrooge, Grinch or Mr. Negative, but I can't stand this stuff and never fall for it. When I was a boy scout, we sold things to keep our troop going, but we didn't just put out sign-up sheets for our parents to take to work, we went door to door and did it ourselves.

For most neighborhoods, the days of sending young children door-to-door for anything but Halloween (and supervised even then) are long past.

Stan said:
What do the kids possibly learn from this?

Mainly that public schools are underfunded.

Mike Frezon · Sep 5, 2014

Aaron Silverman said:
Mainly that public schools are underfunded.

Bah! Or is it that too much money is spent on administration?!?

Too slippery a slope, Aaron (for the HTF's rules)!

We really should try to stay on the OP's topic (although those Glee pamphlets were really funny!).

atfree · Sep 5, 2014

Last year at our youngests kids middle school "meet the teacher" I was having a conversation with the school principal. During our talk she asked that we remember to support the annual fundraisers that the school would be having. I looked at her and said " I will write you a check right now for $250 if my kids DON'T have to participate". You should have seen the look on her face. But she didn't take me up on the offer.

Stan · Sep 5, 2014

Aaron Silverman said:
For most neighborhoods, the days of sending young children door-to-door for anything but Halloween (and supervised even then) are long past.

It's sad that things are like that now. When I was a kid we could run and play, we'd have baseball games in the street, people driving through were polite and let us move out of the way, no middle finger salutes. Halloween was fun, no razor blades, poisoned candy or perverts hiding behind shrubs.

My dog accidentally got out a while ago. I got her back in a few minutes, but a neighbor said if it ever happened again he would shoot her. Of course he's the guy who always turns off all his lights on Halloween, God forbid a child might ever set foot on his porch or maybe walk on his lawn.

DaveF · Sep 5, 2014

Stan said:
It's sad that things are like that now. When I was a kid we could run and play, we'd have baseball games in the street, people driving through were polite and let us move out of the way, no middle finger salutes. Halloween was fun, no razor blades, poisoned candy or perverts hiding behind shrubs.

There aren't any razor blades, poisoned candy or perverts hiding behind shrubs today. It's all urban legend, and suburban paranoia. And in my neighborhoods, kids trick or treat and they go door to door fundraising. Maybe if I hide behind my bushes, I can bring an end to the fundraising

Stan · Sep 5, 2014

DaveF said:
There aren't any razor blades, poisoned candy or perverts hiding behind shrubs today. It's all urban legend, and suburban paranoia.And in my neighborhoods, kids truck or treat and they go door to door fundraising.Maybe if I hide behind my bushes, I can bring an end to the fundraising

I know it's all urban legend stuff, just kidding, but didn't do it well. But the neighbor wanting to shoot my dog was true.

Aaron Silverman · Sep 9, 2014

atfree said:
Last year at our youngests kids middle school "meet the teacher" I was having a conversation with the school principal. During our talk she asked that we remember to support the annual fundraisers that the school would be having. I looked at her and said " I will write you a check right now for $250 if my kids DON'T have to participate". You should have seen the look on her face. But she didn't take me up on the offer.

My son's school has an "opt-out" where you simply donate $100 and the kid gets some of the prizes. We usually end up just renewing a few magazines instead.

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