Actually this isn’t too far from the truth, at least up here. We order a certain number of cookies, based on the size of the troop and how well we expect to sell. What we don’t sell (usually at least a few cases meaning about 3 dozen boxes) ends up in a cool place somewhere stored until sold. We do our best to move them fast, and they keep really well so they don’t get stale which is a blessing.
You see we are only allowed to sell them for so long, as we get permits for about a month to do so. If people get in contact with the local troops it’s possible to get some of the last batch of cookies ‘out of season’ as it were.
heh… I could probably give all sorts of our tricks away for selling having done so from both sides (as a girl and a leader) for about 13 years
Lemme see if I understand. The school is spending it’s money on…educational stuff* instead of useless crap like the football team or the prom or other such “feel-good” school-spirit garbage and you’re…upset about it?
Fenris
*I’m assuming that the laptops are for the students (or even teachers). If they’re for the administrators, nevermind.
The one thing I never see brought up in rants like this one, is the fact that, at least with public schools, you ALREADY PAY TAXES for the regular and customary expenses of running a school. In fact, EVERYONE in a particular district or area pays taxes, whether or not they have kids in the system. It’s just a good investment.
Now, if you don’t have enough money because of one circumstance or another (depressed economy, bad tax base etc) or your school is a private one that is small, and doesn’t charge enough tuition to cover the standard expenses, that i can understand.
But when a school that is in a semi-affluent area (such as the one my colleague sent her child to) that charges 3000 a year tuition for Kindergarten and is subsidized by the church it is connected to (which is subsidized by the parishoners, who by the way are the only ones allowed to send their children), and requires parents to supply nearly 500 dollars worth of equipment and supplies, sends this kid home with a catalog full of CRAP, and I DO MEAN CRAP (if I see one more teddybear with the victorian equivalent to an american flag sewn on its’ belly, i may just vomit)
THAT is outfeckingrageous. What an egregious bushel of nonsense, this ‘fund raising’ is. It takes away from learning, it takes away from the community, and it raises all kinds of dangers for the kids, not the least of which is having to sell things to people they don’t know, in order to try and get a prize they don’t need.
The only benefit to fund raising goes to the companies, who get customers later in life, (who romanticize their childhood demi-prostitution) and those who will gleefully buy six thousand packs of cigarettes to acquire one ten dollar hibachi grill. :rolleyes:
When someone comes to my door (or hits me up at a table in front of Ace Hardware, or wherever) I’ve long had a policy of asking, “How much do you get from each box you sell?” Then I give 'em that much.
But with Girl Scout cookies, we’ve always bought the cookies.
Just kidding. Actually it never came to that. It would depend upon the state, locality, and teacher’s contract, but I’m not sure a teacher could be dismissed for refusing to participate in a fundraiser. Interesting question.
(if I see one more teddybear with the victorian equivalent to an american flag sewn on its’ belly, i may just vomit)
This made me remember a time several years ago when I helped with a school wide worthless gadgets and trinkets sale. The company we contracted with went bankrupt in the middle of our fundraiser. They were unable to provide the correct worthless trinkets and gizmos so they basically filled orders with what they felt would be reasonable substitutes. I bet I had 40 calls about these freakin butterfly magnets and fish candles. I thought I would puke if I had to go through this with one more person. What a freaking nightmare. Cherrydale Farms.
My main experience with selling stuff as a kid was Camp Fire Girl Candy.
But my dad did all the selling. I didn’t do much to distinguish myself in Camp Fire Girls, but by damn, I was the damned best Camp Fire Girl Candy seller that ever was. All because of my dad. I don’t think I sold much of the stuff myself.
My dad worked for the Post Office, and I’m guessing that no one else there had kids who were Camp Fire Girls. Must have been. Because he was “the man” for Camp Fire Girl Candy. And I guess those postal workers loved their Camp Fire Girl Candy.
Everyone at the post office asked him when the Candy was available. They waited with baited breath for their candy to come in. He told me with excitement of all the orders he’d gotten. He enjoyed selling that candy and he loved being “the man to see about Camp Fire Girl Candy.” I swear, I think part of the reason I was discouraged from quitting Camp Fire Girls (as I said, I didn’t distinguish myself in it) was because that would cut my dad off from the supply of Camp Fire Girl Candy. And that just wasn’t going to happen!
That has been my main experience with selling stuff as a kid. I was just sort of swept along with it. It wasn’t about me at all, but about the Post Office and their passion for Camp Fire Girl Candy, and my dad being “the source” for said candy.
As far as the other shit that kids are forced into selling–I never had much use for it. Camp Fire Girl Candy (do they even sell candy anymore?) or Girl Scout Cookies I can understand–they are a unique product that only these organizations sell. But just some generic shit, like popcorn in a big tin–who cares? Blech!
And I also feel sorry for kids forced to go door-to-door to sell stuff. I hate it. I never would have done that as a kid. It sounds miserable.
I still will buy some of my friends’ kids stuff, because I remember how my dad sold all my candy. But I think it was obvious in his case, he really enjoyed selling that damned candy, and the rest of the Post Office was apparently hooked on the candy, so it wasn’t as if it was a sacrifice for any of them to buy it.
In the state of California, the court system has decreed that school fundraising may only be done on a volunteer basis. The money raised must be used for all the students who qualify for the activity and can’t be awarded to individual accounts.
I have mixed feelings about this. I hate the majority of the fundraising, but if there’s a kid who can’t afford to go on the field trip any other way, she used to be able to hustle enough to go. Now, that student will see no benefit from her (or more realistically her parents’) efforts.
I feel for the schools because there never is enough money to do all the things we’re supposed to do - let alone the stuff that would be wonderful to do for the kids, especially the kids who otherwise would never see a museum, a science center, go on a trip out of state, etcetera.
Roadkill, most likely, those laptops were paid for with state or federal grant money. There’s a lot of free money out there for technology programs, and there isn’t ANY free money out there for proms.
I’m one of two eighth grade sponsors, and I think I’ll look very closely at the fundraising we will do this year. Most years, the kids sell schlocky t-shirts and stuff. My guess is a dinner, a carwash, and a haunted house at this year’s carnival would do just as well.
Dear God. My nephew (who is living with us right now) brought home a book of coupons, too. They’re $25 per “Entertainment” booklet and I believe several different schools are participating. So everyone in town is guilted into buying one for their son, daughter, neighbor, etc. Paying a few dollars for a raffle ticket or a candy bar is one thing, but $25? And my nephew doesn’t even remember what he’s raising funds for.
When I worked at a hotel, people used to ask me “Do you accept the ‘Entertainment’ card?” with a desperate look in their eyes. Now I know why.
Guinastasia, I can’t believe your school got away with that. It doesn’t even seem legal. OTOH, I know that if my high school had done that, I would have just accepted it. I think it’s typically parents that have the moxie to officially complain about that sort of thing.
And thanks, MD, for informing me about girl scout cookies. I used to buy them to support the troops, even though I’m not much of a fan of cookies. Now I know to just donate.
Dear God. My nephew (who is living with us right now) brought home a book of coupons, too. They’re $25 per “Entertainment” booklet and I believe several different schools are participating. So everyone in town is guilted into buying one for their son, daughter, neighbor, etc. Paying a few dollars for a raffle ticket or a candy bar is one thing, but $25? And my nephew doesn’t even remember what he’s raising funds for.
When I worked at a hotel, people used to ask me “Do you accept the ‘Entertainment’ card?” with a desperate look in their eyes. Now I know why.
Guinastasia, I can’t believe your school got away with that. It doesn’t even seem legal. OTOH, I know that if my high school had done that, I would have just accepted it. I think it’s typically parents that have the moxie to officially complain about that sort of thing.
And thanks, MD, for informing me about girl scout cookies. I used to buy them to support the troops, even though I’m not much of a fan of cookies. Now I know to just donate.
I think I have to agree with everything everybody said. This exploitation of school kids sucks.
From now on, I’ll make a point of not buying the crappy candy and whatnot, but I always try to participate when I see some kids’ group doing a car wash or somesuch. If they’re organizing it themselves, I guess that means they keep the cash.
Now that that’s out of the way I think I need to say:
If Girl Scout Cookies are wrong, I don’t want to be right.
I don’t care how evil they are, when I see them selling those chocolatey coconut carmel thingies, I take all the boxes they got.
And some lay in the office’s kid is in a band, and they sell those homemade pizza kits. I have a weak spot for fropis.
Those things are so good they’re worth a few exploited children.
OMG! I hate that company! Three years ago, the school I taught at did one of their fundraisers with the promise of the ‘face painting’ and popcorn/cola party that was mentioned earlier. Almost every student in the school participated, sold that shit, and then collected/delivered. Guess what. Cherrydale never showed up to do the reward party. After about 6 months of calling them, the principal broke down and used our ‘profits’ to buy the kids some pizza and soda, and then we gave them an extra recess. :rolleyes: Did the admin-types learn their lesson? Do I really need to answer that for you?
FB
I don’t blame the parents one bit for being fed up with these fund-raisers that send their children out to sell crap.
When I was in high school we were told that we couldn’t graduate until we had sold a certain number of fruitcakes or tins of peppermint or whatever it was. Without my knowing it, my father went to school and put the items on the principal’s desk and told him just to try to keep me from graduating. Of course, the principal couldn’t do that legally. It was a bluff. But the typing teacher did add points to people’s grades for selling tickets to the spaghetti supper. Those grades went toward determining class rank. That really sucked.
Yes, they are that strapped. The money doesn’t just go for luxuries either. It buys supplies such as the paper that you child’s work sheets are printed on and toilet paper in the bathrooms. (In Montgomery, Alabama they have to take their own t-paper.) It goes to buy bulbs for the overhead projector and to have the boiler repaired.
When teachers sell candy and doughnuts in their classrooms to raise money, the parents complain about all of the sugar – and rightly so!
Teachers hate these fund raisers too. I don’t know why anyone would think that it doesn’t take up valuable class time to do the bookeeping for each student and to account to the school bookeeper. Some teachers are so sick of it that they buy their way out of it by paying out of their own pockets $200 or $300. They just want to be left alone to teach.
Most monies for public schools don’t come from the federal government. They come from the state and local governments.
They practice after school and play several football games a year to which the school charges admission. Sports are one of the biggest fund-raisers for the schools.
So does bookeeping for these fund-raisers.
Some of you have some great ideas for raising money. Anything has got to be better than using the kids this way! Let the school boards know how you feel!
Have any of you seen the bumper sticker about how someday the military ought to have a bake sale to raise money to go to war?
~ retired from the front lines of 11th grade English class ~
I don’t even have kids and I’m sick of fundraisers.
For the past three months, my mom has been trying to pawn off three containers of frozen cookie dough she bought for one of her neighbor’s kid’s fundraisers. I’ve gotten used to shrugging off kids who hang out at gas stations and grocery stores shilling candy, but last week a coworker of mine brought in a catalog of plastic mugs his son was selling for his PE class. They’re better than a tin of candy or a teddy bear, but I can say my life is complete without one.
I am SO glad someone started this thread because I was going to do it myself soon.
I loathe and detest school fundraising. At my daughter’s school they do the fundraising thing twice a year. Last year, I went to an assembly in the school gym to see my daughter receive an award for Creative Writing. The award ceremony itself was a short one (they have one every nine weeks) but afterwards the principal urged parents to stay a little longer for the next part and my daughter begged me to stay so I did.
For a 45 minute long seminar on fundraising.
In the middle of the school day.
A representative of the fundraising company set up a big display in the middle of the gym and proceeded to give selling tips to a couple hundred 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders. He hyped them up on the prospect of earning a giant balloon for selling 5 items. A giant Pixie stick for selling more than that and of course, the huge giant “Winner’s Party” for the biggest sellers.
What the hell? Whatever happened to car washes? Bake sales? Cake walks? School carnivals?
My kid has enough pressure in third grade with all the homework, extra credit assignments, required extra reading, science projects, etc. without having to worry about shilling cheap-ass crap to family and friends. And this stuff is the crappiest crap imaginable. $9 for 30 feet of wrapping paper that I can find at Walmart for $1.50, 9 ounces, 9 ounces of chocolate covered peanuts for $7, and don’t even get me started on the $15 plastic candle holders in the shape of snowmen…
I am another ‘chuck it right into the trash’ parent and proud of it.
When my daughter was in junior high, the parents of the gifted students formed a group to address several issues that we had with the way the programs for gifted students were being run.
I got up in front of the group and said “You don’t need any more candy or wrapping paper or magazine subscriptions. Your kids don’t need to be sent out to sell junk. If you want to contribute to the group, just write us a check.”
We collected close to $1500 at that meeting and it ALL went to the program.
Why can’t other parents do the same? Call the school office and tell them you’ll happily just give them the same amount of money that your kid would have “earned” selling 20 subscriptions, or whatever. It can’t amount to too much, given the rapacious nature of the fund-raising leeches.
Yes, please…whatever happened to school carnivals? Those were GREAT, as I remember them. Even though I don’t have any public school age kids right now (my daughter is 24), I’d be happy to go to a school carnival. Cakewalks, corny midway games, rummage sales…lots of fun for just about everyone. I wonder if my daughter’s old schools have them now? They didn’t when she attended them.
Just want to point out something about private schools- my child goes to a private school which is partially subsidized by the parish. There is also a significant amount of fundraising done. ($60,000/year net to the school). I only have to participate in three events- lottery calendars and two candy sales. The reason these are mandatory are because a certain number of the lottery calendars must be sold for the event to make a profit and because the school has to commit to selling a certain number of candy bars when signing the contract with the company. Every time a suggestion comes up to eliminate the mandatory fundraisers, the majority of the parents want to keep them. I don’t know why- some of them seem desperate to have their kids win the cheap prizes, but I’m sure others just don’t want to pay the increase in tuition (about $250 per family) that will result.
And as far as this goes:
Who exactly do you expect to pay for your prom? The taxpayers?You apparent have the option to either
sell enough booklets to cover your share
pay your share
not attend
Seems fair enough to me for an social event.
Might as well throw in something about Girl Scouts too- my council , at least, ( I can’t speak for all) provides a number of events at little or no cost to the girls. The $2.06 per box they get from the cookie sales helps provide them.
