Cookie sales at work

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-202429

It's not fair to target just GS cookies. I recently had an discussion with my child's teacher about a pizza fundraiser. The teacher was wanting 100 percent participation from her 5th grade students and was asking to kids to raise their hands if they still hadn't turned in their forms. To make a long story short, I ended up with my child crying and upset that she was going to be the only child in the class that didn't sell any pizzas. So, hence, the phone call and discussion with her teacher. As a parent I had made a decision NOT to bother my neighbors and co-workers with these fundraisers so needless to say I was not happy with the teacher. No, I don't think it's fair to ask co-workers to buy stuff they don't want to help pay for my kids activities. However, I do sell GS cookies, but I just put the order form on the table in the staff lounge and never approach someone directly.

Lots of opinions on this topic here:
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I always just ponied up as much as I personally could, figuring it was the best compromise I could muster.

and we pony out for some for troops too

But I have rarely been approached, then again don't work in a place where that would happen

and we pony out for some for troops too

But I have rarely been approached, then again don't work in a place where that would happen

(stale candy bars, popcorn that burns in the microwave, overpriced giftwrap packages, frozen pre-formed, reay-to-cook frozen sweet-rolls, etc., etc., etc) which are not only useless empty calories, but not even of a quality I'd want to eat in most cases.... I'd rather they just held a gun and allowed me to hand over my $$...;)

because it avoids those confrontations with workers who simply don't want what your kid is supposed to be selling and resent being guilted into buying.

That way, people who would like the cookies, pizza, band candy, wrapping paper, or whatever else the fundraiser is hawking can sign up for it without any pressure at all. Just telling people it's there and you'll pick it up at the end of the day is enough.

"don't want what your kid is supposed to be selling". This is the whole point that bothers me. YOUR KID is suppose to be selling, NOT the parents selling. When I was in school I sold the stuff...I went door to door selling magazines for prom, I went door to door selling "Band Candy", I went door to door selling what the hell ever I was suppose to be selling to help raise money for MY club, school, band whatever. My mother would have NEVER even thought to take something to work to sell to her coworkers! and what I did not sell she or my family bought. What are we teaching children by doing this? Don't worry, you don't have to really do what's expected of you, you'll just have it handed to you because it's easier on everyone that way. BULL SHIT! I refuse to buy anything at work and when approached I tell them the same thing...if you want to bring your child in and ask me to buy I will but not from a parent.

off my soap box now

but if I've been confronted, my sales resistance meter has pinned.

I know why parents do this, it's because going door to door can be dangerous in a lot of parts of town, my own included. Either you accompany the kid like he's trick or treating, or you let him risk some teenager beating him up for his money and stock--or worse.

I don't like sending school age or even middle school kids out to sell door to door. It's risky. I don't mind it if a parent leaves an order form out for people who want to buy anything on it. Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't.

By the way, some of those chocolate bars they sell are great.

Helicopter Parents.

I do eat girl scout cookies because a great niece is a scout. But the school stuff. I just ask if I can make a direct donation to their fundraiser. It's amazing how many times nobody knows how I'd do that. Dumb. I don't want crummy Christmas wrap, bad chocolates, or any of the other crap they sell in those fundraisers.

I went door to door with a flyer and an envelope. We collected a lot of money, I think that people appreciated that they didn't have to buy anything they didn't want. The band got ALL of the money, we didn't have to pay anything to a fundraiser company. And we raised all of the money. Of course, that was back in the 70's, and people didn't mistrust motives as much.

The parents and kids put in hundreds of hours of labor over nine months and made a fair amount of money for their efforts. Not great, mind you, and when the hours spent organizing it were factored in, very little money indeed. But it was some money.

Next year, a parent suggested we stage a "Band Aid" event -- dress the kids in their uniforms and send them door-to-door to beg money from the community. All told, the kids spent about 6 hours walking the streets and made about three times more money than what the car show brought in.

The next year, we added a small musical combo accompaniment, a couple of kids who hung around near where their friends were going door-to-door, playing songs and drumming up excitement. Later, they hit the mall, with an open instrument case in front of them, and pulled in more than we'd ever imagined.

The band never looked back. They still come by the neighborhood once a year, asking for donations, and it's been over eight years since my daughter graduated.

Chocolate bars were the item to be sold. We live out in the boonies, and it's a major deal to walk from house to house. I can understand the need for fund raising, but some other way would be a lot better.

It is intimidating. It is distracting.

I sold GS cookies as a kid. I enjoyed it. I was pretty good at it. I went door to door. If parents don't think that is safe, they need to take the time to go door to door with their kids.

These sales put a lot of pressure on kids, especially poor kids. As I said, I was always good at selling things, but I never won prizes because the parents of the children from families that had more money than mine did would buy a lot of the cookies or chips or whatever and give them to friends.

The competition about clothes and vacation destinations and entertainment and food (peanut butter sandwiches v. cold cuts, for example) is bad enough and the fact that poor kids always lose can't be avoided. But to add to the humiliation of always losing when it comes to clothes and your bicycle and your toys, etc. the humiliation of some rich kid who never sold a thing in his life winning an award for selling the most cookies is one of those things that makes us bitter Democrats for life. Well, come to think of it, maybe those sales serve one purpose: they engender a lot of sensitivity on the parts of some of us to what it really means to be poor.

I never had to do much until I went to high school and I was expected to raise $100 for the walkathon. I asked a few neighbors...then I just paid my money. I figured the work done to earn the money was less tortuous than begging. Thank god I had a job. It was mortifying.

I'm always trying to support the schools and their fundraisers because I would hope that folks would do the same when my child is in the same boat. Here in CA, schools are getting threatened with their funding and teachers are buying supplies with their own, hard-earned money, and any help from the community is always a plus.

I always try and look at it like this, what you get out of life is what you put into it, and so yes... I will always give to fundraisers for the schools, especially in times like the present. Donating whatever you can afford to is a tremendous help, and it will truly come back to you in some way, some fashion.

Many pay for supplies themselves. I would rather see a raffle or something. No one wants the crummy pizza, and it's far too expensive to go through a fund-raising company! In the good old days, you got local merchants to donate goods and services of all sizes, and then sold raffle tickets. When I was Cub Master, we did a lot of this sort of thing and stayed away from the professional fund-raising people... what a waste! When parents and others know where their money is going, they are far more likely to chip in... and they much prefer giving a dollar that will go directly to the cause as opposed to giving a dollar and have 25 cents go to the cause~!

or if it's selling stuff, let the kids in HomeEc cook some yummy but nutritious treats for a bake sale or Shop sell bookcases...

And I always give them a $10 instead of the $7 or whatever they are charging. I make them do a good job too... I know, I'm such a freaking MOM! LOL!

These companies come into the schools all "high pressure" to sell "x" amount of whatever -- to get the best prizes. The schools BUY into it, and one kid gets all the glory. It's always the kid whose parent(s) work for the biggest company or has the biggest family.

My kids never came close! We have no extended family, and no neighbors! It was always so sad, but what can you do???

I agree with leaving the forms on the table -- but I think the schools should stop honoring or celebrating these kids who SELL the most. It's just weird.

Last point. I know a woman who worked on Wall Street (back in the day when they had money). She would take her daughter's forms into work and sell like $1,000 worth of cookies. Not kidding. Her daughter won every year -- but it meant nothing and half the workers didn't want the cookies! I swear to God, she ended up handing them out to the homeless in NY.

Everyone in our house loves them!

But I refuse to participate in the Sally Foster program. Our school has a deal where we can make a donation instead of making our kids sell worthless crap no one wants. (Why doesn't Sally Foster have gift bags?)

GS cookies are popular enough that people look forward to buying them, so there's no need to pester anyone. I remember when I was in Scouts I would get people at school asking me to put them down for a few boxes.

I'm okay with the kids going door-to-door to make sales. But parents should stay out of it.

and i let my co-workers know as a favor! HATE IT when the season passes and i haven't had my thin mints...as for all the rest, my son never got to be the top seller at anything. i don't mind when other people solicit on behalf of their children though, i know how to say no and have no compunction about doing so, if they're not selling anything i want.

Especially having to sell crappy unwanted items. I'd rather donate cash directly.

Letting kids sell (via girl scouts or an elective activity) is one thing, but pressuring kids is just unfair. How is a kid from a family with less money or friends or inclination to buy supposed to compete with kids from different backgrounds?

Once I worked at a company where one woman had five children. The children attended a private school. She used to bring in the stuff each child was selling. It got ridiculous.

Every other day, it seemed, one of those order blanks was being thrust in my face along with a catalog for some of the most over-priced, yet cheaply made junk that I've ever seen.

I finally told her "no more". And I know that she was offended, but good grief!

Nowadays, when faced with that situation, I either politely, but firmly decline or ask if it's possible for me to simply make a small donation to whatever "cause" is being hawked.

Thin Mints....Tagalongs...Samoas....yummmmmmm!

My daughter never did the GS thing, but I've helped with fundraisers for sports and such. I usually just leave the form in the break room.

But as an adult, I can easily say no thank you.

I was top seller in 1st grade. We were selling wrapping paper and my mom just took it to work and set it on the table. Everyone there bought stuff (and a ton of stuff). It wasn't peer pressure, more like "hey if you want it great, if not that's okay too."

"Just for the Funds." Parents were encouraged to write a check for whatever amount they thought they could afford and hand it to the school secretary at some point during the school year. A letter went out once at the beginning of the year to explain the concept and that was it. No selling anything. No badgering friends, family, and co-workers. And it brought in several thousand dollars.

I would go to the principal and suggest that something similar be initiated at your daughter's school. The no pressure concept would be a welcome relief for most. The Pizza fundraiser sounds like parents are being strong-armed.

...my daughter is a Girl Scout and every year I send out an email to local friends and co-workers and let them know that if they want 'em, we've got 'em. No pressure and I never mention it in person so they don't feel obligated. We have no relatives living in the state but we do go to a few neighbors homes. My daughter then hand makes thank you cards to attach to each order when it gets delivered. I always buy extra because every time we deliver people always want a box of Thin Mints to stash in the freezer.

of the elementary grade school association, the board decided to do away with the fundraisers completely. We drafted a letter asking everyone to think about how much they had spent on junk throughout the year and just send in a check instead. We got a surprisingly good response, and the profit was 100% rather than the shocking 30% you get with some of these outfits. The paper, envelopes and postage were all donated. No one had to chair the committee, we didn't have to find a place to store and sort stuff, and we didn't have to chase someone down to pay for their merchandise. Bookkeeping was simple.

I buy when I can can, but unfortunately selling seems to be a year-round thing now. My place of business won't even let you leave a brochure in the break room anymore - it got too hard to keep track of 15 sales flyers.

Parents claiming hardship insisted there should be fundraisers. We thought that was fine, but we opted out by just writing a check.

Later there were claims that since many of us opted out by just paying, we hurt the fund raising of others. I never understood that. I thought that with less competition it would be easier to sell the pizzas etc. It actually took a racial turn at one point. By then we were just about out of the system and nothing we were involved in required fund raising.

Some of it I'd use to legitimately order the stuff, but of course I'd keep them for myself and hide them under my bed. I remember the turtle caramel clusters quite well hehehe.

:rofl:

It teaches the kids how to be an Amway distributor

without asking anyone.
Girl Scout cookies fund some good programs.
I was GS for years.

I agree with the pizzas though. They are gross.

Through a school is when my kids sold Pizza Hut Vouchers. Those did pretty well. Pizza Hut also had a program at the time which gave free Per Pan Pizzas for a certain # of books read.

That was when the kids were in grade school. I have no idea if either program is still in function as the younger of the two just graduated HS this past May.


But GS cookies? Good gawd. PLEASE! Solicit ME! :loveya:

I understand your not wanting to bother people, and I think the teacher's attitude was not fair to your child, but the schools in LA are really hurting. I used to teach for LAUSD and know whereof I speak.

from my great-nieces. Others must have thought so too. A couple years ago, the school introduced another option. We can now donate "one unit" at $5., sans the pizza.

The raccoons and opossums will miss the frozen frisbees, but this works out so much better...

If it is fundraising for the damned school, pass the damned hat. I mean how much is the school getting per pizza? I'll make people a deal, I don't want kids selling pizza, I would donate what they would make if two pizzas were bought.

These are tough times and running a school ain't free nor should a parent want it to be cheap.

I was thinking of some of our better school districts in the East Bay (SF Bay Area) and they have very aggressive fundraising. I've been told that instead of selling lots of stuff, they simply tell the parents that they have good schools and they aren't free and they ask for sometimes $400/per year donations to keep the schools good. Most people can handle that and if you can't, well it's not required.

If you want kids to help do the fundraising on the basis of it is from parents to the school to help the kids, then so be it. Fundraising for a better school is a lot less objectionable than getting kids to sell pizza or candy or magazine subscriptions so that they can get an education. The payback to the cause on those items is pitifully low.

But selling pizzas or whatever is a stupid way to raise money since it is largely coming from the parents anyway. Just cough up some money to donate and 100% of it will go to the charity or cause rather than much of it being sucked up into paying for product.

I included this letter to the teacher:

Dear Ms/Mr/Mrs/Miss .........:

My child will NOT be selling merchandise. Any candy, popcorn, wrapping paper, greeting cards, coupon booklets , etc. , sent home with him, will be considered a GIFT to our family.

One teacher did send home a box of candybars, and I sent her a thank you note for the candy and a copy of the dated letter I sent her in September.. She CALLED me on her break, and asked if I would please send them back with him the next day.. I did.. but she never sent home any more stuff for him to sell :)

We have no children. We do not mind supporting schools through taxes, etcetera, but the fundraising is really getting out of hand, IMHO. I'm wondering how those sales are going to go this year.

We typically give cash to the GS cookie sellers outside the grocery store and ask that the cookies be sent to the troops.

even if I did have money :P (mint gs cookies are the exception :D )

walk around the neighborhood, or sell in front of a store. Time for parents to stop doing everything for their kids.