Boy Scout/Cub Scout Popcorn Sales

[phlack]

Anyone here involved in their boy scout (or cub scout) popcorn sale?

How did your pack/troop/ship/whatever do this year?

-Mike

[purplefdu]

I'm not involved but I've been avoiding the ones at Shaws for a couple weeks now...I feel awful but I've never liked the popcorn and if you give them a donation but don't want the popcorn they look at you funny, lol. We didn't buy GS cookies this year either though so at least we're fair.

[chriscree]

We are still selling here in Houston, TX because of IKE. Sales for my boys are down because of the delivery date being moved to after Thanksgiving.

[sns4063]

I had never seen the prices on those things until recently when someone at work was trying to peddle that stuff. I was appalled! I mean really...a $50 can of popcorn? All of the other prices seems just as unreal. That's insane! I don't care how much of a profit the boyscouts are making...the prices are ridiculous!

But to stay on topic, the lady selling it for her son hasn't sold much. I mean really, the last thing alot of people want to purchase with their dwindling dollars is overpriced popcorn.

[phlack]

if you give them a donation but don't want the popcorn they look at you funny.

Not us. We LOVE the donations. Generally, we make more profit off the "bucket drop" than we do selling the popcorn. When we were in front of Walmart, we profited 2x in donations than we profited in popcorn sales. From the pack's perspective, anyway.
I did feel bad for one guy, though. He offered us $10 but didn't want a tin. I practically threw it at him...I just didn't feel right! (Usually someone hands us a buck.) Plus we had so much to sell anyway.
I'm guessing it's the kids that thought it was odd that you just wanted to give money...I'm sure the parents knew better. We can't ASK for donations, but we greatly encourage it! 'Cause that goes straight to the bottom line; we don't have to share that with anyone else. And we make sure our little guys know that.

We are still selling here in Houston, TX because of IKE. Sales for my boys are down because of the delivery date being moved to after Thanksgiving.

Odd. We get ours November 15th. Though I don't know why a delivery date would matter...I've only had a couple people ask me when they'll get it.

I had never seen the prices on those things until recently when someone at work was trying to peddle that stuff. I was appalled! I mean really...a $50 can of popcorn? All of the other prices seems just as unreal. That's insane! I don't care how much of a profit the boyscouts are making...the prices are ridiculous!

I very much agree.
The problem is there are too many hands in it.

In my council:
35% of the sale goes to the unit (pack/troop/ship)
35% goes to the local council. I know ours puts a lot of it into our boy scout campground.
30% goes to the popcorn company (they, after all, make the popcorn!)

Like all fundraisers, of course it's expensive. But it is a fundraiser. 70% goes to the scouting organization. If you're going to buy it thinking it's a good deal, then you'll be disappointed. It's like buying that awful $7 wrapping paper that the schools push every year; it's not to get a good deal, it's to donate to the organization. The sale is just a mechanism to do that.
I do wish they had a cheaper alternative, though. Even the cheapest tin, $10, is a bit much for a lot of people who wouldn't mind buying something otherwise.

I myself would love the $50 tin (white chocolate...yum); unfortunately I don't wanna pay $50. I might splurge next year, though, as it will be our last, most likely.

The scouts didn't have to sell the popcorn...but the more they sold, the less dues they had to pay (they got the pack commission towards the dues). Looking at the sales numbers, I'm not sure it was much of an incentive (amazingly enough...I know it was an incentive for me!).

We sold a bunch going door-to-door in our neighborhood. I was amazed at the response. Of those that answered the door, about 1/2 actually bought something. Generally people were very nice about it.

-Mike

[farmerlee1286]

Hello, I struggle with this every year...dread it actually. My scout also struggles with this because he knows that the popcorn is way overpriced. He knows how overpriced the popcorn is because of the couponing I do! We buy a package from him and he canvases (sp?) the neighborhood with a friend for the rest (he's 15).

I think as a whole the troop did ok this year. We had our delivery date before Thanksgiving...although we could have waited till after due to the fact that we had so much junk in the house already!

Incidentially...our troop leader gives the kids an incentive...each child who reaches $1,000 in sales gets to put a pie in the face of the troop scout master. Last year 3 kids did this.

I wish I could convince the scout master to sell something else like pointsettias or other greenery.

[jellybeans203]

I just ordered popcorn for my nephews troop, just to help him out. OMG!! Seriously 30 bucks for kernels?!?! Thats ridiculous! Has anyone seen the economy lately? People losing jobs, gas prices are crazy high and Scouts want me to pay how much for their fundraisers?? Only doing it b/c its my nephew, otherwise I would never spend that much.