do you buy things from kids coming to your door?( small rant)

[nativetxn]

I always buy from the kids who come to my door. When Travis was that age, his dad did sell at his office because we had been buying for years from his other partner's kids. Our son never won any prizes, though.

 

[Octoberbeauty]

Our PTO started a new fundraiser last year, called the "no fundraiser, fundraiser" which means they are just taking donations. Said the auditorium erupted into applause when that was announced. I wasn't there as my kids just started Kindergarten, but it went over so well they are doing it again this year, so we'll see how it goes.

Sherry

 

[geffric]

I am a MOM of 2 boys scouts and we have sold Popcorn and wreaths door to door since they were in cub scouts.. Most people are very kind and support scouts even if it is to just hand them $1. And in turn, I buy from anyone and everyone in the neighborhood whatever they are selling.. DH's work does not allow the parents to take the kids forms to work. When I worked at a small division of the company , I did take their sheets to work as did all of the other parents and we all sipported each other's kids. But now that I work at the corp headqtrs i don't think that it is allowed.

 

[mom2alix]

DD is still too young for school, but I live across the street from the elementary schhol, so we get hit up a lot. I refuse to buy the cards and wrapping paper. They're overpriced and I haven't been impressed. Now any kid that comes by selling Boy Scout popcorn, Girl Scout cookies, or cookie has definitely found their sucker! DH usually ends up buy the GS cookies from someone at work too so we have a few boxes for the freezer.

To the OP - I really think this may be the item that your DD is selling. Cards and wrapping paper are just not very popular items. There are a lot of great ideas here that might make better fundraisers for her group. Maybe you could suggest them to her sponsor. Back when I was in high school, we sold candy, like pkgs of M&Ms (in class) and made about 50% profit. The faculty sponsors were really careful about coordinating so different groups weren't overlapping and they really did well. We were always looking for a cheerleader, bandmember (whoever was fundraising) to get that after lunch chocolate fix. Good luck to your DD and don't let her take it personal.

 

[poohtown]

Originally posted by tar heel
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poohtown -- Was your daughter selling something that wasn't very good or was exceptionally overpriced? Unless it's something useful (pizza kits, for example, which are a great thing to sell), I don't think kids should be asked to try to sell something that's over $10.

actually it's a discount card like another posted mentioned - it has discounts for local restaurants (buy one get one free, 10% percent off bill, etc.)



I guess I was just surprised by all the no's - I was expecting some of those but not as many as she got - especially since some of these houses are classmates and friends.


oh - another poster asked about bringing them to work (I can't because I am self-employed so only I would buy them - LOL, hubby couldn't even if he wanted to because he works out of town). So door to door is whats left for us.


also the lemonade stand thing got to me because it was such a hot day outside and I did a u-turn to get to these kids on a very busy street and I was their only customer all day. Couldn't believe it. Made me sad.

 

[disneymom3]

I usually buy the $1 or so items and if it's a kid I know well, then I will try to buy something from those darn catalogs of stuff.

We have had a problem in our neighborhood the last few weeks. Over two days we had 7 kids come to our door trying to sell the same disount card things. Now the reason this was a problem for me was that they were from three different sports teams from the high school. For pete's sake--these poor kids going door to door and all selling the same thing!! Who organizes these sales and don't they talk to each other? You have the kids from three adjacent towns all attending the same high school which has no money for sports and then you give them all the same fundraiser. PLUS, the card cost $20! That seemed darn high to me.

 

[katerkat]

Nope - no one is allowed to sell door-to-door where I live. So if I want something, I have to actively hunt down the kids. OK, usually I just call my mom and beg her to find a GS for some cookies!

When I was a kid, I did sell door-to-door, though. I did GS cookies, with my mom guarding me. In 8th grade we did magazines - in the days before the weird magazine people came out. It was a well-known fundraiser, everyone in the neighborhood would renew their subscriptions with whoever was the local 8th grader that year. And the band fruit always went over well. Some of the stuff they sell nowadays, though, I just couldn't see myself needing. (Except the pizza kit...)

 

[CyranoJones]

I usually don't buy from kids at the door, mainly because my husband buys everything anyone is selling at the hospital. LOL!

 

[princess pooh]

I rarely buy from kids selling door to door anymore. There was a scheme here a few years ago with kids selling chocolate for a fake charity. Of course I got taken I'm suprised I haven't bought any NY bridges yet.

I wish the schools around here sold the cookie dough or pizza

 

[MI mom of 3]

Originally posted by Maleficent13
I don't mind the kids selling stuff, but last weekend two high school aged kids came to my door and said: "Wanna donate some money for *****'s high school football team?" while shaking a coffee can at me.

Um, no, I don't. First of all, how do I know where that money's going, or that you're really from ***** high school? And since when do kids just go from door to door begging for money?

It's funny you should say that. Last Thursday I was answering the phones in the Middle School office. I had a father call and want to speak to the principal, who was with a parent. So the father left a message. Seems some MS kids were going door to door collecting money, said that the principal was giving them extra credit if they collected money for 'flat basketballs.'?!?!?!
He gave them money and THEN thought maybe he should call and see if it was legit.

 

[crz4mm2]

I love those discount cards. We had a pizza one last year and a subway one (both were buy one get one free). That was a great deal and the money goes where it should!! The community business donates their product, kids get the money from the sale of the cards, we win too as we get buy one get one free.
Will sure do those again if they come around.
I buy from everyone at work that brings a fundraiser in. I wouldn't let my kids go door to door either and the people at work were the only orders they frequently got. Kids hate to be the only ones who don't have orders for fundraisers. I just hate the ones that give back 10 cents on the dollar. what a rip off.

 

[C.Ann]

If the item is a good value for the $$, I will buy it - if it's overpriced, I won't..

I don't think ANYONE has ever come to my door selling anything that actually was a good value..

 

[Disney Doll]

I ahve a hard time saying no to kids selling stuff. I'm a sucker for a cute little face!

 

[tar heel]

poohtown -- I'm sorry to hear about her experience because I think the discount cards are one of the best items available. How much are they charging? My high school soccer player will be selling them beginning next week. Ours are $10 and it's easy to get it to pay for itself. As a matter of fact, dh and I will probably both buy one. The problem with ours is that all zillion fall athletic teams are selling them. We have four soccer players in our cul-de-sac alone plus at least six more in our neighborhood. There are two tennis players and two cross country runners just in my son's group of friends. So, I'm not sure trying to sell them in our neighborhood would be very successful. Are all the athletic teams or just the cheerleaders selling them at your school?

 

[poohtown]

Originally posted by tar heel
poohtown -- I'm sorry to hear about her experience because I think the discount cards are one of the best items available. How much are they charging? My high school soccer player will be selling them beginning next week. Ours are $10 and it's easy to get it to pay for itself. As a matter of fact, dh and I will probably both buy one. The problem with ours is that all zillion fall athletic teams are selling them. We have four soccer players in our cul-de-sac alone plus at least six more in our neighborhood. There are two tennis players and two cross country runners just in my son's group of friends. So, I'm not sure trying to sell them in our neighborhood would be very successful. Are all the athletic teams or just the cheerleaders selling them at your school?

yep ours are $10. too. We have to sell at least 15 cards which doesn't sound that bad, but we have an average of 7 houses to a street. She has gone at least 8 streets in the vicinity of our house and has sold 9 cards. She was so excited at first because the first few she sold right away. Unfortunately, all my friends have kids also in cheerleading or football so we're all in the same boat. Approx. 200-250 kids selling the same thing in the same small town.

 

[MHopkins2]

I'll buy things from kids (or adults) at my door if it's something I need and/or want at a reasonable price. "Reasonable" is open to interpretation, though - I don't want to give them any ideas, but the Girl Scouts could charge twenty bucks per box of Samoas, and I'd still buy them!

If it's not something I need or want, I don't buy, period. I've been known, however, to fork over a few bucks in cash to recognize particularly good sales pitches.

[Note: I do not buy anything from Boy Scouts.]

 

[suzannews]

Very rarely do we get the kids coming door to door selling. All of the fundraising done by my daughters school clearly states, DO NOT SELL DOOR TO DOOR. I never ask anyone to buy the expensive wrapping paper, $10 boxes of candy, etc. I usually resubscribe to the magazines I am currently getting and thats it.

My DD is a girl scout also. Those cookies sell themselves, we had people ordering 10 boxes at a time. My husband and I both take the order sheets to work, let them know whats available and if they are interested to let me know. No pressure. Last year we sold over 500 boxes between coworkers, neighbors we know, family and friends. The rule for my DD was, she had to help sort and bag all of the cookies and then I took her to work one day that I was off to personally deliver and thank everyone that ordered. She also had to work 3 "cookie booths" outside of our local grocery store. The rule for her troop is when someone says no or just walks by and ignores you, you still say thank you anyways and have a good day. Any negative words from the girls and they are out of the troop. They quickly learned that even though some people say no, the ones that did buy were buying many boxes at a time.

 

[suzannews]

Originally posted by MHopkins2

[Note: I do not buy anything from Boy Scouts.]

Bad experience with stale popcorn?

 

[Az Pirates]

I always buy if it's from friends or neighbors kids.

Our school doesn't do selling anymore.
We do a couple of carnivals a year and raised the PTA fees $30 per person to join - steep but fine with me if we don't have to sell stuff!

 

[MHopkins2]

Originally posted by suzannews
Bad experience with stale popcorn?

*snerk*