Would this upset you?

[Tralliam]

It's Boy/Cub Scout popcorn season. This last weekend was the beginning of show & sell where the boys sit in front of stores and try to sell. I received an e-mail from our "Popcorn Kernel" talking about how well the weekend went. Then I get to this paragraph.

The Double Caramel Crunch is a harder sell since it is a new flavor and costs $30 a bag. Tonight XXX and XXX sold our first bag to someone that wanted to try it. Thank goodness he came along! A cute suggestion was to sell it as "a trending flavor on the west coast." A lot of people here are from the west coast. It may just be that we need to push it or just introduce it to customers.

This really rubs me the wrong way. I asked if it was test marketed there last year and haven't gotten a response. I've spent some time on Google to see if I could find out if it was introduced somewhere last year, but it doesn't seem to be. The way I read this, I was just told to tell my 9 yo son to lie to an adult to sell a $30 bag of popcorn.

Would this be an issue for you?

 

[mickeysgal]

It's Boy/Cub Scout popcorn season. This last weekend was the beginning of show & sell where the boys sit in front of stores and try to sell. I received an e-mail from our "Popcorn Kernel" talking about how well the weekend went. Then I get to this paragraph.

The Double Caramel Crunch is a harder sell since it is a new flavor and costs $30 a bag. Tonight XXX and XXX sold our first bag to someone that wanted to try it. Thank goodness he came along! A cute suggestion was to sell it as "a trending flavor on the west coast." A lot of people here are from the west coast. It may just be that we need to push it or just introduce it to customers.

This really rubs me the wrong way. I asked if it was test marketed there last year and haven't gotten a response. I've spent some time on Google to see if I could find out if it was introduced somewhere last year, but it doesn't seem to be. The way I read this, I was just told to tell my 9 yo son to lie to an adult to sell a $30 bag of popcorn.

Would this be an issue for you?

I can't get past $30 for a bag of popcorn. Sorry, trending flavor or not, this is nuts.

 

[java]

And I can't get past Popcorn Kernel! Now that's funny. We don't scout for many reasons- but yes that would annoy me.

 

[Hillbeans]

It's Boy/Cub Scout popcorn season. This last weekend was the beginning of show & sell where the boys sit in front of stores and try to sell. I received an e-mail from our "Popcorn Kernel" talking about how well the weekend went. Then I get to this paragraph.

The Double Caramel Crunch is a harder sell since it is a new flavor and costs $30 a bag. Tonight XXX and XXX sold our first bag to someone that wanted to try it. Thank goodness he came along! A cute suggestion was to sell it as "a trending flavor on the west coast." A lot of people here are from the west coast. It may just be that we need to push it or just introduce it to customers.

This really rubs me the wrong way. I asked if it was test marketed there last year and haven't gotten a response. I've spent some time on Google to see if I could find out if it was introduced somewhere last year, but it doesn't seem to be. The way I read this, I was just told to tell my 9 yo son to lie to an adult to sell a $30 bag of popcorn.

Would this be an issue for you?

I personally dislike this fundraiser over any others I encounter, and I love Popcorn, but I have no need for 18 bags of it for the low cost of $25. For many people, that is gas money for a week, way too much to spend for a fundraiser, IMO. Would much rather donate a flat $ amount and leave it at that.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Even my son's Troop does not really participate in the darned 'Popcorn Sale'. The boys can do it, but it is not an organized troop effort, AT ALL.

That should say a lot !

 

[sunshinehighway]

$30 for popcorn?

 

[corgi_monster]

I can't get past $30 for a bag of popcorn. Sorry, trending flavor or not, this is nuts.

I agree! How much popcorn do you get for $30?



But yes, I would be irritated if I were instructed to tell a child to lie.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I'm with you, and I would probably tell the "Kernel" I was sending that sales pitch straight to the trash, quoting verbatum from the Boy Scout Trail Website, the very first of the 12 points in the Scout Law:

A Scout Is...

TRUSTWORTHY
A Scout tells the truth. He keeps his promises. Honesty is part of his code of conduct. People can depend on him.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I have never noticed boy scouts selling popcorn, but at that price, even I would pass as that would go toward my groceries. My son was not in boy scouts , but why would they sell popcorn at a price like that. Not trying to be snarky, just not understanding.

 

[declansdad]

Personally I wouldn't pay that much for any popcorn and I would laugh if a 9 year old told me it was "trending" anywhere.

 

[padams]

It's Boy/Cub Scout popcorn season. This last weekend was the beginning of show & sell where the boys sit in front of stores and try to sell. I received an e-mail from our "Popcorn Kernel" talking about how well the weekend went. Then I get to this paragraph.

The Double Caramel Crunch is a harder sell since it is a new flavor and costs $30 a bag. Tonight XXX and XXX sold our first bag to someone that wanted to try it. Thank goodness he came along! A cute suggestion was to sell it as "a trending flavor on the west coast." A lot of people here are from the west coast. It may just be that we need to push it or just introduce it to customers.

This really rubs me the wrong way. I asked if it was test marketed there last year and haven't gotten a response. I've spent some time on Google to see if I could find out if it was introduced somewhere last year, but it doesn't seem to be. The way I read this, I was just told to tell my 9 yo son to lie to an adult to sell a $30 bag of popcorn.

Would this be an issue for you?

No. 9 years old is old enough to learn about sales and marketing. Explain the concepts of sales tactics and deceptive marketing. Use the popcorn sale to teach your son about being an educated consumer.

 

[sparklynails23]

The email sounds tongue-in-cheek to me. Are you sure you didn't misinterpret? Cub scouts are too young to really have great sales pitches, anyway. I still remember my 7 year old son reading each long description of gourmet (pronounced gor-met) popcorn to grandma and the aunts. They thought it was hilarious.

Let's face it, only a relative will buy $30 popcorn. That's ridiculous.

The caramel, chocolate stuff was really good, but a stretch at $18 with a tin.

 

[mad madam mim78]

No it wouldn't bother me. It's for a good cause and if a little boy told me it was a trending flavor on the west coast I would laugh and probably buy more. I think what the people were trying to say was west and east coasts set the new trends for the rest of the world. It's a little joke saying "hey don't you wanna be cool?".

I guess you just didn't get the joke.

 

[clm10308]

I wouldn't be upset by that email, but I wouldn't worry about selling that $30 popcorn either.

The packs we have been in never did the store front selling only the order taking.

This is our last year, and since I do not agree with hoe this new pack spends the money, I will not be working hard to sell popcorn. I will let my son ask a few of the neighbors but I'm not spending my weekends walking all over town.

On another note, my DH talked to many professional scouters in our old council about how the scouts should sell a smaller size for $3,4,or $5 rather just than all the $20&s and up stuff.

People are much more willing to buy if there is something cheeper. Just think of how many GS cookies get sold one box at a time

 

[happygirl]

It's Boy/Cub Scout popcorn season. This last weekend was the beginning of show & sell where the boys sit in front of stores and try to sell. I received an e-mail from our "Popcorn Kernel" talking about how well the weekend went. Then I get to this paragraph.

The Double Caramel Crunch is a harder sell since it is a new flavor and costs $30 a bag. Tonight XXX and XXX sold our first bag to someone that wanted to try it. Thank goodness he came along! A cute suggestion was to sell it as "a trending flavor on the west coast." A lot of people here are from the west coast. It may just be that we need to push it or just introduce it to customers.

This really rubs me the wrong way. I asked if it was test marketed there last year and haven't gotten a response. I've spent some time on Google to see if I could find out if it was introduced somewhere last year, but it doesn't seem to be. The way I read this, I was just told to tell my 9 yo son to lie to an adult to sell a $30 bag of popcorn.

Would this be an issue for you?

You should tell him not selling because it 30 dollars. Why doesn't the troop pop some of it and give it out as free samples. To draw people to it.

 

[Disney Doll]

I think if this is your biggest problem, that youare quite lucky.

A 9 year old scout could tell me that the popcorn was hand-grown by the Pope and I wouldn't be paying $30 for popcorn.

 

[disneychic2]

I agree that this would bother me. I do buy the popcorn from a boy from our church, but I just chalk it up to donation for the exorbitant price. Over the years I've spent a lot of money paying the outrageous prices of fund raiser products. I just close my eyes and think of helping out.

 

[Colleen27]

I think the popcorn sale is one of the more ridiculous fundraisers out there. $30 popcorn? That's just crazy. And there's a serious lack of low-priced items for those of us who would make a "token" purchase in the $5-10 range to support the cause. It was always a very hard sell in our area and I don't miss it since DS decided not to continue in BSA.

There's a reason GS cookies sell so well - a $4 splurge people will happily spring for. A $30 splurge not so much.

 

[Northstar]

It wouldn't upset me.

Nobody expects a claim like "a trending flavor on the west coast" to be backed up with market research that shows an 80% or greater increase in popularity in the last year. It would be sufficient that the one person who bought this flavor from them said, "oh, I'm from the West Coast, this would sell like mad out there."

Nobody in their right mind actually cares whether the popcorn they buy is trendy. It's just something to help the kids engage with the customers.

The kids could just say, "our supplier says this is a trending flavor on the west coast" or "someone told me this is the latest thing on the west coast." Just as effective in starting the conversation with customers, and completely accurate.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I agree that this would bother me. I do buy the popcorn from a boy from our church, but I just chalk it up to donation for the exorbitant price. Over the years I've spent a lot of money paying the outrageous prices of fund raiser products. I just close my eyes and think of helping out.

same here! Spent $15 or $17 for the popcorn every year because I like supporting the neighborhood kids!!!!!! I also see the markup as a donation going to help out their groups!!!

I wouldn't go for the $30 popcorn though.