How does your unit sell popcorn?

[Loomans]

We've committed to selling popcorn (Trails End, fwiw) again this year for the pack. I'm always interested in ways to sell more popcorn while minimizing the headaches. For example, one unit I know does take-orders only for the first 4 weeks of the popcorn sale starting in August, submits the take-orders as pre-orders, and has the whole fundraiser wrapped up by mid-September while the rest of us struggle through until December. Smart!

 

What does your unit do to sell popcorn as simply and effectively as possible? Tricks and tips?

[ScoutNut]

We did both Show/Sell & Take Order.

 

We would order enough popcorn at Show/Sell to cover most of Take Order also.

 

Booth sales every weekend, Show & Deliver by boys in their neighborhoods, approaching local business owners to see if they would like to use $10 items as holiday gifts for their vendors, etc.

 

For our council Show/Sell return, we would figure out what we needed to cover Take/Order, return what was not needed, and order any amounts we still needed.

 

We would also often help our Troop fill in their Take/Orders with our left over Show/Sell.

 

We had a suggested sales goal for each Scout that could be filled by personal sales, or by working Booth Sales. Boys making their goal received an Estes rocket kit (which were fired off at our Scouting Kick-Off picnic the following August). We also had out top 10 sellers toss a whipped cream "pie" at the leader of their choice at our December Holiday potluck dinner.

 

It worked out well for us. We had merchandise in hand to sell, and could cover most of the boys individual orders early.

 

We always made enough to fund our entire program for the year (which included the rockets, neckers, slides, handbooks, and.lots more.

[eagle90]

We do the Take Order sales only, on a voluntary basis. We end the sale in early October so as not to interfere with our big fund raiser, a Pancake breakfast held in November. Our scouts retain 100% of the profits from their popcorn sales, to be used for High Adventure activities when they are eligible.

[Pack18Alex]

We Show/Sell order some $10 boxes (last year it was all microwavable, this year we'll get some other inexpensive stuff). The boys then take order forms home, and many sell enough to get prizes, etc. We did a single show/sell for 8 hours, moved about $800 worth that day and sold out, it was glorious. I'm not interested in running a supply chain operation to launch a Scout business. Had a parent that tracked orders and cash, gave it to our treasurer to record, and the orders went out. We used the money to get a trailer this year. This fall, we'll end up with cash to shelve the trailer and/or get picnic tables and other gear. My parents whine about fundraising, but I have boys that can afford to pay whatever and boys for whom annual dues are a stretch. This year we're moving toward a give/get model, either you fundraise, or you'll pay a re-charter fee. Either you volunteer, or you "sponsor Blue and Gold" -- this will let us have nice things for the pack and let the free-rider parents pony up.