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Is it just me or are the school fundraisers getting worse

Severs

Member For 4 Years
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I remember back when I was in school the fundraisers, while they weren't great, actually had things that people wanted to buy, like a 3 lb container of sour gummi worms for $5, now a days it seems like it's all really expensive stuff with no real value to it at all. For instance, last year my son brought home some cheese danish catalogue that while I am sure they tasted good, they wanted $20+ for a danish that had 4 servings on it. This year it's pasta, I can get a 14 oz bag of shaped pasta for a whopping $6.50. And I might get it if it was say, a double pack of 14 oz bags for that price, but it just seems really expensive and unappealing to spend $6.50 on a bag of pasta that is smaller than the containers of pasta I get at the store for $2, if that, just because its in the shape of pirates or dinosaurs or something. I know last year no one bought any of the danish things because of the price, not even his grandparents, and I don't see anyone being too interested in this year's pasta either.

In contrast, one of the fundraisers they do in the middle of the year, and end of the year as well, is selling coupons for subs at one of our local sub shops. $7 for a sub that's big enough to feed a family for a whole meal. Those we sell tons of, and it's because it's something that is actually desirable. Just my son himself sold 14 of those in the first round last year, and then another 17 at the second one towards the end of the year.
 

Reign

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I'm not a parent but I once upon a time I was a step-father and my biggest gripe was the catalog of rewards they sent home. It turned the boys into pushy sales people to get the Limo-lunch or other individual "prizes". When I did them it was something for the whole school or baseball team w/e but they managed to condense it into a self serving sales racket where the company providing the goods was the only real winner. I still bought stuff and carried it to my parents faithfully to help my kids but the whole time it left a sour taste in my mouth.
 

Severs

Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
I'm not a parent but I once upon a time I was a step-father and my biggest gripe was the catalog of rewards they sent home. It turned the boys into pushy sales people to get the Limo-lunch or other individual "prizes". When I did them it was something for the whole school or baseball team w/e but they managed to condense it into a self serving sales racket where the company providing the goods was the only real winner. I still bought stuff and carried it to my parents faithfully to help my kids but the whole time it left a sour taste in my mouth.

The rewards catalog is no longer a thing that I can see. At least not here at my kid's school.
 

ThatFrigginBlondeGirl

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Maybe it is just me feeling this way, but have you also noticed the crazy increase of school sponsored events in which they ask the parents to provide, like everything? The food, decorations, and to supervise. And this is 20 times a year for me for elementary school. I also got a letter home asking parents to come clean up the school yard, build benches, and provide landscaping. That just, blew my mind. Like I assumed schools or the city have people contracted for this type of thing. Not to mention I also have to pay an *animal maintenence fee* to help feed and provide bedding for class pets. This isn't a crap school, its a magnet school with a high rating in our state. But, I also just got the catalogues they send home and have not bothered to even open it.
 

KDodds

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
I pay enough in school tax that my kid could go to private school cheaper. We have a great school system, but come on... If I'm approaching five figure taxes, and I'm not kidding, there's no way in hell I'm buying a $250 book of useless coupons.
 

AndriaD

Yes, I DO wear a mask! I'm vaccinated, too!
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We're just looking forward to my husband turning 64, so no more school taxes on our property taxes. :)

Andria
 

JuicyLucy

My name is Lucy and I am a squonkaholic
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Yeah those catalogues of ridiculously priced wrapping paper and what have you get old. I refuse to pay up - but not being an ogre, will usually make a small donation to whatever the cause is.

We also get raffle-ticketed to death in our town
 

Severs

Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Maybe it is just me feeling this way, but have you also noticed the crazy increase of school sponsored events in which they ask the parents to provide, like everything? The food, decorations, and to supervise. And this is 20 times a year for me for elementary school. I also got a letter home asking parents to come clean up the school yard, build benches, and provide landscaping. That just, blew my mind. Like I assumed schools or the city have people contracted for this type of thing. Not to mention I also have to pay an *animal maintenence fee* to help feed and provide bedding for class pets. This isn't a crap school, its a magnet school with a high rating in our state. But, I also just got the catalogues they send home and have not bothered to even open it.

I definitely have, seemed like last year they were asking parents to provide crap for events 2 or 3 times a month. So far it's only been 3 major parties this year they've asked for. Halloween, Xmas, and Valentine's day, which I can deal with helping out a couple times. But man last year it seemed like they were begging waaay too often.
 

robot zombie

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I'm not a parent but I once upon a time I was a step-father and my biggest gripe was the catalog of rewards they sent home. It turned the boys into pushy sales people to get the Limo-lunch or other individual "prizes". When I did them it was something for the whole school or baseball team w/e but they managed to condense it into a self serving sales racket where the company providing the goods was the only real winner. I still bought stuff and carried it to my parents faithfully to help my kids but the whole time it left a sour taste in my mouth.
Man, I remember those. The company was World's finest Chocolate.

I also remember thinking the prizes were really lame. Wasn't too keen on the idea of doing all of this work for a shitty toy when I had a super nintendo at home. I remember thinking, even as a child, "So... ...I have to sell THIS many just to get that?!" It just seemed impossible to get anything good without cutting into fun time. I was perfectly happy to just wrestle and climb trees instead lol

I just wanted the chocolate. I convinced my parents to buy some for me to sell. And then, I ate them myself.
 

Severs

Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Man, I remember those. The company was World's finest Chocolate.

I also remember thinking the prizes were really lame. Wasn't too keen on the idea of doing all of this work for a shitty toy when I had a super nintendo at home. I remember thinking, even as a child, "So... ...I have to sell THIS many just to get that?!" It just seemed impossible to get anything good without cutting into fun time. I was perfectly happy to just wrestle and climb trees instead lol

I just wanted the chocolate. I convinced my parents to buy some for me to sell. And then, I ate them myself.

The big candy sales I remember from back in school weren't done like that, the school usually just handed us a box that had so many candy bars in it and told us to take it home. We sold what we could and brought the rest back, along with the money we made, at the end of the fundraiser. There were two main candy sales I remember, 1 that was for the regular store bought stuff, Reeses, Hershey, ect, and then one that was one of our more local candy makers, O'Shea. Was always $1.50 for the store bought, and $1 for the O'Shea and lemme tell you, you could never get enough boxes of the O'Shea to take home and sell. If you didn't sell at least a box and a half of the O'Shea, it was because you didn't even try.
 

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