Supply Service and Current MB Books
Berk Moss (mossfam@TELEPORT.COM)
Sun, 29 Dec 1996 21:53:14 -0800
I have a few views on the BSA Supply Service and the sale of outdated Merit
Badge books.
Picture this, You are a Merit Badge Counselor. A Scout brings you a signed
blue card for (say) the Citizenship in the World Merit Badge. You meet with
him for a few minutes and tell him to go to the Scout Shop and get the
Merit Badge Book and meet with you the next week. The Scout shows up with
answers to many of the requirement questions written out. The problem is
that the book he was sold is out of date and athe Scout has worked on the
wrong requirements.
Some have said that the BSA Supply Service can't afford to withdraw
outdated materials because the expense would be too great.
The BSA Supply Service is not an independent commercial organization. It is
part of the Scouting Movement. It should be efficient and perhaps return
some money to the general BSA. But, it shouldn't do this if such an effort
conflict with the movement offering a quality program. And, it shouldn't do
this in violation of the basic "A Scout is Trustworthy" and I expect that
the average parent and Scout buying a Merit Badge Book trusts that they are
current.
Even if the BSA Supply Service were an independent commercial orgainzation,
we would expect it to market only current materials. Would K-Mart to sell
out of date tax guides without some notice that they were not fit for
current use? Why do we expect Safeway to have dates on milk and meat?
The Merit Badge Books are bargins and a wealth of information and an
improtant resource to Scouts. A slightly higher price on each book to cover
the cost of those outdated books being returned is a reasonable method for
addressing this problem.
| Berk Moss
||||/ \ Assistant Scoutmaster Troop 427
oooo\_/ Multnomah Village, Portland Oregon
-----
/ \
/ \ Pioneer District Advancement Committee
\ | Cascade-Pacific Council
\ / O/A Brotherhood
\ / Bear Patrol Woodbadge WEM 492-1-94
\ /
--- e mail: mossfam@teleport.com
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
