Popcorn Kernel and parent volunteers

[ScoutNut 147]

We do both Show & Sell and Take Order. Every boy has a sales goal to shoot for ($350 last year). This goal can be made by selling at a Popcorn Booth, door to door with the product, and with an order form. Many of our multiple Scout families make their goals mainly thru working Popcorn Booth Sales.

 

Boys that make their goal receive an Estes rocket kit. Boys that sell $500+ get $40 toward Summer Camp. The top 10 sellers each get to toss a plate of whipped cream at the leader of their choice. Our Popcorn Pie Toss is the highlight of our December Pack meeting!

 

Personally I like Booth Sales. For Take Order, many families will just have the parents take the form to work and sell there. The boys are minimally involved. A Booth Sale gives the boys a chance to be personally involved and "earn his own way".

 

Every council handles their sale differently, and while we can return most of our unsold popcorn (except for the large Choc Lovers), other councils will only accept returns of unopened cases (like Denver Area Council), and some do not do any returns at all.

 

We don't usually do a special event to kick off the popcorn sale. We distribute the info thru the Den leaders and at the September Pack meeting. We also will have our Pop-O-Meter, showing how much we have sold to date at our October Pack meeting. This year we will be getting a Popcorn Kit from council with some sales "stuff" in it, including a silly corn cob hat, so I think we may use that at our September meeting!

[Pack212Scouter 10]

How do you preorder this popcorn? Our unit does not even receive order forms until right before the sale kick off; which only lasts two weeks this year.

[ScoutNut 147]

Our council has 2 popcorn programs - Show & Sell and Take Order. Both have separate ordering and pick up dates.

 

Units get their Take Order forms (along with all other popcorn forms and misc popcorn "stuff") in August at Council Popcorn Kickoff.

 

Show & Sell popcorn is ordered at the end of August. This is when we place our major popcorn order which includes what we hope to sell at Show & Sell Booth Sales and on Take Order order forms.

 

At the beginning of September is the Show & Sell popcorn pickup. Our only problem this year is where we will be storing it. Daughter's room (1st flr near front door) has been Popcorn Central for the past few years. She has now graduated from college and unless she finds a job and moves out by September she just might be sleeping on popcorn cases!

 

The beginning of November is Show & Sell return and ordering the Take Order popcorn. This is when we return anything we did not sell thru Show & Sell or Take Order and order the few things we need to round out our Take Orders. We have always been able to fill our order thru popcorn returns.

 

Mid November is when the Take Order popcorn is distributed. We don't have to worry about this because we fill our TO order with S&S returns!

 

The beginning of December is when all money must be in to council. Since our guys have had their popcorn available for distribution from the get-go, most of the families have had their money in by mid November.

 

 

 

 

[Karen_216 10]

Back to Lady Leigh's problem which is getting a volunteer to be the popcorn kernal or chair whichever you call it. Same people are doing everything.

They need a parent meeting and get a person to be responsible for arranging the show-n-sells and order taking. Maybe a parent from each den and look at numbers from last year for initial orders to put in. One person do the show-n-sell ordering and another see what needs ordered from the sales sheets. Get all money with orders up front and each den can do their own show-n-sells and calculating of orders. You could have a parent vote- someone steps up to take charge or everyone pays 150.00 in pack dues. Some may be ok w/ this fee and those who are not can step up to take charge or live w/ the cost. At least they have the option.

There is also the option of just ordering for the show-n-sells and then if anything is left over return it or sell on a pay and take method at den meetings and pack meetings.

Someone does nto need to calcualte all the forms jsut keep track of what is sold w/ a tally sheet and maybe put down names of those who took part.

[ScoutNut 147]

Even with every den doing their own individual popcorn sale, you still need one central, pack person to consolidate all information, orders, prizes, forms, payments, etc. The popcorn company and BSA council will not take orders, payments or forms from the dens. It has to be at the Pack level.

 

The best way to recruite someone is to pick the person you feel would do the best job (check out any Girl Scout families in your Pack) and ask them FACE-TO-FACE. Have answers ready for any and all questions, make sure they have your contact info for when they run into problems, and follow thru and contact them periodically to see if things are running smoothly and what, if any, help they need (this will help eliminate them dropping the ball).