Just got our popcorn fliers today....

[heat4212 15]

Not sad to see Bacon ranch gone, but I can't believe they shrank the White Cheddar and Jalapeno again. I was already embarrassed when delivering this stuff last year and now it will be even worse.

 

I know all the lines about "you are not buying popcorn, you are supporting scouting" but still. There is no way we are going door to door without product in hand. I want people to see what they are buying and know right off the bat that they are basically handing over a lot of money for very little.

[Stosh 3452]

It's normal.  I don't know how many remember the Thin Mints they USED to sell 50 years ago, but what you get for the amount of money you put out, is indicative of a lot of merchandise out there today.  There used to be a thin layer of mint between the cookie and chocolate covering.  Now mint is just added to the chocolate.  So when the popcorn starts to look cheap to make with a high overhead profit, remember, it is.

[desertrat77 1144]

BSA popcorn has been a poor value for the dollar--for the patron and the seller alike--since Day 1 (late '80s).   Nearly thirty years later, the general public still hasn't developed a sense of loyalty or nostalgia for BSA popcorn.     Expensive, weird flavors, small quantities, etc.

[mashmaster 783]

We just stick to the $10 carmel option and that sells well, the rest is just a pain.

Edited August 18, 2015 by NJCubScouter
Moderator Edit: Removing the precise description of where the pain is. :)

[Scouter Matt 11]

Everyone around here keeps asking for something in the area of a $5 item. That is about the price where people will just buy without really thinking about it around here.

 

Popcorn should be (and witness big box stores, CAN BE) a very cheep item by volume. 

 

The Troop/Crew in this area that does the best with popcorn, they do something very different:

They set up a booth at a local festival, make their own kettle corn, and sell it by the bag full. It is great stuff, reasonably priced, and they sell a ton of it.

 

Making fun of the latest goofiness from Trail's End and Campmaster seems to be a favorite sport for Scouters around here, only slightly behind making fun of the latest goof from council or national BSA.

[vumbi 44]

So glad to be past this. It wasn't exactly one of the most pleasant things to do but for either the boys or the adults. Popcorn...never again.

Edited August 18, 2015 by ya lazima vumbi

[pargolf44067 57]

All three packs I was involved in over the years when my sons were in Cubs used to do the show and sell and sell individual bags for $1 so that people would feel that they were contributing something without getting raked over the coals.  Not sure if that was "legal" or not, but it certainly helped sell popcorn at the show and sells.   We only did that for the show and sells though and not door to door.

 

FYI, my boys have been out of Cubs for over eight years, so I am sure things have changed 

Edited August 18, 2015 by pargolf44067

[blw2 433]

oh, popcorn....

last year I could get nobody interested in chairing it, so we didn't sell it

nobody wants to sell it in our pack anyway, even though the pack has done well with it in the past.

But the folks taking back over have a big popcorn push going.

Should be interesting....

[Daped01 61]

The new Prize provider seems to have a much greater choice of prizes.  better quality prizes IMO as well.

[heat4212 15]

For those of you that don't sell... do you have a different fundraiser? If not, how do you get by? If we didn't sell, we would have to raise dues to like $200 a year. Or nickel and dime parents for patches and Pack meeting and what not. 

 

The new Prize provider seems to have a much greater choice of prizes.  better quality prizes IMO as well.

 

I agree! I had two kids hit $1,500 last year just for the Star Wars Lego set. 

[vumbi 44]

We do a fundraiser in conjunction with both the pinewood derby and then later with the blue and gold. If someone has an idea for a fun fundraiser in the fall we do that as well. The chartering organization actually has asked us to help with a shared fundraising pancake breakfast on occasion.

[heat4212 15]

I actually get the popcorn sale... purely from a math standpoint. Last year I calculated that each scout would need to sell about 40 bags of popcorn to meet their $650 goal. (Assuming they sell mostly caramels, zero gift boxes, and a couple of each other flavor which is pretty typical around here). That's not actually too hard to do.

 

Girl Scouts, on the other hand, need to sell over 230 boxes of cookies to clear the same amount of money for the troop. Granted most people buy a couple of boxes of cookies, I also get a lot of people who buy more than one bag of popcorn. So even if they sell 3 per customer that's over 75 buyers they have to scrounge up to my 30. I can live with that.

 

What kills me is the value for the money. I think people expect to pay, or at least tolerate paying about double the market value of a fundraising item. They will buy a .50 candy bar for a dollar because a cute little kid is selling it to play baseball. Same goes for the wrapping paper, cookies, whatever. But 5.25 freaking ounces of popcorn for $15?!?! That is cringe-worthy.