That\u2019s my new job \u2014 managing the Cub Scout popcorn sale for my son\u2019s Cub Scout pack. <\/p>\n
I don\u2019t need to tell you how awkward it is to have to sell seriously-overpriced popcorn. \u00a0I like my older sons\u2019 wreath sale better, because the profit margins are lower and they provide value in home-delivering bulky wreaths. \u00a0But the popcorn? \u00a0How do you persuade people to spend $20 on an 18-pack of microwave popcorn, for instance, or for a small bag of popcorn? \u00a0(The company used to provide tins, but not any longer.) <\/p>\n
Actually, it\u2019s not that bad, at least in my neighborhood, where a good number of people will buy one of the smaller items, anyway. \u00a0I\u2019d wish that the product on offer was something smaller, like the Girl Scout cookies, where a box is something like $4 or $5, though I suppose the profit margin as a percentage of the cost is probably just as great. \u00a0The brochure promotes \u201c70% to local Scouting\u201d (a little under half that to the local unit and the remainder to the council), though when I do the match, even 30% of the sale price seems like more than you\u2019d pay at a retail store, unless this is truly \u201cgourmet\u201d and I misjudge the cost of it.<\/p>\n
But the council switched to a new vendor, and to the vendor-supplied prize program, instead of the in-house program they previously offered, which provided gift certificates of a high enough value to be a real motivator, at least for my sons. \u00a0So now I\u2019m wondering if we\u2019d be better off with taking the cash bonus commission alternative instead, and creating our own prizes for the boys, or at least adding some bonus prizes, without spending so much on prizes that we deplete our own earnings.<\/p>\n
So if you\u2019ve got some experience (as a parent, or as a leader), please share it with me! <\/p>\n
(Side note: \u00a0for non-popcorn eaters, the company provides a \u201cmilitary donation\u201d option, and it\u2019s a sign of the times that, for the first time this year, the popcorn is not intended for \u201cthe troops\u201d overseas, but for \u201cthe troops, their families, and veterans\u2019 organizations.\u201d)<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
That\u2019s my new job \u2014 managing the Cub Scout popcorn sale for my son\u2019s Cub Scout pack. I don\u2019t need to tell you how awkward it is to have to sell seriously-overpriced popcorn. \u00a0I like my older sons\u2019 wreath sale better, because the profit margins are lower and they provide value in home-delivering bulky wreaths. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n