hi i have a grandson in the bears scotwho is selling popcorn and the dean leader says they have to sell 325.00 in pop cornor it comes out of there pocket is there any den leaders out there and can they do this i thought these thing were to teach our kids resopibelt not how to be monny hungery

thanks for listing to a old women

That doesn't sound right to me either... Maybe call the local boy scout organization and ask them?

I really dislike this form of fundraising. When I did PTA, we tried to cut out the middleman profits so it all went to the school and students. I wish I could offer you some advice. There is no way they can charge you for this if you haven't accepted the merchandise.

I have to say that is just wrong in many ways. Maybe you need to contact the main head quarters and ask about this.

I hate the way Scouts , schools, and other activities do that! It takes the enjoyment out of it for the kids, puts preasure on them and the parents, and causes a reduction in these activities, because of that very reason. Very sad! Who can afford to put out that kind of cash!

This is not something they can require. My DD is a den leader and she is going to try to get some info for you. She says the boys don't even have to sell anything if they don't want to. She is a den leader for her boys troupe and for her DDs girl scout troupe.

I am a former scout mom. We never participated in the popcorn sales. You get very little popcorn for a lot of money. If the scouts don't sell all the popcorn, it comes out of the Pack's general fund, not the scouts pockets. It sounds like the Pack may have over ordered. There are better fund raisers than this. The fund raising activities are arranged by the adult leaders. The proceeds go to the scout activities. The parents can some up with the fund raising activates and submit them to the packs committee.

That just sounds odd to me. Have you checked with the BSA (Boy Scouts of America) headquarters?

Unless things have changed since I was involved in scout fundraising (as den leader & cubmaster for boy scouts and troop leader and cookie chairman for girl scouts), that is NOT how it is SUPPOSED to be done.

We had kids who sold enough to go to camp free (a local council incentive) and ones that sold one or two bags of popcorn or boxes of cookies. No one was 'charged' if they didn't sell a certain quota amount.

We certainly had goals that we encouraged them to try for, and incentives if they reached those goals, but which level they attained was an individual or family matter, not a scout requirement.

I would find out who the local cubmaster is and take it up with him/her and if necessary take the matter to the area scout council office, which may be in a nearby city as usually a council includes several counties. This should not be handled this way.

I would not spend my own money...

This is similar to what happened in the troop my DGS is in. We bought high priced popcorn to help him out, but I think the whole idea is ridiculous!

what?? call that school or where ever. don't let that happen. Firemen in Tennessee just let a man's house burn because he didn't pay $75 fee for being out of City limits.
extorsion (sp) is dead, hopefully! go to parents next and then newspapers if necessary.

We had someone come to our door and they were asking for $40.00 for something - I thought my husband said popcorn.
I hate these fund raisers, too. My sister had her step-grandson to ask her to buy a knive(s). It would have ended up costing her over $1,000 if she had bought the entire set. When you have ten kids selling school stuff to come to your door, it can cost a fortune if you buy from each one. I feel sorry for the kids - especially when I have to say no.

I too hate fundraisers for school kids. Right now I have two little ones in the same school, and the book they are selling from is expensive. Then the incentives....sell this many or that much and you get to go in a limo for pizza. I hate that part too!! Some parents will go all out and buy, but not all parents can do that, so those little ones get leftout, and that just isn't fair. This time they told the kids not to go door to door, just have parents take the book to work or call on the phone to family and friends. Where these kids live, probably 3/4 of the parents work at the same place. My favorite fund raiser is when they sell candy bars for a $1.00. You get the bar right then, and I think most people will buy those. But I wish they would stop it entirely, just ask the parents for a donation, it is easier for everyone.

This is the first year I have seen them selling popcorn I am sorry I am no help I was girlscouts and we did not have a monetary so not sure if htat helps.

Contact you local council. You'll see more immediate results. BSA headquarters is for national concerns. Your local council is for every day concerns. If you don't know where they are look in your local phone book. Try the government section,or the services section.

hello there i am a den leader and you do not have to sell popcorn if you do not want to last year my son sold just 100.00 and that was just fine..i would call the main office in you area and talk to them about this ...its great way to raise money but this is not how you do it you can pm me if you like and i will help anyway i can

At Scouts Canada we also have popcorn sales. Usually my garage is headquarters when it all comes in... and the excess inventory used to stay there too!!!

We just had a popcorn door to door funraiser and I refused to participate in it. Stephen's dad sells about $200+ just at his office, so we don't need to go door to door.

I know of BSA group from the Finger Lakes area in NY that does not charge fees, BUT fundraises heavily instead. Maybe that's what this group does, and then if they get enough money from the popcorn they don't have to do anymore fundraising!

I would also want to see the terms of the popcorn sales (that they must raise $325.00 ea. or it comes out of the parents pockets)... in writing!!! Cause it sounds weird to me!

As they others have said. Contact council to see what they say.

Good Luck!!!

When my kids were in school, they never participated in the fundraisers. My sister said the break room at her work is filled with those catalogs, no one buys anything.

I think these types of things are explotive of kids and should be illegal. Even though I buy GS cookies because I like the cookies, the concept has become evil. Way too much pressure to sell. Too easy to run into a pervert selling candy or whatever because some middleman is making a fortune.

Have the kid DO something and get paid. Being in business we get literally hundreds of solicitations for these types of things or "ads" in overpriced programs. I dont do any of them anymore. If you need money, come up with a local program like a spaghetti dinner or car wash.

My son is in boy scouts and he is selling popcorn. There is no minimum that he has to sell in his troop. Several of the boys won't participate at all but it is their choice.

I dont like these types of fund raising either. I wish they could do rummage sales, bake sales, things like that. I can never afford the expensive wrapping paper, candy, popcorn, ect!

This must be county-wide because I saw scouts outside our local grocery last weekend selling popcorn. I tried to sneak around them because I did not want to be solicited. We live in the Seattle area.

Been there. I gave popcorn as presents with gift certificates to rent movies. I felt it was a win-win situation. This was totally voluntary on my part though and was not under pressure to buy any.

I was a scout leader for years, This didn't happen during the years I was active.Get to the bottom of this, and please let us know what you find out.
Rae

I was also a den scout leader when we lived in Illinois and I loved it. However, we did not sell anything to raise money. This was way back in the early 60's.

When one of my daughters was a girlscout, they were never required to sell cookies, but we did (or shall I say I did - she was too shy to talk to anyone!). What was learned from that ?

My grandsons are in scouts. They sell popcorn. They are not required to do so. 70% of the sales goes to the scout troop. It is really a donation, with a little kicker of popcorn thrown in.

I'd have to "just say no.."

Actually thats a tough one to deal with. The poor kid wants to stay in the scouts and enjoy the activities and evidently this scout leader is working that way. I would ask the other parents and then get together and discuss it with the scout leader. There has to be a better way than that to raise money for the kids.

NO they can not do that. Sell what they can.... My husband is a Scout leader. Contact you local council office and tell them. this needs to be corrected.

Unless things have changed in the last ten years, this is not how it was done when my son was in scouts. The boys were never required to sell popcorn and there was definately no minimum.

The scouts would take orders and then the troup would place one order with the local council. When the order arrived the scouts would then deliver the popcorn and collect the money.

As a former campfire leader, I can tell you this is not only illegal, but unethical. You are not allowed to force children to sell anything! Child labor laws in every state forbid it!!!!!! Children selling for fund raisers are STRICTLY VOLUNTEER! Call The FTC and lodge a complaint!

My daughters are girl scouts. In previous years we were told if the cookies that were ordered by the troop didn't get sold the money would come out of troop funds. Right now we have nut, candy and magazine sales going on. My husband and I have already decided that instead of buying overpriced stuff we don't need we will just put money into our troop fund. In the long run it will be cheaper for us because it will all benefit the girls. It will also be less stressful for me because I wont have to keep up with sales, money and products.

These kids are not responsible for the money and no he can't do this! What a jerk!!!!

Don't care for these type of activities, would rather just, donate to the fund, I can see where it might boost the childrens confidence but really most of the items are way overpriced, not near as profitable as it could be with middle man involved, most recent ones here involve putting 10 people you know on a mailing list for magazine sales and win a prize.

Perhaps the SMaster was trying to earn enough $$$ so everyone could go for free? My boy scouts never sold popcorn, not enough went to the pack!Was a GS leader for 8yrs. sold thousands of $$$ ea year, planning a use for our profits ea yr.As the GS were headed to jr high& were going to disband we tracted each girl's sales of cookies,had other APPROVED fund raisers,---ALL the (16) girls earned enough $$$ dor a 3day/2nite trip to CANADA.they went to the falls,maid of the mist,PHANTOM(Tronoto),Parliment,Casa loma, & Canada's wonderland. IT TAKES ALOT OF PLANNING TO PULLIT OFF

OF COOKIES!oops!! Cookie sales went to both troop & to council which in turn supported our local camps.That last yr& a half , our BEST funraiser was---FABRIC COVERED BOXES-ea girl recieved pts for production,for parent help, and for selling the boxes. They were compact boxes that originally held ball shaped IV BALLS (24) for home health care! boxes were free-- all we had do buy was glue&fabric.AGAIN could it w/o PARENTS-they've got to be part the equation.

crazee- what are IV balls?

that's how my son's troop did it too! The money the scout earned went into HIS fund to defray the cost of summer camp, high adventure etc. My son usually sold enough each year to do most of his activities with little or no cost to us.Around here kids never have trouble selling the popcorn. yes, it is pricey but when the money goes TO the scout's account I don't mind buying.
Don't ask me about G S cookies though! You don't want to hear my opinion!

they were softball(sz) shaped containers that home health care RN's would take to people being treated at home that were on IV adminstered drugs. they hung them up& "plugged"you in. My co-leader(RN) worked for one and another parent worked as a pharmacist assistant for the same outfit! The company rep actual offered to get us new boxes from the manufacturer,BUT they went thru so many- never had to ask!