View Full Version : Little girl selling things here yesterday
I was out working on my porch yesterday, when I looked up, and there was a girl (about 10 years old) getting off her bike. We live way back in the woods in the country.
She said that her school was having this thing, where they were concerned with the environment and were collecting cans...........did I have any?
(She didn't even go to a local county school........but rather a school about 30 miles from here). I told her I had just taken all my recyclables to the recycling center. I thought it was cool they were doing something to encourage recycling. But then she pulled out a big catalog of prepared foods, storage containers, etc., to buy. Sheesh.
I told her no, I usually made everything from scratch and I already have enough stuff and am trying to simplify things.
She was okay with that.........she was a very talkative, friendly little girl.
First of all........what's with the recycling B.S.......if you're trying to sell more crap??
And second........here's this little girl riding around in the deserted countryside all by herself.
Anyhow.........it was just another strange gimmick to buy more crap.
I gave a lecture once to a couple of teenagers that were going door to door during the day in our urban neighborhood. Explained to them that many work all day and that solicting for anything door to door is really frowned upon. After I got thru, I thought I might have been a little crazy since I really HATE people coming to my door to solicit for anything. But I think they got the idea.
Any parent that allows a small child to go door to door in a rural area (or urban for that matter) is not much of a parent unless they are at the driveway on their own bike and then I can tell them what I think. It is not Kansas anymore. (rant over)
Living in a working-class urban neighborhood, we get a lot of that. They're all supposed to have visible vendor licenses from the City, but you can guess how well that works. If the cause is at least plausible (not some sketchball generically-named organization), the price is not too high, it's something we'll use or can re-gift, and the kid manages to largely maintain eye contact and avoid the rehearsed drone that so many of them use (makes me think of Eddie Murphy at times), we usually participate. DW and I realize these schemes generally are not the kids' idea, so we hesitate to say no, but we have to put up a minimal bar because there are so many requests.
Many times I would prefer to just give a donation at least equivalent to their profit on whatever they're selling. But what I find is that, even if an adult is present, they have no clue what they're making either as a percentage or as a dollar value per unit sold. I suspect whoever sells them the fundraising wants to keep it that way for their own reasons. Just not a great deal all around.
on the very first day of school starting at the last few years of elementary school on up, the fundraising packet comes home. It's usually this company that sells over-priced candles, useless knick knacks and wrapping paper. I will not let my kids go door to door even in our neighborhood and I would't bring it to work because I am sick of how much crap other employees shove down my throat. I would seriously rather write a check directly to the school, specifying "use on music program or library". But they reel the kids in by offering prizes for the most money made, like at the time, a free Game Boy. And I would have to explain how much money I suspect they would have to raise to be the top lone earner to get the Game Boy and then show them the sheer amount they would have to sell from the catalog to reach that. They got it pretty fast that this was nearly impossible and asked for a Game Boy for Christmas instead.
I didn't mind so much when it was stuff I would use like a $10 card that offers small discounts at local businesses or even the Entertainment Book. But the cheapest thing in those catalogs were knick knacks and I just wouldn't do it. Probably because the huge fundraising packet came home the very first day and the kids were reminded every day about it. I would've been more open if I didn't get the fundraising stuff the same day I got the letters from the teachers with lists of even more school supplies the kids needed for the year and by Sept. the school supply sales were over. So more money went to that stuff. By the time I got to the fundraising book, I was pretty ticked off. Had they waited a week when the kids were a little more settled, I'd likely have been more open. Our school taxes are high, I am ok with that because I am happy with the district. They wouldn't have lost much by just waiting a freaking week before inundating us with even more stuff to buy.
this probably makes me sound like a horrible person, but I could not in good conscience pay more than ten times what I normally pay for wrapping paper the day after Christmas, lol. We did every charity event, when kids from sports or clubs came around selling those $10 discount cards, I always bought, we went to the car washes, etc. But that darn book with not one frugal-isn thing in it, that I would not do.
Chicken lady
9-5-15, 3:15pm
Every girl at our church knew that if you asked barb to buy girl scout cookies, she'd ask you how much you wre getting per box. Then she'd tell you how much they got per box when she was a kid and give you a lecture on the exploitation of an underage sales force working far below minimum wage. Then she'd give you $5.
When my dad was on PTA, he asked how much they needed to raise in the fundraisers. He suggested we send out a letter explaining our fundraising goals and promising not to have a fundraiser if we collected enough money. Then he wrote the first check for 5x the per child amount (2 kids in the school). It was the only check. The letter never went out. Neither did we.
The only fundraiser I can remember my dad letting me do was when my scout troop raked lawns for donations. We literally asked the people to pay what the job was worth to them/they could afford, and we did great. We had one little old lady who brought us ice tea when we were doing her neighbor's yard and we did hers for the tea.
I'm of two minds about it. As a kid I sold candy for 4H. It was all pretty mindless, we were greatly encouraged to sell things with no real explanation of why we were doing it or who was going to benefit.
On the flip side, the product was good and reasonably priced, and it pushed me out of my comfort zone. Annually, I got a booster shot of sales confidence. I think it was good practice in presenting myself in a good light, as well as good practice in being declined without feeling ashamed or taking it personally. After a week or so I started enjoying the challenge of it. Maybe as an only child it was easier for me to engage with adults, but it kicked on something competitive in me every year, I almost always got a good prize.
My nephews sell stuff annually, and I have to say, they're awful at it. Jason mumble mumble popcorn mumble mumble boyscouts mumble mumble $50, over the phone. I give their father a check and tell him if he wants popcorn that must surely be bronzed, he can keep it, I'd prefer he just donate the money directly to the troop.
We never took part in the fundraiser things that the kids always brought home. So much crap.
DS, however, did have DH take his order form for popcorn to the office, when he was in scouts.
I'd rather people just gave donations to the school, than to have all this other stuff getting bought, out of a sense of duty.
I should have explained my feelings to this little girl........like "why are you selling all this crap, if you care about the environment?".....but I didn't have the heart.
If I were making a guess, I'd imagine two factions went head to head on how to earn money for the school and they decided to do both a drive and a sale. Then they sold the can drive part to the kids as environmentally responsible. I find it disgusting to use kids to make corporate profit, although I suppose the manufacturer of Girl Scout cookies has been doing it for decades.
The only drives I remember at school were for band trips, to earn money for the kids who wouldn't be able to afford the trip without a supplement. That felt like direct cause and effect, ALL the money went toward the cause, and it was great fun too.
I knew a lady around here who was the French teacher at a small school. She wanted to take them all to Paris.........so they stood in the middle of an intersection and begged for the money. :(
Oh we were a bunch of brats. We never begged. We cajoled we blackmailed and we stole, but we never begged. :~)
Teacher Terry
9-6-15, 11:36am
I buy from the kids next door & that is it. I usually buy overpriced coffee but at least we can consume it. When my boys were cub scouts we would sell candy or pizzas. I hated the mandatory popcorn because the troop got so little $ from it. But the other stuff we did on our own so got all the profit. We did not go door to door. Just friends, relatives & if some people at work wanted to buy. The candy & pizzas were really easy to sell. The popcorn not so much & we never tried very hard with that.
Chicken lady
9-6-15, 11:56am
One year when my daughter was in scouts we were told that the troop could not participate in the cookie sale if we did not participate in the candy and nut sale. Also, the candy and nut sale included a booklet in which you were supposed to give up the names and addresses of 13 friends and family for direct marketing. No matter how much candy and nuts you sold, you did not get a patch unless you filled out that book. I spent several hours online finding the names and home addresses of 13 paid counsel scout staff members and that's what we put in our booklet. There was a line on each form for you to add a "personal note from your scout.". My personal note was a brief summary of how I felt about the situation. I often wonder if our forms got mailed, but my daughter got her patch. (we bought the smallest, cheapest tin of nuts.)
early morning
9-6-15, 1:25pm
Chicken lady, that's funny about the paid staff - good show! I can see both sides of kids raising money. car washes, bake sales, busing tables for tips, etc are great fund raisers, and all the money goes to the group doing the fundraiser. We wholeheartedly participated in these when our kids were in school, 4-H, etc. But the crap from school never made it home, our kids both filed the papers in the round bin before leaving school. They knew the family opinion on selling crap - I think we pretty made them pretty much immune to sales pressure, lol. If they told me there was a fund-raiser, I'd call to find out why, and make an appropriate direct donation - or not, depending. After the first year DS played in a local soccer league and had to sell candy bars, we, and other discontented parents and coaches protested the sale to the league organizers. The next year the candy came with a letter saying just how much of the sales stayed with the league for balls, uniform shirts, etc, and what the past average take was. The candy sale was mandatory for league participation, so they offered a "buy out" for those who did not want to sell. The last year my son played, it was $15 for one child, and $25 if you had two or more kids playing. I thought that was very fair and paid gladly. We participated minimally in the cookie sales for Girl Scout and the popcorn sales for Boy Scouts, but that was about it for selling stuff. Cathy, I think I'd have told the girl that she should not be out alone! Maybe her parents were close by and you just didn't see them?
Is anyone else concerned about a ten year-old child on her own "way back in the woods in the country"?
Is anyone else concerned about a ten year-old child on her own "way back in the woods in the country"?
Yes, I worried about that myself, especially since the school she went to was 30 miles away from where the OP lived.
My goddaughter (10, in 5th grade) just started attending Catholic school (she'd been previously homeschooled, but wanted to go to school, and the public schools in their town are awful). The only fundraising the parents do is to see a $500 book of raffle tickets. That's easier to stomach than all the knick-nacky stuff. I'm told all the prizes (aside from cash) are donated.
Chicken lady
9-6-15, 11:05pm
I guess I felt like the child alone was sort of one we could all agree on - a ten year old girl shouldn't be alone seeking out strangers far from home in the middle of nowhere - crime of opportunity waiting to happen - or at the very least an accident caused by youthful lack of judgement and no help nearby. This doesn't seem like a place where that is going to be up for much discussion.
Otoh,there are many approaches to the fund raising thing.
I'm surprised no one mentioned she may be a gypsy/traveller? Or from some other marginal group?
It's too easy for someone to contradict what she is selling (or was she collecting?) if she says she is from the local school district.
early morning
9-7-15, 8:43am
Or she could have been the advance person casing the place. Not likely, but not out of the realm of possibility. There are adults out there that will use kids, especially family, for all sorts of purposes.
Early morning, that is what we watch for in our urban neighborhood. There is no reason for a couple to go down the street knocking on doors during the day. Woman took one side of the street and man the other. We call the non emergency number and give a description and as much info including direction of travel to the dispatcher. They are usually checked out by the police. Better to have any soliciter checked by the police if they have the time. Too many people are double income working couples and no one is home.
iris lilies
9-7-15, 2:09pm
Early morning, that is what we watch for in our urban neighborhood. There is no reason for a couple to go down the street knocking on doors during the day. Woman took one side of the street and man the other. We call the non emergency number and give a description and as much info including direction of travel to the dispatcher. They are usually checked out by the police. Better to have any soliciter checked by the police if they have the time. Too many people are double income working couples and no one is home.
well, the Witnesses invade us on Saturdays. While annoying, they are otherwise harmless.
but yeah, I hear you about knocking on doors during the work week. Our block is cool because we retired this year as did the couple across the street, and all of us are out and about during the day, so we see stuff on the street and in the alley. Strangers hanging around necessitate our call to the police,to check them out.
I imagine there are a lot of parents out there who don't think there's any danger in doing what this girl did. When my kids were in school, I was pretty surprised at what parents let their kids do.
Maybe I wasn't clear.....but she goes to school 30 miles away, but supposedly lives down the road. Some parents do that, so their kids don't have to go to the county school, or maybe it's more convenient with their work.
I should have asked her her name. I was so taken-aback with her even being there. Maybe her mother was at the end of our lane, but it's totally out of sight from the house.
I think I'll call the school on Tuesday and just make sure they are, indeed, having this fundraiser. I think it was legit.........just very poor judgement on the parents' part.
I would pay kids to do something useful, like rake leaves or weed a garden. I don't want any of the junk they sell and only buy from a few neighbour children. It is a pretty good deal for the fund raising product line.
ToomuchStuff
9-8-15, 3:12pm
I had to laugh at the originating post, because it made me wonder if the kids parent was a salesman and teaching the kid. Get the recycling (and make money on it), and watch what it is and see what is similar to what you are selling, so you can push that.
But I view safety as more of a state of mind then a reality. Between me as a kid (abducted out of the back yard, took by parents to a flea market where the only booth I was interested in, was due to knives in it and the seller was a serial killer), to LEO's I know that became LEO's in part due to abuse (or those who had bad cops in family or other issues), to abuse by teachers, preachers, etc. That also doesn't mean the kid did what their parents told them to do (stay within x area), or their parents view following as helicoptering.
I called the school and the assistant principal did verify that they were having the fundraiser. I also reminded him to tell students and parents to be sensible about where they go to sell.
(what I didn't say to him that I wanted to was "this is such a stupid-ass thing........saying you're concerned about helping the environment, then selling a bunch of crap!". :~)
Teacher Terry
9-8-15, 4:49pm
IL: I got so sick of the religious people knocking on the door while i was working from home. They were some nice older woman & I told them nicely I was not interested. Then I started ignoring them because they came weekly but the dogs would go crazy. finally I bought a big grumpy cat sign that you can see from the street. He is holding up his middle claw on his paw saying no solicitors. It worked like a charm & no one has ever knocked again. I told the neighbors it did not apply to their kids selling me things. I would definitely be worried about this kid too. When I was a social worker in Kansas the Gypsies would teach their kids that were 10 & under to steal because they could not be arrested. The kids were taught not to talk to authorities. We would end up putting them in a children's home & separating the kids so we could get the younger ones to talk. This was definitely child abuse & they would loose their kids. I can still remember hearing the sobs of the younger ones when separated. One of the worst experiences of my life.
I called the school and the assistant principal did verify that they were having the fundraiser. I also reminded him to tell students and parents to be sensible about where they go to sell.
(what I didn't say to him that I wanted to was "this is such a stupid-ass thing........saying you're concerned about helping the environment, then selling a bunch of crap!". :~)
Good for you, Cathy! I appreciate your going to the trouble to check with the school and remind them that they can't count on all parents to have the common sense to keep their children safe. And I certainly agree with your views on the idea of selling products.
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