Buying Out of Selling

I've always thought that the idea of fundraising for kids' activities was deeply flawed. Your kid sells something I don't really want to me, then my kid sells something useless to you. In the end, how is this better than me funding my own child, and you funding yours? Of course, Grandma and Grandpa are also dragged into this—but really, they gave you life, food and shelter for twenty years. Was that not enough?

Moreover, why does learning to play the trombone, or sail, or camp in the woods necessitate spending time in retail sales? We send our kids to scouts to learn about the outdoors, not to end up salesmen for third-party goods that few people want.

It's brilliant marketing, though; cute kids going door to door. It'd be hard to come up with anything more effective, short of Playboy Bunnies shucking in mens' locker rooms. (What? I said "shucking.") But, unless they're selling copies of my novel, I'm against it.

These days, a lot of parents' free time is more valuable than their money. So, rather than insisting that kids (parents, really) sell, relative-to-relative, friend-to-friend and door-to-door, volunteer organizations should not overlook offering an option to "buy out of selling"—a lump-sum payment, in lieu of participation. Not having to cover the cost of third-party merchandise will make this more affordable.

After all, the primary goal is to generate money, in order to provide the kids a better experience, not indoctrinate them in capitalism and corporate greed.

And, while we're on the subject of retail sales...

Why not buy my book?

LINK TO BOOK ON AMAZON.COM