World's Finest Chocolates

[beth]

I hate, hate, hate WFC. Hate it. In case you missed that, I HATE IT!!!! I was that kid who took only one box, but managed to bring back a total of cash +bars greater than the number of bars than were in the case. My brother never had that problem. His always balanced out. I was not an outgoing kid, had no neighbors (seriously, the closest one was 1/4 mile away), and my dad's work had a policy against soliciting on company premises. A couple years, I didn't even open the box. Those were the only years mine balanced out. I hate any of those fundraisers that force children into being miniature pedlars hauling around random crap to random houses. I especially hated it when I worked 3rd shift and they'd ring my doorbell at 3pm. How would the principal like it if I rang his/her doorbell at 3am?
On a separate but related note, I would urge any parent taking kids to neighborhoods selling this stuff to first check the Sex Offender Registry for the areas you intend to be.

[laurat99]

(05-05-2012 11:59 PM)beth Wrote:  I hate any of those fundraisers that force children into being miniature pedlars hauling around random crap to random houses.

I can understand for scouts or other extra curricular activities that need to raise money. I draw the line at every kid in school. Our kids' school sends home the order forms for wrapping paper and other junk in the first week of school. I politely write a note saying we will not be participating and send it all back. I refuse to do it for my kids and what are kids going to learn when Mom and Dad take the order forms to work and do everything for them?

*stepping off soapbox now*

[Phatchick]

IMHO, WF chocolate isn't. We have a couple of really good candy makers in the Fox Valley (Wilmar's and Seroogy's) who make and sell candy bars for fundraising and theirs are incredible! I almost always buy one if I see them anywhere.

[Papa Bear]

(05-05-2012 11:59 PM)beth Wrote:  I hate, hate, hate WFC. Hate it. In case you missed that, I HATE IT!!!! I was that kid who took only one box, but managed to bring back a total of cash +bars greater than the number of bars than were in the case. My brother never had that problem. His always balanced out. I was not an outgoing kid, had no neighbors (seriously, the closest one was 1/4 mile away), and my dad's work had a policy against soliciting on company premises. A couple years, I didn't even open the box. Those were the only years mine balanced out. I hate any of those fundraisers that force children into being miniature pedlars hauling around random crap to random houses. I especially hated it when I worked 3rd shift and they'd ring my doorbell at 3pm. How would the principal like it if I rang his/her doorbell at 3am?
On a separate but related note, I would urge any parent taking kids to neighborhoods selling this stuff to first check the Sex Offender Registry for the areas you intend to be.

^^^^
This! From kindergarten through 10th grade, I was forced to sell WFC to support the IFB school I attended. My dad was a teacher there, so we couldn't very well say no. The kids whose parents sold the candy at work won all the prizes for the most sales. It wasn't like other teachers were going to buy the candy from my dad. I remember one year, a new kid in 1st or 2nd grade didn't understand that he was supposed to sell the candy, ate the entire box on the bus, and threw up.

We lived on the grounds of a Christian retreat center, so most of the houses around us were summer cottages that were empty most the year. The neighbors who did live there year-round went to the other Christian school, so they weren't likely to support ours. We lived at the end of a private road, so it was 1/4 mile or more to get off the grounds, and our school was far enough away that most people in the town we lived in had never heard of it. So on a good Saturday, I could spend all afternoon, and walk miles and miles, and maybe sell half a dozen candy bars for $1 each (later raised to $1.25). I'm not sure what the school's cut was, but it had to be less than $1 an hour. And they couldn't understand why I wasn't more enthusiastic.

[notdrinkingthekoolaid]

Ugh. I liked the candy HATED and DESPISED selling it. My dad was my Christian school principal when I was in k-8th grade. Not like I could get out of it. I got taken to some shady neighborhoods just to sell those dumb things.

I refuse to do fundraising now. My kids' school does a walkathon that the funds go directly to the school for new equipment so I'll write a check for that but we don't go asking other people for pledges or anything.

[Qrayze]

I sold candy bars in 9th grade and Krispy Kreme donuts 10th-12th grade. I won a trip to the Mall of America two times, but only went once. (took a cash prize the first time I won)

I found that making signs explaining what you're tying to win and posting them in front of a cooperating store worked quite well with selling candy bars.

Sold the donuts at an intersection with a friend tho. One of us would hold the sign, the other would take the donuts to interested cars. In the freezing cold. The snow wouldn't even crunch under our boots some days, lol. A trip to America's Largest Mall is a great motivation for teenage girls!

[Number_6]

(05-05-2012 11:59 PM)beth Wrote:  I hate, hate, hate WFC. Hate it. In case you missed that, I HATE IT!!!! I was that kid who took only one box, but managed to bring back a total of cash +bars greater than the number of bars than were in the case. My brother never had that problem. His always balanced out. I was not an outgoing kid, had no neighbors (seriously, the closest one was 1/4 mile away), and my dad's work had a policy against soliciting on company premises. A couple years, I didn't even open the box. Those were the only years mine balanced out. I hate any of those fundraisers that force children into being miniature pedlars hauling around random crap to random houses....

I would occasionally have that issue with things not balancing; the last time I did candy sales as a HS senior, I had to pay my parents back because I ate a couple.

I don't like the idea of making children into door-to-door salespeople either; after all, if this is a private Christian school we are talking about, aren't the parents already paying for it? Why does the school need extra? Is this some sort of lame training in the glories of the free market or something? Speaking of which, there are people actually selling WFC bars on eBay for fundraisers!

[Papa Bear]

Training future Moonies or Hare Krishnas? Or maybe just practicing going door to door, like Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and IFB.