Dam Office Fund Raisers

Ok so today was the straw that broke the camels back. I come back from a meeting to three yes three freaking school fundraiser folders on my desk from co-workers trying to peddle this crap for their kids. In the last two weeks I've bought, cookie dough, gift wrap, Christmas ornaments, and something else that I now totally forget what it was, and its not even Girl Scout cookie time, good god that's another thing I can't say no to.

Its like if you say "NO" they blacklist you around here. Christ can't these parents have their kids sell this junk! Hell when I was kid my mother never brought my fun raiser stuff into work, I did it myself. I'm going to start a fund raiser myself, "The Tom Alfano needs funds to fund your kids fun raiser."

I manage to mostly ignore that stuff, and honestly, we don't seem to have that much of it around here. When I was in Allentown, the company policy was any fundraisers, outside sales (Avon, Tupperware, etc.) was not allowed on company property. It really helped the problem, although you had people meeting in the parking lot during lunch or after work, exchanging Tupperware like it was a drug deal :D

When I started working here, some catalog got passed around in the second week. I bought somethign for $20. I never got it.

I hate that people give this stuff out and seriously think that it's proper etiquette for people to buy something. Who wants that stuff?

People have the smae mentality about baby photos. You had a kid, you show peopel the photos, and that's it. Show me maybe one updated photo every 6 months and I'll look. Don't email me 15 photos of your baby thatlook exactly alike, and get upset when I don't look at them or ask you to take my name off of that email list.

It's like having dozens more people to buy birthday gifts for. Who wants to order chocolates from a catalog only to receive them 8 weeks later. Where are people going to school that they can't afford uniforms? "Well I don't want to pay for my own kid's stuff, so I'll make all my coworkers and neighbors do it. They don't pay enough in taxes."

Tom-

I have some ornaments to sell, you interested?


When I was in boy scouts and I HATED to make people look at them so I went by the office in my parents work place, and sent off an e-mail and said, if anyone is interested in buying anything (explained what it was) there will be an information packet at the front desk to pick up, no harm if you don't buy and no rush. Thanks to those that did buy something.

That way there was no pressure from anyone to buy, and no one felt guilty if they didn't buy anything.

Alex

Nicholas just came home with a new book too...the problem is that they
do not have prices!!!! This is what I want out of the book...can anyone
help me on what the price may be?????????
http://www.roundshot.ch/xml_1/internet/ ... 5/f934.cfm

Maaaaan, when I was in elementary school, I had to work for that **** (pardon my fwench). 5th grade was the best year. I went out with my brother and I went all through the neighborhood. I think I had about $150 in candy sales which was a great job since usually only my grandmother and mom would order $20 of stuff from me. Neither of my parents had traditional jobs so I couldn't rely on mommy bringing my catalog into work to sell the goods for me. So yeah... I agree... UP WITH CHILD LABOR!!!

These days the companies have been telling kids "dont sell door-to-door or to strangers, because then you will get kidnapped or killed and we wouldn't want you to sue us."

The catalogs are what I have a problem with. The boxes of candy that you can buy immediately...not as bad. Stand outside a supermarket and sell them.

But, smile. These kids look miserable when they are selling the candy. Just because you're on the street asking peopel to give you money doesn't mean you have to carry the demeanor of a homeless person.

i never got my parents to bring my findraiser stuff to work for me, even as far along as 8th grade. we always got together in small groups and stood around near the subways and sold that stuff off in a day. supermarkets never really worked, since eveyone coming out already had what they wanted. and phil, you're right about the blacklisting... it's ridiculous. saying that, i'll still help my sister out and buy something from her since she's standing over my shoulder waiting to hit me lest i write this....


i got one of the books at work too, about a week ago. they were selling xmas stuff already. that led to a huge debate in the tower and we ended up not ordering aything. i'm sure i'll get another 20 or so fo these books before thanksgiving is out.


what i find hilarious is the kids in the subways who walk around with boxes of m&ms all year round saying they're trying to by baskletball uniforms. it's amazing how many stupid new yorkers there are that buy chocolate candy in the 90+ degree subways in august!! HA!!

i DUNNO, i WAS ONE OF THOSE KIDS WHOSE MOMS TOOK THE CHOCOLATE

Sorry the caps was on. anyway, sold enough chocolate to play soccer in europe, paid for that TWA ticket on that 742 to Munich and back from Brussels.

anyway, right now, I find them annoying but i am sure my perspective will change once I have a kiddo.

They do not do those things too much around here. On the otherhand this is deaths waiting room

I am pleased to say that of the 30 or so people I work with, all in their early 30s-mid 40s, I think only one has kids, so no catalogs for me. On the other hand I would gladly buy occasional crap if it meant that we wouldn't be extinct in 50 years. :?

I went to Catholic grammar school, which meant constant fundraisers. The highlight of my candy bar sales career happened when I was 9 or 10, when my neighbor who babysat me sometimes, a nice 60-something old-school-Hell's Kitchen-Irish lady, took me to a neighborhood bar with my chocolate bars one afternoon, and left me there while she went grocery shopping. The drunks ended up buying two boxes worth, and I didn't even get molested! My parents, nonetheless, were not too happy about it when I got home.

Hey, the Federal Government is involved also. They have this combined federal funds junk where you give money and it gets divided to charities such as the United Way. They make someone from the office peddle this. The first time I gave $10 but then found out as opposed to a one shot $10 they took $10 per paycheck. I got that stopped quick.

I just had another one put down infront of me, another 10 bucks for Almond Clusters.

Tom, set a budget for them and once its yearly bit is tapped, the well has sprung dry.

otherwise, yes, everyone in the office gets to know who the sucker is.

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Originally Posted by emshighway

Hey, the Federal Government is involved also. They have this combined federal funds junk where you give money and it gets divided to charities such as the United Way. They make someone from the office peddle this. The first time I gave $10 but then found out as opposed to a one shot $10 they took $10 per paycheck. I got that stopped quick.

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Yea it's called the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) and they always get someone in the squadron to be the POC (Point of Contact) for it, and hustle people for money...

To be honest, though, it's not a bad deal. I think they do it twice a year, and you can pick from thousands of charities. Generally it's pretty "discrete" in that most POCs will just leave you alone if you don't donate (although some have been known to give people a hard time).
A lot of time they have these "squadron" competitions, though, to see which squadron can donate the most money. Although no one will officially call you out on it, there is something to be said about being the squadron that donates the least, and it's not very positive.
I donate a few bucks a month (which they take directly out of my paycheck) to some charity.

What really gets me are the in-squadron fundraisers. Although it's not as bad here, since most people aren't married and/or have no kids, people in other squadrons in the AF will bring their kids' stuff into work. Before you know it, you've got something like 20 catalogs for fundraising during peak fundraising times!

I do enjoy the girl scout cookies though, and will usually buy a box or two of them.

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Originally Posted by mirrodie

Tom, set a budget for them and once its yearly bit is tapped, the well has sprung dry.

otherwise, yes, everyone in the office gets to know who the sucker is.

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But I'm a sucker for chocolate!!!!

Aw, Tommy - just take some Midol...it'll be ok.

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Originally Posted by T-Bird76

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mirrodie

Tom, set a budget for them and once its yearly bit is tapped, the well has sprung dry.

otherwise, yes, everyone in the office gets to know who the sucker is.

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But I'm a sucker for chocolate!!!!

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No, your just a sucker period! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

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Originally Posted by Phil D.

The catalogs are what I have a problem with. The boxes of candy that you can buy immediately...not as bad. Stand outside a supermarket and sell them.

But, smile. These kids look miserable when they are selling the candy. Just because you're on the street asking peopel to give you money doesn't mean you have to carry the demeanor of a homeless person.

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Hey phil, would you like ot buy some of my skittles or m&m's?

i'm raising money for my basketball team

We were on the 4 a couple weekends ago and this kid was going around selling candy "for himself." We bought one and Phil actually said, "I'm only buying this because you didn't spew some **** about your basketball team."

ha!

Yeah, next time I see you on the E line, I'll buy two. But only if they have the special "school" wrapper where I get a dollar off of a Big Mac at McDonalds.

nah, it's 50 cents off at Subways

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Originally Posted by USAF Pilot 07

Yea it's called the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) .

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Thanks, I couldn't remember the correct name. The problem is they get the receptionist to do it so every time you go in or out she is there harassing you.

Between these, the cookies, wrapping paper and the birthday cakes, baby showers, yadda yadda yadda it seems everyone has their hand out.