I too have been interested to see that apparently there are different
profits for different parts of the country. For a regular sale here we
get a percentage. Since I don't have Fair information in front of me I
don't remember the exact amount but it is about 35% and goes up a bit as
you sell more. Your sales have to reach a certain threshold before you
can take any profits in cash. I never reach that threshold so I don't
remember what it is. The profit percentage offered by Scholastic has
slowly been shrinking recently.
You can take your profits in books from the cases or
go to the warehouse and use them there. I usually do some of both. I
really like cashing in at the warehouse as there is a much better
selection there than appears in the cases for the Fair.
We don't get any teacher incentives but get $10-$20 (?) dollar profit
incentives for doing various things--showing the video to all classes,
doing a classroom wish list program, displaying the posters, and such. You
can earn up to $100 dollars of credit this way.
I'm sure that Scholastic has always had a certain amount of loss. I
wonder how much that loss has gone up recently and how much the current
concern has to do with the most recent change in corporate ownership and much
increased push for marketing and corporate profits that I have seen
recently.
My current big complaint has to do with Buy-One-Get-One-Free fairs. I
have traditionally done a regular fair in the fall and one of these in the
spring. I won't do one again. The profit has shrunk over the last 5-6
years from 20% to currently nothing. Scholastic says that the profit is
the get one free. However this sale is of benefit to them as well as they
are using it to clear out old stock at the end of the year.
Scholastic needs to remember that we are their sales people. We are the
ones who make the money for their Book Fair division. We work hard at
selling Scholastic products. They need to pay us for our time and
effort. Yes, I do also do it to put books in the hands of kids, but I also
do it to earn books for the library which is another way of putting books
in the hands of kids.
And a last gripe is the increasing amount of overpriced junk that comes
with the fairs. More and more the kids buy the junk and not the books. I
refuse to put out the worst of it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jean Townes, Media Specialist townesj@PEAK.ORG
Clover Ridge Elementary School Phone: 541-967-4565
Greater Albany Public Schools
2953 Clover Ridge Rd, NE
Albany, Or 97321
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