Conducting a Show and Sell with No $10.00 Item

Several of the Gulf Ridge Council units have opted to conduct their Show and Sell phase WITHOUT the $10.00 at the table.  Historically, we sell a LOT of $10.00 tins and some people think that's a good thing.  However, look at the stats below and you may discover, as these others already have, that lots of $10.00 items sold will not generate as much money for your unit as few $15.00, $20.00 and higher items do. 

So if you don't have the $10.00 tin or if you've run out, here are a few options to consider:

• Conduct your Show and Sell without 11oz. Several units did not order 11oz in the first place because, as with any “table-at-the-door-of-Wal-Mart” sale, the customers almost invariably gravitate to the cheapest item on the table. With a $10.00 item out there, it’s tough for a $15.00, $20.00 or $30.00 item to compete.

• Trade Up! (ver. 1) Most customers who are willing to buy a $10.00 tin will probably spend the extra $5.00 and buy a 15-pack microwave product Tell them about the high quality product. Note that there is no diacetyl in any of the Trail’s End products.

• Trade Up! (ver. 2) Push the 26 oz Caramel Tin. Consider that it’s really a better value than the 11oz any way you look at it. There is more than twice the product for only twice the price (11oz @ $10.00 = $1.10/oz vs. 26oz at $20.00 = $.77/oz). What's more, the bigger tin has almonds and pecans in the mix instead of just peanuts.

• Take Orders. If you have someone at the table that absolutely will only purchase an 11oz Caramel w/ peanuts, take their name and address and offer to deliver to their home—just like regular take-order. If they happen to live near your neighborhood or town, it’s not a bad way to make a sale.

• Remember NEVER break up a 15-Pack!  Not only are the inner packs not labled for individual sale, it hurts your overall sale by giving the customer a very low end item.  The effect is similar to that of having the $10.00 tin on the table, but magnified many times in its negative impact.  
  

Don’t forget that your Scouts can hit the streets for Take Order sales where they’ll sell more in less time. The average Scout will sell much more popcorn—and much higher dollar popcorn—going door to door than he ever will at a Show and Sell.

Here’s one more thing to consider. Out of over 44,000 containers sold in 2006:

Click here for an Excel spreadsheet with more details and pie graphs. 

The $30.00, $40.00 and $50.00 items accounted for just 7% of containers but 17% of net Scouting dollars (profit).

The $15.00 and $20.00 items accounted for 57% of our container sales and 61% of net Scouting dollars.
The $10.00 item accounted for 36% of our container sales but only 22% of the net Scouting dollars.

We made almost as much money from about 3,100 $30-$50 tins as we did from over 16,000 small tins! Remember that the $30-$50 really only sell on Take Order.