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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to stop the fair committee buying all the best stuff before the thing has even started?

76 replies

holidaysoon · 01/10/2011 11:01

that's it really
it has been suggested that I help with the next school fair
TBH I was so traumatised by the last one I'm not sure I can

but please tell me what is usual?

are the committee allowed to help themselves beforehand (paying obviously) if so where does it stop?
1 thing each
£10 each
food? drink?
please tell me what's usual

OP posts:
aldiwhore · 01/10/2011 12:12

Its fundraising, so as long as funds are raised it doesn't matter.

What does annoy me is if someone on the committee wins a hamper in the raffle and picks the best one... I guess that's the same as the OP's gripe, for some reason its that that annoys me.

OP YANBU, but life is too short, and funds are funds.

Original poster
holidaysoon · 01/10/2011 12:17

thanks Grin the sorry was because I missed your question re repricing

the repricing was done before everyone arrived before the thing started

when I won two prizes in the raffle once I only took 1 and gave the other back for someone else

I was not on the committee

surely lots of people would do that?!!!

aldi don't they pull tickets for certain prizes eg first ticket wins the wine second the chocs and third the cuddly toy?

aldi what do they do where you are? can helpers nab the best stuff first/

OP posts:
squeakytoy · 01/10/2011 12:23

surely more funds would be raised, and a higher attendance, if the goods on offer were better...

If word goes around that the stuff is shite because all the best stuff has already been earmarked by the organisers, people stay away.

aldiwhore · 01/10/2011 12:24

Regarding raffles, its a bug bear of mine, a ticket gets pulled out, the winner gets to choose their prize. A much fairer way would be to say 'this ticket is for THIS prize' etc., in my opinion anyway!

Our PTA committee is woefully small and we all put in way too many hours really, so if someone sees something they want, there is no issue if they buy it beforehand, it doesn't happen often though... and instances have certainly got less since we started arranging external stallholders. They have stock with them, they either pay per table or a percentage of their profit. Only a handful of 'sales' stalls are made up of donations now. The in house stalls are mostly quick bucks games (tombola, wheel of jars, dice games) or pamper 'stations' where kids can get their face painted, hair put in an up do or spiked/sprayed green...

There was ONE issue that outraged me. We do Bag2Skool (its a great fundraiser - old clothes, belts, bags, shoes - company pays x amount per tonne - we raised over £800 last year!) and one mother was going through the bags to see what she could find, removed a lovely hat, boots, bag etc., and thought this was okay because she replaced items with a sheet! Now I don't mind if she'd done that AND paid the right price for it with the permission of the donater, but if I'd donated that stuff it would be for Bag2Skool and NOT some other mum!

MindtheGappp · 01/10/2011 12:28

One of the perks of volunteering to organise is to get first refusal on the goods.

But I don't think many would abuse this privilege by buying up everything ahead of time.

The money still goes to the good cause, regardless.

Original poster
holidaysoon · 01/10/2011 12:30

Shock aldi

interesting to see that certainly as far as those on here go the helpers getting first dibs seems to be fairly limited

agree squeeky I havn't bothered with an NCT sale after the first

OP posts:
MindtheGappp · 01/10/2011 12:30

Aldi, when a ticket is for a specific prize, it's a tombola rather than a raffle. At our school fairs, we usually have both running. If someone doesn't want their tombola prize, they usually get a free draw with a 20% chance of winning something else.

aldiwhore · 01/10/2011 12:31

I should add I hate donation only fayres. I call them shitstalls. I'm not a jumble fan to be honest... so to keep 'good' stock AND offer things at a good price, a combination of in house and out sourced stalls works really well.

The candy floss man, the sausage man, the cheese lady, the jewellery lady, all give the appearance that the fayre is top class, you slip in the odd shitstall/donation stall here and there, and no one ever notices if the 'good stuff' has already been sold. Add a few table top games for the kids and everyone is happy.

MindtheGappp · 01/10/2011 12:31

To my first message, I will add that first refusal is only on items that are for sale. Not for raffle or tombola donations.

Original poster
holidaysoon · 01/10/2011 12:33

agree mind but the problem was 1 person bought the lovely cake, 1 the playmobil, 1 the micro scooter, 1 the little tikes, 1 the lovely monsoon dress another the mini boden top

individually I'm sure they all thought oh it's only 1 thing for little old me result was nearly all the big ticket items were gone

there was a mountain buggy left though!

OP posts:
aldiwhore · 01/10/2011 12:34

Ah mindthegap this may be a regional thing, the tombola we do is an instant win stall... usually a bottle tombola, if the ticket you pull out of the hat matches a ticket on a prize you win that prize.

The raffles are usually pre-bought tickets with one draw. The PTA does a free for all choice of prize. The commity fundraisers do a raffle whereby each draw is for a certain prize, usually there's 4 decent prizes only, with a top prize...

Original poster
holidaysoon · 01/10/2011 12:35

lol at fayre

allready top class Grin

OP posts:
StealthPolarBear · 01/10/2011 12:38

completely agree with squeakytoy. While it's fine to say £10 is £10 whoever paid, surely part of the point is to have the good stuff on display to get people in and to make it look as though there is good stuff to sell?

aldiwhore · 01/10/2011 12:39

Holidaysoon this year's Chair wants to rename the 'fayre' as a 'market' as she thinks will attract a 'better' clientelle with more money... so before we even start we're losing £40 on a new bloody banner!! sigh

Its all very amusing really!

Lisatheonewhoeatsdrytoast · 01/10/2011 12:46

I don't even bother going to these things now, nor would i help!

The last time ours had a plant sale, opened at 10, and by 5 past all the plants were virtually taken unless they looked dead Hmm

There was one snobby get, standing next to about 30 varieties, and as i went past, he went "oh these are sold already i'm afraid" turned out he was a member of the committee and of course had helped himself to every plant going fir £1 each! Angry

I was fuming and have said i'll never go back or help with one of these again, bunch of bastards!

Original poster
holidaysoon · 01/10/2011 12:54

umm aldi she is maybe thinking about farmers markets?!!!

Lisa i think I'm over it too

OP posts:
Clary · 01/10/2011 13:15

I have bought things in advance of fairs before, if I was there setting it up.

For instance if the DC help me set up the toy stall, they are each allowed to choose one thing. And if there was a gorgeous cake that I wanted I might get it - it's not like I wouldn't be paying for it.

I guess if the stalls are swept clean it might be time to say something - but on the whole, isn't it fair enough? If anyone wants to join in the first dibs dooberry then I am sure they are welcome to join in the setting up!

I agree, if you can't see your donation on the cake stall it's a compliment, surely?

Shock @ some of the posts on here. I have never known anyone steal an X-box. I am talking more about DS2 nabbing a nice bit of Dr Who tat someone else didn't want, or DD picking out another a new cuddly!

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 01/10/2011 14:22

Eh? Surely volunteering, well - the clue is in the name, no? You DO give up your time and you choose to do that. If you need a 'perk' or special consideration of some kind then best not to bother.

I think that's how it starts, it's quite insidious, a little perk and 'favour' here and there and the best stuff gets put aside, never reaching the public who might well have spent more on other stuff, if they'd managed to get a 'bargain' or at least access to the 'good stuff'.

Some 'volunteers' should be frisked on the way out by the sounds of it... if YOU can pay that price, so can the public. You're not doing anything special for the event if you cherry-pick. Either give your time or don't, but if you expect 'payment in kind' then stand back and let someone else take it on. I hate 'grabby' people.

ChippingIn · 01/10/2011 14:37

Maybe the 'big ticket' items should be auctioned off instead - that would raise more money & stop the 'big stuff' getting taken out thus getting more people in as well. Surely no one reasonable could disagree with that Grin

aldiwhore · 01/10/2011 14:39

Chippingin that's an excellent idea and actually, when we do our 'nearly new' toy sale nightmare I shall suggest that for 'most wanted' items.

AKMD · 01/10/2011 19:25

That's surely a bit unfair on the poorer parents who go to nearly new sales looking for bargains :(

Lougle · 01/10/2011 20:29

I don't understand the concept of getting 'perks for helping'. The perk is that you feel good for having helped out.

There are a couple of solutions:

  1. helpers don't get to pick stuff before it goes on sale. (But then you would need to give them a 'slot' where they are free to roam)

  2. There is a limit on how much they can spend prior (ie. £10), etc.

  3. One person is responsible for all pricing, so that no-one has the opportunity to underprice items they fancy.

  4. Auction the best stuff (but sad for poorer parents).

alemci · 01/10/2011 20:36

I think it is fair enough for the helpers to be able to buy in advance. I remember at NCT sales leaving my stuff for people to manage for me so I wouldn't have minded if they had had first pick. As far as I am concerned it was good of them to volunteer to run the thing and I chose how I wanted to price the things I was selling.

I think if people are not prepared to help or volunteer they are not in a position to criticise those who do and do have the perk of buying things as long as they pay the going rate.

pointydog · 01/10/2011 20:38

yabu. It's a second hand fair, a random assortment of give-aways. Do people really know what;'s going on sale in advance and queue out for hours to be first in the door to buy it? Not at any school fair I've been to.

If someone wants something that bad, they should go on gumtree, freecycle, save up and buy it.

AKMD · 01/10/2011 20:47

Mmm, but to take the centrepiece cake and the best toy at knockdown prices is overstepping the bounds of reasonable behavior really.