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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

WWYD - teen running their own tuck shop in school

504 replies

PinkPansies · 08/02/2022 16:06

We've realised recently that ds1 aged 14 has become quite flush with cash (more so than his pocket money would allow anyway!).

On questioning we've discovered that he's quite the entrepreneur and has set up his own tuck shop in school on breaks and lunches. In short, he's been stopping at the local Coop on the way to school and buying sweets and chocolates then selling them to the kids in his year for double the price. Who are more than willing to pay.

From making the odd quid here and there his 'business' has expanded rapidly in the last 3 weeks and he's got quite a following in school - and he's currently making about ten quid A DAY in profit. I can't quite believe the amounts.

He's taking specific requests from kids that get the bus to school so don't have the opportunity to visit a shop and has a price/order list to show his customers and a book with a record of his sales and profits each day 🙈

He's taking it very seriously and is incredibly organised. He's explained to his parents that his profit is limited only by how much stuff he can physically fit in his bag - so he's currently looking at smaller, higher value sweets and sounding our his customers for interest levels.

Parent A and Parent B have different opinions.

Parent A is thrilled, has congratulated their son for his driven, entrepreneurial spirit and told him to crack on...but that he needs to be aware the school will probably give him a detention if he's caught. It's a risk ds is happy to take.

Parent B is amused and a bit impressed but thinks he should stop as obviously the school would frown on this. Haven't seen any specific school rules about this but obviously the school would probably want it stopped!

WWYD?

OP posts:
FiloPasty · 08/02/2022 16:07

Parent A I think it’s brilliant!

RedskyThisNight · 08/02/2022 16:09

If Parent B's only concern is possible breaking of school rules, then suggest that he moves his business hours to before and after school. And his business premises to just outside the school gate ?

5foot5 · 08/02/2022 16:09

More with parent A than parent B. There is clearly a market for it. I think he should make the most of it while he can.

Dancingonmyownagain · 08/02/2022 16:11

Defo parent A / well done him!

MaggieMooh · 08/02/2022 16:12

If he’s serious about it he’ll have to register and pay tax etc. You can’t just run a business illegally.

ForensicFlossy · 08/02/2022 16:13

Parent A without a doubt, especially as the risk of being caught has been discussed.

OldMMC · 08/02/2022 16:13

I also agreed with parent A. He'll go far.

AryaStarkWolf · 08/02/2022 16:13

I'm with Parent A, leave him to it, if the school tells him to stop then he can stop but I'd leave him alone until then

Crabwoman · 08/02/2022 16:14

My brother used to do this outside of the school gates. The teachers used to buy of him. 🙈

SNUG2022 · 08/02/2022 16:14

He will get in big trouble, so only advice is don't get caught. Hide the cash and keep it separate from the stash. Don't carry too much stock. Say it's his own supply. Don't eat all of the supply.

ItsTheTreasure · 08/02/2022 16:15

Aah I remember people doing this at my school! Those of us who didn't pass a shop were definitely happy to pay. It did get stopped by the school eventually. I'd let him get on with it after reminding him of the risks (detention etc)

NeverDropYourMooncup · 08/02/2022 16:15

From experience (we made a fuckton of cash that way decades ago), he needs to never carry more than he can afford to have taken off him in either cash or stock and be prepared to shut down operations in an instant - no credit, no debt, nothing. Strictly cash only at the point of purchase.

Because it's not necessarily a detention he needs to be alert to, it's the arseholes in the year above ganging up to rush him for the food and/or money that they know he's carrying that can be a problem.

gogohm · 08/02/2022 16:15

Bit of both, thrilled is too strong, impressed but stress any punishment is down to them

22Giraffes · 08/02/2022 16:17

@MaggieMooh

If he’s serious about it he’ll have to register and pay tax etc. You can’t just run a business illegally.
There's always one.
RoyKentsChestHair · 08/02/2022 16:17

@MaggieMooh

If he’s serious about it he’ll have to register and pay tax etc. You can’t just run a business illegally.
He won’t have to pay tax on £10 a day! But yes I guess that technically if he’s making money he should be registered as self employed for tax purposes.

I’m parent A as long as the kid is resilient enough to take the telling off if it comes. The fact that there’s no specific rule against it they can’t really tell him off, but they might frown upon cash in school given that most schools now have cashless payments for snacks etc At £10 he’s not really going to become a target for bullies but if they find out he regularly has a bag full of sweets and/or cash he might attract some bad behaviour, that would be the only part that would worry me tbh.

GingerAndTheBiscuits · 08/02/2022 16:17

I’m with Parent A.

One of my brothers started doing this around the same age. My mother used to take him to the cash and carry to stock up Grin now many years later he is still the most financially savvy out of all of us!

gogohm · 08/02/2022 16:17

Ps my cousin did this. Once he got his moped licence at 16 he did a McDonald's run too. Unfortunately it didn't have a happy ending - his entrepreneurial spirit crossed over to substances the police arrest you for!

RoyKentsChestHair · 08/02/2022 16:18

@SNUG2022

He will get in big trouble, so only advice is don't get caught. Hide the cash and keep it separate from the stash. Don't carry too much stock. Say it's his own supply. Don't eat all of the supply.
Never get high on your own supply, as Biggie says!
Grumpsy · 08/02/2022 16:20

I think this is hilarious. I am now wondering if I had a particular sheltered childhood as I don’t remember stuff like this from my days at school

DrManhattan · 08/02/2022 16:21

What's the worry? That they will start selling vape liquid and Es?

Frlrlrubert · 08/02/2022 16:22

Just a word of warning that in schools I've worked in 'selling on site' isn't a detention offence. It's a one day fixed term exclusion.

I'd suggest moving his entrepreneurial activities off site.

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 08/02/2022 16:22

I had a student who did this, his mum ran a local bakery and would make 10 really nice baguettes in the morning and he would sell them. He paid her for resources and her time and by Yr 11 had made enough to buy a computer. I thought it was ingenious but had to report him to head of Yr in case of potential allergy issues but I'm sure he carried on.

Hankunamatata · 08/02/2022 16:22

Suppose it depends if it will get him expelled from school.

lanthanum · 08/02/2022 16:22

I taught a kid who was buying sherbert straws from the cash & carry and re-selling. The empty straws were all over the place, so I argued that like fast food stores, he needed to take some responsibility for the litter!

As you say, it's probably not technically against any school rules, but it's probably still better to keep it under the radar or outside the school gates. It might also be worth chatting about what he's going to do with the money. You read about the young adults who have started this way and saved up their own house deposit, but there are probably others who spend it less wisely.

I heard of one youngster whose parents only discovered his money-making ruse when he wrote about it in his sixth-form application. They made sure he was aware of the point at which he would need to register as self-employed and pay tax.

Lampshading · 08/02/2022 16:23

It doesn't sound like anything new or groundbreaking, people were doing this when I was at school! I'd say the more pertinent point would be how school feel about it, people used to get in a lot of trouble but maybe they aren't arsed now.