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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Bouncy castle £2 for 3mins at school fair?

46 replies

fridayverve · 28/04/2023 18:24

AIBU to think this is too much?

I was involved in the PTA for years but left the committee last year after taking on a full time job. For the last couple of years that I was there, decisions were made about hiking up prices to more money. For example, £1.50 for a cup of instant Nescafé at events, £1.50-£2 for homemade pieces of cake / cupcakes.
I don't agree and said my piece but was in the minority.
Today they had a Eid party in the playground. DD went with her friends and told me that they didn't go on the bouncy castle as it was £2 for 3mins which they thought was a rip off. A box of Biryani was a fiver too.
We live in a really economically diverse area with lots of children on FSMs, very active food banks alongside houses worth close to a million.
I just think the prices have gone a bit mad!

OP posts:
Oysterbabe · 28/04/2023 18:31

Sounds OK to me.

LittleRebelGirl · 28/04/2023 18:32

Think it sounds okay, for 3 minutes at least. If it was 1 min I'd be a bit 🤨.

Sux2buthen · 28/04/2023 18:32

That's too much.

Nachobowls · 28/04/2023 18:34

I think its ok

WestOfWestminster · 28/04/2023 18:34

Were people going on the bouncy castle or was it empty? If people were going on it then theres your answer I suppose.

Personally for £2 I'd like 5 minutes would be more reasonable and would agree with your children.

The coffee and cake prices seem about average to me.

Original poster
fridayverve · 28/04/2023 18:35

Hmmm mixed bag of responses so far!

OP posts:
MargaretThursday · 28/04/2023 18:36

Tbf 3minutes probably, unless there is a huge queue (in which case it clearly isn't too much for many) turns into 5 minutes by the time you have the slow ones still taking off their shoes and socks and the child who pretends not to hear etc.

OrwellianTimes · 28/04/2023 18:37

It’s pretty average but I’d expect 5mins to be honest.

QuickGuide · 28/04/2023 18:37

It doesn't sound to bad to me. The prices have to be set to make money or the whole thing is a waste of time.

I once spent a whole morning helping on the cake stall at a Salvation Army spring fayre. Prices were so low the entire fayre only made about £150. In volunteer time that would have been about 50p and hour!

The bouncy castle will have come at a cost and needs to turn a profit. That said, our school does it on a wrist band system. £5 for as many goes as you want (subject to queuing)

toomuchfaster · 28/04/2023 18:41

I'm amazed one was allowed at all. Our school won't let us due to insurance after deaths on them previously.

LivingDeadGirlUK · 28/04/2023 18:43

I think that's fine tbh, someone was saying the other day that bouncy castles don't make a lot of money once you take into account the hire costs, but its a nice thing to have as it give the kids something to do while the parents buy tea/coffee etc (where the school does make a good margin).

The thing I hate to see is raffles with £100's of pounds worth of prizes and the tickets being sold for 20p.

Startyabastard · 28/04/2023 18:43

That's an insane amount of money.

Original poster
fridayverve · 28/04/2023 18:43

QuickGuide · 28/04/2023 18:37

It doesn't sound to bad to me. The prices have to be set to make money or the whole thing is a waste of time.

I once spent a whole morning helping on the cake stall at a Salvation Army spring fayre. Prices were so low the entire fayre only made about £150. In volunteer time that would have been about 50p and hour!

The bouncy castle will have come at a cost and needs to turn a profit. That said, our school does it on a wrist band system. £5 for as many goes as you want (subject to queuing)

The fairs have always been profitable but they (understandably) want more profit.
I helped man the cake and tea stall last summer and had quite a lot of people change their mind about getting a coffee and / or nice cupcake when we told them the prices. We definitely had more left over than usual at the end. I lowered the coffee price as the day wore on as I was frankly embarrassed to ask for £1.50 for a plastic cup of Nescafé instant!

OP posts:
Arginalia · 28/04/2023 18:44

Probably has to be that high because the liability insurance cost on those things is immense.

RudsyFarmer · 28/04/2023 18:45

We’ve stopped going to local fairs for this reason. It’s insanely expensive. The kids are desperate to go on the rides and I think at one locally it was £6 for one go round an inflatable thing. With two children there was no way I was paying £12 for that.

Original poster
fridayverve · 28/04/2023 18:46

Arginalia · 28/04/2023 18:44

Probably has to be that high because the liability insurance cost on those things is immense.

Would that come from the company as part of the hire cost? I have no idea if the prices for hire have gone up as im not involved in organising any more.

OP posts:
TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 28/04/2023 18:46

Was it a bouncy castle made from pony skin?

Fucking expensive.

£1 is reasonable.

Arginalia · 28/04/2023 18:49

fridayverve · 28/04/2023 18:46

Would that come from the company as part of the hire cost? I have no idea if the prices for hire have gone up as im not involved in organising any more.

Show quote history

I'm not sure who pays in that situation, but wherever the cost is incurred, it will end up being passed down to the customer.

History of serious accidents + increasingly litigious society = £££££

Crabwoman · 28/04/2023 18:51

Sounds fine to me. It's a fundraising activity, but they have to hire it, insure it etc. so they will have to set prices to ensure they make some profit.

I don't go to school PTA fairs and expect value for money as it's a fundraising activity. I go expecting to get fleeced on the tombola. Grin

booblin99 · 28/04/2023 18:53

honestly yes it’s expensive but not awful and it’s the kind of event where i’d expect high prices

ChristmasKraken · 28/04/2023 18:54

It's a PTA fundraising event. I don't go to them for the quality coffee and entertainment, I go to raise money for the school, so I tend not to worry about "value for money" - I just see it as a donation. So I wouldn't consider this too much really (and 3 mins is quite a long time) - we've seen much more expensive at funfairs etc!

acuppatea · 28/04/2023 18:58

How much do they usually raise? Our local primary summer fair last year raised over £2k and it's a small school with lots of people on FSM etc. all the stalls were 50p each and drinks/ice lollies/alcoholic drinks were very cheap. People hung out there all afternoon because £20 could easily provide hours of entertainment!

OhComeOn123 · 28/04/2023 18:59

Taking the piss. I don't get why people do this and I say the same about charging £1,000,000,000,000 for one of those cardboard framed photos after a rollercoaster ride that hardly anyone buys. Just charge a quid - they'd have much more custom.

Needmorelego · 28/04/2023 19:02

3 minutes? That's ridiculous. Many kids will have only just started to get the hang of bouncing after 3 minutes.
I wouldn't even pay 50p for 3 minutes. It's not the price - 3 minutes isn't worth it.

PumpkinTruffles · 28/04/2023 19:07

I wouldn't pay that for 3 minutes