To let the kids setup a lemonade stand?

[Thenonstopcleaner]

DS and DD 9 & 7 are begging me to allow them to set up a lemonade stand this weekend. Some little kids on our street were selling their toys the other day just for pocket money and we bought some bits from them. So I am guessing this is where the idea has came from! I have said the only way I will let them do it is if the money goes to charity.
Both not happy about that at all! But that’s the only way.

Im not 100% keen on the idea and I know DH will flat out say no. Is it a bit cruel to say no?They aren’t very confident kids so I think it would be great for them.

(I remember painting nails for 20p out the front at a kid but everyone seemed much kinder back then).

It’s cute. If I saw one I would definitely buy some (if I had cash, that’s the problem). It’s harmless and neighbourly. I know round my way everyone would think it’s lovely. At least they’re not sat watching YouTube

Agreed. Very sad really

Oh it’s sad these days. When I was 10 my friend and I made cakes and went door to door selling them. Some people obviously politely said no but most gave us the 20p and thanked us and loved seeing kids having a bit of get up and go about them. They probably binned the cakes 😂 but it was a nice experience.

Kids don’t do stuff like this anymore. Our parents weren’t involved, in fact they were oblivious. We had various money making schemes so we could buy ice cream, sweets and magazines. Good times.

Mumsnet have hidden my post as suspicious linking to a natural fizzy ginger beer recipe 🤣. I feel truly wild and finally very middle class! Google greek ginger beer with lemon for a nice kids project, promise I’m not dealing your kids crack 🤣

Will there be a duck?

No. They need a food hygiene certificate and insurance plus a license to sell at the side of the road. These things are in place for a reason. Being a child doesn’t exempt you from following the rules regardless of whether you think the rules are correct or not.

A child near me has just been shut down by the council for making and selling dog treats both from home and at a local market because he didn’t have the correct licenses and insurance. His mother is irate about it on local Facebook pages that her precious son has to follow the rules just like everyone else and can no longer undercut others because they haven’t forked out the ££££s to get said licenses and insurance.

This is inaccurate and depends on the product. I suspect the dog treats triggered env health interest because of the make up of the ingredients.

There, in the first paragraph of @todayImstruggling post, you have pretty much everything that’s wrong with the modern world. Strict, literal application of the rules, zero common sense or discretion.

We’re talking about a couple of kids doing something for an hour or two, for fun. They aren’t going into competition with Coca-Cola, they aren’t seeking to put the local shop out of business.

Still, much better for them to be inside watching a screen, not engaging with anyone, so it’s all for the best.

in my head allergy risks? Accidental contamination? No idea but I’d be too freaked out in case my kid had some random peanut butter on their fingers or something 🫣

This does seem to be a set of circumstances where parents have not done a cursory bit of due diligence on licensing, environmental health, street trading law. It’s all there to read online and shouldn’t prohibit a lemonade stall running or a school fete cake stall for that matter

My kids had the odd bake sale for charity at the end of our close pre covid.

Raised plenty of money

No they don’t FFS. Jesus, take me back to the nineties 🙏🏻

If you had a nut or other allergy, why would you buy something from two kids in the street?

I fully support proper labelling and transparency regarding ingredients in food products, but there does also need to be some element of personal responsibility in this kind of scenario.

Fair point, but actually even under current environmental health regs you run some risk of a server having peanut butter on their fingers from a snack

Are you American in the USA ? If so possibly yes , if you are not then No .

Yes they do HTH 🤷🏻‍♀️

No. But I am not a child. Children may well do exactly this.

Nope those rules are there for damn good reason. Only idiots would think otherwise.

They don’t. HTHYEM 🤷🏻‍♀️🤓🤪

Yeah like I say, get them indoors on screens. They’re showing far too much personality and enterprise, and it really needs to be crushed out of them.

Nothing wrong with them starting a business. But they need to learn how to do things properly. That includes learning about the rules and how to navigate them. There are plenty of business ideas that kids can get involved in without the strict rules that are necessary for food hygiene.

No they don’t. I am guessing you are not an environmental health officer or have ever spoken to one

You are making up rules and applying legislation that doesn’t exist/apply here though

Anyone who is selling or handling food / drink for sale is required to have one

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/food-business-registration#who-needs-to-register

It takes two minutes to find out that this is not necessary. OP can get them to sell from the front garden if she’s worried. Previous instances of heavy handed councils sending fines to kids have been cancelled due to community backlash (because it’s ridiculous and any sensible person knows it’s ridiculous). Thankfully over many years of teaching kids I’ve seen lots of them coming up with their own little pocket money schemes and none of them fell foul of local miseries like yourself.

In the vast majority of cases a council will turn a blind eye to children selling lemonade in their neighbourhood. You know this. Everyone knows this.

OP keep it to your front garden if you’ve a fear of busybody killjoys like @todayImstruggling calling the council to report your kids.

edited apologies @LifeIsAMeatball, quoted the wrong post