Party Bags- What do you spend?

[Skribble]

Considering adding party bags to my business.

Would any of you consider buying in ready filled bags?

What sort of price would you pay for prefilled? or what have you spent doing your own?

Would you buy from someone advertising by posters/ flyers or would you prefer/ trust a shop more?

Was thinking of perhaps visiting parents at home with samples to take orders. Does this sound appealing to a stressed mum or more hassel?

Any other things I could sell along side Party Bags? Perhaps whole kits inc streamers, balloons, plates etc etc.

TIA all ideas welcome not sure what to do with my stagnating business.

Flip - I did a pirate party last summer, one of the party-theme websites does v cheap eye patches and other paraphanalia. I did do party bags - eye patch, choc sweets that looked like barrles of gunpowder / treasure, etc.

The year before the party bags were cake, balloon and a polaroid pic of each child with DS, which we took during the party

I would rather wash 40 pooey nappies by hand than spend even 5 minutes in a soft play pit. (PIt being very apt in this case.)I have long suspected that kids pee in them..now I know!

Nailpolish, I really like your idea. Meaningful,classy and unique. Like you I'm sure...

Those ball pits are the worst. We don't even entertain that now

We had them for DD1's fourth; put in a small rubber duck (50p) a miniature paintbox (50p), some unexpectedly classy chocolate raisins I found I hadn't finished, and some Divine mini-Easter eggs I spotted in Tescos.

Quite fun, actually. We always got 'going-away' presents when I was small. I still have the needlebook I got at my friend Rachel's ninth.

Wow I go and pick up the kids and there's 26 replys.

Firstly I agree party bags full of cheap sweets and plastic tat are horrible.

I did a papercup version for my DD's 5th and included rubbers, gel pens and stickers plus a little bag of assorted sweets. All wrapped in cellophane and ribbons cost les than £1 per cup.

I know there are quite a few companies doing bags and complete packs. What about the home visit idea a chance to see all the stock and what can be included. I would offer sweet free bags as well.

For DD we did thankyou cards with a picture of each child at party and DD wrote the thankyou bit.

The last 2 years I have had a stall at summer and christmas fairs localy, started with making up bags of sweets then pick and mix and this christmas I started doing the toys which were really popular.

DD ended up in hospital and I missed two fairs, so I am left with loads of christmas toys and bags of chocolate coins. Ah the joy of having your own business . Hoping to expand the business this year and have invested in a trailer to kit out. Looking for other ideas and ways of reaching PTA's etc to try and make profit this year instead of just breaing even again.

I am buying sticker books from M&S for 1.99 each and they can all have one of those......

and all were enormous successes - but can I say that the best going-away present was neat little dd2 getting herself quietly ready to come home with us

that was for MI

In my town they open the ball pit thing at night to adults. Bet a few bladdered blokes have relieved themselves in there an' all......

Feel quite ill now.

MI, you obviously attended exceptional social enagagements.

I don't do party bags. Wicked aren't I?

beachyhead, the stickers will end up all over the car windows and drive the mums and dads mad!!!
(Maybe precisely the reason for said purchase?)

no way moondog, that's disguting.
why would adults want to.......nevermind

doh, i mean disgusting

My bf bought hideous singing tapes for her party bags and how I laughed when I saw one family leaving the party all loaded up for a 2 hour drive somewhere - bet that tape ended up by the side of the M4 about 20 mins later!!!!!

Fredtbad, you want to see some of the neanderthals in my neck of the woods. Very scarey.

Skribble - yes, I would consider it. I probably spend about $5 (3 pounds?) per bag, and I would consider buying them already prepared if they had cute things, perhaps in different themes.

Ok so you all seem to hate the idea of party bags but lots of us do them. So would you consider buying them ready filled from some one happy to come to house to show you stuff or from leaflets etc.

I put hotwheels cars in ds1's party bags - cost less than a pound each - plus a few sweets, sheet of stickers and a multi colour crayon - no plastic crap.

Although I have to say my 2 love plastic crap

saw someone mention pirate stuff we had thses once and wwere really ggod

Kateand for £3 I could do a really good bag, my main supplier is similar to hawkins has lots of tobar stuff that you get in museum shops. Could do all sorts of themes and fancy cellophane bags or cones with ribbons instead of the square bags every one sells.

How best to market them and reach all the mums locally.

Our local toy shop does them like that, but again everything comes from tobar. I'm like SoupDragon- I love doing party bags (I know you're not meant to have that view on MN ), and I enjoy choosing stuff for them. Never plastic rubbish, but I don't spend a fortune either. I wouldn't want to buy ready filled bags because it would take all the fun out of it, but my guess is that there is a market. My children have several times come away from parties that are instantly recognisable as the Tobar-derived local shop ones. They tend to be the kind of parties where the whole class is invited, so I guess it's more efficient.

Sorry, rambling.

Thanks Tamtum,
I don't have a shop yet so not sure of the best way to sell and show what I can do.

Do you have a local Families magazine, or something like that? They quite often do special issues focusing on parties, don't they? I haven't seen one for ages though. Netmums or something, maybe, too.

What's tobar, please?

They are the people who make the stuff sold by Hawkin, Oldiemum. If you haven't come across Hawkin before they're here!