Last week G came home from school with ANOTHER fundraiser. I get that the schools need money, but sheesh. Between the fundraisers for school and sports teams I am quite tired of asking family for money.
Right away G wanted to sell the cards door-to-door. Well we went to the zoo on Thursday, then had a very busy weekend with our Easter activities, then Monday we had friends over, then Tuesday it rained, so finally last night our family showed moral support to G and walked with him around the neighborhood as he knocked on every door he came to.
G’s enthusiasm for selling things to strangers did not come from either Hubby or me. In college I worked at Eddie Bauer and was actually a topic of discussion among my store managers and district manager because of my resolute determination to not sell a tree to our customers. The “Buy A Tree for $1″ button was prominently displayed on my shirt and I didn’t want to annoy people by guilting them into buying something they’d already made up their mind about. So the managers had to deal with me, a very good employee who showed up on time with a good attitude, but who also refused to oversell to customers.
G and Little Missy, however, have no shame in selling to people they don’t know. Last spring they decided one Saturday morning to sell cookies from our driveway, and before I could even tell Hubby their plan, they’d dragged a table and chairs outside. For the next two hours they sat at the end of our driveway and yelled “Buy a cookie for a quarter!” to any person who happened to walk by. I’m pretty sure our neighbors were held hostage in their own houses because of the knowledge that if they stepped outside my children would accost them. Luckily for my kids, the church across the street was having a garage sale that very day, so G and Little Missy inadvertently piggy-backed on the traffic the church brought in and made something like $7 each before the morning was finished.
Their precious faces belie their dogged determination to sell! you! a! cookie!!!
Last night G maintained that same resolve to sell $10 cards to each and every neighbor, even neighbors whose grandchild is his friend and had probably had their quota of cards filled.
But he did well. Four cards sold last night alone. I’m guessing that’s as many as he’ll get but he has decided to try again tomorrow night. Neighbors, here we come!