Selling for your kids - another pet peeve about work.

Thankfully, the few co-workers of mine that have kids don't push the fund-raising stuff at the office. Once in awhile, someone will put a catalog and order sheet in the break room for people to look at, but they don't go desk-to-desk. The only thing we are asked to sometimes put in for is if someone is leaving the company (and they don't usually get a gift if they have been here less than 3 years (you gotta earn that mug full of hard candy, darn it!;-)). Even then, it is usually only the good buddies of the person leaving who put in for the gift, so it's pretty laid-back. Although, I think part of the reason it is like that here is because people aren't afraid to say "no" to solicitations either. However, I have had a few sodas disappear from the communial fridge, so I can feel your pain on the lunch-swiping a little bit.

And my pet peeve is people who "feel obliged" and then complain!! I flipped off my obligation, loyalty, and guilt switches YEARS AGO. A simple "No thank you." should be good enouh, and if the person continues say "I said no thank you." You don't have to explain yourself, and you don't have to feel obliged either. Also, what are the chances THIS discussion will reach the people YOU work with?

I hear ya! Fundraising just gets out of hand these days. It seems like the kids sell something every other month at school. I get tired of it too, I totally agree with you. It isn't too bad for me at work but all the neighborhood kids hit me and of course, they all think I should buy from them.

LOL....I know exactly how you feel...People think that you are made of money...I used to cop it all the time when I didnt have kids, and when I had to sell something for mine nobody brought anything..Which is why I suppose I only tried it once.

Just say no. No one is going to hold it against you. I have so many friends that have hangups about pleasing people and it never gets them anywhere. Just say no if that is really how you feel!! If someone does hold it against you, isn't it probably accurate to say that they are not a person you should concern yourself about?

I have that same problem too. Usually I will thumb through the kids magazine and if I have money at the time, I'll just buy the cheapest thing. Usually a non food item so I can just use it as a gift (hehe) or else I'll just say "no thanks, some other time maybe" I usually buy that type of stuff from my niece anyway. Its the parents that will let their kids go door to door annoys me.

The parents at my mom's work and at my college have turned that stuff into a contest. Whatever parent can sell the most of their kids school items gets to brag about how great their kids are. It's pathetic. Parents need to let their children sell their own things. The only way those kids are going to learn anything is by doing things on their own.

Then say "sorry I can't at this time." Simple. Your not being rude if you turn the person down with a simple little "no, not at this time." And parents/kids now a days are not suppose to go door to door, so I guess asking their co-workers is the other option. Some may want to buy and then some may not, but all you have to say is "no."

you can say no in a polite manner.

I don't really have that problem were I work now but were I used to work it was everywhere. I got so tired of it I started only buying from my friends kids & telling everyone else no unless there was something I really wanted. My friends started doing the same thing because money was tight.

I usually do not sell anything from fund raisers at work. I hate them myself. Especially when the other person expects you to actually purchase some overpriced piece of junk. All of the schools in my sons school district sell the exact same thing, every year. Gets kind of old and boring. Whatever happened to the yummy candy bars??

I think the proper way to handle this if you were the parent of a kid selling stuff is to bring the pamplet to work, attach something with your name on it and leave it in a common area, like the cafeteria or break room. That way people who want to see it will look and then contact you to order. That really sucks that everyone there is so boneheaded!

what?

you dont have to be rude in any way.. everyone is making money anyway.. as what they have said you can always say no but in a nice manner..

well I don't really mind telling people no but I see how i can be annoying. There are some people who just flat out say they don't participate in nothing and I see nothing wrong with that. Also people who sell stuff some of them just put it out and let people decide if they want it or not, they are not pushy so I think those are ok.

Fund raisers are an important aspect for school kids. It helps pay for things that aren't funded. Our school district has raised money to install ac for the hot days that the kids are in school, new gym equipment, and various other things. More importantly, it teaches kids fundamentally. They get experience with money, taking orders, making sure the orders get delivered, etc. On a side note, I've been overwhelmed at times with fund raisers. My son would hit me up and then his best friend had something to sell. His mom was my best friend so I felt that I should get something through him too. Of course if I didn't have the money, I just didn't do it though. I'm not too keen on contribution for someone's special day though. I can see where you would feel spent, so to speak.

I don't work in a workplace, but I can see how this would be frustrating. It is a bit rude of people, to put this implied obligation on their coworkers like this. When I was a kid, I'd ask my aunts, uncles, and grandparents if they wanted to buy stuff. That's about it. My husband works at a place where they often have parties/showers. He usually doesn't contribute money, although I will make a small gift (I knit) for him to give at a baby shower. (And I've heard reports of how he attends - he walks in, drops the gift on the pile of gifts, grabs a snack from the food table, and goes back to work. He's really uncomfortable with the idea of showers). But at least where he works, he can just say no, and no one minds.

Where I have been working (in the school job) people just put the orders etc. in the break room. I almost never order, and leave it at that. My husband says that if some CHILD asks me, yes, I should order, but the point of fund raisers is not to turn the parents into sales persons, it is to teach the children the value of money. So, out of all the little Girl Scouts in my school, only one, mentally retarded girl got an order from me, this year, and so did my granddaughter. You could come up with that policy: I do not order except from the child. As for baby showers, the answer is," I think I will wait til I see what the baby is." Retirements and weddings, if you do not know them, say so. And get a secret camera to find out who is stealing the lunches.

I don't like solicitations too! If I wanted to give a gift to someone, I would like it to be given from the heart and not out of obligation because of this or that.

I often feel put upon having to say 'no', or shelling out the dough if I've so chosen. But I never say anything, because I've also thought about being in their shoes: what alternative do these groups have for raising funds, especially schools? I've never come up with a viable answer.