Popcorn

Popcorn Sale – Over 70% goes to local Scouting!

To our Scouts, Scouters and Families:

I would like to take a few minutes and talk about popcorn sales with you. Popcorn sales will help your Scouting families have the opportunity to pay for the entire year of Scouting including Summer Camp! I have included below, how to sell $1000 of popcorn in 8 hours. No joke! You most definitely can do it. Why pay for Scouting expenses like registration, uniforms, activities and Summer Camp out-of-pocket when you can spend a little bit of time this fall to bank enough coin to pay those expenses for you!

How do I get started? There are 3 methods of selling popcorn – Storefront Sales, Wagon Sales and Online Sales. Please note that the due dates are when orders would get turned into the Bucktail Council. Your Pack, Troop or Crew will need to get your orders slightly earlier in order to get them to us on-time.

The Storefront order is due by July 29, 2023 by using the Trail’s End popcorn system and can be picked up by appointment on August 9th at Domtar in DuBois. For help in entering your order, see the instructions below.

When you order Storefront (or show and sell) popcorn, only get the top selling items and the amount that you think you can sell. A good suggestion would be to order 1 case of kettle corn and 1 case of Unbelievable Butter per Scout for the Storefront. Reconciliation day is Monday, October 23, 2023. You will not get stuck with extra popcorn if you do not sell it! Please note that the money for the show and sell is also due on Monday, October 23rd. Popcorn brought back after this date is not guaranteed to be credited to the unit’s sale.

The next method is Wagon Sales (or Take Order). Wagon Sales are selling to your local friends, family, or in the neighborhood. These orders are due to the council by Monday, October 30, 2023.

The final method of selling is Online. This is a great way to sell popcorn year-round to those friends and family who don’t live near you. Simply send an email to them with the link to order and once they order, the popcorn will get delivered directly to them! No need for families to deliver the order out of town!

Check out the prize program, additional incentives and resources below to make your sale productive!

TO SIGN YOUR UNIT UP FOR THE POPCORN SALE, CLICK HERE!

Trail’s End and Scouting – A Perfect Partnership

For nearly 30 years, Trails End has been in partnership with the Boy Scouts of America, and our mission has always been the same: to help Scout packs, troops, crews and councils raise the money needed to fund their programs and activities throughout the year. Your purchase helps pay for the activities Scouts do, for the camps that they attend, and for the equipment they need, like canoes, tents and uniforms.

Every Scout along with their family is responsible for raising money for their pack or troop. 70% of your purchase goes back to Scouting, their troop or pack, and their council.

It is the job of Trail’s End and the Bucktail Council to make sure the Scouts BSA, Cub Scouts and Venturing members feel good about what they sell, so it’s up to us to offer the best-tasting highest-quality snacks and most lucrative salesmanship opportunities possible. We hope that you enjoy your experience and that you are delighted with the products you receive. As always THANK YOU for supporting Scouting!

Paying your own way is a fundamental principle of the Boy Scouts of America. It is one of the reasons why no solicitations (requests for contributions from individuals or the community) are permitted by units. Young people in Scouting are taught early on that if they want something in life, they need to earn it! The finance plan of any unit should include participation by the Scouts.

To help your unit budget and to know what to set your Sale’s goal at use the Annual Budget Plan – Planning the Ideal Year of Scouting tool.

You can also go the Trail’s End Website for product information.

Prize Incentives

Download this year’s 2023 Order Card $15 Popping and Rewards Program Brochure. Every Scout that sells at least one item will receive a participation patch. Amazon gift certificates available at levels beyond $500 in sales.

We will also be offering 2 tickets to the movie theater (and popcorn, of course!) for all those that sell $750 or more!

In addition, all those that sell $1000 or more will be invited to the Prize Vault Event on February 28, 2024! This elite club gathers once a year to select additional prizes for participants! Previous prizes have included free summer camp experiences, Scout Shop gift cards, camping gear, gaming systems, TV’s and much more!

Scout Rewards Ordering

For ordering prizes for your Scouts, we have contracted Trail’s End to provide electronic Amazon Gift Certificates. Scouts will need to setup the Trail’s End app to receive their electronic Amazon Gift Certificates. Once a unit’s Popcorn invoice has been paid and receipted in the Popcorn System by the council, each unit will be able to confirm sales amounts for each Scout. Any adjustments to Scouts sales should be done on the Sales page in the Sales Adjustment Column. Scouts’ Amazon.com gift cards will be released for redemption within 7 days after submission, if not flagged for additional approval. You may recall your Rewards submission within the 7-day window to make changes; resubmitting restarts the 7 day approval process. All gift cards are final once released. Scouts can continue to reach additional Rewards tiers after the first submission if online sales qualify them for the next tier. If this happens, you will need to submit an additional order for these Scouts. For a detailed how-to on Scout Rewards, please refer to the Trail’s End System Manual pp. 34-35 and the Rewards Program.

Commission Structure

Base Commission starts at 30%.
Attend the Popcorn Kick-off on July 29th at Camp Mountain Run and earn and additional 1% in commission.
Log a minimum of 60% of traditional sales through the App to receive an additional 1% commission.
Average $250 in sales per Scout based on the number of registered Scouts in your unit as of August 31, 2023. (Download August 2023 Membership Report) – to determine how many youth your unit had on August 31st.). An additional 3% will be added to your commission.
By completing the previous items the maximum commission will be 35%.
The Bucktail Council pays for the prizes for the Scouts which averages an additional 5% going back to the unit in the form of prizes to the Scouts.
That leaves about 25% of the total price of a box of popcorn that will benefit the Bucktail Council. This helps keep summer camp prices and other Scouting fees as low as possible. Thank you!

Key Dates

Saturday, July 29, 2023 – Popcorn Kickoff at 11am at Camp Mountain Run.

Sunday, July 30, 2023 – Storefront (or Show and Sell) orders due for each unit participating by placing them in the Trail’s End Popcorn System.

Wednesday, August 9, 2023 – Storefront popcorn will be ready for pickup by appointment at Domtar in DuBois. Please make an appointment to pick it up by calling the Council Service Center at 814-371-5650 or emailing Sheri Price.

Monday, October 23, 2023 – Storefront popcorn return / Money due from Storefront Sales. Returns will only be accepted up to 15% of total order, full cases preferred. Non-payment will result in disqualification of additional Commission amounts. Hardships must be communicated in advance.

Monday, October 30, 2023 – Wagon Sale Orders (or Take Orders) due – (Click for a short tutorial on ordering Take Order Popcorn.) Place your Trail’s End order now. Go to the Trail’s End Popcorn System. (Prize orders will be distributed based on the Scouts total sales in the Trail’s End app. Electronic Gift Cards will be sent to the email address on file for the Scout based on your login information that the family used to create the account.

Wednesday, November 1, 2023 – A report for the bonus prizes for the $750 and $1000 levels will be sent to the Popcorn Kernel from Sheri Price. The Unit Popcorn Kernel just needs to verify this list. Once verified, an email will be sent inviting the Top Sellers to the Top Seller Prize events ($750 event will be revealed soon; $1000 is the Prize Vault event in March 2024). The new Popcorn system tracks this for you now! No need to collect what prizes each family wants!

Wednesday, November 15, 2023 – Popcorn Pickup (your location of pickup will be communicated to your unit prior to pickup).

Wednesday, November 29, 2023 – Popcorn money due. Non-payment by this date will result in revocation of additional commissions and disqualification for $750 and $1000 level programs generated by the Bucktail Council. Hardships must be communicated in advance.