School holiday shop programs; also known as: santa shops, school holiday boutiques, holiday shops, elementary school shops or holiday shopper day are a wonderful way for your elementary school to provide a fun, safe and well diciplined diciplined "shopping day" for the children– whatever name is used by your school; the bottom line is that SchoolHolidayShop.com has over 40 years of experience in working with schools for their gifts and inexpensive party favors, fund raisers and holiday shop programs. Schoolholidayshop.com offers an extensive selection of very reasonably priced gifts items – many of them priced for as little as $.25 each – to view all of “School Holiday Shop” items please “click here”. If you have any questions feel free to cotact us at 800.645.6550 - and as a division of Tracy Hamilton Inc. (Fundraisingzone.com) we will be here to support you in your upcoming plans to run a school holiday shopper.
If your elementary school is interested in setting up and running a "risk free" school holiday shop program then we can assist. We have a great array of resources and information about running a school gift shop program – you can find an extensive amount of support and best practices by reviewing our “Holiday Shop Planning Guide” page. Alternatively, feel free to give us a call at 800.645.6550 and speak with a school holiday shop customer service person. And, if you have questions about running an elementary school holiday gift shop then please visit our “Questions & Answers” page – and if you would like to send us a message then please visit our Holiday Shop Contact Us page.
We strongly suggest that all "school holiday shoppe" decision makers; such as PTA leaders, school holiday shop coordinators, parents, etc. to consider one important point – and that is, self funded holiday shops can be very difficult to manage - there are lots of hidden costs - primarily a local store or online retail vendor does not specialize in "school holiday shops" and don’t provide you with the selling and marketing materials necessary to make your shop a success. Whether you work with us or a competitor we urge you to choose a reputable school holiday shop vendor as apposed to trying to buy all the products independently – and below are some important "school holiday shop" points to keep in mind.
Run your School Gift Shop Boutique with a Qualified Supplier with Experience– Here’s Why
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You will be stuck with what you don’t sell – but all our merchandise is on consignment
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You will pay shipping when you buy your products up front – no shipping charges with us
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You will pay shipping when you place re-orders – not with us.
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You will not have selling and marketing materials; such as bags, tablecloths, posters, envelopes, etc – you get all that and more from us.
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You will probably have a huge paperwork load – but not with us
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You will wind up making numerous runs to local 99¢ cent stores to re-stock – need more goods, call us
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Most 99¢ stores don’t carry customized items – we do.
School holiday shop planning is extremely important – like the adage goes “Good planning prevents poor Performance”. So, please make sure you take the time in planning your school santa shop or holiday shop, and if you need assistance or have questions on “best practices” the please visit our “Contact Us” page and send us your "Holiday Shop" questions.
Best Practices for Planning your School Holiday Shop
- Decide how much holiday shop merchandise you will require
- Get proper approval from "school holiday shop" decision maker
- Plan your shopper shoppe dates ahead of time
- Reserve your space; room, auditorium, etc
- Line up some reliable volunteers and helpers
- Open boxes upon delivery – confirm all holiday shoppe inventory
- Group your opened merchandise properly and use our free tent cards for pricing
- Decide if you are "marking up" your merchandise, and if so, by how much
- Allow one extra day for snow day or other delays
- Set up a “Preview Day”, for students to browse what they want to buy
- Make sure you have enough change on hand for transactions
The success of your school holiday shop is, in large part, based on your choice of supplier / vendor. Make sure your supplier provides you with all the selling materials and customer support to make your shop a success – and remember, you have to take part in that process as well – but picking the right supplier will make all the difference.
How to Make your School Holiday Shop a Real Success
- Volunteer and sponsor commitment is key to a successful holiday shop – be hands on
- Distribute parent letters to the children according to your schedule
- Place shop posters in high visibility areas
- Mark all tables properly for ease of shopping
- Take advantage of the support materials, such as:
- Tablecloths – help create a festive mood
- Gift Bags – makes it easy for the kids
- Shopper budget envelopes – urge parents to fill them out, especially for younger students
- Display all products – don’t pre-judge what you think will sell – kids are fickle – and you would be surprised at how much money their parents gave them to spend
- Creative a festive mood. Play holiday music – have some volunteers wear Santa hats – have fun and enjoy...and remember it’s all for the kids.
Choosing the right supplier for your holiday shop is critical - it is the first and most important step once you decide to run a program. Here at SchoolHolidayShop.com we offer a full compliment of trained customer service people to handle any and all of your inquiries - if you need further assistance call our "School Holiday Shop" hotline at 800.645.6550.
The Right Vendor Makes all the Difference – Make the Right Choice
- We have been servicing school accounts since 1965
- Our offices are open 9-5 Monday through Friday (E.S.T.) – always a live person
- All staff call in for their messages if they are out or if we are closed for some reason
- We check our email’s remotely – so send us a message, we’ll answer it promptly
- All of our staff are well trained on questions about holiday shop sales
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