School holiday shops are a "no-risk" solution for elementary schools who are planning a school santa shop. These programs have been a large part of the elementary school experience for decades and here at Schoolholidayshop.com we have taken it to a new level by providing cash register apps, online ordering, UPS order tracking and more - we are regarded as a national provider of secret samta holiday shop programs - which are referred to by a variety of names, such as: school holiday shop, school holiday boutiques, holiday shoppes, elementary school shops or holiday shopper days - the list of names is endless - but in the end, they are all a safe and risk free way for young children in your elemntary school to shop.

School holiday shops are are a safe, monitored, convenient and fun way for elementary aged school children to spend a few hours on, what are often times, is their first shopping experience. They are an instrumentally wonderful way for your elementary school to provide a "good time" and fun-filled, well diciplined "shopping day" for the children. So, if your school is looking to run a "school holiday shop" then please give us a call at 800.645.6550 and we will address and questions or concerns you might have. We have been working with schools for since 1965 - and we have taken the process to the next level. Regardless of how a "Santa Shop" is referred to, school holiday shops by SchoolHolidayShop.com are the way to go - and "Snowflake Village" is the name of our shop. And, furthermore, we have over 45 years of experience in working with schools in providing inexpensive gifts, party favors, fund raisers and holiday shop programs - we can assist you and your school too...!

Brand New for 2013

Brand new for 2013 we now offer you the convenience of running what we call the "Walk Through Shop" which is perfect for schools or PTA / PTO groups that find it hard to enlist enough volunteers or who are pressed for space or pressed for time. It is so convenient - we send you one sample of each item and then you give the children are given order forms, they walk through the shop - turn them in - and then we send you the merchandise. The walk through shop is the newest thing and it can reduce the stress of running a full blown school holiday shop. If you have questions about running a Walk Through Shop then call us at 800-645-6550 and we will go through it with you.

We now offer 24/7 online ordering - and a personalized web sites for all of our holiday shop clients. Simply log into your account at Schoolholidayshop.com with your school code and pin in the upper right hand corner of our home page. There you will be able to track shipments, track orders, place re-orders, view shipments, order additional supplies and most importantly, you will be able to process your own invoice whenever you wish.

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 program then chances are we can assist you. 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.

The PTA / PTO leaders who are responsible for setting up a school holiday shop and are the decision makers should never lose track on of very important concept - self funded holiday shops can be very difficult to manage and have a lot 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, online and marketing materials necessary to make your shop a success - we do.  And, although you may save some money purhasing your products locally at some discount store - when all is said and done - and you add up the extra costs, such as gas, time, unsold merchandise, storing the unsold merchandise, no inventory back up, no personalized products, etc - the choice to "go local" is filled with pitfalls. 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. Below are some important "school holiday shop" pointers to keep in mind during the decision making process.

Run your "Secret Santa Shop" with a qualified supplier with experience - Review Reasons Below:

• You will be stuck with what you don’t sell – but all our merchandise is on consignment
• You will pay shipping when you buy your products up front – no shipping charges with us
• You will pay shipping when you place re-orders – not with us.
• You will not have selling and marketing materials; such as bags, tablecloths, posters, envelopes, etc – you get all that and more from us.
• You will probably have a huge paperwork load – but not with us
• You will wind up making numerous runs to local 99¢ cent stores to re-stock – need more goods, call us
• Most 99¢ stores don’t carry customized items – we do.

Key aspects to School santa 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: Secret Santa Shops | School Holiday Shops

• Estimate how much merchandise your school will require
• Get proper approval or authorization from "school holiday shop" decision maker; such as principal or vice principal
• Plan your shoppe dates way ahead of time - and sign up early to get a start date that "you" want
• Reserve your space; room, auditorium, etc
• Line up the appropriate number of reliable volunteers
• Open boxes upon delivery – confirm all holiday shop inventory
• Group your opened merchandise properly and use our free tent cards for pricing
• Decide how you will mark up the merchandise - that decision is yours alone - not ours
• 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
• Remeber to "Log Into Your School Account"

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 Great Success

• Volunteer and sponsor commitment is key - you have to be "hands on" and "involved"
• Distribute parent letters to the children according to your schedule
• Place shop posters in high visibility areas such as lunchroom and front office
• Mark all tables properly for ease of shopping
• Take advantage of the support materials, such as:
  • Tablecloths – help create a festive mood
  • Free tent cards
  • Gift Bags – makes it easy for the kids
  • Shopper budget envelopes – urge parents to fill them out, especially for younger students
• Display all products – try not to pre-judge what you think will sell – kids are fickle – and you would be surprised at how much money their parents give 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.

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 for over 47 years
• 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 remotely – so send us a message, we’ll answer it promptly
• All of our staff are well trained on questions about holiday shop sales