Today I spent the morning volunteering at a Scholastic customer appreciation sale ... as the title of this blog post says, it is a teacher's DREAM to see all those great children's books on sale!! Discounts ... 25% off ... 50% off ... books for $1 or $2 ... oh my! Teachers from school districts around the state came in with large purchase orders and just filled box after box with books!
They have these sales at various times of the year in various states around the country (click here to see the list). If you have never attended one of these before (either as a customer or volunteer) ... here are my top 5 reasons why you should!
1. Well ... the books!
I organize our school's annual Scholastic bookfair each spring, and I always get excited when the books arrive and we setup! Great titles in one place, and the profits benefit our school, so it's a win-win. It's like having a mini-bookstore at our school. But, at the customer appreciation sales, there are so MANY MORE books to choose from. And in this case, MORE is better!! I always like to look at the new titles that come out, and I can ask questions to the sales reps about them before I buy.
2. The prices
Who doesn't love a good sale? At the sale I was at today, there was one case of books at 25% off (newer, popular titles). But, other than that one case, everything else was 50% off - and few clearance items were discounted deeper than that! I was able to get some great hardcovers for $5 ... and didn't pay more than $2.50 for softcover titles I chose!
3. The volunteer voucher
As a volunteer at one of these sales, you receive a voucher for $10 for every hour you work. And the work really is fun, so the time went by very quickly. I was disappointed that I could only stay for 3 hours today- because I really love looking at the books and helping people find the ones they are looking for. I vow that next year I will try to stay for a whole day.
4. The Scholastic representatives
I have worked with a few different representatives from Scholastic over the years when planning our school's fair. They are so helpful and knowledgeable about the titles they sell ... you know that they have actually READ the books. Johanna, who organized this customer appreciation sale, has always been great about recommending titles for my own teen children. She is an avid reader, and can really explain the books to me to see if I think it will be a good fit for my children.
5. My total bill
I am by no means a big spender ... I know many others would have taken better advantage of the great deals at this sale. But between the discounts, my volunteer voucher and fast pass coupon, I paid $9 for $100 worth of books! DEFINITELY worth my time ... check one out if you are able!
