A school holiday shop is a small store set up at school for a few days in late November or December. Students buy gifts for the people on their list, using money from home. Many PTAs and PTOs run it as a fundraiser. The simplest way is the do-it-yourself model: buy discounted closeout gifts in bulk, price them yourself, run the shop with volunteers, and keep the difference for your school. This guide covers that job from start to finish.
Why buy closeouts and run the shop yourself?
Closeouts are new, overstock or end-of-line gifts sold well below their original price. For a school shop that matters for two reasons. Children can afford gifts for their whole family, and your group controls the margin. You choose the items, the quantities, the prices and the dates. You also own the stock, so there is no inventory to count back to a vendor at the end of shop week.
The trade-off is that your volunteers do the ordering, pricing and setup. The steps below keep that work manageable.
1. Pick your dates and room
Most schools run the shop for two to five school days between Thanksgiving and winter break, sometimes with a family night. Book the room (a classroom, the library or the gym stage) first. Then work backwards: order about three to four weeks before shop day so there is time to unpack and price. Peak ordering runs from now through mid-December, and closeout stock is limited, so popular items can sell out.
2. Decide your fundraising goal and price ceiling
Decide whether the shop is mainly a service (gifts priced close to cost so every child can take part) or a fundraiser with a markup. Then pick the most any one gift will cost a child. Many schools choose $5 and stock mostly below it. Because closeouts start low, a modest markup on each item still keeps prices in pocket-money range, and the small amounts add up over a few hundred shoppers. Whatever you choose, mark one simple price on each bin or table so young shoppers can add it up.
3. Choose gifts by the person a child is shopping for
Children shop by person, not by product, so build your order around their list:
- Mom gifts and Dad gifts, the two biggest tables in most shops. Pens, mugs, key clips and small signs sell steadily, for example the Superstar Dad Pen and the All Pro Dad Key Clip.
- Grandma gifts and Grandpa gifts, such as the I Love Grandma Mug and Best Grandpa Mug.
- Brothers, sisters and friends: our gifts for boys and girls include small toys and stocking stuffers at very low price points.
- Teacher gifts and pet gifts. Children often ask for these, and they are easy to forget.
Keep a table of gifts under $1 for students with only a few dollars. Our gifts under $5 and clearance deals are good places to fill it. For a longer list by recipient, see what to stock in a school holiday shop.
4. Work out quantities
Start from your student count and how many people a typical child buys for, then spread the total across the recipient tables, putting the most toward parents and grandparents. Order a little extra of the cheapest items, because they go first. If your budget is tight, cover every recipient with fewer styles rather than many styles of one kind.
5. Don't forget gift bags
Bags keep each child's gifts a surprise on the trip home and speed up the checkout line. Our self-sealing plastic holiday gift bags come in packs of 50 in small, medium and large sizes, and need no tape. Plan on at least one bag per shopper, plus a few larger bags for mugs and plaques. Price cards and other basics are under holiday shop supplies.
6. Place the order and pay
School and PTA orders are often paid with an organization card, a check from the parent-group account, or a school purchase order:
- Card: pay at checkout and the order goes to the warehouse. Large purchases on school or PTA cards are sometimes declined by the card's bank, often because of a spending limit or a fraud check on an unusual amount. If that happens, try another card, or call the bank to approve the charge and try again.
- Purchase order: choose purchase order at checkout and enter your PO number. POs are accepted on approved orders over $400.
- Check: parent groups can pay by check made out to Fun One, Inc. Contact us before you order and we will set it up.
If your school or group is tax exempt, send your exemption certificate before ordering. Orders over $400 ship free by UPS Ground in the continental U.S.
7. Unpack, price and set up
Count the shipment against the packing slip the day it arrives, so there is time to fix anything. Set tables out by recipient with a large sign on each ("Mom", "Dad", "Grandma", and so on), and put a price on every item or bin. Send a money envelope home a week before the shop, so families can list who the child is shopping for and how much they may spend.
8. Run shop day
Schedule classes in time slots. Have volunteers help the youngest shoppers stay on budget, and keep the cash table and bagging station separate so the line keeps moving. Restock popular tables between classes.
9. After the shop
Count leftover stock, note what sold out first, and record your totals for next year's chair. Unsold, undamaged gifts can be returned before January 15 with a return authorization; see our returns policy.
Prefer gifts on consignment?
If your group would rather not buy stock up front, our sister program, Holiday Treasures Gift Shop, runs in-school holiday shops with gifts on consignment. If you want to choose and own your stock, ordering closeouts here and running the shop yourself is usually the most flexible, lowest-cost route.
Questions while you plan? Contact us and a real person will help you pick gifts that fit your budget and student count.