Charity vs. Cheapness: The Boy Scouts Popcorn Debate in Oklahoma

Every fall, the debate comes back around like clockwork: is buying overpriced Boy Scout popcorn charity, or a ripoff?

Before you bust out your digital pitchforks and fire up the tiki torches on me, let me explain the scenario going on here.

The Gun Forum Popcorn Outrage

There's a thread on an Oklahoma gun forum that took off this week. The Boomers are still arguing about the latest "prices."

I couldn’t help but laugh quietly to myself and wonder if this kind of crotchety mentality is what we all have to look forward to?

The original poster claimed the whole thing was a “ripoff” because you’re only getting a few cents' worth of popcorn for your cash... He obviously doesn't understand the point of the popcorn.

What Fundraisers Are Really For

That is the entire point of a fundraiser. An organization finds a profit margin on something to sell, and they use those profits to fund the organization. In this case, summer camps and programs for the Scouts.

You’re not buying a tin of caramel corn because you believe it’s the pinnacle of snack science, or because it's cheaper than Walmart's price... You’re donating that money to the neighbor kid in the uniform so he can raise money for camp. The fact that they give you popcorn in return is just a bonus.

It’s the same reason you leave a school carnival with a Ziploc bag of stale cookies, or why you’ve got a drawer full of church raffle tickets that never won anything. It’s not about the product. It’s about supporting the group.

Why People Get Hung Up on Price

Some folks just can’t get past the price tag. They see a $20 bag of popcorn and immediately price-compare it to Sam’s Club, where you could back a truck up to the loading dock and get a lifetime supply for the same money... But that misses the point.

Fundraisers are a transaction of goodwill. You pay more than the market value, and in return, you get the satisfaction of helping out. The popcorn, the cookies, the raffle tickets, etc... are just physical reminders that you pitched in.

The Transaction of Goodwill

So call it charity, call it overpriced, call it what you want. But if you’re sitting on a forum hollering about “getting ripped off” by the Boy Scouts, ask your doctor about an antidepressant next time you see him.