School Holiday Store Fundraiser Ideas for Your PTA (Plus Our Experience with Penguin Patch)

Hello, PTA Mom. Are you looking for holiday shop ideas for your next PTA event? Would you like to host a holiday shop at your school?

I had the same idea, and this is what I found out. I hope this can help you in your journey as well!

What is A School Holiday Shop?

A PTA event, like a holiday shop for schools, is fun and educational for children. It is where children can buy gifts and small toys for their family and friends.

The shop is set up at school during and after school hours. You can sign up with the holiday shop you choose and choose a date for the event.

The shop vendor sends you boxes of different products that the children can buy. Once the shop is done, you send back any inventory not sold, and you are only responsible for sending in payment for what was sold.

The PTA or PTO can decide if the pricing will make a profit. The pricing is set low for children so even the highest profit is very affordable.

How does a school holiday shop work?

Once you have done your research and selected your school holiday shop, contact the shop to start your conversation with your shop coordinator. The steps are simple:

1. Choose the dates for your shop and choose a profit markup, if you want to sell with a markup you don’t even have to. The markup is only 10 or 20 cents, affordable for children. Most gifts in our shop are around 5 dollars.
2. The inventory is sent to your school, with materials you can use for marketing, handouts for the children, and plastic bags to carry home their purchased gifts.
3. Once the shop is done, you can ship back all leftover inventory in the boxes with self-addressed labels back to the holiday shop. You only send in payment for the items that were sold, and all unsold inventory is sent back.

Different Elementary School Holiday Shop Companies to Consider

Just to mention some different holiday shop companies, as I had never heard of these programs before, I had to research them for my own school. These are just a few I have found online –

• Penguin Patch
• Lil’ Shoppers Shoppe
• Kid’s Castle Holiday Shoppe
• School Holiday Shop

My thoughts

I didn’t know school holiday store fundraisers were a thing until now. Luckily, I can depend on the rest of my PTA board for assistance <3 and general information.

I wanted to find out more on my own, so I researched online and came up with a couple of options. Our board made its choice, and here we are.

The process has been smooth so far; we received many boxes of inventory and have looked through the informational guides and marketing information sent to us.

We chose a date, the Friday before the store opened, and, with the help of volunteers, we set up our shop with tables, decorations, and a gift wrap station.

We are happy with the experience with our holiday shop coordinator, she was so helpful and kind.

Overall, I would do this again.

When are you planning to have your shop? Share your experience with us.