I have been a few times, and not blogged about it, however, I got a request by way of compliment of my Duck for a Buck stories, so I thought I would share today's event with you. Duck for a Buck is a PTA fundraiser at my children's school that sells assorted, themed, rubber ducks each Friday morning as the children enter the school. The little birds only cost a dollar, and have become a hit. The best part is the children, and our interactions with them. I have asked if I can come each Friday to help, instead of signing up for the odd date that isn't signed up for on Sign Up Genius. Some times I have other mom volunteers with me, and once or twice, I have been alone.
Last Friday was a really hard day to sell, since most of the popular ducks were sold out, and we were really low on most ducks. I had to make a new popular duck, and even added in a free accessory. You will have to read that post if you want to know more about last week. That Friday afternoon, a new shipment of ducks came in, and I was soooo excited about coming to sell this week. My heart skipped a beat last Saturday when I heard that they would be selling them at the PTA spirit wear booth at the Flag Football/Fall Festival event we attended. I thought for sure I would break all duck sales records if given hours to sell them. However, they wouldn't let me near the ducks! I was left alone to sell tickets for the pumpkin contest. I was crestfallen. (I don't know exactly what that word means, but I was like a girl who had lost her puppy at that moment when I realized that my ducks and I would be so close, yet so far apart.) I know they felt it to. They were speechless.
Needless to say, I was very ready for today. So, we get there, and grab the cart, begin setting up, and another mom joined me to peddle these rubber pieces of... I mean, I had help. So, we begin, and one of the first children that came, asked for a duck she had found. I asked for her buck. She had nothing. She said her mom didn't give her any money, but that she wanted it. I said that she could pick a duck next week if she brought me a dollar for it. She was joined by other students as they began to trickle in off a bus that had just pulled up. The lead person in charge of Duck for a Buck sales arrived, and the little girl looks to her to ask her if she could have yet another duck she wanted. I jumped in with the same response from before. She needed to give me a dollar to pay for it, and then she could have a duck. The girl continued, and asked yet again. I said no. The girl was pissed. She threw the duck back into its' bin, pouted, and walked away. All I could do was laugh. I am sure that her tactic might work for someone, perhaps her parents, maybe a grandparent, but not for this chick.
Then, there was a frequent customer of ours that was having a birthday. She asked if she could have a free duck. The best part of her request, was her response when I told her that she would not score a free duck. She too, seemed displeased with my answer. I did offer to wish her a happy birthday, twice. And I followed through with my promise. I hope it makes her day merry and bright. She needs it. She was sorta' in a funk when she realized that coming out of her mother's girlie bits on this day, many years ago, doesn't qualify her for a free rubber duck. My "boss" recognized her as the girl that once asked for some more politically correct ducks, like an "island or African duck." So, my thought was, I should have wished her a happy birthday in a Caribbean accent, or at least, found a duck with a lei to give her a kiss.
Then there was a boy who said he didn't have any money, but he was asking about a duck, and I asked him to put "Henry" down gently if is not going to purchase him. He asked if all the ducks have names, and yes, I told him that I had named them all, but that the ducks understand if the purchaser wishes to rename them. So, he began picking up one duck after another, asking for the name. After about four names, I couldn't think so fast, so occasionally, he'd dig into a different bin, and when he would say, "This one? What's this one's name," I would look at the duck, ask which bin it was from, and then I would take that time to come up with another name. Whew. Luckily, I had children buying ducks all the while, and he give me a second or two in between. There was a rapid succession of a few ducks, and I don't think he caught on....
Boy- This one?
Me- John.
Boy- Him?
Me- Paul.
Boy- How about this one?
Me- Luke.
Boy- And this one?
Me- Matthew.
Boy- Hey guys! She really knows all their names! How about this one. (It was a mer-duck.)
Me- Jaunita.
Boy- What about this one?
Me- Look, if you don't have a buck, you are out of luck. Have a good day boys!
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