Buy a mattress for a good cause, sir?

[kitanzi]

I was just out running errands and saw a sign at the end of our road which made me do a bit of a double take. Our local high school's track and field and soccer teams (apparently all together, must be a lot of overlap) are fund raising by selling mattresses.

This struck me odd to begin with - you might pick up a box of cookies or some wrapping paper to support a good cause when your kid or your neighbor asks, but a mattress? It's bulky, not terribly portable, and not the sort of thing where you keep a six pack in the closet for extras.


But then take it one step further. Teenagers going door to door, lugging mattresses, earnestly asking their neighbors to support the team. Coaches and teammates setting up tables in front of the local grocery store or library, piled high with mattresses, touting them to everyone passing by. Parents entreating co-workers to sign up for delivery of a half dozen, "I just want them out of my basement!"

I really, really wonder how well that's working out for them. But not enough to find someone and buy a mattress.

Comments

[poltr1]

I think one of the soccer teams around me had a mattress sale. Here's how I think it worked: Instead of buying them up-front and trying to sell them, they took the orders first, sent the combined order to the mattress factory, had the mattresses delivered by truck, and the people picked them up and paid at a designated location (where the truck was).

My high school band sold boxes of fruit (Florida oranges and grapefruit) one year, and to the best of my recollection, that's how we did our sale.

(Excuse me, someone over here put a bag over his head because someone said "mattress". Hang on. [sings] 'And did those feet in ancient times / Walk upon England's mountain green....')

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

I admit, that does make a lot more sense.... but I'm still amused my image of door-to-door mattress sales.

[anaisdjuna.livejournal.com]

Must be a new thing. I saw a sign for such a fundraiser just the other day and also took pause.

Less fattening than girlscout cookies at least...

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

To be sure! Lot less tasty, too, one supposes. (High in fiber, though.)

[rdmaughan.livejournal.com]

I blame Glee.

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

*blink* I've heard Glee blamed for a great many things, at least before I stopped watching or paying attention, but not mattress fundraisers.

[rdmaughan.livejournal.com]

They had an episode in the first season where they did a TV commercial and got paid in kind by a bed store. They subsequently sold them to raise funds.

I can see that being copied.

[museinred.livejournal.com]

And I thought the frozen pizza's were bad! I'd far rather just write the school/club/team a check. And let the kid get a job to learn responsibility. Of course that works better with some kids than others.

[joecoustic.livejournal.com]

Ummm, yeah that's different. It sounds like a pretty high investment to contribute though.

[annonynous.livejournal.com]

If it weren't for poltr1's Comment above, I'd have wondered why the kids weren't doing pillows instead of mattresses. Much less bulky, and less expensive. I don't know about you, but my pillows seem to wear down fairly easily compared to a mattress.

Ann O.