What is scrip and why should I buy it?   (Hint: it will help you pay for Marching Band fees, Drumline/Winter Guard fees or a trip to Rome!)

What you buy from me are gift cards (most places) or gift certificates (a few of the places still use paper certificates).  These are the same cards or certificates you would receive if you purchased them at the store.  You pay full value for the card (ie. You would pay $100 for a $100 card).  The band is able to purchase these cards at a discount which varies depending on the merchant (this discount is in the second column of the order form) and this discount represents the profit that the band makes.  Of this discount 80% is credited to the student account and the remaining 20% goes toward scrip program costs (mainly shipping) and to the band general fund.  So for example, if you bought an Albertsons card for $100, you would pay $100 for it but the band can purchase it for $96.  The $4 is our profit.  Of that, 80% ($4 X .8 = $3.20) would be credited to your student’s account and 20% ($4 X .2 = $0.80) would stay in the band account.  So basically your $100 buys you $100 of groceries (which you were going to buy anyway) and $3.20 to your student account which can be used to pay fees or other band cost such as shoes, gloves, warm-ups etc.  There is no markup on the scrip – it is dollar for dollar value.

Merchants have different discount amounts, with gas companies being fairly low, groceries a bit higher, department stores and specialty stores moderate and restaurants usually having the highest.  Of course these rules-of-thumb vary as you can see from the order form.  So the amount you can make will vary depending on your spending habits.  I have had some people earn $50 in a year and I have had people earn over $900.  I have been able to earn a year’s worth of fees in the past year ($850).   This is not a way to make a lot of money quickly but if you purchase consistently through the year you can earn a lot (even $10 a month adds up to $120 by the end of a year).  The key is to continue purchasing all year long.

If your student participates in Drumline or Winter Guard during winter season, money in their account can be used toward those fees.  Money earned through scrip purchases can also be used to pay for the upcoming trip to Rome.

You may take orders from family, co-workers or neighbors but they must come to me through you (you can do separate order forms for different people – I will print a separate invoice for each person).  If you bring me orders from other people please be sure that your child’s name is on the form so I can credit it properly and get the scrip to you.  If there is ever an issue with a check you will be notified and I will no longer accept checks from that person.

I take orders twice a month (on the 2^nd and 4^th Thursday of the month) and the scrip is delivered to me and ready for pick-up by the following Tuesday or Wednesday.  I also keep an on-hand inventory that may be purchased at any time.   I send out reminder e-mails weekly (to people who request to be on my list), either reminding that an order is due, or that I have scrip which may be purchased from on-hand stock.  Orders can be brought to my house – if you call we can set up a time when I will be home, or I have a locked box outside my door where orders can be dropped off (I check the box a couple times a day). 

Fill out an order form*  and drop it off with your scrip coordinator(me).  Be sure to write the student's name on any checks or money orders received so the student's personal account can be properly credited.  Total the number of Scrip certificates sold for each vendor (Company) and enter that number under the column heading '#'. Multiply the total number of certificates by the denomination purchased and enter the vendor total in the '$ amount' column.  Then total up the '$ amount' columns and put the grand total at the bottom-right of the page.

Questions? – Feel free to contact me.

Rachelle Page, Scrip Chairman

Pagemom@aol.com