Popular School Holiday Shop Providers
We round up popular school holiday shop companies to help your group find the best fit.
What Is a Holiday Shop?
Holiday shops, also known as Santa shops, are popular with kids and parents, and volunteers often enjoy helping children make their choices. The basic setup is that parent groups provide merchandise, which students can purchase as gifts for family members and friends (including pets!). Many groups mark up the items to run the shop as a fundraiser, while others sell the items at cost as a service for families.
How Does a School Holiday Shop Work?
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Decide on a name for your shop. Popular names include Winter Wonderland, Candy Cane Lane, and Santa’s Workshop.
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Make sure to choose a good mix of gift items at a variety of price points. It’s best if most items are less than $5 to $10 each. You’ll want to set up your shop in a spot with enough space to display the items and manage crowd control, such as the school library or multipurpose room.
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Work with teachers and administrators to schedule previews and shopping times for each class. And have a plan to discreetly help children who can't afford to shop; this might be done with gift certificates or store credit, for example.
Benefits of Working With a Holiday Shop Company
A DIY holiday shop is a big organizational challenge, with a lot of up-front planning, cash outlay for gift items, and volunteer recruitment. By working with a holiday shop vendor, you can order merchandise on consignment (no preselling or money up front) and use the preloaded store app for purchases to make the checkout process even simpler and faster. No money goes to the vendor until the shop is over; you’ll only pay for what you sell, and return any unsold items.
Most vendors will send the holiday shop chair a planning packet with tips for a successful event, promotional materials, bags, tablecloths, and signage. And, since it’s tough to predict what the hot items will be, working with a provider gives your group a pain-free way to restock from day to day.
Below are some popular companies that provide holiday shop services to school parent groups. Give them a look to find the one that works for your school community.
Lil’ Shopper’s Shoppe
Overview
The Lil' Shopper's Shoppe makes your in-school holiday shop easy! We are not only a one-stop shop for a fun and successful fundraiser, but also a dedicated partner in ensuring that your school’s holiday gift shop delights students, parents, and educators. Lil’ Shopper’s Shoppe provides everything essential for a stress-free experience—quality gifts, supplies, technology, signing bonuses, and more! We are a family owned and operated company that has earned the trust and respect of schools and volunteers nationwide for over 45 years.
Features and Benefits
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Quality: We are the only company to design 100% of our gifts and 85% cost $5.00 or less.
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Ease: We will send you everything you need to guarantee your school a smooth and easy experience.
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Bonus: At sign-up, your school chooses from several exclusive bonus offers.
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Free Shipping and Supplies: All your orders will ship UPS or next day air with no fees or costs.
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Flexible Invoicing: No-Count inventory for easy invoicing. We still offer Count inventory if needed.
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Cash Register App: Our exclusive app makes checkout easy and accepts credit cards with no fees.
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Gift Certificates: Families can pre-purchase gift cards so their child doesn’t need to carry cash.
Pricing and Profits
We provide everything you need:
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No out of pocket or up-front costs
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Only pay for the gifts you sell
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Return all unsold gifts
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The holiday shop can be run as a service program or as a fundraiser
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Choose your profit: 0%, 10%, 20% or set your own prices
Sign up and use promo code PTOHolidayShop to receive a $300 carnival kit. Choose an additional sign-up bonus: 200 Lil’ Shopper’s Shoppe dollars, 5% additional profit, or $300 carnival kit
What Parent Groups Are Saying About Lil’ Shopper’s Shoppe
“I ran the Lil’ Shopper’s Shoppe for my son’s school and we absolutely loved it. The items were of great quality and reasonable pricing. The company made sure we were taken care of and had everything we needed. And if we ran out of something it was overnighted to us. 10/10 would definitely recommend. And I can’t wait to work with them again next year!”
—Meghan Marvin, PTO Holiday Shop Chairperson, Berea Elementary, Greenville, SC (Google review posted June 5, 2022)
Holiday Treasures Gift Shop
Overview
Bring the “Joy of “Giving” to students and their families this holiday season with Holiday Treasures’ school Holiday Shops. For over 55 years, we have been the trusted provider of high-quality gift shops, offering store-quality gifts at kid-friendly prices. Our exclusive E-Z Scanner checkout system, featuring handheld scanners, simplifies the checkout process for volunteers. Scanners are easier than using an app on your phone, cash register or hand-held calculators. Our experienced, friendly staff supports you every step of the way for a treasure-filled experience for the children at your school.
Features and Benefits
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Gift Store Quality – You’ll See the Difference!
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Hand-Held Scanners Make Checkout Easy
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Kid Friendly Prices – Most $1 to $6
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Sales and Inventory Tracking – No Counting
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Online Gift Preview for Families
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Prepaid Gift Vouchers Can Be Used Instead of Cash
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Complete Promotional Program with Gift Bags Included
Pricing and Profits
Rediscover the “magic” of childhood holiday shopping with Holiday Treasures’ school Holiday Shops. Schools can offer the program as a fun service for students or as a fundraiser for school parent associations. Our consignment model means your School only pays for the gifts sold and retains up to 20% profit based on your chosen markup. Gift prices range from $0.50 up to $15, with most items under $6 to suit students’ budgets. A complete promotional program with flyers and posters is provided. Delivery, pickup, and next-day reorders are included, providing a risk-free program that is a sure hit with students and parents. Please note: we encourage early sign up as we sell out in the fall each year.
What Parent Groups Are Saying About Holiday Treasures Gift Shop
“The past six years our school has worked with Holiday Treasures. We have never been disappointed. The high quality care and service you receive always goes above and beyond. The inventory is of great quality and there are so many options that there truly is something for everyone and every budget. If you are looking for a holiday shop, look no further. I assure you, you will be more than pleased with Holiday Treasures.”
—Breanna K., Holiday Shop Chairperson, Genoa Elementary, Genoa, IL
Kids’ Kastle Holiday Shoppe
Overview
Kids’ Kastle is one of the most sought-after Kid’s “Holiday Shoppes” in the nation. Why? Service and quality. For 45 years, we have been the best decision schools make for their In-School Holiday Shoppe for their students. Our products are carefully selected for their quality and value. Our team will guide and support you from start to finish. Our staff have run Holiday Shoppes in their respective PTO, PTA, HSAs over the years. We know how to best help and guide you to Holiday Shoppe Success. We promise to do everything we can to make this a fun and rewarding experience for you and your volunteers.
Features and Benefits
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5 Star Customer Service and Quality Merchandise—85% of Merchandise is $5 or Less
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Reorders Delivered the Next Day!
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No Count Inventory System: Pack it up and ship it back utilizing our No Count System
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Cash Register APP is also your Gateway to your Personalized Chairperson Portal and Credit Card Acceptance
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Gift Certificates – no need for cash. Parents purchase ahead of time, and you can track it
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Chairperson Website Personalized for Your School
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School Website to “Post & Share” – let your families preview items and pricing
Pricing and Profits
Choose our “No Count” System or Traditional “Count/Set Your Own Pricing Inventory System.” Our No Count inventory allows you to unpack, set up and start selling. Select your profit in advance and receive custom printed tent cards for your tables along with tablecloths, self-sealing gift bags, posters, Parent Letters, Budget Envelopes, and social media posts. Just keep track of your daily sales and utilize our online invoicing system to generate your invoice. Your profit and invoice will be calculated automatically. Choose a 10% or 20% profit! Dates and shops sell out….book early!
What Parent Groups Are Saying About Kids’ Kastle Holiday Shoppe
“Our Kids’ Kastle Holiday Shoppe was fantastic! It was great to be able to get back to having a Holiday Shoppe for the students and believe me Kids’ Kastle is the way to go. There was a wide variety of items to purchase and the prices were right on point. We were also extremely pleased reordering items as they were quickly selling out. We called our order in by 1pm and we received it before 11 the next day!!!! Our entire experience with Adam Kaplan and his staff was very satisfying. I would give them a 10 out of 10 and look forward to our next sale.”
—S. Lovas, Arbor Intermediate, Piscataway, NJ
My Holiday Fair
Overview
My Holiday Fair is the EASIEST school holiday shop to run! What sets My Holiday Fair apart is our “Pop the Top and Shop” tray system. Your kit will include 100 different merchandise items and arrive in pre-organized trays, price coded and ready to go! Simply open the lids and your shop is ready to run. When you are done, close the lids again and send what you didn’t sell back to us. Everything you need to run your shop is provided and there are no upfront costs, you will only pay for what is sold. We make it EASY, EDUCATIONAL, and RISK FREE!
Features and Benefits
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Pop the Top and Shop system - wide variety of quality items arrive organized and ready to sell
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NO upfront costs or hidden fees – your school will only pay for what is sold
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Promotional Materials provided - Wall Posters, Parent Letters, and Money Envelopes
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Online Wallet - Parents can add money to their student's account online
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Shop Supplies provided - Table Cloths, Small Medium and Large Gift Wraps Sacks, and a Cash Box
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Easy to use Online Cash Register add up and track each sale - no programming and no download needed
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Free Overnight Reorder
Pricing and Profits
As far as how much money your school will make, that is up to you! Schools who want the shop to be a fundraiser can mark prices up 10-50%. Merchandise costs without any mark up range from $0.25 - $13.50 with most items costing under $5. If someone shows up with only $1, they can still purchase gifts for loved ones.
What Parent Groups Are Saying About My Holiday Fair
“Working with My Holiday Fair has been a wonderful experience! It was so easy and the customer contact we had was amazing and so quick to respond to any questions we had. The set up was easier than shops our school used in the past. I would definitely recommend this company for any holiday shop needs! We're looking into their other fundraising options because of the quality and service we received.”
—S. Rinkel, Holiday Shop Chair, Westside Elementary, Pittsburg, KS
Penguin Patch Holiday Shop
Overview
Penguin Patch Holiday Shop is a fun & easy service project for elementary schools. Students will shop from the comfort of their school. Holiday gifts are kid friendly priced for family, friends and even pets! If you’re looking for a program that teaches budgeting, problem-solving, & independence, then a Penguin Patch Holiday Shop has you covered. We make it flexible for your Parent/Teacher group! Pick Your Mark-Up – your team can select the percentage based on your school’s individual fundraising goals. Select 0% or 10% if you would like to run your shop as a Service Project. If your goal is to raise additional funds for your school, select 20% or 30% when you book your shop. Pick Your Dates – select dates based on your school’s availability or combine it with cookies with Santa or a holiday movie. Shops may be scheduled in November or December during the weeks right before the Holiday break.
Features and Benefits
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Flexibility like no other program! Choose the mark-up depending on your unique goals…Run it as a Service Project or a Fundraiser.
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Choose any combination of dates to meet your staff & students’ needs!
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All supplies included and shipped free to your school. Gift bags, budget envelopes, tablecloths, poster to advertise your shop, parent informational letters, reminder stickers.
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Adorable, custom aprons for every volunteer. This helps students to know who to go to for help and the front pocket is perfect for storing your phone and pens.
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Social media template wording and graphics to quickly and easily spread the word about your event.
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Online calculator programmed with your mark-up to smoothly check-out each child.
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Loyalty program that pays you back. Our schools receive 1 point for every dollar that is paid to Penguin Patch. Use these points to get gifts and gadgets for your school.
Pricing and Profits
Add up all your sales, keep your selected mark-up and send us the rest. Service Project mark-ups are 0% and 10%. Fundraising suggested mark-ups are 20% and 30%.
What Parent Groups Are Saying About Penguin Patch
“The Penguin Patch Holiday Shop is not just for kiddos to get stuff, it’s a way to teach them about independent shopping, using money and giving.”
—Charlotte Ann Cox Elementary PTA, Cedar Park, TX
