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Christmas Trees For Schools - Information Sheet Page 1 Click here for page 2
This information sheet is designed to help explain how we have operated the project with schools for many years and gives you a step by step guide as to how to set it up and answers the frequently asked questions.
What is the idea behind the scheme?
Trees for Christmas is a company which wholesales and retails Christmas Trees. We were looking for ideas to increase our wholesale business. In response to enquiries from a couple of schools we decided to offer schools the benefit of buying trees at wholesale prices so they can raise funds for their school.
How does the scheme work?
It is very simple. The school takes orders for Christmas Trees from parents, at the school Christmas Fayre, selling from a retail site or by any other means it chooses. You send us the collated order and at an agreed time and date we deliver the trees to your school.
How much money will we make?
We will sell you the trees at the wholesale prices shown on the attached sheet. As you will see these are typically half the cost you would pay in a garden centre. We sell you a 6/7ft Nordmann Fir at the wholesale price of £18.00. In a garden centre these will usually retail for £35-40. . You decide what you would like to charge for them but, for example, if you charged £28 for the tree you will be offering parents a significant saving and therefore a strong incentive to buy from the school and still make £10.00 per tree for school funds.
Will it take a lot of organising?
It shouldn't! Schools we already work with do it in a number of ways. It usually only involves one person. Some send a letter out to all parents explaining & advertising the scheme along with a booking form. Some hold a School Christmas Fayre and take orders on the day. One school gave it as a project to a group of pupils to help raise funds for a particular school trip. In essence all that you need is a simple system to advertise the scheme, take orders, collate them onto the attached order form and send it to us.
What about payment?
All that we ask is the order is accompanied by an official school or parents association letterhead. We ask for no money upfront. Once we have made the delivery we will send you an invoice and ask that you pay it within 30 days. We suggest that you ask parents for at least a deposit when they order the tree to avoid being left with unwanted trees.
Are the prices inclusive?
All our prices include delivery and VAT. The price on the order form is the price you pay.
How many must we order?
To make a delivery viable all we ask is that you order a minimum of 30 trees.
What happens if we want to add to our order?
Varying 50 or school orders by 1 or two trees does cause us problems. What we ask is that you submit your final order at least 7 days before delivery. We cannot change orders after that.
When do we need to place the order by!
The sooner the better! We need to ensure we have got sufficient stock to meet orders. In reality if you can send us the order by December 1st that would be great. However we can usually cope with orders a week or so later. The later it is the more flexible you may need to be as to delivery times and the risk of us running out of stock.
Can we have a sample to advertise the trees at our school?
Yes, we can happily supply you with a sample tree so parents can see the quality of the trees we supply. The tree will be added to your order and invoiced later and you will have to arrange for someone to collect the tree from the Reigate area as we cannot deliver individual trees.
When can we get our order delivered?
Any time after 1st December within reason. You tell us the exact date you want them by and we will try to fit you in. If there is a problem due to everyone wanting them on the same day etc. we will let you know as soon as we receive your order. Please book your delivery date as soon as possible when you know you are going to run the scheme. Many schools have already booked dates for December 2008. We will deliver your order to one specified address. We cannot deliver individual trees. Let us know as soon as possible about your preferred delivery date to avoid promising parents a date we cannot do.
What if we have trees left?
We recommend you only place an order with us if you have actually an order yourself. This way there should be no trees left. You cannot return unsold trees that you have ordered from us.
What sizes and species can we order?
The most common sizes and species is shown on the order form. The Nordmann Fir is the most popular tree nowadays due to it's non-drop qualities. Due to low demand we are not offering other species this year. If you have a request for a size not listed please let us know, we can usually accommodate sizes up to 40ft! The sizes specified on the order form are the size grades we get from the grower.
A 7/8ft tree means the size could be anywhere within that range. Sometimes we get pallets that are all 8ft, others may be all towards the 7ft end. If you want a tree that is guaranteed to be 8ft then you will need to order the next size up. We cannot grade out pallets within the range. If a parent particularly wants a 6ft rather than a 7ft tree then we suggest you grade these sizes out on delivery. It is much easier for you to grade 50 or so trees than us to do it with thousands!
How are the trees delivered?
All our trees are delivered as cut trees in nets for ease of handling and transporting. All trees will have coloured labels on them as per the order form so you can easily identify which are the different size grades. We cannot supply trees with roots on them. Christmas trees are a sustainable crop, grown in plantations much like a farmer grows wheat. Once harvested the area is replanted. Cutting Christmas trees does not result in deforestation.
Are these trees cheap because they are sub-standard?
Absolutely not! The trees are the same we have been selling for many years and built our reputation and customer base on quality. They are top grade trees. You will receive exactly the same trees that we will be selling on our own retail sites. The only reason they appear cheap is that we buy large quantities, we are selling them to you at wholesale prices and garden centres are very greedy in their marking up of the trees for retail sale.
What is the catch?
There isn't one! We ask for no money upfront. You should have received all the money from the parents by the time they collect the trees. All we ask is payment by the end of January. There is no cash outlay needed and no risk providing you take firm orders from parents and only order the same number from us. The prices quoted are fully inclusive with no hidden extras or VAT. We are a reputable company, locally based and are members of The British Christmas Tree Growers Association. We can supply references from other satisfied schools for you to check if you would like. Just ask.
If you have any other queries please do not hesitate to contact us and ask for either Ian or Trish who will be delighted to help you. Click here for page 2
Office: 01737 245104. Fax: 01737 225619
Email: enquiries@treesforchristmas.co.uk Schools Order Form and Prices
treesforchristmas
10 Warren Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 0BN
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