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In this post: What to buy to stock the “dad/grandpa” section of your school Santa/Christmas shop.
It’s Christmas time…and with that comes the fun (stressful?!) task for many parents/PTA’s of organizing their schools’ Christmas/Santa shop. When I signed up at my kids school, I was gifted the task of shopping for the dad/grandpa section. I knew I had a real task ahead of me, especially when I needed about 700 items. Also, every item was going to be priced at $1, so I would only shop items from the dollar store.
What to buy for dads and grandpas? Uncles and older brothers? In my opinion, this is the most difficult section of a Christmas shop to stock. Not only do you need a lot of items, but this group is also the most difficult to buy for!
Below are some of my suggestions on items to stock that will sell really well. I say this with several years of experiencing in stocking this section of our school’s shop. Let’s get to it!
- Back scratcher
- Plunger- kids LOVE to gift these!
- Fly swatter- another fun gift
- Mini mouthwash
- Shaving cream
- Bar of soap
- Car cleaning cloths
- Car air fresheners
- Car cup organizers
- Mini car garbage can
- Steering wheel cover
- Big car wash sponge (bit hit!)
- Auto cleaners- including tire cleaner, interior/exterior cleaner
- Ice scraper
- Gloves
- Socks- think all different kinds, holiday and funny prints
- Hats
- Scarves
- Dad signs/plaques (eg: fishing, tools, etc)
- Sun glasses
- Reading glasses
- Eyeglass cases
- Coffee cups
- Tape measure
- Multipurpose level
- Flashlight
- Mini tool kit
- Screw driver
- Bottle opener
- BBQ tongs/spatula
- Grill scrubber
- Basting brush
- Long reach pick up tool
- Calculator
- Pens
- Gardening gloves/gardening tools
- Crossword puzzles
- Mini bible
- New years hats/glasses (these sold very well)
- Any sports item you can find, usually in a local dollar store
- Cards
- Werther’s Original hard candy
- Old fashioned candy
Pro-Santa Shopper Tips
Break your dollar store trips into multiple visits. Chances are you will need a lot of items, which will take more time than you think! Also, it prevents a large line of people behind you waiting for the cashier to ring all your items. I usually buy around 150 items per trip, which is a full cart-load!
Buy in bulk when you can. You can buy items in bulk from dollartree.com. Also, Amazon has some bulk items for men which can save you some shopping time. Here are some of my favorites:
Bulk mini keychain screwdriver set
Make sure you have a tax-exempt code. When purchasing for a school, most businesses will provide you with an individual tax-exempt barcode or code. Dollar Tree offers this, and most likely any other locally-owned dollar stores in your area.
Don’t buy too many perishable items. Very self-explainable, but keep in mind that some perishable items might not be sold. While I do purchase a few perishable items (Werther’s and Old Fashioned candy, sometimes gum and beef jerky), I generally try to steer away from these and not to buy too many.
I hope this post gave you a few ideas as well as tips for your next Santa Shop shopping adventure! If there are any items I missed, leave them in the comments. I’m always looking for new ideas! Happy shopping!