I know that many of you sell party bags as an upsale in your birthday shows, right? I have just recently started doing so. However, I am only giving away magic related items---a book of magic tricks, fortune telling fish, a magic wand, etc., which goes well after the magic show.

I am selling them to moms for an extra $3.00 each- not bad in my mind.

Here is my question: do you find that most moms go with party bags even if you have a high price on the show? I currently charge $195.00 for my deluxe package and thought that adding the convenience of party bags for $3.00 more would be a great idea. However, I don't want to scare anyone away! I am looking at more profit per show as well as making moms job easier. If you charge somewhere around what I do for birthday show (again, $195), does the party bag sell work?

I think it is all in how you present it. To me I want to be seen as much more then just a product to them. I want them to see me as a solutions provider. If I am seen in this manner, I have a much greater value to them.

If I am in the business of solving their needs, then a need of the parent is how to give something to each kid, make the kids happy, and have a fun time. The fun time I can accomplish with my performance. I can fix a need for them to have to buy party favors by offering to provide them for the client.

I would do as an add on. They are not obligated to the party bags at all. You are offering them as a service for them so they do not have to bother buying them. It is one less hassle for them to deal with. If you present it in this fashion, I do not think you would have a problem with it.

However, I would first lock the client in on the sale of the show only. Once the show is sold to them, you can mention the fact that you can provide goody bags for them to save in their time and hassle. If they are interested, you can go into the details, if not, then there is no harm done.

Kyle

Thanks! This is the exact way that I am seeing it as well. Lock them in and them upsale the party bags. Great minds think alike!

Thanks, Todd. As I see it you are meeting a need that the common parent is faced with with each party. You are not offering them something they do not need. You are offering them a direct solution that solves a problem they have. To me that is smart marketing.

They are also not obligated in any way at all, so there is not need to feel guilty about offering it. To me it is like an analogy of a pizza place. You came for a good pizza, but they may ask you if you want breadsticks, etc. It may solve a need you have because your hungry, but you are not obligated to get it. It is just another option you have.

I think it is a smart move, Todd. I would just try it and track your results. See how many go for it and what your response is from people when you bring it up. This should be a good indication and a way of really seeing if it works or if you need to change your strategy. I would think there would be no reason for this not to work well for you.

Kyle

I would say give the parent like eight goodie bags for free or with the package. That way she can buy more if she needs, and you know there will be more kids than eight. This has worked very well for me over the years.

Ken

A nice idea. Get them to get the bags for free, and then this sort of puts them into a position of wanting to make sure they have enough for every kid in attendance. An interesting approach to the problem. Thanks for sharing, Ken. =)

Maybe in your deluxe show have 12 free bags and $3 for each additional bag. The mom will almost definitely buy if there are more than 12 children, so some children won't feel left out or jealous.

I do eight for free. They always buy more with the eight for free. If I give away 12 for free it cuts down on the profit.

I guess it is the hotdog and bun theory. You get what 10 hotdogs and 12 buns or something like that.

Ken

I don't do the party bags. I leave it up to the booker.

I can't be bothered with all the work involved sourcing stuff and packing them, etc. I don't think anyone round here does them, if they did the fee you'd have to charge for them would not make enough profit to make all the work worthwhile.

If I was to up the fee to make it worthwhile, then the limited number of people willing to pay that price would not make it worthwhile filling my limited storage space with stuff.

So I'd only do it if everyone bought it, and paid a decent fee for them. However that would earn me having to make up maybe 150 - 200 a week, this would seriously infringe on my leisure time.

If you are making a good profit from it, well done. It may be you're not making any profit but are using it as an extra marketing tool/incentive, or you're only doing it to keep in line with your competitors. If you're happy to do all the work and it's working for you, then keep doing it.

For those of you who offer party bags, what do you put in them?

Thanks,
Dan.

Hey all, I also do like Ken and offer 5 free goody bags, each additional is 3 dollars so that's already a 15 dollar value then a small magic set for the birthday child is thrown in as well.........this of course if only included in the deluxe b-day package.....its pretty much the only one they ever purchase, because it is a much better deal!
not everything in your goody bag needs to be magic related, a coloring sheet of yourself and a small box of 4 crayons are cheap and work well for marketing, ed Harris trick sheets, big buck, fortune fish....inexpensive toys like a blow ball etc. I used to put candy in my bags but stopped doing that a while ago for a few reasons there is usually so much candy floating around at these parties you don't need to add more, and you would be surprised at the number of candies that have some sort of peanut it them and you don't want a child with peanut allergy eating one!

I'd imagine the hard part is finding the right stuff to put in them that makes them look like they're worth what you are charging.

If I was to do it, Throwing any old stuff in would not be an option, they would have to look special so the booker doesn't feel ripped off.

The last thing I'd want to overhear is someone saying to a friend, "look at this I paid £3 each for these, and it's full of rubbish.". I'd want the booker, when she reccomends me to a friend, to say, "Oh and he does wonderful party bags, great value as well".

In my show in the basic party I sell them for 2$ each but in my deluxe show I just add the it into the price so if I carge 100$ and how meany kids (say there where 20) then it whould be 140.

Like Ken (who I got the idea from) I give out 8. I did up my fee to cover the cost of the 8. Extra's are at $3. However, one mom gave a great idea. She already had goodie bags and stated, "Give them to the kids that volunteer". It was great. At the end of the magic portion I had the Volunteers line up and presented them. So now if a parent says they have bags covered that's what I do with them. It had an immediate effect on follow-ups. And 8 extra kids had extra smiles. As to what I put in them, the B'Day Kid gets 8 magic tricks & Silly Billy's Wand. For the Goodie Bags they have 4 magic tricks & one of my "Aragorn's Magic Wand & Coloring Page" (idea from Ken Scott & Kyle).
As always thanks to Ken for his mentoring. Here in Hot-Lanta he raises the bar.
Yours,
Aragorn TM
aka: I used to be BOB (it's Cellini's fault)

Wow! Sounds like a lot of hurt feelings to me! "No, you can't line up, you didn't help!" First the kid is deprived of that special moment of helping out during the show (yes, I understand they might not ALL be able to help), but to add insult to injury by further rewarding those fortunate ones is really a bad idea.

My daughter, who is now 8, is a bit shy around those she doesn't know. She would be one who would love to participate, but would probably not volunteer. She would smile and enjoy the events, but when she got home she would feel bad, maybe even tear up, because she didn't get the extra stuff others did. It's not a reflection of greed or being spoiled, but rather one of being left out.

Just because the kids' reactions at that moment don't reflect hurt feelings doesn't mean they don't exist. Please don't heap extra rewards on a select few unless they will all get them . Remember, it's a party for everyone to have fun, not a competition. Those kids who are content to sit and watch and laugh should not be penalized.

Mark N. I would have to agree with you. Perhaps if the parent does not buy them from you then you simply give the 8 to her to do as she pleases. But I would not give them out to the kids that helped unless they all have one.

I go through about 125 bags a weekend. My mom who is retired makes my bags for me (I pay her of course.)

I get most of my stuff from http://www.funexpress.com I buy case lots of everything. There is some up front cost but the end product of each bag is going to cost me a lot less and I can make more profits. Each bag cost about 1.47 to make and I sell them for 3.00 each.

I do goodie bags 1. because the parents really like not having to do them. Figure there are a lot of working moms now and they don't have the time to make them. 2. I make a lot of extra money on the bags. Again I go through about 125 bags a week end.

Best,
Ken

As a clarification to my previous post, I don't think this applies to large shows. In a group of 100 kids, giving a few of them prizes when they help is fine. But giving a special treat to half of the kids at a party is going to be hurtful.

At my larger shgows and at festivals I do not give out larger items etc. However I do make sure that every single kid who wants one gets a coloring flyer or a certificate to take with them. It is great PR and the kids really do love it. It isd also a way in which to meet and greet my audience and sign a few autographs in the process.

Kyle