I'm a sucker

[quintessentone]

Well let me be clear as to my opinion
Society has become less about sacrifice and community and more self interest 
Did American cookie girls get prizes for selling cookies 20/30 years ago/now? 
Society is changing, just wondering if it’s for the better 

If you can’t see the point, ok

Maybe I see another point. Maybe giving rewards and incentives to children is a ways to a means to introduce them to charity work. Perhaps as adults their perspective may change to giving and not expecting anything in return.

[Creaky]

Maybe I see another point. Maybe giving rewards and incentives to children is a ways to a means to introduce them to charity work. Perhaps as adults their perspective may change to giving and not expecting anything in return.

Well, I may stand corrected, let’s hope so

[Halfswede]

Is this not exploiting children, using them in high-pressure cookie grifts?

Do child labour laws not apply in the USA?

You are likely getting corn-syrup laden garbage, much better to make you own cookies. Plus I would not trust an untrained child to properly handle food that must be kept refrigerated. Are safe-handling laws waived for this organization?

Is America so poor that it can't afford to properly fund their school that they must bribe children to do so? Just raise local taxes, for goodness sake.

That said, children are adorable and deserve toys. I have several that I keep in my basement that I have yet to donate to Goodwill. They could come in and take their pick.

While I used to cringe when it came time to sell baseball candy bars, this is a pretty common thing in the US and normally not school-related.  Typically it is for a club or sport that the child is participating in and generally goes toward new uniforms, a big trip, or something like that. The stuff they sell is not meant to be priced well; it's a donation in a poor disguise.

Schools are funded well, just not managed well.  We have funded every kind of social movement, massive technology upgrades, and the finest administrative organizations that can be bought. However, somehow kids are not learning to the level of even the one room schoolhouse of the 1800s when it comes to the three R's.  Money isn't the issue there.

In any case, this is most often a private or voluntarily organized club that is raising money.  Kids in public schools do bake sales, raffles, and car washes also when they want to raise money for extra things (grad party, class trip etc.). Those are not tax payer issues IMO.