Who Sold Cards as a Kid with Olympic Sales Club?

[AngP]

I sold cards several times in the 80s! I loved waiting for the prizes to come. I got a small trampoline and a pogo stick.

 

[tvguy]

Never heard of Olympic sales club. World's Finest Chocolate was the big thing kids sold here when I was a kid. And it WASN'T the worlds finest chocolate, but they had a very well organized sales program with incentives for charities and youth sports.
When my son hit Little League in 1998 parents put their foot down and said they didn't want their kids selling ANYTHING, just raise the registration fee to replace the lost money. So they raised the registration fee fro $60 to $70 and brought in just as much money as selling candy.

 

[MillauFr]

Is this thread a record? A zombie thread revived 4 times?

 

[amcnj]

I sold them for a company called Sales Leadership Club. I think you got to keep $1 per box sold or could take prizes instead. The only gift I recall taking was a three speed
Royce Union bicycle. It was the first and only new bike I ever had as a kid.

 

[AndreaDM]

Not through Olympic, but my sister and I sold from Current.

Same here! I actually did pretty well for a kid, a lot of people I knew had penpals and liked using pretty stationary. If I recall, the purse size dayplanner calendars were also a big hit as well as cards of course. I bought a lot of the stuff for myself too.

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Omg I did ! I had forgotten all about this until I read your thread !! It took me a minute to register but yes I did ! I also used to do Current orders with my coworkers !!

 

[Mysterian]

I remember those Olympic ads in comics, which had actual cool prizes. I was always tempted but never went for it.

Instead, I sold popcorn (corn kernels) for some company in the 80's, all organized by my school. I was like a young Willy Loman working for a faceless Orville Redenbacher. "Salesman work is a tough racket," I'd say, and I'd open my briefcase filled with popcorn, throw back a shot of Sunny D, and flip through some ads for treehouses.

I sold cards several times in the 80s! I loved waiting for the prizes to come. I got a small trampoline and a pogo stick.

I would have tried both of those at the same time!

 

[wilbret]

Today is zombie thread day, and it's okay.

I sold these cards. I had to google it, but yep, that is what I sold. And believe it or not, almost everyone that I sold to bought something. I got an inflatable boat, lol. I am pretty sure that it's the same boat we buy for $9.99 at the beach every other year now.

 

[tvguy]

Is this thread a record? A zombie thread revived 4 times?

Still just as current as it was in 2010

 

[MillauFr]

Still just as current as it was in 2010

True since the OP talked about selling back in the olden days... 1970s.

 

[tvguy]

True since the OP talked about selling back in the olden days... 1970s.

I'm on two other boards where you get called out for posting a new thread instead of replying to an existing one on the same topic, no matter how old the original one.

 

[wilbret]

I'm on two other boards where you get called out for posting a new thread instead of replying to an existing one on the same topic, no matter how old the original one.

I can't stand that. It doesn't kill people to respond, not respond, or respond with links to other threads. SNARKY SNARK SEARCH FIRST SNARK READ THE RULES SNARK! lol

 

[tvguy]

I can't stand that. It doesn't kill people to respond, not respond, or respond with links to other threads. SNARKY SNARK SEARCH FIRST SNARK READ THE RULES SNARK! lol

LOL "search a topic before posting" is the usual response.

 

[CityNikky]

OMG yes! I don’t remember the name of the company I sold for, but recall that I could earn either $1 per box or get points toward toys. I always took the cash. This would’ve been the very early 80s. My neighbors counted on me, come fall they would ask me when am I going to come around with the catalog?

 

[Rakrum07]

When I was a kid I sold Christmas cards and seeds from Olympia's competition. One year I sold 93 boxes and the next 75 packets of seeds. Fast forward to two years ago, when I first started working for Olympia. Yes they are still in business and yes they needed to change their name in the early 1990s due to the Olympics demanding it. They ran the sales club program from 1966-2006. They closed that part of their business due to the fact that people couldn't have their kids going door-to-door for safety reasons. They turned to selling their greeting cards wholesale to mom and pop stores and chains.
Just this past week they have revamped the kids sales club program as an affiliate program. No door to door, no prizes (sorry!), just 20% commission sent to you via Paypal. If you Google Olympia Sales Club you'll find it. As for the phone operators, yes they were real and Peggy still works here! Their names were coded for the various ads so that the company could keep track of which ads worked best. Yes, Captain O was based on a real person and today he's the president of the company. No he doesn't have the jet packs but he does drive a really nice car

I really enjoyed that program I received so many nice prizes plus some money. It truly taught me how to talk to people how to conduct myself I when I was in there homes it was very fun I believe I did it for 4 years and I was just talking to my grandson telling him about it thinking it would be a great way for him to get started. Thank you for all of the Great memories

 

[Mysterian]

This thread has been revived more often than Jason.

Captain O to the rescue!

 

[Dan Murphy]

I really enjoyed that program I received so many nice prizes plus some money. It truly taught me how to talk to people how to conduct myself I when I was in there homes it was very fun I believe I did it for 4 years and I was just talking to my grandson telling him about it thinking it would be a great way for him to get started. Thank you for all of the Great memories

Welcome to the dis, Rakrum.

 

[mumsy1313]

So glad to find this thread while googling to figure out the Christmas cards I sold! I’m thinking it was Olympic too. I did it for several years and got great prizes. I still have my yellow Free Former skateboard! Such a great way for kids to realize their future is in their own hands.

 

[Osgaldor]

I did it for several years in the early 80's. One year they were Olympic Sales the next they were Olympia Sales and the next year they were Sunshine Sales Club, the last year I sold for them was the only time I remember getting a prize, it was

I sold Greeting cards for the "Olympic Sales Club" (or possibly the "Sales Leadership Club", since their ads and prizes both look the same). First in '75, and the second time in '80.

I remember looking through the catalog for hours dreaming about what I was going to get when I sold enough Greeting cards,

I can't remember exactly what items I ordered, but they were along the lines of a Watch, Walkie Talkies, Basketball, and a snorkel & mask, bike lights & generator, and Compass.

The problem was that the last time I sold for them I was ripped off by the company. They didn't send what I ordered and didn't respond to my complaint letter.

a model rocket kit in the shape of the space shuttle, only the launch trigger device required some wonky type of battery that only came in Polaroid instant camera film so I never even got to launch the thing. It gathered dust in my closet for years until I threw it out.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I did it for several years in the early 80's. One year they were Olympic Sales the next they were Olympia Sales and the next year they were Sunshine Sales Club, the last year I sold for them was the only time I remember getting a prize, it was

a model rocket kit in the shape of the space shuttle, only the launch trigger device required some wonky type of battery that only came in Polaroid instant camera film so I never even got to launch the thing. It gathered dust in my closet for years until I threw it out.

Welcome to the dis, @Osgaldor.