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Like a book fair, but with gifts during the holidays. Tip Top ships everything to your school, your volunteers run the shop, your school keeps the profit, and every dollar sold earns Bars your school can redeem for campus upgrades through the Volunteer Vault.
Home > Holiday Shop Resources > Before You Book
What Schools Should Know Before Booking a Tip Top Holiday Shop
A practical guide to inventory, pricing, volunteer responsibilities, agreements, returns, and other questions your PTA or PTO should review before choosing a school holiday shop.
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Before booking a school holiday shop, review how inventory is supplied, how unsold merchandise is returned, what the school must provide, how pricing and profit are calculated, and what the agreement requires.
Tip Top Holiday Shop provides the gifts, shop supplies, promotional materials, shipping, and volunteer tools. The school provides the location, tables, volunteers, student shopping schedule, and timely return of unsold merchandise.
Last updated: July 2026 | Reviewed by Amy Bleiler, Founder, Tip Top Holiday Shop
On This Page:
How a School Holiday Shop Works
What Tip Top Provides
What Your School Provides
Inventory and Unsold Merchandise
Pricing and Profit Options
Agreement and Cancellation Terms
Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Provider
Frequently Asked Questions
How a School Holiday Shop Works
A school holiday shop is an in-person shopping event where elementary students select affordable gifts for family members, teachers, friends, and other loved ones. It operates similarly to a school book fair, but the merchandise is focused on holiday gift giving.
Tip Top Holiday Shop works in partnership with the school and its PTA or PTO. Tip Top supplies the merchandise, materials, shipping, and program tools, while school volunteers organize and operate the shop on campus.
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What Tip Top Provides
Tip Top provides the merchandise and core materials needed to operate the holiday shop. These include the gifts, gift bags, price code cards, table covers, a planning guide, promotional materials, and customized parent letters in English and Spanish with detachable budget envelopes.
Schools also receive free delivery of the merchandise and supplies, free return shipping for unsold merchandise after the completed shop, access to parent eWallets, and access to the volunteer platform used for sales, eWallet balances, and checkout. Reorders are available during the shop and are subject to product availability.
What Your School Provides
The school is responsible for the on-campus operation of the event. This includes providing an appropriate location, sufficient tables, volunteers, a class shopping schedule, and access for students to visit the shop.
School volunteers also handle setup, restocking, checkout, reorders, daily operations, closing the shop, and packing unsold merchandise for return. The school must distribute the parent letters and help promote the event to families.
Inventory and Unsold Merchandise
The school does not purchase the starting inventory in advance. Tip Top ships the merchandise and supplies to the school for the scheduled shop.
After the event, the school returns all unsold merchandise and unused supplies. Tip Top arranges free pickup or provides prepaid return shipping for a normally completed shop. The school is responsible for boxing the merchandise, attaching the provided shipping label, and returning it within the timeline stated in the signed agreement.
Does the school count every item?
The Tip Top process is designed around recorded sales and returned merchandise. Follow the current volunteer instructions and closing procedures provided for your school’s season.
Pricing and Profit Options
Tip Top schools select one of three profit structures: 0%, 10%, or 25%. The selected profit option determines the student selling prices.
Each gift is assigned a Code from 1 through 15. Its selling price is determined by matching that Code to the school’s selected profit structure. Once a school has officially confirmed its profit option through the portal or by email with Tip Top staff, the option cannot be changed for that season.
Agreement and Cancellation Terms
Tip Top uses a one-season School Partnership Agreement. It is not a multi-year commitment, but it is still a formal agreement that explains the responsibilities of both Tip Top and the school.
The agreement covers the selected profit structure, the materials and services Tip Top provides, school responsibilities, payment terms, returns, cancellation terms, and other operating policies. Schools should review the full agreement before signing because cancellation terms and deadlines may change by season.
What are the current 2026 cancellation terms?
For the 2026 season, a school may cancel without penalty on or before September 1, 2026 by providing written notice by email. A cancellation after that date but before inventory ships may result in a $250 service fee plus applicable printing costs.
If inventory has already shipped, the agreement allows for a $250 service fee plus delivery, return shipping, and printing costs. The signed agreement is the controlling document, so schools should review the terms that apply to their specific season before committing.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Provider
What merchandise and supplies are included?
Does the school purchase inventory upfront?
How are unsold items returned?
Who pays for delivery and return shipping?
What does the school need to provide?
What profit options are available?
Are there minimum sales requirements?
Are families charged eWallet or credit card fees?
How are reorders handled during the event?
What are the cancellation deadline and cancellation costs?
Is the agreement for one season or multiple years?
What support and operational tools are included?
Comparing providers using the same questions makes it easier for your PTA or PTO to evaluate the complete program rather than focusing on a single percentage or promotional offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tip Top require a long-term contract?
No. Tip Top uses a School Partnership Agreement for one holiday-shop season. The agreement does not automatically commit the school to future seasons.
Does the school pay for unsold merchandise?
The school returns unsold merchandise after the completed shop. The school’s invoice is based on the recorded sales and the financial terms in its agreement, rather than requiring the school to purchase all starting inventory.
Who pays for shipping?
Tip Top provides free shipping to the school and free return shipping for unsold merchandise after a normally completed shop. Different costs may apply when a school cancels after the contractual cancellation deadline or after merchandise has shipped.
What does the school need to provide?
The school provides the location, tables, volunteers, student shopping schedule, promotion to families, daily operation of the shop, and packing of unsold merchandise for return.
What profit options are available?
Schools may select a 0%, 10%, or 25% profit structure. Student prices are determined by the selected option and each item’s assigned pricing Code.
Are there minimum sales requirements?
No. Tip Top Holiday Shop has no minimum sales requirement.
How long does a shop normally run?
Most Tip Top schools operate their shop for five school days. A minimum of three consecutive school days is accepted under the current program agreement.