r/Millennials • u/writeitregreddit • 10h ago
Nostalgia 📚✨
When $1 would get you MULTIPLE items 🥲
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u/KennytheDoggy Millennial 10h ago
When your parents would not even give you $1
Sad face
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u/doo138 9h ago
I remember a teacher felt bad for me and gave me some money. I had enough to get a couple sick ass erasers. That was a good day.
I was jealous of the kids walking out with their Lambo and Ferrari posters. Would have killed for a new Goosebumps book.
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u/Neveronlyadream 8h ago
Weirdly, I remember it, but only vaguely.
I got money, but there were always those kids who were walking around just grabbing one of everything like they had no budget and I always envied them.
Now I kind of wonder if they ever really cared about what they were buying or just buying to consume because they could.
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u/doo138 7h ago
That's a tough thing I'm balancing with my kid now. I don't want her to have the stuff I never had but kike you said, I don't want them mindlessly consuming. Tough line to follow.
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u/Neveronlyadream 7h ago
Part of the reason I never had or wanted kids. That shit is tough.
You don't want to deny them and you want them to be happy, but that line between not denying them and giving them so much they don't appreciate anything is razor thin.
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u/Historical-Cress8985 Xennial 9h ago
I see you had the same experience I had!
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u/duck_duck_zombie 1992 9h ago
Yay poor!
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u/Historical-Cress8985 Xennial 9h ago
No, I had cheap parents
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u/WulfsigeX 9h ago
Me too and if a book fair ever gets brought up amongst my friends they will to this day call me out for never getting to experience the joy that they did. Stupid cheap parents.
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u/No_Tie9686 9h ago
I still remember people in my grade buying the pokemon books and rubbing it in everyones faces that they got the cool thing. I never got anything from these fairs
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u/opaldewberry 9h ago
I wonder how excited kids get about them nowadays, or not?
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u/Zealousideal_Lock938 9h ago
Very, we load money on my daughters account, grandparents will add some too and she always gets some pens, journal, bookmarks or some other fun items along with some books. I never go, but I am going to go next year so I can experience it after seeing this.
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u/samthewisetarly 6h ago
I hope one day I'm lucky enough to have children and have the privilege to do this
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u/QueenVVitch Millennial '86 9h ago
Oh very! Our kids are excited for parent/teacher conferences every year because it means they'll get something from the book fair afterwards
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u/myfriesaresoggy 9h ago
Our media specialist won’t do them anymore, it’s sad :(. However I get it, kids were robbing it blind.
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u/mattjeast 9h ago
We set our kids up with a digital wallet that has $30. That would buy ~3 books or 1 book and some really dumb stuffed animal shit or a giant unusable pencil. They love it.
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u/MarvelousMapache 1h ago
I run the one at my kids’ school 2x a year for the last few years and it’s insane. We sell about 14-17k in 5 days. The kids are always so excited for their new books and extras. We accrue credits with Scholastic that allows us to make sure every student gets a book, along with donating books to classrooms and the school library.
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u/No-Onion3234 9h ago
I heard they stopped doing them because it made the poor kids feel bad. God, I loved this. I would stock up on animorphs.
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u/localman214 9h ago
They still have them. At least here in Austin. I think the kids go once in class, and it’s open a while afterschool for a couple days. I do love going and getting my kids a couple things, but it’s wild how much of it is just stuff now. The books get passed over for toys.
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u/ImpertinentPrincess 5h ago
I never got to buy anything from them when I was a kid, so I definitely made sure my own kid was able to.
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u/PowerSkunk92 Xennial (1983) 9h ago
The closest I've come to this as an adult is a 2nd and Charles or Half-Price Books store...
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u/Much-Drawer-1697 9h ago
Haha I just volunteered at my son's book fair this morning. Kids still love the Guinness Book of World Records.
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u/guyinthechair1210 9h ago
Conventions related to your hobbies. For me it's anime, gaming, or general pop culture conventions. The problem is finding a 3rd space I can regularly go to get a small dose of what cons have to offer.
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u/Eccentric-Elf 9h ago
I’d love an adult version of this. Still with scholastic books but for adults only. I miss this so much.
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u/wrenwood2018 9h ago
My kids' schools do them. I make sure to give them money. If I can, I'll actually go with them and get that secondhand rush.
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u/HelpfulSeaMammal 9h ago
How else would I get cheat codes for all of the games I'll never own or play in the early aughts?
Also, Captain Underpants!
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u/bbatardo 9h ago
My kids school just had 1 and they were pretty excited.. but we spent like $30 for a few books and some pen and pad reading reward lol.
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u/MetalSlimeHunter 9h ago
This is how I got my Goosebumps fix when I was a kid. Also shout out to Sam the Cat Detective for being my first fiction book.
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u/TheDukeofArgyll Millennial 9h ago
Books fairs are still around … just overwhelming stacked branded nonsense books
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u/Low_Establishment434 9h ago
I remember buying baseball cards at these because for some reason pacific would have a set every year at mine in the 90s. My mom would be so mad because she thought i would buy books lol
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u/informatica6 9h ago
I loved these. But i feel it was a bit douchey to advertise to young kids. Makes many feel like crap when they cant afford or dont have permission.
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u/professor_big_nuts 9h ago
I just got to go to the bookfaire with my daughter a week ago. The memories! They even carry manga now!
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u/DOxazepam 9h ago
The secondhand high of funding one book for every child in your kids class comes close!!
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u/mcsmith610 9h ago
Reading time with the librarian was the best part for me as an elementary school kid. Also, the book fair was the highlight of the year (besides last day of school where we just had half a day of outside games and water sports).
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u/International_Bend68 9h ago
I saw a semi over the weekend with scholastic book fair painted on the side and I got excited!
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u/Wizdad-1000 8h ago
Back when I worked in the hospital. Once every 6 months a vendor would come onsite and setup a whole damn store. You could use payroll deduction. Was totally the Scholastic Bookfair for adults. They had all kinds of stuff. I bought nerf pistols for desk wars, those elastic foam missiles too, books other silly toys and a small megaphone once. Good times.
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u/PurpleDreamer28 6h ago edited 6h ago
Lots of libraries have annual book sales. There are so many donated books/movies/CDs. That's the same feeling, if not better. Check your local libraries to see when they have them.
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u/Jaws_the_revenge 6h ago
I stole from my brothers piggy bank to buy books, he’s still on it to this day
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u/ArchLector_Zoller 1h ago
I swear I've been looking for a book I got in like 2nd grade from the Scholastic Fair. It was about like a witch's apprentice that was tricked into endless servitude to save her kid, or defeat a dragon or something. It's just this vague smudge in my mind for like the last 30 years now.
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