Lemonade stands

A few thoughts:

• Make sure you have a Venmo QR code, or some other way of paying by phone. No one has cash, but everyone has a phone.
• If this is to raise money for a specific goal, it's great to have that on the sign for marketing purposes.
• If you're going to be at a dog park, dog popsicles are a must. Even if people don't want something for themselves, how can they turn down getting their dog a cool treat on a hot day?
• Over the course of a few hours, ice should be just fine if your cooler is well insulated.

Honest question, why don't you like the idea of your kids selling lemonade but are fine with the idea of them selling freezies?

Did you ever do a lemonade stand (or similar) as a kid?

Yep. My sister I and set up a lemonade stand a few times when we were young. I always made way more money by going around the neighborhood offering to mow lawns for people though. ;)

For context, I grew up in a small town in Australia, and we lived around the corner from the major road that connected the towns.

My siblings and I (mostly lead by my older brother) started up a hand car wash by the side of the road on summer afternoons to make a bit of pocket money. It was good fun, and kept us occupied with something that we were proud of. And while I don’t think it taught me anything about money (I hardly even had a concept of it back then), it did give me a bit of an understanding of starting and running a business, at least to the level of understanding that a 12-year-old can learn. As a simple example, I remember that whenever we consistently “opened shop” on consecutive weekends, we had a lot more business than if we did it really sporadically.

Just from my own perspective, I think if we just bought stuff from the local supermarket and sold it for a profit, I don’t think I would have appreciated it nearly as much. I think the actual work and effort involved (and therefore the satisfaction) is why I remember it so fondly.

I hate to say it, because it makes me sad, but check if the combination of your local laws and the community “vibe” would let your kids run this without getting into trouble. If it’s by the books or if people / local law enforcement are generally chill (haha), you’re good to go. If it’s against the rules and someone’s going to be a stick in the mud, it might be an unpleasant learning experience for the kids. Selling prepackaged, sealed goods is probably “safer” in terms of liability.

As for an actual stand, it only works if you get enough regular foot traffic. It’s pretty cool when it works though, like a real little shop. I do like the (dog) park idea if it’s a popular place; plenty of people out in the hot sun with no other convenient immediately accessible options for refreshment already primed for fun family-friendly interactions. You could get a large, well insulated cooler for the bulk storage and a smaller one with for staging the next handful for sales; your main stock will stay frozen longer without frequent cooler opening. You could also throw in some bottled drinks. If there’s any little doggy drinks/treats (again, prepackaged), I bet the kids could get a laugh and an additional sale.

I live on a fairly busy corner street, the magic combo is: Free water for people and dogs, lemonade and snacks for 'pay what you want.' People will often pay more than any price you would have reasonably set because kids are cute. For added impact have a yard sale at same time.

Logistically, particularily if you already have this stuff, use a 5 gallon beverage dispenser with icewater in it, then have a smaller 1/2 gallon beverage dispenser with lemonade concentrate in it. A seperate thing for kids to grab ice from for drinks and you're basically set, minimal bugs.

Unrelated to every question you asked, but there's a chance you might have to contact your local municipality to get a permit to sell lemonade.

(I might be wrong, and have no references other than "I think I read about this a couple years ago on Reddit". A quick Google search makes me think I may not be entirely pulling this out of my ass, so I figured I'd share).

Dry ice is extremely cold (-78.5°C or -109.3°F) and can cause severe frostbite upon contact with skin. Children should never handle dry ice without close adult supervision and appropriate protective gear like gloves.

Tl,DR: Kind of went off a bit, but it's a lot of little general and specific business tips from food cart owners I know. Even if its a bit much for kids, it's lessons that can be leveraged throughout the activity. I'm a big supporter of everyone learning business skills and all the little ways they can add value. So highlights:

• Keep sensitive product fresh and cold.
• Don't over-invest in equipment. Use what you have and cheap/free alternatives.
• Offer a verity of products.
• Seriously, keep things cold
• Make the business approachable.
• If there's demand, think a bit bigger.

Worked at my late uncles company that supplied food carts/trucks and also informal traders selling refreshments in public spaces. Bike Carts are a big industry where I am and it's pretty easy to pull off with free/low cost tricks. Dont think its a waste of time for kids being business minded and these experiences are invaluable. Heck my 3 year olds school actually has candy-trade days where they get different treats and need to trade up to what they actually want. Anyway, will try not to get too technical on the business and product aspects but this is how I understand it.

With lemonade as a product, I know some food trucks make bank by selling fresh with extra flavors and different sweetness levels. But its also time sensitive and pretty volatile when on the move. As it warms up, it gets a bitter that cant be masked with sugar and you've got wasted product. It's a call between a between a stabilized syrup or fresh. If you're on the move with fresh juice, try to keep that cold chain short and intact as long as possible. Chill the lemons/limes; squeeze and zest directly into a blender with ice, chilled water, sugar and pinch of salt (mess around with unique flavors too); pour directly into chilled bottles that goes straight into the freezer overnight or cooler. (frozen is a little iffy because you're selling sweet ice. shaved ice or slushing it it an option though.)

With regards to the cooler: bigger box means more product to sell and temp management gives you more time. You don't need to buy a big heavy cooler though. We used to sell inexpensive Styrofoam sheets that assembled into a box with a tight sealing lid. Can find them in all shapes an sizes at meat handling suppliers. If you can, set it up, wrap it in foil and heavy duty tape and line the inside with plastic. Secure it onto a cart or bike for mobility. They can last forever if taken care of.

Like other people say, dry ice is a risk with kids so sandwich the frozen products with ice packs and have liquids on top. But keep an eye because ice holds cold until its liquid, then it warms up pretty fast if mishandled. Actually saw this video last week about making super effective hot/cold packs at home. Most important is to keep that lid closed. Advertise products and prices on the outside of the box because rummaging through the box shoots up temperatures and wastes time. It's also good advertising because people know what they want before buying. (Unless its some viral sensation, long lines kill interest and you can mitigate that with informed customers.)

And speaking of marketing, people will flock to a big umbrella on a hot day if you have one laying around. If not, just a shady tree would be inviting and keeps the sun off your back. Set up a few buckets and bowels of water for peoples dogs because that drags customers to you. Colorful signage. A bit of music. Positive word of mouth. If its a bigger summer project, social media could be a thing. People see a cool cart at the park with happy dogs and a chill vibe, it moves them take their dog for a walk. It also tells a personal story and people get invested in that.

Over everything, as a business exercise the biggest lesson would be Return on Investment. Making that above lemonade is a good product but you've got all that fresh fruit, bottling, work and waste potential. On the other hand, big box stores will supply bottled water, soda and ice lollies that can be sold at insane mark ups. Look for deals and specials because every cent you save on supply adds up and you're not tied to percentage markup. (Finding a wholesaler or supplier that would entertain selling to you would be a game changer.) But it comes down to balancing a unique high cost/value items and cheaper staple lines. Opportunity cost is a difficult concept and the best way to get a handle on it is seeing it in action.

There's also the lesson of remuneration vs. reinvestment. If the earnings are good for a day, how much are they willing to put back to make it bigger or are they content maintaining the current scale. Also location selection. Competitive pricing. Discounting. Partnerships. Managing feedback. Proper, fair-exchange business is a lovely lesson and activity for anyone so I hope the kids have fun and take full advantage.

I wonder if enough people are carrying cash to make this idea work? I carry cash and change but I know a lot of people just don't bother any more. Do kids carry change nowadays?

Funny, Facebook showed me a memory today from 2012, when I encountered a lemonade stand. Those kids also had cookies available, with a combo deal for sixty cents. I was their first customer and I don't know if they got many more.

Somehow the idea of a lemonade stand is charming and classic, but the thought of kids selling stuff out of a cooler at the park feels a little sketchy to me.

I hazily recall trying to sell something with my brother out front when we were kids. Maybe it was Kool-Aid or some toys we didn't want? But our plan was a bit flawed since our road didn't get much traffic.