How do I transfer unwanted inventory back to council? / How do I return extra popcorn?

• Submit a return request by emailing tracey.burkey@scouting.org and be sure to copy your District Executive on the message.

• Return your product at one of the designated switch days or on the final return day.
• Please remember: Only 10% of your total order may be returned to the council.
• When returning popcorn, you’ll complete a swap form to officially record the return, and your inventory will be adjusted accordingly.
• Plan ahead and reach out early—returns must follow these steps to be accepted.

How do I manage my unit’s storefront inventory?

• Transfer the inventory that is going out to the storefront.
  1. Locate the store under Manage Storefronts™.
  2. Click the down arrow to expand the details.
  3. Click the inventory button.
  4. Input the quantities of each item and ‘From Unit’ for the action.
  5. Click the ‘Adjust/Transfer’ button.
  6. Your Scouts/parents will now be able to see the inventory in their app.
• Have your Scouts/parents record all sales in the app.
• At the end of the storefront, closeout your storefront using the Closeout guide.

How do I place an order with council?

• Click the ‘Popcorn Orders’ button at the top of the dashboard page, or click ‘Popcorn Orders and Returns’ from the left-hand navigation.

•  Click Create New Order

• Select the order type from the Choose Delivery dropdown menu.
• On the initial order (only), a popup will appear asking the amount you would like to order.
• Enter the dollar amount and click ‘Auto Populate Order’.

• Your product mix will auto-populate based on the suggested product mix for your Council.
• Make necessary adjustments in the Order Adj (+ or -) column.

• View your Final Unit Order column to confirm.
• You can click ‘Save as draft” to return to it later or ‘Submit’ the order to your Council for approval.
• You will see the order show pending until your Council reviews and approves it. 
• Once the order is approved, you will receive an email notification and can view your invoice.

Important Invoice Information:

Your unit is placing its order through your Council, and the invoice amount is owed to them—not Trail’s End. There’s no need to pay upfront. As your unit earns credits from credit card sales, online commissions, and Cash to Credit™ payments, those credits will be automatically applied toward your invoice balance.

What do I do if someone just gives me a cash donation?

Heroes and Helpers™ allows customers to purchase popcorn that will be sent to military personnel, first responders and/or food banks. Trail’s End will ship the product to these organizations. Heroes and Helpers™ can be tracked in the Trail’s End app so Scouts earn rewards on all Heroes and Helpers™ sales. 

For 2025, Scouts earn an additional .5 points for every $1 of Heroes and Helpers™ sold!

• Tap the ‘Make a Sale’ button in the Trail’s End app.

 

• Tap the Add Heroes & Helpers button.

• Enter the amount the customer is purchasing. You can tap the buttons with preset amounts to quickly add common donation amounts. Once the correct amount is entered, tap the ‘Add Amount’ button.
• Add any other product(s) the customer is purchasing to the cart. Once complete, tap the ‘Cart’ button.
• Select the payment method:
  1. Card – Allows you to process a credit card payment. You can use Tap to Pay, a Square reader, or enter the credit card information. Tap to Pay and Square Bluetooth readers can accept Apple Pay, Google Pay, contactless cards, and digital wallets.
  2. Customer Device – Allows you to share a link to the cart (via text or QR code) for the customer to check out on their device. They can check out with Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App Pay, or a credit card.
  3. Cash – Allows you to collect cash from the customer and track the sale.
• Once you have completed payment, you’ll see an order confirmation screen. You can send a receipt to the customer via text or email. You can then choose to make a ‘New Sale’ or go ‘Back to dashboard.’

What do I need to run a Store Front?

The store I want to have a Store Front Sale at isn’t listed in Trails End. What do I do?

• Go to Manage Storefronts™
• Click ‘Create New’

• Fill in all required information

Event Details

Sale Date = The date your storefront will occur

Registration Begin Date & Time= The date/time your Scouts will be allowed to sign up for shifts

Time zone = will default to your location time zone

Storefront Name

Organization Name = If you will be selling at a store not listed as an “Organization”, you can use “Other” (found alphabetically, in the O section)

Location Name = The name of the store

Storefront Location

When you start to type in your store address, you will see a list of verified Google addresses pop up. 

Click the correct one and the remainder of the information will be filled in (city, state, zip). 

Storefront Details

Contact Name/Email/Phone = List who parents should contact if there are issues. This could be the unit leader or the store manager.

Instructions/Notes = List any instructions on where to set up, etc.

• Click ‘Save’

 

• Next you will setup your Shifts. Click ‘+Add Shift’

• Enter the start and end time and the max number of scouts, then click ‘Save’

• Continue to add more shifts by clicking Add Shift and repeat until you have built out your desired schedule.

Tip: If you are selling at the same location on more than one day, you can use the Copy feature to duplicate the same information on other days. ONLY use the copy feature for the same address.

What are the most important things I need to do on the back-end side of Trails End to make sure everything closes out correctly?

• Make sure the inventory is being handled correctly throughout the sale.
• Collect all of the money throughout the sale to make sure it is accounted for.
• Make sure any noticed issues are handled prompltly by bringing them to your District Executives attention.

What do I do if my inventory numbers are not matching?

• Collect all of the details of what isn’t matching and bring it to your District Executives attention so it can be investigated.

How much Commission will I receive?

• The Base Commission is 30%
• If your unit does either a take order or online sale you receive 1% bonus commission
• If you unit does a show and sell you receive 2% bonus commission
• If your unit increases your sale 10% over 2024 you receive 3% bonus commission (Must have sold in 2024 to qualify for this bonus)

Online sales do not qualify for the bonus commissions and are always 30% commission

• If your unit sells over $40,000 you will recieve 40% commission. Online sales will still be at 30% commission and this overrides all other bonuses. 

Can I return any of my unsold popcorn?

• Yes, units can return only unopened cases with a maximum return of 10% of their total order.