The Brown Bag Teacher

Teach the Children. Love the Children. Change the World.

Scholastic Warehouse Sale

Twice a year, I take a pilgrimage to Nashville, TN to volunteer and shop at the Scholastic Warehouse Sale. These are mega-sales that take place all over the nation. You can check out the closest sale to you and grab $25 off $100 coupon here.

In this sale, EVERYTHING (with the exception of new releases) is 50% off the cover price. Then, damaged books are 80-90% off. If there is a ‘real’ warehouse (as compared to a hotel room sale), there will literally be millions of books in front of you – prepare yourself!  I know it sounds like it’s too good to be true, but my classroom libraries have been SO blessed by these sales. The biggest sales are always in December and May, and smaller sales in February and August.

In most of the Warehouse Sales, there is also a “Build a Box” section in which you pay $25 for all the books you in put in a box (normally 50ish books). Usually these areas are hit-or-miss. They are best for adding quantity to your classroom library (great for teachers just starting in a new grade). In past sales, I’ve been very successfully at the build-a-box section, but this weekend was not my time.

To keep myself from being very overwhelmed, I always go in with a goal in mind. Being new to 1st grade this year, my goal for this year’s sale was getting beginning readers for my F-H readers.

My secondary goal was adding some book-sets to my library. Without a book room/cabinet (we use a basal) in my new school, I really miss using real literature in guided reading. “The Cat Sat” can only hold my interest for so long. 😉 I picked up 5 sets of books (6 copies of each book) to add to my collection – Guided Reading Levels F – I. These books totaled $60 (30 books/$4 book, $120 – 50% discount = $60)

I also had the chance to buy some great trade books to add to my read-aloud collection! I am really in love with this Curious Creatures book (on the left with the huge frog on it). It has THE BEST pictures and it is written in prose! I was also able to snag some books written in Spanish for one of my ELL friends.
Now, one of the best parts of the Warehouse Sales, is that you can volunteer at each of the sales – as many hours as you like! When you register with a sale, make sure to check the ‘Yes, I want to volunteer’ box. When you volunteer, you receive a certificate for $10/hour in FREE books! This year, I only volunteered 5 hours (receiving a $50 voucher), whereas in past years, I spent 10-12 hours stocking shelves – earning over $100 in vouchers!) 
So, what does the breakdown look like?? After volunteering 5 hours and with the $25 off $100 coupon I received when I registered for the book sale, I ended up making a $62 investment in my 1st grade classroom library! For 72 books that my students will read and love, that is an investment I am very happy to make and am blessed that Scholastic offers these sales!

Have you ever been to a Scholastic Warehouse sale?!? They really are the most amazing places! If you ever have a chance to visit, DO IT!

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Comments

  1. I went to the one this week outside of Knoxville. I love going every year! The Nashville warehouse looks a little bigger than ours. I've never volunteered before. I may have to do that next time.

    Reply

    • Dooo it! I've visited 3 different Warehouses, and Nashville is definitely my favorite. If you ever volunteer, let me know. I'd love to say hi! 🙂

      Reply

  4. I'm going to my first warehouse sale ever next week and I'm volunteering. Do you receive your volunteer vouchers when you walk into the sale or when you're finished? Did you get a chance to shop after your shift was over or did you have to go back to the sale the next day to shop?

    Reply

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