Struggling Snacko...

[Guest rumblefish_2]

ViperNerd is snacko? Those guys are doomed. It's easy to stay out of the red when you've got guys in the unit who own their own businesses and don't mind shelling out $1500 for a new double-barrel kegerator. It's good to be in the Guard...

For more constructive advice...golf scrambles work as well. In a previous squadron we were able to turn a $500+ profit (barring any damages to the golf course and/or golf carts). ViperNerd, holla atcha boy...

[GreasySideUp]

Thread Revival

Could you explain the rules of the betting and how this works?

Calcutta - The Calcutta is basically a Turkey shoot, except people in the squadron bet on who they think will perform well and who will suck (like betting on a horse race). You can bet on yourself to do well, or bet on someone else to do well. Winners get ca$h prizes and the snacko takes 30% clean off the top. Again, costs the squadron nothing.

Thanks for the help. Looks like a great way to raise some dough.

-j

[Hacker]

It's not any more complicated than it sounds.

Have scheduling arrange range time, blue bombs on the jets, etc, for a couple days. Have the flight commanders ensure that at least everyone gets the opportunity to get across the range once.

Several weeks prior to this, everyone in the squadron has an opportunity to bet on any pilot. You're betting that pilot will place in an event. Again, you can bet on yourself, or you can bet on someone else, it doesn't matter. I've seen it done where there could be multiple bets on each person (like everyone betting on the guy who has taken A-G Top Gun the last 3 quarters running), I've also seen it done where only one person could "own" each guy in the squadron. If you make it an auction, and only allow one person to bet on each "horse", then you could drive the prices up even more.

The Snacko collects the dough (make a minimum bet of $5 or something), and immediately snakes 50% off the top for the snacko fund. The other 50% goes toward prize money.

Then, the pilots go out and do their thing on the range. Standard range rules apply...wheels in the well buys the bombs, yada yada.

Have the Weapons shop tally up the bombs and come up with a win, place, and show for every event -- 10LAHD, 20 LALD, 30DB, etc. Figure out how to divide up the prize $ in a way that the people who bet "win" get the most, "place" get the 2nd biggest chunk, etc.

Reveal the winners at a pilot meeting or a roll call.

Snacko, count all the fat ca$h you made while everyone else gets drunk and falls down.

[Guest ELan]

Glad you revived this thread. We are having a bit of a snacko problem at our squadron. We didn't even have a snacko until the vending company at our squadron started gouging the sh!t out of us. We decided it was time for a snacko and we are making hand over fist of profit. It has even made the company come get there machines, because we aren't using them.

Our Wing King has a something-in-law that owns/works at the company. That person isn't happy about it and since our wing-king wants a star someday, he is sending an auditor by to check out the situation. The auditor was nice enough to let us know that he would be coming to check it out and to get the snacko within regs...$1000 average or inventory / cash over a three month period.

We have a LARGE amount of money to spend to get down to that $1000 mark. Can putting the money into squadron coins / T-shirts make a seperate fund that would allow us another $1000 a month average with that fund as well? Can you gift money to the "crud" fund which we pay into on an annual basis for parties/whatever. Can you gift items to the squadron (new TV) when the snacko fund exceeds the $1000 average?

I don't know if it is going to be a one time audit or if our wing-king is going to have the guy do it on a regular basis. Any thoughts or help with the situation is appreciated.

[Guest KoolKat]

"get the snacko within regs...$1000 average or inventory / cash over a three month period."

There's a reg? WTFO.

Regardless, those actions (as you described) are not the kind of actions that deserve a star. Sadly, that isn't the way the world functions.

BENDY

[F-15E WSO]

Too much money?

Hookers and Blow.

Hookers and Blow.

[Guest lakefisher]

a pre-audit party!

or, buy a couple of those vending machines for the squadron

[jazzdude]

keg-arator?

[busdriver]

Make the squadron spouses club the technical owners of the snacko fund. Problem solved.

[Guest ELan]

Theres's a reg...no sh!t...surprised me. I'm in the Guard, so the fact that someone would care about a reg like that shocked me.

Bender, you're not kidding. Can't always pick your leadership.

Like the spouses club idea. Anyone know about the multiple funds thing? We're probably the only squadron that has actually had someone call someone out on the reg. AFI-who gives a sh!t-101.

Like the party idea too, but in our state you need wing king and state approval to have a party, so we have like two keg parties a year and I doubt he will go for a blow the snack fund party. The no-alchohol rule is due to an incident involving enlisted girls stripping at the base club back in the day (wish I was around then).

[ 14. September 2006, 22:45: Message edited by: Torch ]

[JVBFLY]

Not sure on the reg #, but there are rules out there. We had the problem as well, but we put everything into our booster club. Booster clubs are separate entities from the squadron and are recognized organizations on base. The bottom line why there are rules and why each squadron can't make money each year has to do with competing with already issued AF contracts, i.e. your vendor, AAFES, etc. All we had to do each year, not 3 months, was prove that all profits from SNACKO and other fundraisers were being spent. The bottom line, IIRC, could not exceed $1000 left in the bank. We had a huge Christmas, I mean holiday, I mean winter party each year and gave away tons of gifts to squadron members. It is actually a very simple process to do it legally, and then everyone has to shut up. Contact your base NAF Manager; they are the folks that helped us write the charter, laws of the booster club, and budget. If you want an example, PM me. GL!

[Guest homewith4]

The wives funds fall under the same $1000 limit as the snacko does. I think it's somewhat of an IRS thing, if you go over the $1000 then you are required to be a 501c(3) non-profit organization. But, unless your spouse fund is near the limit too, you could make a donation to their "cause". And then they can donate that same amount to off-set the cost of the christmas party stuff.

[Guest ELan]

Thanks for the responses...I'll pass that on...

[Guest wilco]

Originally posted by Torch:

The no-alchohol rule is due to an incident involving enlisted girls stripping at the base club back in the day (wish I was around then).

That is illegal in the Guard? You learn something new everyday.

[Cooter]

Originally posted by Chuck17:

YEAH! Seeing as how my wife already has control of my house , I'll scoff at that one!

Chuck

Don't you mean "of my Balls"?

I'm not sure about all this $1000 stuff but we just implemented dues (which I'm late on paying, TDY) and collected a shitload. It's a sliding scale for rank but it worked out really well in the end. We also have fines but haven't seen any implemented. The big thing is people gankin' yo shit. Our snack bar is near a big briefing room and the vault so people were always doing low approaches. Stop that shit and you'll see a huge increase. We also had a callsign night (which I missed...stupid Deid) that I heard went really well but I don't think anyone was charged...note to self. Somebody should start a snacko company, go around to all the squadrons (snacko efficiency experts).

"Yeah...Force shaped some people this week, so we're gonna need to play catch up."

Cooter

[XL0901]

Revival...

So our new Boss is fairly disappointed with our current snackbar situation and has personally tagged the new LTs (3 of us) to fix the problem. Aside from the standard of crappy selection and losing money each month, the main problem is with lack of use of the awesome bar we have. We have a huge bar with beer tap, fooseball, darts, big screen tv with speaker system and tons of space. The issue is, being a C-17 squadron, half of the squadron is gone at any given time so when folks are in town they would rather spend off time getting caught up at home or spending time with their fam. We have a few ideas like holding our weekly CT meetings in the bar followed by a casual "Have a beer and shoot the shit" session afterwords, but that only applies to a quarter or less of the squadron. I don't think there is any interest in creating a space to hang out til the wee hours on a Friday but rather an environment where people WANT to come hang out for a couple of hours and swap stories. We have been told that the sky is the limit and end of year funds are fully available. Any advice would be appreciated, especially from other "No one is ever around" type squadrons. Thanks

Added: There are a total of 5 LTs in the whole squadron and a ton of Capts...most with families and the majority of the junior Os and Es only come to work to fly and for mandatory fun (Which we don't want to create more of). So those are the demographics we are working with.

[addict]

Looks like you just got your first job in the squadron. Time to start coming to work everyday at a reasonable time.

1. Sell profitable items -> profit

2. lunch taken to squadron -> people stay

3. free lunch -> all the termites come out of the woodwork

Edited August 9, 2009 by addict

[stract]

once a month our spouses get together to make a themed lunch in our bar. It goes over quite well, and they take donations (made over $300 at the last one - fajita bar)...we also do Hails and Farewells as appropriate in the bar (every 2 weeks in the summer, it seems, a little less frequent outside PCS season).

[Guest Sandlapper]

I don't think there's much you'll be able to do to transform the culture there, honestly. The simple fact that you're not allowed to say "bar" (it's heritage room) should explain the current AF's position on such matters. Most bro's have come to realize that staying at the squadron to booze it up is a losing proposition. I know its different in fighter squadrons, but those guys are either home or TDY as a whole...an AMC squadron is 50% populated by rotating crowd. If you're looking for some money making ideas, try teaming up with the Loadmasters and host a Friday steak & potatoes grill out. Sell tickets around all the agencies on base so you know how much to buy, and profit. Of course, you'll likely be met with resistance from the AAFES Local 501 Union & their pipehitting thugs, but it's worth a shot. I've seen "top-3" groups do it with great success. Good luck.

[BQZip01]

Revival...

So our new Boss is fairly disappointed with our current snackbar situation and has personally tagged the new LTs (3 of us) to fix the problem. Aside from the standard of crappy selection and losing money each month, the main problem is with lack of use of the awesome bar we have. We have a huge bar with beer tap, fooseball, darts, big screen tv with speaker system and tons of space. The issue is, being a C-17 squadron, half of the squadron is gone at any given time so when folks are in town they would rather spend off time getting caught up at home or spending time with their fam. We have a few ideas like holding our weekly CT meetings in the bar followed by a casual "Have a beer and shoot the shit" session afterwords, but that only applies to a quarter or less of the squadron. I don't think there is any interest in creating a space to hang out til the wee hours on a Friday but rather an environment where people WANT to come hang out for a couple of hours and swap stories. We have been told that the sky is the limit and end of year funds are fully available. Any advice would be appreciated, especially from other "No one is ever around" type squadrons. Thanks

Added: There are a total of 5 LTs in the whole squadron and a ton of Capts...most with families and the majority of the junior Os and Es only come to work to fly and for mandatory fun (Which we don't want to create more of). So those are the demographics we are working with.

This wouldn't be a problem if you had events in your bar. Have a mandatory safety meeting followed by "the first round is on the commander!". Ditto on a roll call (if you need samples on what to do, let me know). Have a commander's call AT the bar.

The key is to keep doing these fun events on a Friday, keep them early in the afternoon, have a relaxed atmosphere, and make the reason for attending at that location mandatory. No one likes a safety briefing, but if it includes some jokes, a good "here's what Lt Snuffy screwed up this week" story, and a few drinks, it makes the medicine go down easier.

Our roll call:

starts with roll call (kind of intuitive...): a check of who is present (and who is missing); a time to introduce any new people or guests

conformity check: Make sure everyone is wearing their Friday shirts, has their RMOs/Coins, & Friday nametags...anyone not meeting standards takes a shot

Instant justice: call out anyone for anything with no rebuttal...but paybacks can be hell. One example was calling out the PT leader for not having his stretchable tape measure for the PT test... Those called out take a shot and toast the squadron.

Laudable Acts: Call people out for doing something right...or ballsy (courage in the face of rank can easily be commendable...)

History: A quick history lesson on something related to your airframe/squadron/type of aircraft/mission/etc

Doctrine Lesson: A quick lesson on doctrine related to the history lesson

Buffoonery: Story time! "So there I was--" [Everyone responds in unison: "WHERE WERE YOU!?!?"] followed by some tale of stupidity or just outright insanity. Lots of call signs are formed at this time. Those called out take a shot and toast the squadron.

Boldface: Anyone have any IFEs? Ground emergencies? any noticeable trends developing? Anyone learn something new that might be useful for everyone else? These were omitted for family roll calls (we don't need family members getting worked up over "You had two FIRES this week!?!?".)

Hail & Farewell: (sometimes added with the roll call)

Announcements: Anything upcoming? Usually the Exec takes this one.

Commander's Comments: A chance for the commander or SRO to make any comments, address any issues, etc.

Our unit policy (which I liked) was that alcoholic shots were optional. Also no one could take more than 2 shots of alcohol. If there were no non-alcoholic drinks available, there would be no shots taken, period! This allowed fun without getting it into problem areas.

After doing this once or twice (even the commander getting called out on numerous occasions), the efficiency of the flow seems to get moving and it doesn't take more than 30-45 minutes. Follow the commander's comments with "Dismissed!" at 1530 on a Friday will make anyone happy.

Do something that invokes squadron pride: The 11th Bomb Squadron starts their roll calls at 1511. The 20th does it at 1520. The 96th does their at 1596...okay, even for military time that one's a bit strange... but the point is to work some unit pride into it. Make get-togethers fun (each of our sections mentioned above has a slide in a powerpoint show accompanied by a funny picture too) and non-exclusionary (EVERYONE needs to be there!) and get stuff done efficiently (don't waste their weekend!).

[SuperWSO]

Looks like you just got your first job in the squadron. Time to start coming to work everyday at a reasonable time.

1. Sell profitable items -> profit

2. lunch taken to squadron -> people stay

3. free lunch -> all the termites come out of the woodwork

Emphasis on item #1

I've been snacko in four different organizations. The trick to item number one is to make it simple - Make absolutely everything in the snack bar 50 cents. Then take the car on down to Sam's Club and look at the unit cost on the shelves. Don't buy anything with a unit price over about 40 cents. We had one retard buying stuff that cost 80 cents a piece and selling it for 50. Don't be a charity.

[brabus]

Every Friday we cook burgers/dogs and sell those along with chips and some other side (beans, potato salad, etc) for $5. Figure out how many people you expect to have, buy the proper amount of food/supplies the night before and post some signs around the squadron a few days prior so people don't bring their own lunch on Fri. $5 isn't that much for a stomach-stuffing meal (sts), people will spend it since it's a good lunch (not some of that flight kitchen BS) and it supports the Snacko. You will profit from this, and you'll really profit if you reach out to other squadrons/agencies on base.

Also, make sure people are paying their snacko bills. If it's getting out of hand, start punishing (assessing 10% on your bill if it's not paid by Wed, etc), have the boss start coming down on dudes at pilot meetings (sts), etc.

[nsplayr]

Kinda veering off course here but I couldn't resist...

Our roll call:

starts with roll call (kind of intuitive...): a check of who is present (and who is missing); a time to introduce any new people or guests

conformity check: Make sure everyone is wearing their Friday shirts, has their RMOs/Coins, & Friday nametags...anyone not meeting standards takes a shot

Instant justice: call out anyone for anything with no rebuttal...but paybacks can be hell. One example was calling out the PT leader for not having his stretchable tape measure for the PT test... Those called out take a shot and toast the squadron.

Laudable Acts: Call people out for doing something right...or ballsy (courage in the face of rank can easily be commendable...)

History: A quick history lesson on something related to your airframe/squadron/type of aircraft/mission/etc

Doctrine Lesson: A quick lesson on doctrine related to the history lesson

Buffoonery: Story time! "So there I was--" [Everyone responds in unison: "WHERE WERE YOU!?!?"] followed by some tale of stupidity or just outright insanity. Lots of call signs are formed at this time. Those called out take a shot and toast the squadron.

Boldface: Anyone have any IFEs? Ground emergencies? any noticeable trends developing? Anyone learn something new that might be useful for everyone else? These were omitted for family roll calls (we don't need family members getting worked up over "You had two FIRES this week!?!?".)

Hail & Farewell: (sometimes added with the roll call)

Announcements: Anything upcoming? Usually the Exec takes this one.

Commander's Comments: A chance for the commander or SRO to make any comments, address any issues, etc.

After doing this once or twice (even the commander getting called out on numerous occasions), the efficiency of the flow seems to get moving and it doesn't take more than 30-45 minutes. Follow the commander's comments with "Dismissed!" at 1530 on a Friday will make anyone happy.

WOW being in ACC must be something else. All that sounds like fun but honestly I don't think it's gonna help out the snacko on question. Here's a snapshot of how all that would go down in my squadron:

Roll Call: Ineffective because 1/2 the squadron is deployed at any given time and there are dudes that have been in the squadron over a year and don't know each other because of opposite rotations.

Conformity Check: Well we don't have friday shirts and most dudes don't have callsigns, so that's not really gonna work

Hail & Farewell: Hails would overwhelm the meeting and take 69 minutes to process all the new dudes that are getting crammed down the pipeline right now (sts)

Anyways, my point in all of this is that the snacko in question seems to have a squadron more like mine than like yours. Good on the dudes who can hold regular roll calls like the one described, but for dudes in squadrons where this type of thing isn't possible, I think the suggestions about Friday lunch preparation are a winner. I also liked when we sold bottled from a single barrel (apparently thing thing can be ordered special for your squadron...idk details b/c I'm not the snacko). We don't sell them for profit really but you could and the popularity would probably still be high (b/c who doesn't like "special" booze?)

[BQZip01]

Kinda veering off course here but I couldn't resist...

WOW being in ACC must be something else. All that sounds like fun but honestly I don't think it's gonna help out the snacko on question. Here's a snapshot of how all that would go down in my squadron:

Roll Call: Ineffective because 1/2 the squadron is deployed at any given time and there are dudes that have been in the squadron over a year and don't know each other because of opposite rotations.

Conformity Check: Well we don't have friday shirts and most dudes don't have callsigns, so that's not really gonna work

Hail & Farewell: Hails would overwhelm the meeting and take 69 minutes to process all the new dudes that are getting crammed down the pipeline right now (sts)

Anyways, my point in all of this is that the snacko in question seems to have a squadron more like mine than like yours. Good on the dudes who can hold regular roll calls like the one described, but for dudes in squadrons where this type of thing isn't possible, I think the suggestions about Friday lunch preparation are a winner. I also liked when we sold bottled from a single barrel (apparently thing thing can be ordered special for your squadron...idk details b/c I'm not the snacko). We don't sell them for profit really but you could and the popularity would probably still be high (b/c who doesn't like "special" booze?)

Roll Call, usually less than half the squadron can attend anyway (flying, mission planning, additional duties, appointments, classes, other authorized excuses...)

Conformity check: just limit it to your coins/RMOs then

Hails at one squadron took all of 10 seconds per person:

"So, why don't you tell us about yourself?"

"Well, I'm Lt Smith and I'm from San An--"

[Everyone] "SIT DOWN!" "SHUT UP!" "Take a seat new guy!"

Tailor everything as needed. Make your own traditions/procedures, but make 'em fun and make it entertaining.

Other ideas? Let's hear 'em!

[drewpey]

Roll Calls are fun, and got to see quite a few in AETC that followed the same sequence. Once I left and went on to my operational sq, I started asking about those type of morale events and the majority of the responses I got were "that's a fighter thing, we don't do that...". It sucks squadron morale is viewed as a "fighter thing"!

I'd like to start something like that up though, but sometimes people are so set in their ways they go out of their way to not have a good time...

As far as the snack bar is concerned...

You could always take inventory, calculate what you should have earned and post an integrity % of who is paying. Most guys aren't intentionally ripping off the snack bar, but think "oh, it's just me, it's just a soda" when in fact everyone thinks that, and no one pays. When someone in charge sees the snack bar has a 15% integrity rating, people start paying more often.

Also, you can just stop restocking it.