Box Tops for Education
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 |
| Type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Fundraising |
| Official website | https://boxtops4education.com/s/ |
Box Tops for Education is a school fundraising program founded by General Mills in 1996.[1] In 2019, the program transitioned from cutting the logos from products to digitally scanning receipts, with all previous box tops being made nonredeemable.[2]
Consumer-impact summary[edit | edit source]
Freedom[edit | edit source]
Privacy[edit | edit source]
Business model[edit | edit source]
When redeeming a digital Box Top, General Mills donates $0.10 per eligible product to schools of the donator's choice. This can cause an increase in the sale of General Mills products if the consumer wishes to indirectly support local schools.
Incidents[edit | edit source]
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the Box Tops for Education category.
Transition to digital redemption (2019)[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Box Tops transition to digital redemption
On July 24, 2019, the program transitioned from cutting the logos from products to digitally scanning receipts in order to "modernize the program for the next generation of participants".[1] To redeem box tops on eligible products, parents must download the "Box Tops" app on their phone and scan their receipt within 2 weeks of purchase.[2] For many, this can be seen as a privacy concern, as the full receipt must be scanned and sent to servers, which can contain location information, payment method, and other items purchased.[3] Many also believed the app takes the participation away from kids and find the new process confusing, with school Box Top coordinators seeing a decrease in participation after the app's introduction, primarily with grandparents and workers at local businesses.[3]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Big change for Box Tops". General Mills. 2019-07-24. Archived from the original on 2024-12-28. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Breen, Kerry (2019-07-24). "There's a whole new way to collect Box Tops for Education". Today. Archived from the original on 2024-05-21. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kelley, Lora (2021-04-16). "Box Tops for Education Struggles After Switch to an App". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 2025-03-25. Retrieved 2025-04-21.