Girl Scout Cookies

[Miamoo]

So, the season is upon us.

This year my grand daugther needs to meet a 'quota' to get her little badge.  She needs to sell 125 boxes (at $4.00/each) to get one badge, 200 boxes gets her a "Star Seller" badge.  Only .60/box actually goes to her troop.  (Where does the other $3.40 go? - gotta look it up).

Old Girl Scout here.  Happy that the grand daughters are involved but . . . Holy Crap!  Here's how old I am . . .  cookies were .50/box and half went to the troop.

What happened?

[Frankies Girl]

I ranked #3 seller in my state one year, but I no longer buy GS cookies since they keep raising the prices and lowering the amount in the packages.

That, and I actually am sick to death of parents bringing in their kid's order form and doing all the work for the kid. I pounded the pavement and made countless pitches (and set up in front of the college cafeteria and shilled for hours - that's the way to make the sales - hit the college campuses). What does that teach the kid? Get your parents to do everything for you? The only thing my mom did was drive me to make deliveries when they were too far for me to bike by myself.

I can't believe so little of that cost goes back to the troop! It was around that when I sold them, so my god they are raking in the dough!

[hybrid]

Here is what I would consider doing.  If the Girl Scouts are important to you and your daughter, simply write them a check for $120 and say "No thanks, we aren't selling cookies this year, I will simply donate the equivalent of 200 boxes sold instead."

I lovee me some Thin Mints, but everyone knows what a racket GS Cookies have become.

[matchewed]

Such a sweet sweet samoa laden racket...

Excuse me I have to go clean some drool from my desk.

[Miamoo]

Yeah Frankie.  I never brought my kid's fund raising shit to the office when I still worked.  I HATED it when the others brought their shit in.  Politely declined unless I knew the co-worker and their children enough and then would spend the minimum amount - just to be nice.

You're right Frankie.  The parents are so often doing the work for their kid's badges, awards, accolades, whatever . . . stroking their own egos me thinks.  (Eg: My kid sold the most!)  The kid didn't do the work, the parents did.  Irresponsible parenting.

Shoot, that wasn't the point of GS or BS when I was a kid.  The point of us being in those organisations was to teach us life skills. 

[seattlecyclone]

I'm happy to buy a couple of boxes each year if an actual Girl Scout tries to sell them to me, because it does help develop good life skills if the kids actually work at it themselves. If the parent brings an order form into the office? No thanks.

[Miamoo]

But hybrid if I did write that $120 check - how will I know where it goes?   Probably not to my girl's troop. 

And those little girls get such a kick out of selling their boxes.   Big smiles.  How great does that feel to a little bitty 7 year old?

[MrsPete]

Yes, only a small amount of the money goes to the troop.  The lion's share goes to the scout council, and that's not as bad a thing as it sounds: 

The scout council supports camps, which the troops can use for a token fee.  Troops can camp for only $25 or so a weekend, and when they use Girl Scout camps, the leaders can feel safe knowing that they're not camping next to a group of unknown people in a public spot. 

The scout council provides loads and loads of programs that the troops can attend at low cost -- programs that all troop leaders don't have resources to provide.  For example, years ago my girls did an overnight at a history museum, behind-the-scenes trips to the baseball park, indoor rope climbing.  Oh, and science workshops at the council office for $2/girl. 

However, the last few years my girls were involved, they were "over" cookies.  The little girls get very excited about cookies, but later . . . not so much.  I did start writing a check directly to my girls' troops, saying that this is NOT connected to cookies; if it's connected to cookies, the troop leader is supposed to share with the council office.  Rather, I said specifically, "This is a direct donation to the troop, to be used by the girls in this troop."  At the point my girls "outgrew" cookies, they also "outgrew" most of the council's programs, so I didn't feel badly about supporting JUST our troop. 

[Miamoo]

Thanks MrsPete for your experience:

" I did start writing a check directly to my girls' troops, saying that this is NOT connected to cookies; if it's connected to cookies, the troop leader is supposed to share with the council office.  Rather, I said specifically, "This is a direct donation to the troop, to be used by the girls in this troop."  At the point my girls "outgrew" cookies, they also "outgrew" most of the council's programs, so I didn't feel badly about supporting JUST our troop. "

I would write a check as such directly to the troop but have no idea where it might be distributed to.

Around here the girls aren't allowed to go door to door regularly and are only allowed to sell in front of banks or grocery stores on occassion.

I just wish my g'daughter's troop wasn't so vague about the year's activities and where the $ was going.   Last year the only trip they took was to "Build A Bear" in Schaumburg.  And parents paid for or provided transportation.  I still need to research.  Maybe I'd better get involved (30 miles away) and see just what's going on.  So many other things they could be doing. 

Also, GS for my g'daughter is only September - June.  Didnt it used to be year round?  Sorry, I'm old.

[Eric]

Such a sweet sweet samoa laden racket...

Excuse me I have to go clean some drool from my desk.

This.  Drool included.  This is a splurge that I never regret.

[Splendid]

Such a sweet sweet samoa laden racket...

Excuse me I have to go clean some drool from my desk.

This.  Drool included.  This is a splurge that I never regret.

My grocery store has started selling knock-off thin mints, caramel delights (samoas), and those peanut butter cookies. Keebler has their own version as well. Obviously, it doesn't support the Girl Scouts. But it does support my GS cookie habit.

[Junior667]

Well I guess that a lot of the cookie money is probably going to executives and lawsuits.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/12/why-are-girl-scout-camps-being-closed.html#url=/articles/2014/01/12/why-are-girl-scout-camps-being-closed.html

My daughter is a Scout and absoulutely loved every camp she ever went to. There are still fantastic programs out there, but I am not a fan of the way cookies are done.

[MissStache]

Don't forget that the Girl Scouts have to pay for the cookies, too!  A good portion of that $4.00 box goes right back to the bakers. 

And while the troop gets some of the cash, some of the money per box goes into the rewards that the girls earn. Also, in the council I was involved with, each girl earned "cookie credits" which could be used as a gift certificate to pay for camp or council-sponsored activities, and even shop the in girl scout stores for uniforms, camping equipment, toys, etc.

[GuitarStv]

I've been quite disappointed with the last few boxes of Girl Scout cookies we've purchased.  Maybe the girl scouts weren't fresh or something . . .

[CommonCents]

For a detailed breakdown, google says:
http://www.gssc.us/productsales/pdf/Cookies%202013/Guide%20Book%202013.pdf (see page 5)

I went out and pounded the pavement for girl scout cookie orders back in the day.  My dad was in the Coast Guard, and to boot, usually the commanding officer so he wouldn't bring in an order form (and make people feel obligated to order).  Annnd, my older sister was in Girl Scouts too, so we would go out together, but have to alternate "asks" so that our orders were roughly equal (mom & dad's order would even them up).  We usually got about 125-150 boxes each.  I was always jealous of the kids that had parents that would bring them in.

[brand new stash]

My daughters are in daisy girl scouts.  The goals/badges/trinkets are a rip off.  Their troop leader found out this year that if the whole troop agrees not to get the rewards (extra badges, trinkets, etc) that the troop gets extra money.  She told that to the girls, and told them that if they gave up the trinkets then they would have enough troop money that they wouldn't have to ask the parents to pay a fee for their spring camping trip at all.  She put it to a vote with the girls.  A whole troop of 6 and 7 year olds voted to give up their trinkets/extra badges to pay for their camping trip "themselves".  As they've been selling the cookies, my girls have been very proudly telling anyone who will listen that they are spending the money on their spring camping trip. 

[Catbert]

I always buy from GSs who come to my door.  I even took my niece around my neighborhood last year to generally happy neighbors (not many kids here).  $4 sounds outrageous compared to the 50 cents when I sold them.  However, Federal minimum wage was only $1.25 in 1963 so its not as inflated as it seems.

[ace1224]

i always buy a couple of boxes from the girls in front of the grocery store and tell them to pick out the crankiest looking people and give them a free box of cookies, or since i live in a military town to pick out a marine give them cookies and say "thank you for your service"

[Dee18]

The "star seller" is a patch, not a badge.  In Girl Scout lingo, that is a huge difference.  A badge is earned by mastering a new skill.  A patch can be obtained for many reasons, such as visiting Juliette Lowe's home.  125 boxes x $4 =$500, a ridiculous amount for a patch. Buy as many boxes as you want to eat, and then talk with your granddaughter about what badge she might be earning that you could do together....such as woodworker.

[NeverWasACornflakeGirl]

At my office people I don't even know come up to me and yell at me when they see me delivering cookies if I didn't ask them to order cookies!  I could sell many, many more boxes of cookies here than I could ever get here (the year I had to use a flat-bed hand truck to get them all up from the loading dock I swore never to sell that many again!)  I am the troop leader, and it's important to me that the girls in my troop, many of them from an underpriviledged area, get to go to camp and get to go to the many cultural events we use the money for.  When it comes to my girls, I am unashamed to ask anyone to buy cookies!!
:-)

[Janie]

My daughters are in daisy girl scouts.  The goals/badges/trinkets are a rip off.  Their troop leader found out this year that if the whole troop agrees not to get the rewards (extra badges, trinkets, etc) that the troop gets extra money.  She told that to the girls, and told them that if they gave up the trinkets then they would have enough troop money that they wouldn't have to ask the parents to pay a fee for their spring camping trip at all.  She put it to a vote with the girls.  A whole troop of 6 and 7 year olds voted to give up their trinkets/extra badges to pay for their camping trip "themselves".  As they've been selling the cookies, my girls have been very proudly telling anyone who will listen that they are spending the money on their spring camping trip.

That's so cool--good for them!

[NeighborGuy]

What happened?

Inflation, I suppose. Obviously I don't know when you were a girl scout, but since we're talking about a granddaughter, I just guessed 1960. 50 cents in 1960 money, adjusted for inflation, is almost exactly $4.

[HoneyBadger]

For all you thin mint junkies - http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/chocolate-peppermint-snaps-recipe

They're easy to make and really taste a lot like thin mints!

[MrsPete]

Thanks MrsPete for your experience:

" I did start writing a check directly to my girls' troops, saying that this is NOT connected to cookies; if it's connected to cookies, the troop leader is supposed to share with the council office.  Rather, I said specifically, "This is a direct donation to the troop, to be used by the girls in this troop."  At the point my girls "outgrew" cookies, they also "outgrew" most of the council's programs, so I didn't feel badly about supporting JUST our troop. "

I would write a check as such directly to the troop but have no idea where it might be distributed to.

Around here the girls aren't allowed to go door to door regularly and are only allowed to sell in front of banks or grocery stores on occassion.

I just wish my g'daughter's troop wasn't so vague about the year's activities and where the $ was going.   Last year the only trip they took was to "Build A Bear" in Schaumburg.  And parents paid for or provided transportation.  I still need to research.  Maybe I'd better get involved (30 miles away) and see just what's going on.  So many other things they could be doing. 

Also, GS for my g'daughter is only September - June.  Didnt it used to be year round?  Sorry, I'm old.

If you're not comfortable donating to a general troop fund, another option would be to say to the leader, "We're not going to sell cookie this year, but our family will pick up the tab for one troop activity -- what do you have planned?"  You could then buy tickets for the group to visit the science museum, or provide pizza and snacks for a lock-in, or whatever seems to fit your wallet and idea of a good activity. 

Scouts everywhere are allowed to sell door-to-door, but ONLY if accompanied by an adult.  This is a safety thing. 

No, when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s, scouts was a school-year activity.  Lots of girls went to summer camp for a week during the summer, but that was an individual activity, not a troop function. 

The "star seller" is a patch, not a badge.  In Girl Scout lingo, that is a huge difference.  A badge is earned by mastering a new skill.  A patch can be obtained for many reasons, such as visiting Juliette Lowe's home.  125 boxes x $4 =$500, a ridiculous amount for a patch. Buy as many boxes as you want to eat, and then talk with your granddaughter about what badge she might be earning that you could do together....such as woodworker.

Yeah, I wasn't going to bring that up, but you're right.  A patch just means you participated, and it goes on the BACK of the vest.  A badge (which goes by different names for different age levels) means you fulfilled a specific set of requirements, and it goes on the FRONT of the vest. 

I'm sure everyone was very interested in that.

[windawake]

I just can't help but wonder, why do Girl Scouts even bother with cookies anymore? Wouldn't girls learn more if they helped to make cookies and sell them at a bake sale? The GS cookies are so sugar-laden these days I can hardly eat them, they make my teeth hurt. I think redirecting some of the cookie effort to a bake sale or something fun/educational would be more interesting for everyone involved.