Okay, it’s not really a scandal (at least not yet), but I wanted something catchy.
Ever the helpful neighbors, we bought a box of Girl Scout Cookies the other day. Actually, we bought ’em a few weeks ago, but they were delivered the other day. Cost? $3.50. Pretty pricey for a box of cookies, thought I. Then I opened them.
There were 15 – fifteen! – cookies in the box. The entire box. That works out to more than $0.23 per cookie. Now it’s not an issue of donating to the group. Had they simply asked for a donation, we’d probably give them one. But what a rip-off. Fifteen reasonable-quality cookies, for $0.23 each?
Comments
61 responses to “Girl Scout Cookie Scandal”
Whoa, back it up, boys.
I don’t know where you get off saying we teach these girls about “proud American traditions of masturbation, abortion, and homosexuality via the programs that are provided by planned parenthood and “unofficially” sponsored and endorsed by the Girl Scouts” but as a Girl Scout leader myself I find this rude, offensive, untrue and a whole big long list of adjectives too profane to list here.
My girls have never seen a planned parenthood meeting through Girl Scouts, nor have I. I’ve never even seen an ad or an offhand message. Unless they’re hitting us with subliminals in the Law and the Promise, you are SO barking up the wrong tree…what kind of Girl Scouts to they make in your neck of the woods?
That said…around here we get to keep .65 a box and that’s the total. We don’t get percentages or credits or anything, just .65.
The selling of girl scout cookies is not to try and rip you off..yes, it is true they are trying to raise money for events that provide them with life awareness skills..but it is also for the experience. Girl scouts are instructed to be business oriented and providing this service to the community is something that they work hard at and are proud of themselves afterwards. It is an accomplishment for them. For some of the, it is a very big accomplishment that they look forward to doing every year. It teaches them life long skills, courteousy, and they love to do it.
I’m also a girl scout leader. Here, our girls get to “keep” .70 cents per box (it goes to their troop to pay for camp and other activities), They earn about .20 cents a box in credits that they can spend at the store for uniforms, books, registration, etc, about $1 goes to the baker, and the rest goes to our council to support local camps and programs.
while we know that it’s a high price to pay for a box of cookies, we’d rather have our girls learning good salesmanship and customer service, than learn to beg for a handout. Believe me! When it’s raining and windy, they are earning their money! 🙂
Thanks for supporting girl Scouts!
I’m all for the sale of cookies, as well as donating to a good cause, so long as it benefits the members and their parents. The cost doesn’t phase me, so long as the product is half way decent; but that’s just the thing, I find the quality of some (possibly most) of the cookies to be that of the equivalent of the cardboard boxes they come in, and I emailed the GS organization to tell them so. I remember them to be much more flavorful, and richer in the past. I suggested to the GS org to find themselves another commercial bakery to handle the task. I recently purchased a box of “Animal Treasures” (shortbread covered in chocolate on one side), they were fresh, but aside from that they were pretty flavorless and cheaply made. It’s a shame, I’ve worked in an office environment for years, and used to look forward to the time when parents would start bringing in the order forms for the cookie sale; I pretty much don’t bother any more, and as I’ve heard someone mention they’d just assume make a donation rather than purchase the cookies, I’d have to admit I feel the same way. It’s pretty simple, if more people feel this way the sales will decline, and possibly dissolve completely, and we’d all really hate to see that happen.
On behalf of all the Girl Scouts in the country I would like to thank you for supporting these girls and buying cookies. I was a Girl Scout as a child and I remember when they were 50 cents a box. I am still invoved in Girl Scouts with my daughter’s troop. The cookie sale has allowed our troop to take a trip to the Oregon Coast, attend a national Girl Scout Camping Event and to attend an international camping event at the Great Park at Windsor Castle. Our girls had a wonderful trip to England and spent an extra week in London. Those of you who have bought Girl Scout cookies have provided similar experiences for other girls.
Here are a couple of facts about Girl Scout Cookies. All the money raised stays in your community. None of it goes to the National Organization. Each council sets the price and how much the troops and girls receive. The cost of the cookies and the sale is .99 per box. This includes program materials that go along with the sale that include goal setting activities, business skills, dealing with other people and other skills that girls need to become successful in the world as adults. In my council each girl receives a average of 35 cents per box in cookie dollars that can be spent toward council activites such as day camp and resident camp and trips such as my troop has taken. In addition the older girls can recieve 50 cents per box toward a college scholarship. Each troop receives 40 cents per box. Each service unit (a group of 10 – 40 troops) receives 5 cents per box. The service unit uses this money to provide activities for the girls and to give financial aid to girls who couldn’t otherwise participate. The remainder goes to Girl Scout program in my community.
So when you are enjoying those “overpriced” cookies you need to take credit for the wonderful things that are happening through Girl Scouts. I hope that you will continue to help these girls to attain their goals and become strong productive women.
As somebody brand new learning the rules, I found out there’s only a few ways for YOUNG girls to make money for their troop, so oftentimes the leaders spend more out of their pocket than what they even make in cookie money! (They make about 14% profit on each box .. do the math. Not much!)
I do think it would be nice for them to be able to offer, “If you would prefer, you can donate your change instead,” but then again, that really sounds like begging, which the children are not taught to be.
It would be nice if they found a way to charge LESS for the cookies. I can’t believe that the leaders even end up paying for those patches! They’re like $1/patch/person, with no bulk discount!
I remember the day when Girl Scout Cookies cost “only” two dollars a box, and the boxes contained more cookies than the boxes today. The cookies are good, but I am a little doubtful as to the real lessons learned in selling cookies. I sold cookies six years, and the value of the lessons learned…..the kids whose parents took the order forms to work and pestered colleagues sold the most.
The organization has shot itself in the proverbial foot. $4 [March 2005] a box = 1 box purchase. If it wasn’t for the Chocolate Mint cookie, no purchase at all. Some nitwit economist has probably told headquarters to charge more move less and run to the bank: stupid advice. There are better cookies out there. For those Moms who don’t have enough backbone to tell the “national governing board” to get back to reality, tough.
Here is another lesson the young ladies will learn because of some stupid adults: too expensive means no sale. Jeez Louise, they’re only cookies. Being “nice” and buying the unsold boxes so that the young ladies’ numbers look good in the “troop” is doing them a disservice. Remember, Mrs. Fields priced herself out of business, and she made a good cookie.
Not only do today’s Girl Scouts get to learn about sales, marketing, and achievement, they get to learn about the proud American traditions of masturbation, abortion, and homosexuality via the programs that are provided by planned parenthood and “unofficially” sponsored and endorsed by the Girl Scouts.
I bet that they have wild campouts.
By the way, if you don’t like the facts (and they are facts) represented here….maybe you should question your support of the Girl Scouts.
You know. No one has twisted anyones arm to buy girl scout cookies. You bought them at your own will and now you complain about them and about the girls selling them. Those girls work hard all year long and selling cookies gives them a little extra funds to go to camp, trips etc and meet other girls from all over the world. Why not support our girls instead of critisizing them? I’m proud to be an assistant leader of my daughters Brownie troop and you know what I say? Keep up the good work girls!!!!!