By Tava Derr · Social Media Manager
I remember standing outside my local Sam’s Club and Walmart in the cold winter and early spring months, trying eagerly and desperately to convince unsuspecting shoppers to buy Girl Scout Cookies.
Sometimes, I would even wear a cookie costume. I ran around yelling, “Get your Girl Scout Cookies! We have Girl Scout Cookies! GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!”
Or, when we did preorders, we would get cardboard boxes full of Girl Scout Cookie packages. Cookie boxes would line our dining room. My mom and I would take time to organize them so that we could give each friend and family member their order. I enjoyed organizing the orders and making people’s day. Almost everyone likes cookies and gets excited about them.
My favorite part of Girl Scouts was selling cookies. It would make people’s day if they wanted the cookies but didn’t know a Girl Scout personally. We learned the joy of selling something that people wanted, but we also learned the pain of getting rejected.
So many people complain that Girl Scout Cookies are too expensive. But think, buying that box of Girl Scout Cookies is a win-win situation. The Girl Scouts are happy because they are selling more cookies. In return, you get a box of cookies and the knowledge that you made a little Girl Scout’s day.
The more money they raise, the more they can afford to go on trips, camp or do other group activities. Additionally, the Girl Scouts learn life skills that can help them long term.
According to the Girl Scout Cookie Program, Girl Scouts learn five life skills through selling cookies: goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics. Learning these skills from a young age can help them secure a more successful future.
“The net proceeds from Girl Scout Cookie sales stay local with the originating council and troop to fund Girl Scout activities and impactful girl-led community projects year-round,” according to the official Girl Scouts website, girlscouts.org.
The money raised from selling cookies funds your local Girl Scout troop’s activities and experiences. The memories and skills that Girl Scouts gain from trips and projects are important. Without money, Girl Scouts’ impact on the community would be limited, but with funding, they get the opportunity to do and learn more.
Most of my troop’s “cookie money” went toward trips, camps, snacks and craft supplies, so parents did not have to pay for everything out of pocket. I went to camp a couple of times, and one of my troop’s biggest trips was when we went to Washington, D.C. We visited the National Spy Museum, Madame Tussauds (a wax museum that closed in 2020) and an escape room.
By selling Girl Scout Cookies, I bonded with the other girls and learned the heart of the entrepreneurial spirit. Today, I am an avid sweet tooth and aspiring marketer.
So, is a few dollars really too much to give up for that? I don’t think so.
I encourage you not to snub the cookies this season, but to find your local Girl Scout Troop and support the girls’ experience, their learning and their future.
