Recession: Girl Scouts' Cookie Sales Plunge

USA Today:

Sales are a little thin for mint and other Girl Scout cookies so far this year.

National numbers are not yet in, but regional Girl Scout councils nationwide are seeing the impact of the down economy, as well as bad winter weather, in declines as large as 19% in pre-order sales, which took place January through early February.

Read the whole story: USA Today

Comments

[Name Not In Use]

Someone help me, please!
I've just eaten my 8th box of Samoas.
I can't stop.

[Jackie F Cheeser 49]

stand up and perform the Heimlich maneuver on yo self.

[Cos1]

I don't really like these cookies but have purchased them in the past just to help the girl scouts out. I put them out for my co-workers to have with coffee. I understand it's for the girl's but they need to take a look at the product they are selliing and maybe work on getting a better product that people want to spend their dwindling dollars on.

[SimJack]

Overpriced, unhealthy and an affront to the ecology of the planet. Turning youth into sales reps for corporations or any organization instead of teaching them the value of self-reliance, giving them the opportunity for real personal growth, creativity and achievement at at critical time in human development is disempowering, disingenuous and an irresponsible way to treat children. But how else will the system get them to grow up to be Big Mac grazing, Pepsi swizzling, Cable TV mesmerized, over-extended consumers. Cradle to grave they willing serve their corporate mind controlling masters while being driven to and fro by the narcissistic, neurotic parents they emulate and hope to become one day. What'll it be tonight kids, KFC or Domino's? Who wants more HFCS-infused carbonated fun juice?

[BigHeadTodd]

If your child actually goes around and sells the cookies, I'm cool with that. But for all you "enforcer moms" and "just do it for the dude dads" who try to guilt co-workers and neighbors into buying cookies for little Tabitha...Nomoa Samoas, please!

[Insider1]

They're bad cookies anyway.

[AZterritory]

Thin Mints in the freezer . . . try it.

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

Hate mint.

[willfarnaby]

Well, then, now we can truly say:

M I S S I O N
A C C O M P L I S H E D

[sunbeltvoter]

To heck with food stamps and government cheese, time for a Sugar Stimulus Bailout Package.

About 100 million households in the US. For a mere $400 million, Obama can buy every house in America a Bailout Box of cookies. For a mere 1/1000 of what it has cost to bail out Wall Street ($400 billion) Obama can bail out the Girl Scouts. Why has it not been done yet? I want my free Federal box of Thin Mints! Now!

[Moshe]

Come on folks! We're Americans!

And if there's one thing we can really do, it's eat cookies! ;-)

Help out the scouts.

[Badfickle]

I did my patriotic duty as will be evidenced in my waste line after they deliver my cookies.

[lrubemp]

Well, this is one "American" who got cool to the profit scam that is Girl Scout Cookies long ago. It's the perfect set-up -- unpaid labor pitching overpriced sugar crap using cuteness, patriotism, and a "good cause" to goose sales. The "scouts" get pennies, while the cookie manufacturer loads up on the cash. Meanwhile, fools think they're doing right by little kids. P.T. Barnum couldn't have topped that! Now that I think about it, though, there's nothing more American in the world!

[nowalnuts]

I saw on a news site last night that a guy robbed two girl scouts. They were selling cookies outside of a walgreens with their troop leader and he took over $200 from them. The troop leader got his plate number. I hope they caught him today. Sick!

[Moshe]

I think capital punishment would be appropriate in this case.

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

Or turn him over to the little girls.

[walk0nwalls]

Just make it two times a year and I can get my crack-laced cookies from every single 8-year-old peddling their wares within a 50 mile radius of where I live.

[Culturemaven]

Hi, I'm a long-time Troop Cookie Mom.
Here's the breakdown for cookie proceeds.

From a $4.00 box of cookies:

$2.04+ goes to local Council activiites (training, camp, financial assistance to girls)
.65-.80 cents goes to Troop proceeds
.85 cents is the Baker's fee
.19 cents goes to the Cookie program materials and events
.12 cents goes to Girl incentives/prizes

The majority of the money stays with the girl's local council.
Operation Thin Mint sends cookies to military serving overseas ~ often, personal notes of gratitude and good wishes are sent along.

Please support your local scouts. The Girl Scout USA mission statement is "Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place."

Thank you.

[mredder4]

Help, I can't seem to find any Scouts selling in my area anymore! I'd buy them if I could find them.

[Moshe]

Thank you. This is a great cause.

And FYI folks, if you don't want the cookies, you can also just make a donation to the Troop and then they get 100%.

[irtrad17]

I never buy the cookies but just give the girls $5 or so. I appreciate that some people are nostalgic for thinmints etal, but in my opinion, they just aren't very good and are loaded with chemicals and HFCS, so keep your cookies, I'll keep giving cash. Good luck girls

[TaylorRae]

Sometimes I just have to look past the chemicals and go for the gold! I know the cookies are not as good for me as, say carrots, but I love those thin mints. Tomorrow I'll go back to the gluten-free, all natural, organic.....etc.! Today I go for the immediate satisfaction of a yummy treat! AND I'll throw in an extra donation just because.

[LynndaMaree]

I would if I knew where to purchase them? Guess I'll have to try their web site.

[johnnygoodwud]

alot of charities see very little of the donations actually going to the people who deserve it. check out the 'united way' some time. my brother was a very big shot in his day, and asked to sit on the united way board. once he saw how the offices were furnished, and how much those fat cats were skimming, he said, 'no thanks'.

[MagicalPossibilities]

Instead of selling these overpriced, mass-produced cookies, why don't they have bake sales to sell homemade baked goods instead, and keep all the money for their troop rather than having it go to the middlemen? They could also do rummage sales, craft sales, car washes, etc.
It bugs me when the PARENTS are out peddling the cookies.
The quality of the cookies has gone way down over the years. They just don't taste like they used to.

[Culturemaven]

Selling cookies is a huge fundraiser for these girls. There is no way that bake sales would generate these profits. Girls frequently do other fundraisers as well, but are required to sell the cookies because it benefits all the girls in their community. Many troops have low-income members who couldn't be a scout without council help. They live in neighborhoods where they can't sell a lot of cookies. The rest of the community of scouts helps them.

It bothers me, too, when parents sell cookies at the office. We much prefer having the girl go in herself and make a sales pitch & do the delivery. The girls learn how to interact with adults, how to calculate sales amounts, count money, etc.

The cookies taste differently now because trans fats were eliminated. Also, they introduce new cookies periodically and not all of them are that great. Those usually get culled out within a year or so.
New this year is the Dulce de Leche, which is yummy.

If you don't want to buy a box, please buy one for the military through Operation Thin Mint. The troop still gets proceeds from the sale.
Thank you!

[ATTS bb3]

Why? Because we live in a litigious society and they are smart enough to avoid lawsuits over nuts (allergies) and nuts (opportunistic crackpots). If you don't like the cookies, go elsewhere, this beats horrible candy bar sales by a mile or kilometer.

Rummage sales happen, just less frequently in frigid season.

[Eric8869]

Just no BAILOUT for them please

[classc 1]

LOL

[dnddays]

Finally Girl Scouts get their comeuppance.

[JudyMillerDubyaAgent]

lol. I agree!