Girl Scouts Have Millions of Unsold Cookies as Pandemic Takes a Bite Out of Sales

[Wicked Blue]

By Dee-ann Durbin
NBC News

The Girl Scouts have an unusual problem this year: 15 million boxes of unsold cookies.

The 109-year-old organization says the coronavirus — not thinner demand for Thin Mints — is the main culprit. As the pandemic wore into the spring selling season, many troops nixed their traditional cookie booths for safety reasons.

“This is unfortunate, but given this is a girl-driven program and the majority of cookies are sold in-person, it was to be expected,” said Kelly Parisi, a spokeswoman for Girl Scouts of the USA.

The impact will be felt by local councils and troops, who depend on the cookie sales to fund programming, travel, camps and other activities. The Girl Scouts normally sell around 200 million boxes of cookies per year, or around $800 million worth.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/girl-scouts-have-millions-of-unsold-cookies-as-pandemic-takes-a-bite-out-of-sales/2700674/

[NoMoreRepugs]

1. Discounts maybe??? Run em thru Amazon??

Suffering from lack of sugar here.

[mnhtnbb]

13. You can get them on Amazon for about double the price.

And there's no guarantee that extra $$ will go to the Girl Scouts.

[underpants]

2. 14.5 Million are Trefoils

[happybird]

4. How dare you speak ill of my beloved Trefoils!!

They are so good with a cup of coffee or tea, and you still get two full sleeves in a box when the price on GS cookies keeps going up and the quantities keep getting smaller.

I saw an episode of Frontline many years ago about how the GS Council keeps most of the money (they have offices on Park Ave) and the home troop of the girls who sold the cookies only get pennies per box. I always buy a couple of boxes because I can’t turn down any kid selling stuff but, ugh.

[TwilightZone]

8. Not quite.

"Each Girl Scout council operates its own cookie sale. Approximately 70% of the proceeds stay in the local Girl Scout council to support Girl Scouting in that area, including a portion, approximately 15%, that goes directly to the group selling the cookies.[25][12] The profits are divided by a formula, with local troops receiving about 10-15% of the retail price, the council more than 50%, and the manufacturer the remainder."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_Scout_Cookies#Profits

The local councils keep most of the proceeds, not the main org.

[catrose]

3. I bought some online from a Girl Scout in Hawaii

We can get those 15 million sold before their expiration date.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. As a former cookie dad, this is upsetting

[jimfields33]

7. I used to get them but they

have fallen for the shrinkish crap. Cut the number of cookies but tripled the price. No thanks. Such a greedy move.

[Nittersing]

6. The Do-Si-Dos I got this year were horrible

The cookie part was bland. Not at all like what I've had in the past. And on half of them, the stamped side was flipped to the inside...

I would have been happy to order more to help with the surplus, but not this years version.

[haele]

9. I saw lots of SUVs with Q-codes for girl scout cookies online ordering driving around

My granddaughter's troops don't sell cookies. But we can order them online if we want.

Haele

[cbabe]

10. Palm oil sourced using child labor

is used in Girl Scout cookies.

Palm tree plantations are a prime reason for rain forest destruction.

Olivia Chaffin, a rural Tennessee Girl Scout, is leading the way on this.

Good trouble.

[rickford66]

11. Bought online in NY twice since the pandemic hit.

They give discounts for multiple boxes and delivery is quick. I bought 10 boxes each time and freeze them.

[3catwoman3]

12. I've read that some enterprising troops are setting up...

…in front of marijuana dispensaries, and finding business to be good.