Girl Scout Cookie Season?

[MsMulan]

Thanks for all the replies! I was pretty sure it was earlier in the year rather than later. We haven't pre-ordered (didn't know we could..) so I guess we'll have to wait and maybe find a local council. I only get a couple of boxes, and freeze them for later in the year I also love that Edy's ice cream makes samoa and thin mint ice creams.. Also, I was once lucky enough to walk into a milwaukee frozen custard, a day or so after they had made samoa ice cream, heavenly!

Thanks again,
--Heather

Heather,

I sent you a PM on the cookies!

-Cheri

 

[Franne]

Yes, our cookies were $3 a box till this year. It was great because I work in NY and there it was $4 a box so I made out for the troop really well! This year they went up because of rising costs of the bakers. Also we (our troop) gets to keep .60 cents per box as compared to .50 cents before. We sold as many as last year, so I guess that the extra 50 cents didn't matter too much!
Franne

 

[WDWMom]

Our prices went up this year too from $3 to $3.50. Our troop profit went up too - .35 to .50. Just about all of west MI did except for one council (we won't mention which one Deb ).

Still sold just as many as last year so I won't complain since the trrop gets to keep more. We do have pinatas. DD loves them but they are too dry for me.

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Yea, but our profits have been at .42 - .48 per box for as long as I can remember now, plus we get extra as SENIORS instead of the stuffed animals and such.

The range is based on meeting goals. This year the per girl selling goal is 100 boxes. Base profit is .42, if the troop meets goal add 2 cents, service unit add 2 cents, council add 2 cents.

Deb

 

[Mom2Ashli]

I just received my 7 boxes of cookies today....

 

[Franne]

Yea, but our profits have been at .42 - .48 per box for as long as I can remember now, plus we get extra as SENIORS instead of the stuffed animals and such.

The range is based on meeting goals. This year the per girl selling goal is 100 boxes. Base profit is .42, if the troop meets goal add 2 cents, service unit add 2 cents, council add 2 cents.

Deb

It's so strange that they would have such different profits in different parts of the country.
We get .60 cents per box and if your troop averages over 80 boxes per girls you get an additional 10 cents a box, and then as the averages get higher, the more you get back.
Also, Cadettes and Seniors can take $1 for each box (instead of the 60 cents for the troop) to go toward their individual wider ops instead of taking the stuffed animals and such.
You would think they would have it all aligned and every council gets the same thing.
Franne

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Good insights Franne. However, this is an issue that national leaves up to the councils based on their particular needs. There are some stipulations, a certain percentage, at least one of the 8 cookies offered has to be low or no fat, the two authorized cookie suppliers must provide the support materials (order forms, etc) as part of their contract, and national gets their portion from the supplier.

So in our council the breakdown is as follows (based on the most recent info I have at work at the moment):

Sale price: $3.00 per box

Sale administration: $.10 (this is the payment to the warehouse that receives, breaks down, and distributes the orders to the service units from Little Brownie)

Direct troop proft: $.42

Sale incentives: $.15 + up to $.06 (this is the additional profit, cash, or prizes)

Payment to Little Brownie Bakers: $.90

This leaves $1.37 per box. This money is broken up at the council level for scholarships (camp, girls who can't afford registration & dues, etc), partial payment of various activities and Destinations (the name for Wider Ops now). For instance, I know girls who have received as much as 70% of their summer camp fees paid for based on financial need. Four of the girls in my troop will spend a week as Honor Scouts in service position on Mackinac Island this summer and our council pays half the fee ($77.50 this year). Older girls have several interest groups in which they can participate ranging from travel to philanthropy to horses and these funds offset some of the costs involved in those. Most of the council events/activities will have minimal costs with much of the expense underwritten from these funds. For instance in June there will be a Cadette/Senior awards ceremony and part of the cost is paid for as are many of the awards these older girls receive for their achievements.

That $1.37 may not be used to pay salaries, administrative costs, or to augment adult training in any way. Our council board of directors has determined that distributing the funds in this way provides the broadest benefit to the most girls in our 4 county, roughly 4000 girl council.

(P.S. If you have other questions let me know - I have gathered a fair bit of information on this mix as I use it in my principles of marketing class, in addition to being a troop leader, former service unit cookie chair and former council cookie committee member!)

Deb

 

[Franne]

Wow!! You sure know your cookie facts!! As long as the largest portion goes toward the girls that's the important part.
When we did our cookie badge, we used the breakdown our council uses to show the girls how the money is broken up. I think the girls were suprised and they saw how the inner workings of the cookie world work! And of course they reap the results every year..this year we finally have enough saved to go for a weekend to Rocking Horse Ranch. The girls will have a great time and it's all because of COOKIES!
Franne

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Mine are also well aware of how it works. For the past 3 years we have been accumulating half of our profits from cookies and fall product sales towards a trip to Europe in 2007. They know they will need to do additional fund raising but its a start.

Deb