Girl Scout cookies advice UPDATE Post #109

[CentralFloridian99]

Ask various stores for permission. It should help get rid of those cookies!

 

[TheSchragFamily]

Ummm, do you have Thanks-a-lots?????

 

[zurgswife]

Ummm, do you have Thanks-a-lots?????

Yeah....I'll take a case of Thanks-a-lot!!!! YUMMY!!!

 

[brookmey]

Ummm, do you have Thanks-a-lots?????

As a matter of fact, we do! Are you interested?

 

[Mandy_in_NC]

I have not seen a single Girl Scout selling cookies this year. Maybe I should be happy about that. I know my butt is happy about it.

 

[disfan07]

As a college student, I can guarantee that if word got out that someone was selling GS cookies on campus EVERYONE would make sure to have cash on them...haha

We've probably had about a dozen Girl Scouts selling cookies recently and you always see them coming onto campus with full wagons of cookies and leaving with empty wagons! They sell out! I know some people who did not have cash on them but went to them ATMs on campus just to get cash to buy GS cookies.

College students + GS cookies = sold out...hahha

 

[aprilgail2]

Not all service units do that. Our troops had to order in full cases and once you sign for them, they are yours. There is no returning full cases much less opened cases.

I would be the one organizing a boycott of all cookie booths with scout troops in that service unit- I would certainly be putting it out there for everyone to join together to change that policy-that is nuts, its a slap in the face to the kids trying to earn money for their troop to have to get stuck with cookies they didn't sell!

 

[mom2d&b]

Op--many many great suggestions on this board. Last year we were stuck with over 50 cases of unsold cookies. We messed up BIG. This year the troop only has about 12 extra cases. In order to move thru these, my daughter drafted a letter to the dentists, doctors, and ortho that our family uses that began with, xxxx is a patient of xxxx and I am a Girl Scout. It then asked for a donation so cookies could be donated to a local family shelter. We also sent out "last chance" emails and facebook messages. Another option is to have your council cookie co ordinator provide you the list of local people that use the online cookie finder. I used this list and sent out 96 emails to people in our county that were looking for cookies. I heard back from 6 people and sold about 50 boxes this way.
At your last cookie booth, put up a poster letting everyone know it is the LAST DAY to buy till next year. This motivates people to buy instead of thinking they can wait. Also have the girls at the booth mention this to everyone walking buy.
Another way we increased our sales is to have a sign on the table with the price. $4 a box or 5 boxes for $20. It was intresting to see how many thought the 5 boxes were a deal. Hey, it worked.
If there are any events in your area, fill one of those rollie carts that teachers use, and fill it full of cookies. We moved many walking around a race for the cure walk.

Good Luck

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Hi, I quickly became interested in this thread because I just got an email from my DD troop leader that we still have 174 CASES totalling over $8,000. Yes, you read that correctly, there are 3 zeros on the end of that number. Our cookie sales are officially over and all monies were due at the end of last week. Honestly, I am not sure how my DD's leader is handling the situation. If you find you need some cookies, we have plenty left

WTH? Who ordered those cookies?

I have been a cookie mom in the past and frankly I would have questioned the sources of the orders!!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I would be the one organizing a boycott of all cookie booths with scout troops in that service unit- I would certainly be putting it out there for everyone to join together to change that policy-that is nuts, its a slap in the face to the kids trying to earn money for their troop to have to get stuck with cookies they didn't sell!

You are the exception, is my guess.

I have been a leader in 2 states and a couple of different councils and it is stated CLEARLY before you ever order that cases cannot be returned. It is really not a big deal. It is a pain but you make it work.

 

[luvmy3]

There are certain dates that you can continue selling but after that you have to stop (it's usually May or June around here). You also have to pay the money in the mean time so if the cookie mom, leader or troop can't cover it, then there can be serious ramifications for the leader and cookie mom. The troop can be ban from all sales next year and whoever signed as the responsible party for the troop can be prosecuted (doesn't happen often but it can and many councils are cracking down for various reasons).

If the troop has to pay all the money by a certain date, and they are stuck with X amount of cookies, then AFAIK those cookies are theirs and they should be allowed to sell them year round to re-coup their money. I wouldn't care what the rules say about selling cookies after a specific date.
I do not agree with any of the policies you listed above. GSUSA should be working to help those troops in positions like the pp with 174 cases, not punish them for making a mistake.

 

[TheSchragFamily]

As a matter of fact, we do! Are you interested?

I am not sure how much it would cost to have them shipped!

 

[arthuruscg]

When my DD was in girl scouts (about 4 years ago) the troop kept 75cents for each box sold ($4.00 per box). I think council kept $1. per box (but I might be wrong about that).

I'm sure this varies by council, and like I said, it was several years ago.

Wow, that is a lot of work for a very little reward on the troop/ girl level. Why does the council get so much of the profits? Can a troop opt out of the cookie sales and do something on their own?

I would prefer to write the TROOP a check for $150 then to spend all that time with the cookie sales.

The BSA popcorn is expensive, outrageously expensive.

 

[Starbrite]

Well crap, too bad you're so far away! I need cookies!!! I way under-ordered this year, and they mixed up my order I wanted the tagalongs and got the other peanut butter cookies. I've been hunting for a girl scout for about 2 weeks to buy more!

 

[GillieRose]

Wow, that is a lot of work for a very little reward on the troop/ girl level. Why does the council get so much of the profits? Can a troop opt out of the cookie sales and do something on their own?

I would prefer to write the TROOP a check for $150 then to spend all that time with the cookie sales.

The BSA popcorn is expensive, outrageously expensive.

We sold $5800 worth of cookies and the troop only gets $993.00. They sold 1656 at 3.50. I believe we get .60 a box. I wish they would get more for all the time and work they spend selling cookies.

 

[msjprincess]

Our cookies are $4 a box, the troop gets $.60 a box.

 

[brookmey]

I'm not sure how much DD's troop gets, but I'm sure it's around $.60-$.75. It really isn't fair that the troops get so little because they work really hard to sell. We've got 4 cookie booths, so 4 Saturdays, and it is really tough to keep 7 year olds focused for 2-4 hours at a time selling cookies. But some of the girls (wish I could say all, but a few do nothing but fool around) really try. It is a shame they don't get more for the amount of work they put into selling and the amount of time we sacrifice as a family to help DD's troop sell.

 

[brookmey]

I am not sure how much it would cost to have them shipped!

I know, that's a problem we've run into! DD could easily sell 100-150 more cookies if we were still living in MI. DH has a huge family and they would buy some from her. I've got family who would buy and we have a lot of friends who would buy from her, too. But they're all in MI and we're in TX, so shipping becomes a factor. My parents and DH's parents bought some, but they're coming down to visit in April so I'll just send the cookies home with them. If they weren't coming down, I'd have to mail them and that would get expensive!

 

[MSLRAC]

If the troop has to pay all the money by a certain date, and they are stuck with X amount of cookies, then AFAIK those cookies are theirs and they should be allowed to sell them year round to re-coup their money. I wouldn't care what the rules say about selling cookies after a specific date.
I do not agree with any of the policies you listed above. GSUSA should be working to help those troops in positions like the pp with 174 cases, not punish them for making a mistake.

The troops know the rules going in and they sign off on them. The SU cookie managers are there for the leaders to discuss orders and help them unload what they can but if a troop orders a crazy amount for whatever reason and they are stuck with them, they have to follow the rules just like every other troop...it's part of being honest and fair. I know it stinks in many cases but that is just how it is and selling cookies outside of the sale period is a good way to be ban from all sales the next year.

 

[MSLRAC]

You are the exception, is my guess.

I have been a leader in 2 states and a couple of different councils and it is stated CLEARLY before you ever order that cases cannot be returned. It is really not a big deal. It is a pain but you make it work.

I agree that it is not a big deal and we all know the rules going in. We coach new troop leaders to just order what they need and to get booth cookies as needed from the cookie cupboard. Very few troops end up with leftovers and we usually figure out a way to transfer those over to Operation Sweet Treat cookies so it ends up being a wash.