Girl Scout cookies advice UPDATE Post #109

[aprilgail2]

You do not need approval from your council or anyone else to have another cookie booth. You only need permission from the business where you would like to have your booth.!!

That is not true- we have to have all cookie booths cleared through the service unit and they arrange with the businesses that you want to have it at. We can't just arrange on our own where we are having one.

 

[Magic Mom]

No, we don't really need the leader's approval, but she has a pretty strong personality and the cookie mom does not, so I think the cookie mom is having trouble doing things without the leader's approval. The leader and her daughter can be intimidating, so I think they're used to having things done their way. I'm not intimidated by strong personalities and either is DD, so I think our addition has thrown off troop dynamics. The troop has been together since Daisies and DD is new this year. I've been very careful about what I say and how I present my ideas, but I'm also not going to sit back and do everything the leader says without exploring other possibilities.

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Not to defend the leader (it seems she has made some mistakes), but she may be aware of rules that you and the cookie mom aren't. I know sometimes parents would look at me like I was crazy for doing things a certain way, but I was just following the council guidelines (even if the guidelines were flat out stupid.)

Good luck in becoming a leader. I loved it, but it was often very difficult. Go to every training you can. Find a good co-leader and I suggest you limit the number of girls you take the first year to about 10 MAX. Your service unit might try to get to to take more, but be firm.

 

[hereyago]

om everyone!



The leader does not like the idea of setting up a booth at the local community college. She said she's done doing booths (her daughter refuses to work them because they're boring) so she prefers dividing the boxes amongst the girls, but I flat out told her that won't work for DD and I won't agree to that. I don't want to have to be responsible for any extra boxes.

The leader doesn't agree with any other suggestions, so right now the 2 are in a little war, with me kind of in the middle. The rest of the moms haven't said a word, so I don't know where they stand. Troop meeting is tomorrow, so we'll see what happens!

That would be my LAST troop meeting and I would let them know why. From the cookie mom ordering way too much-was this her first time doing it? to the "leader" who gives special treatment and lets her child essentially call the shots in regards of what SHE will or won't do as part of the troop.

 

[ehstrojette]

any updates on selling those cookies??

How did the meeting go also?

 

[bearloch]

depends on state what the troop is allowed to do but you must tell someone in GS where your troop will be.. NOW I have mothers and girls selling cookies at a store with out the entire troop participating. th cookie leader and a few girls/ moms may choose to do that with out leaders help. BUT dont kill yourselves selling these cause if the leader wont help why help her fatten troop accout??? return as many as you can/ trade/ sll to other troops! also a good idea is if ou are near a mlitary base the men there usually enjoy buying cookes and paydayis the 15th!! also college is good idea no matter what leader said. I was a leader and if the cookies dont ome out righ ( owe $) ETC the troop budget will have to cover the diff DO NT LET THE COOKIE MOM PAY UNTLL TROOP MONEY IS GONE!
also try asking at local hospital if u can have a booth there! good luck

 

[WDWMom]

I'm coming to the party late and haven't read all the responses, but this is what I have seen happen.

When troops over by they will often sell their overage to other troos; usually at cost so the troops selling makes the profit. So your cookie mom should make sure all the other cookie moms know that you have lots of cookies. It can even be to another service unit in a nearby town. Someone from council should be able to help you.

I have sold cookies at garage sales for years. They go over well, just make sure they are in the shade but clearly visible. I think one year we sold over 30 boxes.

Take those cookies to any sporting event and just put up a card table and a sign. I bet you sell them.

Ask a business if they would put them on the counter and sell for you. We had a local restaurant do that for us one year when we helped another troop sell their overage. They gave us the cash when we delivered the cookies. Not sure how long it took them to sell, but we never heard back.

Hope this helps.

 

[TLuvsD]

Wow. I know it's been a while since this started, but I've been doing Girl Scout Cookie sales for 12 years. I am on the Product Committee for our Council, I'm the SU Cookie Mgr and I manage the Cookie Sale for D's troop.

Each Council/Service Unit is a little different, but a phone call to the Council Product department should result in help. They may not take all the cookies back, but they should help you "swap" the cookies into troops who need them. If troops sell Cookie Share (cookies for donations), they may be willing to take your cookies for donation (some councils use "virtual" cookies for this. You may have to deliver the cookies somewhere, but they would be paid for...) You can also call your Council for help regarding the Leader's daughter issues (although I think you are on the right track with considering a new troop). There is likely a Service Unit Cookie Manager in your local area who can help. Some are more experienced than others, but it's a resource. Tell every Girl Scout person you know about the situation, now is not the time to hid the situation. In general, Girl Scouts are helpful, get the word to the right person and thing should improve.

I hope this isn't too late to help. Feel free to pm if I can help.

 

[NEDisneyFans]

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.

Check with your local council -- our council uses cookie revenues to maintain camp properties year-round and keep program fees down. Your money is buying more than cookies!

Most councils require troops to participate in the Cookie Sale to be allowed to do any other fundraising.

 

[brookmey]

OP here, update on our cookie situation:

Last Friday was DD's troop meeting, but we didn't go. We got some major rain on Friday and our cul de sac and the main road I would take to the meeting were flooded. Our last cookie booth was scheduled for this past Saturday and that was cancelled due to the weather. We pretty much had nonstop rain and thunder all day Saturday.

So, now we have 2 extra booths next week, one on the 23rd and another on the 24th. The 23rd will be tricky since it's 4-6 pm and the girls don't get out of school until 3:40. Not quite sure how we're going to be there for 4 pm, but I'm glad we have another. It's at Bass Pro Shops at the mall, so I'm hoping that will get us some business. That store can get pretty busy on Friday nights.

Saturday the 24th our booth is at a grocery store, but it's from 6-8 pm. I'm not sure if we're going since we have an already jam packed Saturday. DS has a soccer game, then DD has a 3 hour 1st Communion workshop, then a birthday party we can't miss, then the cookie booth. In the past when we've had days like that, DD was pretty surly by dinnertime. I'm not sure how cute and irresistable she'd be!

She's also all set to sell at our garage sale Saturday. She's pretty excited and made a huge poster to put on her table.

The leader isn't too happy about the booths, but the cookie mom point blank told her that since she was the one who insisted that the cookie mom order more cookies than usual this year (leader said she'd rather have too many than not enough, I just found out about this today), the leader needs to be flexible and go the extra mile to sell the cookies as a troop. The cookie mom is a pretty quiet, timid person, so I'm glad she stood up to the leader.

Lots of drama, but I think that's inevitable when you have an alpha mom and daughter who insist on everything being done their way, and a couple of rebels (as the cookie mom calls DD and I) who challenge the leader by suggesting different alternatives to the cookie situation. The cookie mom actually told me today that she's glad a rebel joined their troop because it needed some shaking up! Pretty funny considering I'm really not one who likes to rock the boat!

 

[Miss Peach]

I am glad you are still working this out.

When cookie season is over, take a moment to watch "Troop Beverly Hills"--it sounds like your leader might be related to Velda Plender!!!

 

[Albort]

The girl scout that usually goes door to door selling didnt knock this year... Must have ran out of stock since all the cookies went to brookmey's troop...

 

[leebee]

DD18 was a girl scout for 10 years; I have been one for 32 years. We've sold our fair share of cookies, and then some! DD now goes to college here in town. She was home briefly tonight, and discovered that our cookies were in. She took 5 boxes back to her dorm at 9pm; emailed at 10:30 to say they'd all been eaten, and asked if I knew where her dorm mates could buy their own boxes.

SELL THE COOKIES AT THE COLLEGE!!! They'll go like wildfire!

Also... if you are going to sell your cookies after the official cookie sale dates, check with your council. The dates when troops can sell things are very regulated around here- or at least they were 10 years ago, when I was involved in the service unit management. Troops can't have "private" sales during the times of the fall product and council cookie sales, and nobody can sell anything during the United Way's fundraising campaigns, as they are the biggest supporters of GSUSA and it'd be directly competing, or something like that. And as I said...

SELL THE COOKIES AT THE COLLEGE!!! The heck with what the troop leader wants to do; there's no way I'd take on 80 boxes of cookies that I didn't order. Who care what the troop leader wants... you need to sell those cookies!

 

[brookmey]

The girl scout that usually goes door to door selling didnt knock this year... Must have ran out of stock since all the cookies went to brookmey's troop...

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

The girl scout that usually goes door to door selling didnt knock this year... Must have ran out of stock since all the cookies went to brookmey's troop...

Well... my dd is selling and would happy to bring some to DL to you...the problem is we can't find you!

 

[Albort]

Well... my dd is selling and would happy to bring some to DL to you...the problem is we can't find you!

lol. I no longer work for at Disneyland. So its a bit impossible to find me...

 

[TLuvsD]

If booth sales are still going on in your area, call your Service Unit Cookie Manager (as the troop cookie manager for the name) and let her know what's going on. She can then have troops looking for cookies call and ask if your troop has any "extras" that someone can use. With the weather situation, many troops may have "extras", but it's worth a call. And the SU Cookie manager needs to know the situation. I'd call the Council as well, but I may be a bigger rebel (and yes, that's how I ended up on the Product Committee for our Council).
The garage sale usually works well.