Girl scouts threaten lawsuit

[msjprincess]

The sale periods vary by council. Most NC councils have had cookies from about a month now. At this point, the mother has yet to substantiate any of the bullying claims. From what I'm hearing from a cookie manager friend in that council, the girl didn't leave the troop until the troop leader refused to take the cookies back and there were no bullying claims until the mother went to the media.

I've also heard that the mother was offered multiple ideas and suggestions and even help to rid of the extra cookies but she didn't want to have to do anything herself to move them. That is when the leader stood firm and said that the troop would not take them back and they would turn her over to council for collection if she didn't pay.

It's a bad situation no matter how you look at it but it happens every single year to some degree. Cookies are big money and with big money comes lots of problems.

Yes, our orders aren't due to council until 2/25.

 

[NCDisneyMom]

We are also selling in NC, but not near this lady. In our council, at least (I don't know if it's all of them), we are doing it differently this year. In years past, we took orders, got our cookies, delivered them and collected money, and turned it in.

This year, we have to get the cookies first, and then sell them (although I'm having dd collect orders informally, anyway). We got our first shipment of cookies on 1/17.

We were told verbally by our cookie Mom, and also signed a permission slip stating that we are responsible for the sale of any cookies that we take. No returns. Most of us are being very conservative in what we are taking, and going back for more if/when we need them. Our cookie Mom has been very good about that.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Wow that is not how it is here- if you sell 27 boxes of thin mints you get 2 cases and 3 loose boxes- no way would I take an extra 9 boxes if we had not sold them. I was cookie mom for 9 years in my daughters troop! Booth sales were easy, you went to council, handed in your paper saying you were having a booth sale, they loaded you up with a bunch of cases of each type of cookie- if you had your sale on a Saturday you had 4 or 5 days to return all the cookies you did not sell, cases and loose boxes. You never ever paid for ANYTHING you did not sell, there was no risk in doing booth sales, you never got stuck with extras!

Well that was the deal unfortunately.

You had to order the CASE in order to fill your troops order! I was a cookie mom in Texas and Missouri, both councils had the same rules.

We were never allowed to return cookies, ever. If you took some for booth sales, you had to sell them.

 

[MSLRAC]

Well that was the deal unfortunately.

You had to order the CASE in order to fill your troops order! I was a cookie mom in Texas and Missouri, both councils had the same rules.

We were never allowed to return cookies, ever. If you took some for booth sales, you had to sell them.

Our troops have to order full cases but we don't make the girls order full cases. It's easier for a troop as a whole to have extra then for each girl to have extra. The troop can do booths, donate them for operation sweet treat (or similar programs), or have them transferred to another troop that wants them.

Our council does not allow returns on any level either. I honestly didn't even know that some areas where allowed to do that until last year when someone mentioned doing it here.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Our troops have to order full cases but we don't make the girls order full cases. It's easier for a troop as a whole to have extra then for each girl to have extra. The troop can do booths, donate them for operation sweet treat (or similar programs), or have them transferred to another troop that wants them.

Our council does not allow returns on any level either. I honestly didn't even know that some areas where allowed to do that until last year when someone mentioned doing it here.

I was speaking as a cookie mom, sorry if I was not clear. You had to fill the troop's order by ordering by case. Same deal as you.

I am amazed that council's allow returns. I also never heard of that until I read it here.

I found it easy to get rid of cookies as well.

That is why I am questioning the troop in the OP. I mean if you have someone "ditch their order" you can find a way to get rid of the cookies either through a booth or even "selling" to other troops.

We also traded cookies with each other among other troops in order to get around the "rules" to help each other out.

It does happen and you have to be prepared as a troop to handle it. It builds character.

 

[shortbun]

I could eat that many. Maybe not in one sitting, but I could do it.

I could too! Why not sit at the grocery and sell them as people come out?

 

[msjprincess]

I could too! Why not sit at the grocery and sell them as people come out?

I don't how it works other places but here, you need permission from the store and you need to arrange it through the Service Unit Cookie Coordinator. But we are allowed to have "Walk About Weekends" where you go door to door selling cookies. I'm not sure if that needs to be arranged through anyone.

And believe me people will rat you out to council if they see you selling where youre not supposed to be selling.

 

[NaLisa]

Remember to thank your troop cookie mom! Fourth year doing it. Our cookies are due to arrive in two weeks and I'm already exhausted. I took the council "training" in early December; picked up our troop materials in late December; ran a parent, troop leader and girl training meeting in early January; put together info packages for each girl; distributed and collected permission slips, order cards, etc.; inputted all contact info for troop in online system; emailed parents reminder emails about deadlines; accepted initial orders from each girl; inputted orders and recognitions into online system; met with service unit cookie manager three times for picking up and turning in materials; selected booths for the troop (lottery system, so finally got all our booths picked after four rounds); worked with the church troop manager (five troops at this church) and was assigned booths at Sunday services (we'll sell almost no cookies there, but we're obligated to work a couple to "thank" the church for hosting us); and emailed service unit cookie manager several times when online system wasn't working properly. Oh yeah, and helped my daughter sell cookies. The cookies will arrive in two weeks and then it will REALLY get busy--receiving, sorting and distributing thousands of boxes of cookies, lots of record keeping and data entry, delivering cookies to booths, working the booths then bringing home unsold cookies, deposits into council and troop accounts, submitting lots of paperwork, and the list goes on and on.

So I would be VERY UNHAPPY if one mom said nevermind, she didn't want her nearly 300 boxes of cookies after all and will I take them back?

My take is that this mom ran to the media because she didn't want to live up to her obligations. Theoretically, she took orders for those 288 boxes of cookies and promised to deliver the cookies to customers when the cookies arrived. So she's not only doing a disservice to the troop and council, but also to the people whose orders she took. They're waiting for the cute little girl to deliver the cookies they ordered a month or so ago! The troop is on the hook to the council for the cost of the cookies, and the council is on the hook to the baker, so why should the mom be let off the hook?

One of my biggest issues with the cookie sale is the inconsistency in different regions and from council to council, and inside our local council, from service unit to service unit. For heaven's sake, the cookies aren't even called the same thing in the same state! There are two different bakers and for some stupid reason, the national council has allowed them to name most of the cookies two different things. Samoas=Caramel Delights, Do-Di-Dos=Peanut Butter Sandwich, Tagalongs=Peanut Butter Patties, Trefoils=Shortbread. Our council/baker doesn't sell the Savannah Smiles, Dulce La Leche, Chocolate Chip Shortbread or Thank You Berry Munch.

And don't even get me started on the pension plan, the infighting between local councils and the national organization, or the fact that Girl Scout camps and other facilities are being shut down and sold left and right. Do we really want our girls learning "financial literacy" from an organization that has been so poorly mismanaged?

Thank goodness for tireless volunteers who still make Girl Scouting a great experience. But if the organization continues to throw up roadblocks, add to the already ridiculous amount of red tape and further increase the workload placed on volunteers while offering fewer and fewer benefits to girls, membership and volunteers will continue to decline.

 

[marius97]

I don't how it works other places but here, you need permission from the store and you need to arrange it through the Service Unit Cookie Coordinator. But we are allowed to have "Walk About Weekends" where you go door to door selling cookies. I'm not sure if that needs to be arranged through anyone.

And believe me people will rat you out to council if they see you selling where youre not supposed to be selling.

Since she quit, she can dispose of the cookies however she wants. She would still need permission of the store, but she no longer needs the okay of her local council to set up at a gas station or the local hardware store or go out on her own to sell door-to-door. As long as she pays the money, the council has to legal right to tell her how to do it anymore. The only power they have over her to control how she sells, is to threaten her with kicking her out of the troop if she breaks the rules. Obviously, that won't work anymore.

 

[kathie859]

Since she quit, she can dispose of the cookies however she wants. She would still need permission of the store, but she no longer needs the okay of her local council to set up at a gas station or the local hardware store or go out on her own to sell door-to-door. As long as she pays the money, the council has to legal right to tell her how to do it anymore. The only power they have over her to control how she sells, is to threaten her with kicking her out of the troop if she breaks the rules. Obviously, that won't work anymore.

I'm not sure I agree with this. What if the Mom decides to set up a booth at a strip club/gentleman's club/druggie hangout all in the name of Girl Scouting? Seems to me any organization has the right to monitor and enforce how they want their brand represented.

NaLisa: I remember the first year I was the neighborhood cookie chair.. We moved the family room furniture to one side of our large family room and I about died when a semi pulled up in front of my house and started to offload the cookies. It was a lot of work but a lot of fun and the troop earned enough money over the years to defer summer camp fees and to assist with a trip to Washington, D. C.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Since she quit, she can dispose of the cookies however she wants. She would still need permission of the store, but she no longer needs the okay of her local council to set up at a gas station or the local hardware store or go out on her own to sell door-to-door. As long as she pays the money, the council has to legal right to tell her how to do it anymore. The only power they have over her to control how she sells, is to threaten her with kicking her out of the troop if she breaks the rules. Obviously, that won't work anymore.

Most business do not allow just any random person to stand on their property selling whatever they want. They grant special permission to Girl and Boy Scout councils or neighborhoods, etc. If this woman decided to just who up on her own, without permission, she could easily find herself being cited for trespassing.

 

[MSLRAC]

The council has made arrangements to take back the remaining cookies. As long as the mother has cookies/money to account for all the cookies she took, then this should be over at that point.

 

[NaLisa]

The council has made arrangements to take back the remaining cookies. As long as the mother has cookies/money to account for all the cookies she took, then this should be over at that point.

Well that's going to open a hornet's nest. What's going to happen when other girls and troops have unsold cookies? Now there's a precedent for the council to accept returns of unsold cookies. Very short-sighted on the part of the council. I would NOT be happy if I were another troop in that council and our unsold cookies came out of our troop profits while this family was rewarded and not held responsible because the family went to the media.

 

[MSLRAC]

Well that's going to open a hornet's nest. What's going to happen when other girls and troops have unsold cookies? Now there's a precedent for the council to accept returns of unsold cookies. Very short-sighted on the part of the council. I would NOT be happy if I were another troop in that council and our unsold cookies came out of our troop profits while this family was rewarded and not held responsible because the family went to the media.

Stuff like this happens every single year to some degree. You just don't usually hear about it. Most councils will work with any parent or troop that has cookies left especially when there is still plenty of time to sale the cookies. This isn't an ideal situation but it happens. And it doesn't become a hornet's nest because when cookies do have to come back, the girl or troop isn't allowed to sale again.

 

[North of Mouse]

Remember to thank your troop cookie mom! Fourth year doing it. Our cookies are due to arrive in two weeks and I'm already exhausted. I took the council "training" in early December; picked up our troop materials in late December; ran a parent, troop leader and girl training meeting in early January; put together info packages for each girl; distributed and collected permission slips, order cards, etc.; inputted all contact info for troop in online system; emailed parents reminder emails about deadlines; accepted initial orders from each girl; inputted orders and recognitions into online system; met with service unit cookie manager three times for picking up and turning in materials; selected booths for the troop (lottery system, so finally got all our booths picked after four rounds); worked with the church troop manager (five troops at this church) and was assigned booths at Sunday services (we'll sell almost no cookies there, but we're obligated to work a couple to "thank" the church for hosting us); and emailed service unit cookie manager several times when online system wasn't working properly. Oh yeah, and helped my daughter sell cookies. The cookies will arrive in two weeks and then it will REALLY get busy--receiving, sorting and distributing thousands of boxes of cookies, lots of record keeping and data entry, delivering cookies to booths, working the booths then bringing home unsold cookies, deposits into council and troop accounts, submitting lots of paperwork, and the list goes on and on.

So I would be VERY UNHAPPY if one mom said nevermind, she didn't want her nearly 300 boxes of cookies after all and will I take them back?

My take is that this mom ran to the media because she didn't want to live up to her obligations. Theoretically, she took orders for those 288 boxes of cookies and promised to deliver the cookies to customers when the cookies arrived. So she's not only doing a disservice to the troop and council, but also to the people whose orders she took. They're waiting for the cute little girl to deliver the cookies they ordered a month or so ago! The troop is on the hook to the council for the cost of the cookies, and the council is on the hook to the baker, so why should the mom be let off the hook?

One of my biggest issues with the cookie sale is the inconsistency in different regions and from council to council, and inside our local council, from service unit to service unit. For heaven's sake, the cookies aren't even called the same thing in the same state! There are two different bakers and for some stupid reason, the national council has allowed them to name most of the cookies two different things. Samoas=Caramel Delights, Do-Di-Dos=Peanut Butter Sandwich, Tagalongs=Peanut Butter Patties, Trefoils=Shortbread. Our council/baker doesn't sell the Savannah Smiles, Dulce La Leche, Chocolate Chip Shortbread or Thank You Berry Munch.

And don't even get me started on the pension plan, the infighting between local councils and the national organization, or the fact that Girl Scout camps and other facilities are being shut down and sold left and right. Do we really want our girls learning "financial literacy" from an organization that has been so poorly mismanaged?

Thank goodness for tireless volunteers who still make Girl Scouting a great experience. But if the organization continues to throw up roadblocks, add to the already ridiculous amount of red tape and further increase the workload placed on volunteers while offering fewer and fewer benefits to girls, membership and volunteers will continue to decline.

This is a 'very' 'negative', but informative post from someone that is on the 'inside' and knows what the 'true' story is that is on going on within the GS.

Is there no wonder that this is the way a lot of us are 'seeing' GS in the same light, yet , on this thread are still being told how great they are, and none of the things we have been hearing is true?? You just confirmed it as someone that is 'worked to death' volunteering while being treated so shabby by the company!

 

[KennesawNemo]

This type of thing happens in EVERY organization - sports, band, PTO, boy scouts, church groups... you name it. You ask kids/parents to sell a product, the kids/parents take the product but don't pay for it. Then you're on the hook for the money.

When I run a fundraiser like that, I tell people I want cash (no check!) up front before I'll give them the product. The problem is, the Girl Scouts Organization says you can't do that. They make the troops let the girls take cookies and hope they pay for them.

Which reason?

I mean I do not like how the GS's operate the cookie sales, but nothing you can do if you want to make money off cookies.

As a leader/cookie mom, I would not want the troop punished for another girl's abandonment of her cookies.

It is pretty easy to sell them actually.

You know going in that you might have an issue, you never know. That is why you make sure you do cookie booths.

As I got more experienced, you got better at ordering, booths, etc...

The way the councils I have been in operated was you had to buy by the case, so you ALWAYS had cookies that were extra you HAD to sell.

I won't put my kid in scouts because it requires selling.

DS8 is in a lot activities. Art, sport, music and chess. None of these requires selling anything. I pay a fee and I am done. I intentionally choose all ctivities so that no selling will be rqueired.

It is just a personal preference and there is nothing wrong if you put your kids in activities/groups that require selling. I also understand the benefit of envolving kids in selling.

I just choose not to with my kids.

 

[msjprincess]

I won't put my kid in scouts because it requires selling.

DS8 is in a lot activities. Art, sport, music and chess. None of these requires selling anything. I pay a fee and I am done. I intentionally choose all ctivities so that no selling will be rqueired.

It is just a personal preference and there is nothing wrong if you put your kids in activities/groups that require selling. I also understand the benefit of envolving kids in selling.

I just choose not to with my kids.

All 3 of my kids are in scouts and none of them are required to sell. As a Troop leader I have to give out the forms to give the parents the option of selling. But they do whatever they want once they get the forms.

 

[KennesawNemo]

All 3 of my kids are in scouts and none of them are required to sell. As a Troop leader I have to give out the forms to give the parents the option of selling. But they do whatever they want once they get the forms.

If I am in an organization, I don't want to opt out of an activity that most of the members do.

Also, I said one of the reasons so there are other reasons as well, which really is unrelated to this topic. I am not GS bashing. It's my personal choice.

 

[marius97]

Most business do not allow just any random person to stand on their property selling whatever they want. They grant special permission to Girl and Boy Scout councils or neighborhoods, etc. If this woman decided to just who up on her own, without permission, she could easily find herself being cited for trespassing.

That is why I said in my original message that she would need to seek permission from the store before setting up a booth.

 

[marius97]

I'm not sure I agree with this. What if the Mom decides to set up a booth at a strip club/gentleman's club/druggie hangout all in the name of Girl Scouting? Seems to me any organization has the right to monitor and enforce how they want their brand represented.

The question arises as to if legal title to the cookies changed to the mom or not (I would think that it did.) If title did change, then she is free to do with them as she pleases. Suppliers (the Girl Scouts) have no legal mandate to set prices or conditions on the sale of their goods. Many will set a minimum advertised price, that stores will generally follow because they don't want to lose their account with the supplier. But if a store wants to say "forget it" and does not care about no longer having access to the goods, then they can sell in any manner that they want. I know of a store that broke a minimum advertised price for a company that strictly monitors the prices. They only did this by offering 20% off on all goods to military families. The company closed the account so the store made a statement by blowing out all the merchandise at pennies on the dollar.