I am glad to hear that the app is not actually for buying the cookies. But they also launched internet cookie sales last year. From the Dallas Morning News:
As the Ursuline Academy junior nears the end of her reign as one of North Texas top sellers, she has mixed feelings about parts of the Girl Scouts embrace of new, sales-boosting technology.
The organization, which launched its annual cookie sale last week, began allowing girls to offer cookies online last year and is stepping up that effort with a smartphone app. This season, the organization also is adding hand-held equipment at neighborhood booths to swipe credit cards for payment.
Jasmine, 17, said she likes that idea and expects a spike in cookie sales for those who use it.
But she has decided not to sell online and wonders about the new Cookie Locator app that sends customers to the nearest booth.
She believes some scouts might miss out on opportunities to sharpen their sales pitches and other communication skills. Those, she said, are best learned through personal interaction.
As a CPA, I don't see how an outright donation to a girl scout who is asking me to buy cookies is not appropriate?
So if I am some type of diet (celiac, diabetic, weight loss) I should go ahead and buy cookies I have no intention of eating. So the girl scout can get a 17% profit on a cookie I don't need.
Meanwhile, I could have given a donation to the girl scout troop which I could write off on my income taxes. AND the troop gets to keep 100% of my donation.
The online cookie sales (at least for those of us who use ABC) is more like an e-postcard. The girl has to email the customer. The customer goes to a link where they can pick out cookies that they would like. The girl still has to go back to get the order, print it and turn in to cookie mom. Girl also has to deliver the cookie and recieve payment on her own. The online order, simply catches the "wishes" of the person she emailed.
I stated that "I" (me personally) would not necessarily choose to make an outright cash donation to my local troops. I make no statement whether you are anyone else should feel the same way.
I describe my reasons why (you may choose to agree or disagree)
I would ask the girls what they are using the cookie money for. If it was low-income girls trying to save up for a special experience, I'd donate cash. If it was girls looking to fund their service projects, I'd donate cash. If it was girls (in my upper-middle class neighborhood) looking to pay for a party at build a bear, I would choose to order cookies. Those girls are working on goal setting, but can otherwise afford build a bear. If I did not want to eat the cookies, I would happily donate them. Many troops set up plans for their cookie share. Often they mail them to the military, give them to meals on wheels, family shelters, ronald mc donald house, food bank, etc., etc.,. I would feel that my buying the cookies would both benefit the girls (working towards their goal), as well as a charity that they feel would benefit from free cookies.
Being a troop leader to 2 troops in this area, many of my girls' families choose to put them in girl scouting for the service-to-others aspect. Our girls go to school in a gimme, gimme, world. Kids have everything they need and most nearly everything they want practically handed to them. It's easy to "get selfish" and trapped in that mindset. It's easy for a kid to take such a nice life for granted.
In my troops, we show girl scouts ways they can give service to others. So instead of thinking of ourselves, we can try to improve the world around us. Because not everyone has it so easy and lives among the white picket fences. For my girls, donating $40 of cookies would go a long way. They would work towards their goal, and they'd have a nice pile of extra cookies to add to their cookie share. My Cadettes will be donating cookies to a family homeless shelter where they will go in person to serve the cookies and milk to kids on a Friday night. They would love a $40 cookie donation.
Again, that is just my perspective from my corner of the world. No need to subscribe to it if it doesn't make the best sense to you. That is A-OK.
Either way, (chorus of girls saying) THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING GIRL SCOUTS! HAVE A GREAT DAY
, but every time I hear/read the name of the cookie, that little girl's face flashes in my mind, LOL.
