Every year around this time, my social media feed is bombarded with “buy ___’s cookies!” with a corresponding link. While I appreciate the enthusiasm of troop moms, I won’t so much as click on a link on principle. You see, I was an avid Girl Scout Cookie saleswoman back in the day and this new automatization of the process is problematic to me, to say the least. Before I delve in to that, though, allow me to give you a little bit of background.
Troop 515
I joined Troop 515 at the ripe age of six. To this day, I remember showing up to school in my Brownie uniform and meeting two of my troop mates at recess… It’s funny how random things stick in your head. We met in the church basement for years, went on many outings, “camped” (in luxurious cabins, but still), and remain friends today. Our moms are better friends than we are and, even though the Brownies are now in our mid-thirties, still refer to themselves at The Brownie Moms. Old habits die hard.
When Girl Scout Cookie time rolled around, I was very enthusiastic. I remember thumbing through the prize catalog, determined to earn something to remember my hard work (alas, my mom often made me use it on cookie credit… lame). In second grade, I was THRILLED to have earned the coveted bumble bee tee shirt. The weeks of calling my parent’s friends for orders, peddling the cookies door to door, and selling them outside grocery stores had paid off and I was so proud of myself.
Cookie sales today
I could write volumes about how much the Internet has destroyed society, but I think Girl Scout Cookie sales is the most pertinent to today… Obviously I’m being hyperbolic, but STILL. I counted FOUR well-intentioned moms sharing their daughter’s cookie links. If I were to buy from said link, I would have precisely zero interaction with her daughter, which is completely and utterly the point of “Girl Scout Cookie Time.” The Girl Scouts webpage says:
For more than 100 years, Girl Scouts and their enthusiastic supporters have helped ensure the success of the iconic annual cookie sale—and they’ve had fun, developed valuable life skills, and made their communities a better place every step of the way.”
Are there enthusiastic supporters? Yes. Is sharing a link fun? No. Does sharing a link develop life skills? No. Does sharing a link make communities a better place? Um, no.
The Point of Selling Girl Scout Cookies
No joke, I credit my entrepreneurial spirit to my years of cookie sales (and school candy bar sales, but that’s a story for a different time). I learned how to reach goals, combatted my fear of cold calling, and solidified my math skills. While the Girl Scouts organization poses that today’s scouts are learning about entrepreneurship, I think these well-intentioned link sharing moms are making their daughters miss out on an immeasurably valuable opportunity.
How to do Girl Scout Cookie sales the right way.
It should be no surprise that I vehemently am opposed to many things the Girl Scouts organization now stands for. Despite my fond memories of the organization, I simply cannot support them. From partnering with Planned Parenthood to snubbing Justice Amy Coney Barrett on social media, they have deeply veered from the Pollyanna-ish organization of the yesteryear.
That being said, however, I would never say no to a cold call from your daughter or from an ambitious salesgirl outside a grocery store. These young ladies are showing that they themselves (not their link-sharing moms) care about their troop’s financial success. Even though I can’t support the organization overall, I can and am happy to support your daughter… Just not you making their lives too easy.
Hey I love Girl Scout cookies!
Haha, I do too! Thanks for reading, Balzy 🙂
Boooooo