Jan 08 2010

My Gripe With GirlScout Cookie Time

Published by at 9:10 am under Hmmmm...,Kids

Miss A is a Daisy Girl Scout, which I don’t think they had around when I was her age (I was a Brownie, which now doesn’t start until 2nd grade).

As a homechool kid, it took some effort to get her involved in a troop – last year I was lucky enough to know another homeschool mom who was a troop leader and invited Aishtyn into the troop. This year that wasn’t an option, so I begged our way into another friend’s troop. It’s a good thing, because the charter school Miss A was just accepted into doesn’t have a Girl Scout troop either.

I love Girl Scouts, Miss A makes new friends, learns how to be a good citizen, and has fun doing all sorts of activities and crafts. (Like Christmas Caroling with these really cool home-made flame-less “candles” I have to show you how they made these sometime, they are really neat!)

This year, Miss A will take part in that classic Girl Scout tradition – COOKIE SELLING.

My idea of selling Girl Scout cookies involved setting up shop in front of a bookstore or StarBucks and letting the incredibly charming Miss A sell away.

Apparently, you can’t do that. To sell in commercial locations, the whole troop needs to be involved.

Plan B: the plan I think many girls implement – is to give the list to their parents to take to work. Um…no…there is no way the husband is pimping cookies at work. I know him, and he just won’t do it. (Thanks Dad, for helping me sell enough cookies when I was a kid to stack boxes higher than my head!)

Brownie Melonie edit

So I guess it will have to be the “classic” method. Door to door solicitation. Which would be fine except for the fact that we live in the MidWest and it’s the start of January.

And therein lies my gripe with Girl Scout Cookie time.

Aside from asking girls to trek through snow and subzero temps to peddle Peanut Butter Patties, I question the wisdom of this choice for other reasons.

January? Really?

What makes you think that trying to sell people cookies the same week they are all making resolutions to lose weight and eat healthy is a good idea? Everyone just dropped all their extra cash on a gym membership or fancy piece of exercise equipment…they will have no dough left for a $4 box of Tag-a-whatevers!

And if they didn’t spend money on the above, they are probably still broke from the holidays. Not to mention completely cookied out from all the seasonal goodies and treats.

This is Miss A’s first year, so maybe I am unaware – do they sell cookies again at other times of the year?

And just to clarify, I love Girl Scouts, this is not a negative comment on them – it’s just one mom’s gripe.

Now, who wants to buy some cookies?

5 responses so far

5 Responses to “My Gripe With GirlScout Cookie Time”

  1. Shelleyon 09 Jan 2010 at 7:51 pm

    When I was a leader for Maddi, it was the same awful thing. We were told it was because it could not conflict with the timing of the United Way campaign because UW was a big contributor to GSUSA. The door to door cookies are delivered end of Feb, beginning of March, and troops can do site sales then if they choose. There is a “fall product sale” which is magazines and nuts/candy – or at least it was as late as four years ago when Emily was still in Girl Scouts.

  2. Jenn DesAutelson 09 Jan 2010 at 9:50 pm

    I think Dad should pimp the cookies! One of my coworkers used to leave the form out in the lounge and whoever wanted cookies would just sign up. Her daughter wrote personal thank you notes to each customer (It was one of the first times anyone ever addressed me as “Mrs.” – I felt so old)! Some people even look forward to it b/c you can’t get those cookies anywhere else. For some reason I don’t mind buying GS cookies but I can’t stand Tupperware parties or the like. I guess it’s the difference between supporting a nonprofit kids’ group and providing an adult’s supplementary income. Good luck Miss A!
    .-= Jenn DesAutels´s last blog ..belated IF: Crunchy =-.

  3. Jenn DesAutelson 09 Jan 2010 at 9:51 pm

    P.S. I love the new look of the site! Happy New Year!
    .-= Jenn DesAutels´s last blog ..belated IF: Crunchy =-.

  4. Drama Mamaon 09 Jan 2010 at 10:18 pm

    Thanks! It only took me several months to finally get around to updating it ;) Look forward to “seeing” you around the blogging world in 2010, come back on Monday, I’m starting Monday Muse back up..finally!

  5. Drama Mamaon 09 Jan 2010 at 10:20 pm

    Oh well, maybe people will fee so bad for her having to go door to door in the cold she’ll make lots of “pity sales”!

    OT: Turns out my MIL is a big fan of your shop, she made us a BEAUTIFUL quilt for our family room this Christmas! I’ll post pics soon.