Kari C in SC Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 My dd had been in girl scouts since she was barely 4 years old. She started in a homeschooled Daisy troop. These girls grew up together until we moved this past January. We started selling cookies when they were brownies. I had been a co-leader in Florida and am now a co-leader in South Carolina. This is a homeschool troop as well. My question is - if you are involved with girl scouts - what do you think about NOT selling cookies? This troop that we are with did not sell cookies the last two years. When I got here, I was sorta surprised. There are four reasons I think selling cookies are important. It supports the camps and keeps the association running. It funds the activities the troop gets to do i.e. camping at the zoo, painting pottery, etc. It teaches the girls about responsibility, counting back money, respect, customer service, etc. It is tradition. When I agreed to be the co-leader (the leader is my sister-in-law) of the Juniors, I also offered to be in charge of cookie sales. There is another homeschool mom that is sort of the head. She has a Cadet group and then there is a small brownie troop involved. Everyone agreed at our kick-off meeting that we would sell cookies this year. More and more, the head of this is hinting that she thinks it is wrong to sell cookies. She says that the girl scout association is just money hungry. I am trying to look at her perspective and really would like others input. I strongly feel that it takes money to maintain camps for these girls. There is only a $10 per girl charge to be a girl scout each year. They do not make money off of that. If they did not sell cookies, the camps would close. I sorta think that this group here doesn't utilize the camps as we did in Florida. Maybe that is why they don't see it as important. I just don't know. Anyway, I am just torn with throwing in the towel and giving up on selling cookies or pushing ahead. Any input? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Cookie sales helps to pay for memberships for kids who can not afford the fee, too! Plus most folks WANT their cookie fix each year!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annabanana1992 Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Gee, I didn't think you could be a GS without selling cookies. When I was a GS we sold enough cookies to send our whole troop to the World's Fair in Knoxville - it was a great experience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari C in SC Posted September 16, 2008 Author Share Posted September 16, 2008 Gee, I didn't think you could be a GS without selling cookies. When I was a GS we sold enough cookies to send our whole troop to the World's Fair in Knoxville - it was a great experience! Yes, our troop in Florida, is saving to go to Savannah, Georgia to visit the Girl Scout founder's home. This is something that the leader has done with her two older dd's troops. Each year that we sold cookies, we would put half into savings and then reward the girls with the other half. Even though we have moved, the girls still talk about how we will all meet in Savannah GA for that trip. I would like to start that type of plan with these girls. Maybe not as big, but some type of goal to save for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhM Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Our troop saved our cookie sale money for the last 2 years to go to Washington DC this summer. I grouse from time to time about the profit (lack of!) that we get, but I agree with all of the reasons you listed for selling cookies. Especially if the troop leaders are using it as a learning experience for the girls and not just a competition for the moms;) Maybe you could counter the hints about not selling cookies with some goal-setting talk? Or make this into a study of how a small business works? (If your area is like ours, we no longer can return unsold boxes of cookies! We have to think of inventory control now!!) Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelda Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 My dd had been in girl scouts since she was barely 4 years old. She started in a homeschooled Daisy troop. These girls grew up together until we moved this past January. We started selling cookies when they were brownies. I had been a co-leader in Florida and am now a co-leader in South Carolina. This is a homeschool troop as well. My question is - if you are involved with girl scouts - what do you think about NOT selling cookies? This troop that we are with did not sell cookies the last two years. When I got here, I was sorta surprised. There are four reasons I think selling cookies are important.It supports the camps and keeps the association running. It funds the activities the troop gets to do i.e. camping at the zoo, painting pottery, etc. It teaches the girls about responsibility, counting back money, respect, customer service, etc. It is tradition. When I agreed to be the co-leader (the leader is my sister-in-law) of the Juniors, I also offered to be in charge of cookie sales. There is another homeschool mom that is sort of the head. She has a Cadet group and then there is a small brownie troop involved. Everyone agreed at our kick-off meeting that we would sell cookies this year. More and more, the head of this is hinting that she thinks it is wrong to sell cookies. She says that the girl scout association is just money hungry. I am trying to look at her perspective and really would like others input. I strongly feel that it takes money to maintain camps for these girls. There is only a $10 per girl charge to be a girl scout each year. They do not make money off of that. If they did not sell cookies, the camps would close. I sorta think that this group here doesn't utilize the camps as we did in Florida. Maybe that is why they don't see it as important. I just don't know. Anyway, I am just torn with throwing in the towel and giving up on selling cookies or pushing ahead. Any input? Our troop does not sell cookies. We are a small rag-tag, renegade home school troop. Our troop does not sell cookies. One reason is because the cookies contain hidden trans fats. It says 0 grams but the ingredients list shows partially hydrogenated oils. I also am opposed to setting up tables outside of grocery stores as I personally hate dealing with that all of the time. Door-to-door sales are also out of the question. That leaves dinging our family or having dh take it to work which loses the point of the lesson. I would rather donate money to the camps outright. Edited because: this sounds judgey. I just wanted to explain why we don't because you asked and I thought it might help you. I actually don't think its a crime against humanity to sell the cookies and if most of our troop decided they wanted to then I would comply. Its not a hill I'd want to die on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 Our troop sells cookies but not all of the girls do. That's fine. One girl thrives on it and wants to be the Cookie Diva. More power to her. Another girl's parents don't want anything to do with it. Fine. Everyone else falls in the middle somewhere. The only problem comes with the financing of trips. If the parents are buying the cookies anyway (as opposed to selling them to outsiders), they are really paying for the trips themselves anyway. The parents of the girl who does not sell at all have always been willing to pay her way. Some parents don't consider sales or money handling to be one of their goals from scouting. A ridiculous amount of cookie profits does not come to the troop. However, Girl Scouts owns (and maintains) a lot of properties that are expensive. Around here, they are even taxed. I would not want to see these sold to the highest bidder, which is what would happen without cookie sales. And, of course, I need my Thin Mints. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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