Girl Scouts cookies question

[Anonymous]

We just joined (2 weeks ago). Troop leader is not very responsive. My daughter just got an envelope for cookie sales and an email - we created the online site.

For the physical sales - say we we get a total of 20 thin mints and 15 samoas and 10 treful orders - do we as parents have to pay for the rest -to make it multiples of 12 since the envelope seems to mention a case of 12 packages?

Sorry if this is a dumb question - I don't have any family with girl scouts and my friend has cub scouts. TIA

[Anonymous]

Girl Scouts is a scam!

[Anonymous]

Every troop should have a cookie manager who can answer these questions for you. My daughters been in Girl Scouts for five years. No you do not have to make it an even case. At the end of cookie season you’ll let the cookie manager know how many cookies you need ordered based on the order form. The ones that are bought on the website are ordered automatically and you won’t have to report anything. What you do need to know though, if you sell 50 boxes of cookies to Neighbors and strangers, you are on the hook to pay for them if you don’t collect their money

As the girls get older they take a lot more responsibility learn about money, sales, etc. It’s actually a really great process for them.

[Anonymous]

The girls love it and they love deciding as a troop what to do with the money earned.

The troop as a whole needs to order by cases so may end up with extras. The troop often then donates those, or often families step up to take those 3 extra thin mints or whatever. If you are doing booth sales in February as a troop, the extras get sold off then.

Also, if you can get people to order on your webpage, you don’t need to worry about them stiffing you on the money when the cookies come in, as they pay directly on the website—-just make sure they select girl delivered to avoid the ridiculous shipping charges.

[Anonymous]

As I understand it (first year cookie manager) the troop gets cookies by the case but you don't have to sell an even case. If there's leftover cookies in the case (there won't be if you sell 20 Thin Mints and another girl sells 4, for instance) the rest will be used at booths, distributed to girls who have sales after the initial order, or swapped with other local troops that need them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Girl Scouts is a scam!

The selling really is. My daughter has been in it for 5 years and I refuse to let her participate in cookie sales. They make pennies on the box at the leaders decide what they do with the money, not the girls. I’d happily give a donation. I ask my daughter why she wants to work to have someone else get paid and explain MLM companies to her every year during cookie sales.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As I understand it (first year cookie manager) the troop gets cookies by the case but you don't have to sell an even case. If there's leftover cookies in the case (there won't be if you sell 20 Thin Mints and another girl sells 4, for instance) the rest will be used at booths, distributed to girls who have sales after the initial order, or swapped with other local troops that need them.

Former cookie manager. You got this right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Girl Scouts is a scam!

The selling really is. My daughter has been in it for 5 years and I refuse to let her participate in cookie sales. They make pennies on the box at the leaders decide what they do with the money, not the girls. I’d happily give a donation. I ask my daughter why she wants to work to have someone else get paid and explain MLM companies to her every year during cookie sales.

Feel free not to sell cookies, but please don't spread misinformation.
- The girls are supposed to decide what to do with the money. I'm sorry you got a bad leader, but that's also something you or your DD can speak up about.
- It's not an MLM since your daughter is not recruiting anyone to sell for her.
- All the profits stay with the local council or the troop. So yes it's only about 75 cents a box for the troop's coffers, but it's another $1 or so for the local council which maintains the camp properties and other resources. If you go to summer camps, borrow camping equipment from the council stash, or go to big events for multiple units, you are benefiting from cookie money.
- Donations are not allowed, because funding the troop through sales means everyone can participate even if they don't have money. But if your DD doesn't contribute to sales, then when she gets a badge or goes on a trip, she is benefiting from money other scouts earned; I wonder if you've explained that to her.

OP, I'm sorry your leader has been unresponsive. As someone else said, there is a cookie parent (not the leader) who is in charge of this. You give that person your order form, and she orders the cookies by the case. You are not responsible for ordering in round numbers; any overage from the case purchases is sold at booths or used to fill orders by other girls or troops.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Girl Scouts is a scam!

The selling really is. My daughter has been in it for 5 years and I refuse to let her participate in cookie sales. They make pennies on the box at the leaders decide what they do with the money, not the girls. I’d happily give a donation. I ask my daughter why she wants to work to have someone else get paid and explain MLM companies to her every year during cookie sales.

100% agreed.

The Boss - Melissa Mccarthy said it best though

[Anonymous]

NP. I also have a question as we joined this year and its very disorganized in our group - By when do the girls have to submit the order form and money to the troop/cookie leader??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. I also have a question as we joined this year and its very disorganized in our group - By when do the girls have to submit the order form and money to the troop/cookie leader??

Usually initial orders are due the first week of January. Money isn’t actually collected until cookies are delivered to the people who ordered them. So take the orders now but don’t collect the money yet. But be sure to order from people you think will pay up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Girl Scouts is a scam!

The selling really is. My daughter has been in it for 5 years and I refuse to let her participate in cookie sales. They make pennies on the box at the leaders decide what they do with the money, not the girls. I’d happily give a donation. I ask my daughter why she wants to work to have someone else get paid and explain MLM companies to her every year during cookie sales.

Feel free not to sell cookies, but please don't spread misinformation.
- The girls are supposed to decide what to do with the money. I'm sorry you got a bad leader, but that's also something you or your DD can speak up about.
- It's not an MLM since your daughter is not recruiting anyone to sell for her.
- All the profits stay with the local council or the troop. So yes it's only about 75 cents a box for the troop's coffers, but it's another $1 or so for the local council which maintains the camp properties and other resources. If you go to summer camps, borrow camping equipment from the council stash, or go to big events for multiple units, you are benefiting from cookie money.
- Donations are not allowed, because funding the troop through sales means everyone can participate even if they don't have money. But if your DD doesn't contribute to sales, then when she gets a badge or goes on a trip, she is benefiting from money other scouts earned; I wonder if you've explained that to her.

OP, I'm sorry your leader has been unresponsive. As someone else said, there is a cookie parent (not the leader) who is in charge of this. You give that person your order form, and she orders the cookies by the case. You are not responsible for ordering in round numbers; any overage from the case purchases is sold at booths or used to fill orders by other girls or troops.

NP. We have just one person for 9 kids and she does everything. I am not sure why no one else has stepped up. I will- next year when I have some experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I also have a question as we joined this year and its very disorganized in our group - By when do the girls have to submit the order form and money to the troop/cookie leader??

Usually initial orders are due the first week of January. Money isn’t actually collected until cookies are delivered to the people who ordered them. So take the orders now but don’t collect the money yet. But be sure to order from people you think will pay up.

Agree. We just got them to pay at the time of order last year - they were all willing.

[Anonymous]

Please submit your cookie money on time to your money manager/cookie manager. As someone who has done this for years, I can tell you how stressful it is when parents collectively owe thousands of dollars and the Girl Scout council is about to take the money out of your troops account. Please don’t be that parent!

[Anonymous]

The cookie season just kicked off and our troop is still getting organized - that may be what’s happening with yours too. It’s possible they will hold a meeting soon, or communicate about the process. Cookie sales will run through Feb or March so this is the very early stage. Good luck!