My DD is in GS because she enjoys it, but I can’t get behind the cookies. We don’t try to sell them to anyone who doesn’t ask for them. I think she sold 30 boxes this year, all from people who requested them. I stand by my opinion that GS cookies and GS are kiddie-MLM and their product. It’s borderline disgusting.

9:07 - the keebler grasshoppers are a decent approximation of thin mints. Their version of Samoas is almost a perfect imitation. Much cheaper!

Former cookie mom here. The boxes do seem smaller this year. I'm glad I made the decision for our troop not to sell this year! (Our sales dropped every year, to the point that it just wasn't worth the work I had to put in for $0.65/box.)

Anonymous wrote: So, I'm saying buy from the girls if you are so inclined, but outside of cookie season-Aldi's has samoas and tagalongs, packaged as chocolate caramel and peanut butter cookies, respectively. They are exactly like the GS ones, I believe baked by the same place.

They used to have thin mints, but I haven't seen them in the past couple of months.

So, I'm saying buy from the girls if you are so inclined, but outside of cookie season-Aldi's has samoas and tagalongs, packaged as chocolate caramel and peanut butter cookies, respectively. They are exactly like the GS ones, I believe baked by the same place.

I wish the ingredients were better. The combination of moderate percent to the scouts, and lousy cookies limits my willingness to purchase. When I had a gurl scout I offered to donate more than the cookie profits to the troop. They declined saying it was only fair that the regional council get the support to relied
on.

Whatever. I still love them!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Exactly. A tiny portion goes to the troop. Donate $5 directly to the troop. And the troop to troop donations are a joke. I heard of some local base that has more gs cookies than they know what to do with. It is a scheme to make money for the organization.

Troops aren’t allowed to take direct donations.

At the booths? Or in general?

At booths or when out selling cookies. (If you want to go home and do it later online you can.)

Anonymous wrote:They’re disgusting and taste like cardboard anyway.

Yet you can’t stop eating them.

Anonymous wrote:I just got my 2 boxes today. I paid $5 for 12 little cookies. Ugh.

Math is not your strong suit, right?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Exactly. A tiny portion goes to the troop. Donate $5 directly to the troop. And the troop to troop donations are a joke. I heard of some local base that has more gs cookies than they know what to do with. It is a scheme to make money for the organization.

Troops aren’t allowed to take direct donations.

At the booths? Or in general?

http://www.gscnc.org/en/cookies/about-girl-scout-cookies/where-cookie-money-goes.html

Where Cookie Money Goes

$0.98 Troop's proceeds (average based on various earning opportunities)

$1.25 Cost of product, transportation, promotion, Service Unit proceeds, rewards, administrative costs and debt. ($2.25 is the related costs for specialty cookies retailing at $6.00 per package)

$2.77 Supports direct service to girls and adults

Financial assistance for girls
Camp programs and eight camp properties
Council-wide girl programs
Training for adult volunteers
Marketing, technological, and web support
Six convenient office locations and staff support for our volunteers and troops

They’re disgusting and taste like cardboard anyway.

Anonymous wrote:Exactly. A tiny portion goes to the troop. Donate $5 directly to the troop. And the troop to troop donations are a joke. I heard of some local base that has more gs cookies than they know what to do with. It is a scheme to make money for the organization.

Troops aren’t allowed to take direct donations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out of the $5, how much goes to the individual troop, how icy to Girl Scouts overall organization, and how much to the cookie company?

When it was $4/box, the troop got something like $0.63 per box. The rest goes to council. I don’t know how much went to the manufacturer.

To elaborate-it goes to the regional council, not the national organization. The regional council funds activities, camps, financial aid, etc that their troops can participate in.

About 65 – 75 percent of the local retail price of each box of cookies goes to the council, and about 10 – 20 percent goes to the troop that made the sale. The rest covers costs of buying them from the bakery, shipping, etc.