<p>"When 8-year-old Wild Freeborn became a Girl Scout earlier this year, she had a simple goal: sell 12,000 boxes of the organization’s addictive cookies. She wanted to earn enough money to send her entire troop (all new scouts) to summer camp in Brevard, N.C. After going door to door in her neighborhood, visiting stores in downtown Asheville, N.C., and consulting her parents about her precocious business plan, she asked her tech-minded dad, Bryan Freeborn, “Can’t we use what you do at work?” referencing his job as the chief operating officer of TopFloorStudio, a Web design and development firm.</p>
<p>In late January, they posted a YouTube video, starring Freeborn in Girl Scout gear, touting her straightforward sales pitch. “Buy cookies! And they’re yummy!” Soon after, they set up an online order system that was limited to customers within their local area (so Freeborn could personally deliver them). While her online sales strategy took hold, she continued peddling cookies the traditional waygoing door to door and working booths at the local grocery store. Within two weeks, more than 700 orders for Thin Mints, Caramel DeLites and Peanut Butter Patties reached the Freeborns solely through the online form…</p>
<p>But some families in the community felt threatened by the Freeborn’s unconventional efforts, likely because various prizes (including camp vouchers, stuffed animals and apparel) are given out by local councils to girls who sell a certain amount of boxes. [D]isapproving parents, brought the Freeborn’s site to the attention of local Girl Scout officials who told the Freeborns to take down their YouTube video and reminded the family of the organization’s longstanding prohibition of online sales. …
[Why</a> Do Girl Scouts Ban Online Cookie Sales? | Newsweek Technology | Newsweek.com](<a href=“http://www.newsweek.com/id/188714]Why”>Why Do Girl Scouts Ban Online Cookie Sales?)</p>
<p>It does seem that the online sales could present a few problems - </p>
<ul>
<li><p>It doesn’t allow the scouts the experience of going door to door and to booth sales and ‘presenting’ the cookies to the prospective purchasers along with the learning experience for the scout. Of course, the scouts gain none of this experience when the parent takes the sign-up sheet to work either.</p></li>
<li><p>It could allow just a few scouts to overwhelm the system and take cookie sales away from other individual scouts, troops, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>It could put too much money in the hands of a few scout moms and cookie moms with subsequent issues of pilfering the money (which unfortunately does happen sometimes).</p></li>
<li><p>It could put the individual scout girl a little too ‘out there’ on the public internet which could present safety issues.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>" It doesn’t allow the scouts the experience of going door to door and to booth sales and ‘presenting’ the cookies to the prospective purchasers along with the learning experience for the scout. Of course, the scouts gain none of this experience when the parent takes the sign-up sheet to work either."</p>
<p>I think that on-line sales could be far safer than going door to door. I don’t like seeing children go door to door selling. I also hate it when anyone comes to my door selling.</p>
<p>Modern marketing is much more about using the Internet, graphics, videos, etc., not about going door to door.</p>
<p>And as you mentioned, in far too many cases, the parents are doing the selling by forcing their D’s wares on coworkers and friends who can’t get away from their pitch.</p>
<p>Frankly, I hate the cookies. I didn’t even like them when I sold them. I want to run the other way when I see the boxes. Blech. To me, they are just about the worst tasting cookies in the world. When I used to buy them from coworkers, I’d immediately give them away as snacks for others to enjoy. People thought I was being generous. …</p>
<p>Interesting article. I wonder why the parents thought the rules did not apply to their daughter. Every Girl Scout is not given an order card until the parents sign a permission slip/financial responsibility form…it’s almost a booklet these days. It clearly states that online sales are not allowed (for a whole variety of reasons). Really, most of the time the problems in the cookie sale are with the adults, not the girls. What’s wrong with saying, we can’t use the stuff Dad does at work because we agreed to the cookie sale rules, but we can help out at a booth sale, help promote CookieShare, whatever…
Councils do take cookie requests online and by phone and then send them out to local troops to fulfill (ours does, anyway), everyone gets a turn.</p>
<p>I am suffering from Cookie fatigue. Troop Cookie Mgr for a troop of 25 high schoolers, Service Unit Cookie Mgr, Council Product Advisory Committee member. Spend a lot of time making sure everyone follows the same rules, does not invent their own rules, follows the guidelines of the store property managers for booth sales, correcting crazy behavior…</p>
<p>Mom2M-I totally agree with you. This girl and her parents had no business disregarding the rules.
By the way, I am also impressed with your working with a high school troop, service unit cookie chair, etc. That’s a lot. Here’s a pat on the back and a thanks from a former troop leader.</p>
<p>If they allow online sales, the next very fast and obvious step would be to centralized the whole business, selling cookies from one national website year round, and spread the proceeds around accordingly. </p>
<p>Move to online sales and you basically get rid of the middleman-- in this case the child. I don’t see the point then (I always thought the point was more about children contributing and learn from the experience and not just a source of revenue).</p>
<p>Cookie fatigue here too. And I am ONLY following my daughter’s sales. Distribution time is cruel.
On the other hand it is nice to have some tea/coffee with freshly opened box of samoas (my favourite).</p>
<p>We had NO girl scouts knock on our door this year so we have no cookies, not even thin mints.</p>
<p>My UCLA D said that the girl scouts doing booth sales on the main drag there (Bruinwalk) are selling bajillions of boxes right now. The students are literally eating them up.</p>
<p>Fall Girl–thanks, sometimes I wonder about what I do, but I do believe in the program that is taught with the cookie sale. As a former Leader, I know that’s no small job, either–kudos for taking it on.</p>
<p>ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad if you want cookies email the Girl Scout Council of San Diego/Imperial County and they should be able to tell you where booth sales are or have a troop contact you (we use email).</p>
<p>I must be one of a handful of people I know that don’t like Samoas (aka Carmel Delites). I don’t like coconut. But I love those Lemonades, really good cookies. Either out of the box or pop it in micro with a marshmellow on top, zap it about 15 seconds, it’s wonderful!</p>