The Future of Girl Scout Cookies?

I am a former Girl Scout. Yes, many, many years ago, I would trudge door-to-door slinging my Girl Scout Cookie wares asking people if they'd like to place an order. Since Girl Scout Cookie time occurs in the middle of winter, I had more than my fair share of traipsing in snow banks to convince my family and neighbors to get a box or two or twenty. I wasn't a super competitive seller, I wasn't motivated by getting the biggest or best prize. Truth be told, I was probably more motivated by the boxes my mom would by for our family so that I could stuff handfuls of Tagalongs or Samoas (my personal favorites) down my throat. (There never seemed to be quite enough in those darn boxes.)

Of course, now that I don't eat gluten, it's pretty easy for me to dismiss those tempting boxes. But this time of year, it's hard not to miss the calls of the little girls selling their goodies. Of course, they changed the process - it used to be that you'd place your order and then have to wait for the cookies to arrive. Now, the girls have them with them and you get instant gratification. You also don't typically see girls going door-to-door anymore. They concentrate on having their parents sell to their friends or setting up shop at local businesses. (A huge thank you to my friends who notify us when their daughters are selling and leave it at that - as I have seen others with much pushier tactics. I have good friends.)

Tonight as I was getting off the bus, a woman was with two girls trying to sell their cookies at the transit stop.  The first thing the bus driver did when she stopped the bus was yell out the door and tell the woman she couldn't sell the cookies there. The woman ignored her and in fact encouraged the two girls to be more aggressive with their pitch. (One girl stood so close to the door that you practically fell on her trying to get off the bus.) Many people made snide comments on the bus about the travesty of teaching your child to solicit at such a young age. Others made comments on the unhealthy aspects of the wares (granted those are the people who probably proceeded to buy multiple boxes.) 

It made me wonder where the future of the Girl Scout cookie is headed ... as we look at the health of the nation, the safety of our kids ... will the Girl Scout cookie have to be retired? Maybe they'll switch to selling fresh produce at farmers markets that they cultivated from their own personal gardens. It saddens me a little that something that used to be so innocent and taught you some essential lessons of business is now something that is really about making the most dollars. Maybe it's just seeing the competition in a metro area versus the small town I grew up in. Whatever their fate, if you can be sure to enjoy your favorite Girl Scout cookie tomorrow on National Girl Scout Cookie Day!