One of America’s classic cookie traditions will now be just a click away as Girl Scout cookies are to be sold online.
On Monday, December 1st, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. announced that cookie sales are expanding beyond order forms and door-to-door sales as the cookies will be more convenient than ever to purchase, especially in today’s technology age.
For those who do not know, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. are an organization that promotes character, outdoor activity, good citizenship and service to others. Today, there are more than 3.2 million Girl Scouts.
“For more than a century, the Girl Scout Cookie program has been teaching girls to be leaders in the world of business and finance, and we intend to ensure that legacy continues in the digital age,” stated Anna Maria Chavez, the Girl Scout’s chief executive officer.
She went on to explain that the “Digital Cookie” system is a huge advance in the evolution of the cookie-program, combining traditional sales activities with an online-based experience which help to teach the five essential skills that are widely promoted among Girl Scouts – goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business skills.
This new expansion into online sales rather than just traditional, in-person sales is new to the organization. In the past, it was against the rules to engage in selling cookies by using online methods.
Eight-year-old Wild Freeborn, from Asheville, N.C., posted an online order form in 2009 with the help of her father, a website developer, only to have it shut down by Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., who declared it unfair to other scouts.
When reality TV show star, Honey Boo Boo, asked her Facebook fans to help support a local Georgia troop by purchasing cookies, the national organization objected again, arguing that online sales do not teach the skills that the organization works hard to promote.
Now, after three years of testing and development, the Girl Scouts organization has created ways to incorporate these skills into a fun, online business atmosphere for the girl scouts, some of who were practically raised on the internet.
Kelly Parisi, spokeswoman for the Girl Scouts, says that adding online sales makes sense for scouts who have grown up in this digital age.
“We listened to the girls. We are girl led and girl driven. The girls live online. They are digital natives,” she explained.
Adding internet sales was in fact a good step for the national organization to take. Research says that 60% of U.S. retail sales will involve the web by 2017 (internetretailers.com). Sales are expected to increase from its annual $800 million dollars that more than 80 percent of the scouts earn by selling cookies each year.
Some scouts, like Bria Vainquever, do not plan to abandon traditional selling methods and embark on an internet business experience.
“I love going around my neighborhood, my parents’ jobs and my grandfather’s job,” Bria, a 13-year-old scout from Somerset, NJ said. “I’ve been selling cookies since I joined scouting when I was 6, including setting up a booth at our local Stop & Shop.”
Vainquever, who sold 1,351 boxes last season, plans to sell 2,000 this year. Her local troop intends on using the money made for community service projects.
The “Digital Cookie” program is just about as easy as purchasing the cookies in person. The Girl Scout cookie website, “girlscoutcookies.org” makes it easy for a customer to find a local scout just by entering a zip code. Customers will have the cookies shipped directly to them, and in some cases have the options of having a scout personally deliver their purchased goods.
Though the “Digital Cookies” will not be available everywhere in America, the program will continue to grow as more girls will be participating in more areas over time.