Being in Girl Scouts comes with many responsibilities, one of which is the beloved Girl Scout Cookie season, where customers rush to get their treasured Thin Mints or Samoas. However, no one tells you that as you grow up, the flock that used to ambush you for cookies leaves.
Most people associate Girl Scouts with girls between the ages of 5-13, but no one really knows that Girl Scouts goes up until the end of high school. As a young Daisy, Brownie, and even Junior, you do fun activities that get you used to team building and working together. However, once you reach sixth grade and become a Cadette, Girl Scouts becomes more about getting involved in your community as you work on your Bronze Award, Silver Award, and the coveted Gold Award, which is earned in high school.
Through all of these ages, Girl Scout Cookie season is a prime time for us Girl Scouts, as some of the profits earned are what Girl Scouts use to earn these awards.
“Boothing” is one of many ways for a Girl Scout to sell cookies, where they set up a table in front of a store to sell to customers walking in or out. Pre-COVID, my troop would go hard, selling for hours a day in front of stores like Lowe’s, Stater Bros, or Food 4 Less. As a kid, I noticed the large crowds of people that would come to our table, either desperate for cookies or past-Girl-Scouts who started to reminisce about their experiences.
When troops were finally able to sell again after the pandemic, almost no one came to our booth. At first, I believed it was mostly due to COVID, with most customers staying home or avoiding us out of caution. As I switched off with the younger girls in my troop, I noticed how the vibes completely changed.
At booths, my troop usually does switch-offs, so there was always a group of us holding signs and asking people to buy, and another group handling money. So, as I switched to money handling and let the younger 7-9-year-olds pitch to customers, I noticed how the once dead store came to life.
Customers would begin to ask the girls questions that I used to get asked at their age, cracking jokes, and talking to them sweetly. Then, when it came to us older girls, we got complete silence as we gave them their change and told them to have a nice day.
When I was younger, there were times when we could collectively sell over 50 boxes in two hours, and every girl in our troop would sell about 200 boxes throughout the entire cookie season just from boothing alone.
However, now if I’m the only one selling, almost no one will stop by. Customers won’t usually even acknowledge me, looking away from me as I ask them if they want to buy a box of cookies or staring at their phones.
The only times I can usually get sales when boothing are when I’m with younger members of our troop. Most people are still far more willing to help out the younger Girl Scouts since they are little kids. There is just something about that childhood innocence that makes people feel they need to act, whether it’s buying more cookies or even telling nostalgic tales.
That’s why I usually don’t booth without my younger sister and rely mostly on selling online or at school.
Although Girl Scouts technically ends after high school, be honest: when you think of a Girl Scout selling cookies, do you think of an elementary schooler or a senior in high school with dyed hair who stands at 5 ‘6″?
Want to help out local Girl Scouts in your area? Check this link to find some troops (and not just the little ones) to support.
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