Geek On The Mountain

Girl scout cookies are rather tasty. It’s probably safe to say that they compete well with other cookies out there that you can buy. I’m pretty sure they even have some fairly unique flavors. With all of that in mind, there should be a lot of money to be made. But they don’t bother, exactly..

Milenka thought that girl scout cookies sounded good the other day. Being curious about it, she started looking around. It seems that they are literally only available through actual scouts and they only sell them once per year. So except for a month or two, you’re out of luck (though there’s always eBay, of course). I can see them trying to focus sales through the actual scouts, seeing as though it is a fund raiser. And given that, it seems reasonable that they aren’t selling them year round. But still, you think there’d be an alternative. Maybe they could sell them online during the off season at a higher price and then distribute what money they make throughout the various troops (or whatever they call themselves) in the area that they’re being shipped to.

But wait, it’s not about money. It’s for safety and security according to their faq:

Q: Can I purchase Girl Scout Cookies online?

A: For safety and security reasons, Girl Scouts of the USA’s National Board of Directors adopted an online sales policy that reads in part:

“Sales on a Web site on the Internet* of any products sold in ‘council-sponsored product sales,’ such as Girl Scout Cookies, candy, nuts, calendars or magazine subscriptions, may not be conducted by anyone at anytime.”

* “Sales on the Internet include online auctions, broadcast email messages, and/or posting on individual Girl Scout, troop/group or Girl Scout council Web sites.”

So you see, there are safety and security reasons behind it. After all, no one else sells cookies, candy, nuts, calendars or magazine subscriptions online for those exact reasons. I mean, who knows when you’ll receive a magazine subscription that has been tampered with in transit. There are some serious safety concerns. And as far as security, well, I think we all know how insecure online transactions are. Anyone could just intercept your encrypted credit card number and, after a few hundred thousand years, break it and have the actual number. No no no. That will never fly. Plus, just think of all the inside, top secret girl scout information that could leak out through all of this. It’s just a nightmare waiting to happen.

Maybe I spoke too soon. I see that there are other safety concerns.

Q: Why can’t Girl Scout Cookies be sold on the Internet?

A: Our existing National Girl Scout policy prohibits the sale of Girl Scout cookies or any other Girl Scout approved product on the Internet. The safety of our girls is always our chief concern. Even in supervised settings it is not possible to guarantee that the person purchasing Girl Scout Cookies harbors no harmful intent. …

Wow, they’re totally right. As Milenka pointed out, it’s much more dangerous for young girls to sell things online than it is for them to prance around door to door. Or was that the other way around?… I’m sure one or the other is right.

I kind of figured that the boy scout equivalent, Trails End popcorn, would be the same way. But looking on their site, there’s a link to order online. (Though you do need some number from an actual scout to do it….presumably you can get that at any time though)

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