Thinking outside the box: Online becoming the go-to place to buy Girl Scout Cookies
Girl Scout Cookie season is officially underway, which may lead some to wonder where they can get their hands on a box.
Or two.
Or three.
Area scouts are still selling Thin Mints, Samoas, Do-si-dos and the new cookie, Adventurefuls. Just not in the traditional way. Going door to door, filling out paper order forms and collecting checks and cash is becoming obsolete.
According to Pattie Hallberg, CEO for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts, one of the most popular places to buy cookies is now online.
“Digital order cards are just now taking off,” she said.
Sales were “down substantially from prior years” in 2021, according to Hallberg, so the troops came back this cookie season eager to adapt to pandemic times.
Girl Scouts can now share their personal links with prospective customers, who can then purchase any and all of their signature flavors without leaving the couch. The cookies will then be delivered by your Girl Scout or shipped in the mail.
Also, because of a collaboration with DoorDash, consumers can order cookies through the DoorDash app on weekends and have them delivered to their house or apartment.
Though different from the typical knocking-on-doors approach so many think of, Hallberg noted that this experience helps prepare these girls for the world.
“They are learning at a very young age about selling online,” said the CEO, pointing to the need for the girls to think of new ways to connect with their customers in a virtual format.
“It’s about owning their own business,” she said.
It also allows for a contactless transaction, ensuring the safety of both the Scouts and the cookie consumers.
However, if online shopping is not your forte, there are still Girl Scouts out on the frontlines stationed in front of many stores in Worcester.
This weekend, Girl Scouts will be in booths in front of Shaw's Supermarket on 14 West Boylston St., DoorDash Central on 115 Century Drive, and Austin Liquors on 370 Park Ave., to name a few.
To find a booth near you, go to girlscouts.org and input your area code in the “Find Cookies!” tool.
Though online orders will be instrumental in increasing sales in 2022, Hallberg noted that the girls still love interacting with their customers.
“There is an importance to in-person (sales),” she said, as it requires the girls to speak to their clientele directly, making pitches and interacting with everyone who walks by.
Though the pandemic threw a wrench in cookie sales, according to Hallberg, it showed the girls the importance of community.
“(The girls) have taken note of what their community needs and have really tried to help,” said Hallberg of their efforts to help others during the pandemic, citing things like committing to online tutoring and visiting first responders.
And as for cookie sales this year?
“This year, we are seeing a bounce back,” she said. “It is amazing how the community comes together to support the girls.”
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Best places to buy Girl Scout Cookies in region is online, booths
