An army of schoolgirls, clad in tan and green, have taken over local storefronts. The Girl Scout cookie season is upon us.
However, customers this year might have to purchase more than one box to satisfy their cravings.
With the rising costs of baking ingredients and transportation, the Girl Scouts organization has decided to package fewer cookies per box, and in some instances, shrink the size of a few favorites.
Inflation has seen the price of flour rise 30 percent this year; cocoa has gone up 20 percent; and baking oil has risen over 40 percent. Additionally, transportation costs have increased over 30 percent since last year.
With such drastic price increases, Girl Scout spokesperson Michelle Thompson said that lowering the weight of the cookie was the only alternative to raising prices.
This year, a box of Girl Scout cookies goes for $4, with two special offerings, “Girl Scout S'mores,” and the gluten-free “Toffee-Tastic” cookie costing $5.
“The S'mores and the Toffee-Tastics are all-natural, with no GMO ingredients,” Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas Director of Marketing and Communications Kim Lyle told the Herald-Press Wednesday. “They cost more to bake, so they're priced a little higher.”
Lyle said that local Girl Scout chapters have no say in the pricing of their product.
“That's all up to the bakery,” she said. “Maybe the central office has some input, but we only follow the guidelines and charge what we are told.”
Monica Cole, mother of fourth-year Girl Scout, 9-year-old Samantha Cole, said that despite the amount of cookies per box, sales have been through the roof.
“We're selling a tremendous amount,” Cole said. “Locally, people aren't complaining. We have always been very supported by our community.”
Cole added that her daughter has been able to experience many activities throughout the year, thanks to funds raised by the cookie program.
“Our girls have taken trips to Medieval Times, gone camping and visited enrichment programs in the pursuit of badges,” she said. “It was all paid for, thanks to the money the troop raised selling cookies.”
For every box of cookies sold, roughly 26 percent of the money goes towards baking costs, transportation, and “girl rewards.” The rewards, offered to troops and individuals who sell the most product, can include anything from resident camp visits to cookie dough to small, consumer electronics as an initiative.
The remaining 74 percent stays in Northeast Texas, Lyle said, with 16 percent of those funds going to the troops who sold the cookies. These monies pay for a variety of programs, including training, outdoor programs, technology and infrastructure, and community outreach.
As scores of Scouts try to earn badges and prizes this cookie season, Lyle said it's important not to lose focus on the purpose behind the annual drive.
“The Girl Scout cookie program is the largest girl-led business in the world,” she said. “These young entrepreneurs are learning goal-setting, money-management, business ethics and marketing.
“These girls earn money for their troop to use for awesome adventures. One hundred percent of the proceeds of the cookie program stay in Northeast Texas.”
Lyle urges potential customers to remember that their purchase is actually a donation towards the future of each individual Scout.
“Girl Scouts is the best girl-leadership experience in the world,” she said. “It provides a safe, all-girl space for girls to discover and develop their best selves.”
