Pushing Cookies on the Streets

They can be considered highly addictive, even more than some narcotics. They can be the root cause of lots of health problems including obesity and dental decay. They can also be the perfect reward after a long day. I'm not talking about drugs but rather the other most common legal form of habit forming diversion; Girl Scout Cookies. I was reading this morning about a 15-year-old girl in Michigan who sold approximately 17,328 boxes of cookies this past year. The feat, accomplished by Jennifer Sharpe, shattered the previous record and has probably set a new standard for all the nation. Now I'm not one to poo-poo the idea of selling Girl Scout Cookies but I think the method needs to be refined a bit.

As anyone who has co-workers with daughters no doubtedly knows, when it's cookie season, parents are out in force helping their kids peddle their wares. Now I think it's a fabulous way to raise revenue in order to continue operations for the Girl Scouts as well as teaching them at least the rudimentary basics of business. Still, sometimes I think the girls get so focused on the end goal that they don't see the sacrifice that should be associated with such an endeavour. What do I mean? Well I already gave the example of parents asking their co-workers if they would like to buy some Girl Scout cookies. There's always that point in the day where it's too long after lunch and you're craving some instant gratification and too far from that point in the day when you know you'll be going home. So what happens? You succumb and end up ordering two cases of Thin Mints. Okay, so that's fine, using your parents as assistants is okay for occasional trips but sometimes it's a bit much.

I remember one winter when I went to the grocery store on a particularly frigid morning. It was below freezing or close to it and there standing in the brutal wind and light snow fall just outside the store were three mothers. They could only be mothers because they were too tall and too old to be actual Girl Scouts. With heads buried under hats and scarves and hands dug deep into their coat pockets they danced the pee-pee dance in order to try and stay warm. I looked around thinking that their Girl Scout daughters may have been buried under the snow or were huddling together behind the table but when I asked where they were, one mother pointed at the store and there were the Girl Scouts standing warm and cozy in the store sitting on the lawn chair display. Out of sympathy for the mothers I bought a couple of boxes though I already had some sitting at home. Just then one of the girls came running out and checked the box which contained the boxes I had just bought and happily announced that that was yet another case 'they' had sold. She then ran back inside complaining that it was too cold.

So I ask then who is making the sacrifice? I don't doubt that young Ms. Sharpe sold every box on her own and even if she had help that's okay because the bulk of the work was undoubtedly done by her when she set up her stand on a street corner in a highly conspicous area. As the saying in real estate goes, it's all about 'location location location'. When you have someone like Ms. Sharpe you hope that others are inspired to follow her lead and take the initiative to do things to earn their rewards. I can't claim to be innocent in such matters because when I was a kid, my parents also helped me sell items for the school fundraisers and I was always appreciative though I don't think I took into account that they were doing the work and I was reaping the reward of their peddling blocks of cheese or winter holiday baskets.

I think that Girl Scout cookies are one constant that will always be there. I don't ever recall the Boy Scouts having anything similar and if it did, it was never as successful. The great things about Girl Scout cookies is that there's instant gratification. They don't come around and do much in the way of pre-sales but most of the sales come from having the product on hand and being able to give it to customers immediately (or very nearly so). In a way it truly is like a drug dealers. They give you a taste and then leave you wanting instant gratification and immediate sales. My mouth does tend to salivate at the thought of chewy Somoas or minty Thin Mints but I am trying to the best of my ability to fight off my addiction. I am weaning myself off of the cookies but it's a hard road.