Individual sales for Girl Scout cookies start today. This year, you can get your boxes through a scout’s personal website. Girl Scouts of America is launching its pilot digital platform for individual Girl Scouts to sell cookies.
Ann-Marie Soderstrom is the communications manager for Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois. She says the program is meant to expand but not replace face-to-face people skills for the Girl Scouts, and you still need to know a Girl Scout to buy cookies online.
“It’s $4 per box, but every $4 brings those girls closer to being the future leaders of tomorrow and having a skillset to make us all better and to make the world a better place.”
Becky Phannenstill is a McHenry-area troop leader. She says she’s not worried about the girls in her troop getting lazy with their websites, and it will help the girls develop their online professionalism.
“Things get lost in translation when you do it through e-mail or things like that, so it’s going to make them think a little more about how they word things in their e-mails when they invite people to visit their website.”
Phannenstill says the new web platform will also help with long-distance sales, such as her two daughters selling cookies to relatives in California.
The websites will offer either a shipping or direct delivery option for online orders. Individual sales go until Jan. 30, and booth sales go from Feb. 27 until March 22.
If you don’t know a Girl Scout but would like to place an order for cookies, visit the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois website or download the Cookie Finder app.
Editor's Note: Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois is an underwriter for WNIJ.