210 million
That number isn't the next US financial bailout proposal. That number represents the amount of boxes of Girl Scout Cookies sold in 2008.
1 Billion
Thats not only 3 times the The US population. Thats the amount of boxes of Girl Scout Cookies sold in our country the last 5 years. Thats nearly 3 boxes for every living soul in our country.
I am not one to rain on a childs parade but here comes my wrath of the Girl Scout Cookies.
I am personally a big fan of keeping kids involved in the scouts, synagogue, church, band, theater, karate, etc. It keeps their minds stimulated and engaged. Its a nice alternative to televisions and ipods. But here is my issue with cookie sales....
I don't like them being sold to me when I am doing my weekend shopping. I like to buy them from those I know. Its not that I feel like the cookies being sold by the kids outside the WaWa are laced with narcotic drugs (Although it wouldn't totally surprise me if thsat came out). My issue is that they are being pimped out my children standing in the cold so that parents could live vicraiously through their kids. It hurts me to say it and I may sound insensitive but I don't know a single 10-year-old child who enjoys being stuck in the cold begging strangers to buy cookies. They are seem disinterested.
I spend hundreds of dollars each year buying candles, candy, cookie dough, flowers and such from co-workers helping their kids out. I have no issue with that. There is a comfort level involved, Its a controled environment and I know them and in most cases I know their children. I have attended school plays and music concerts of younger family members and of friend children. The truthis that I'm not a scrooge and I have a long history of working as a camp counselor, school teacher, teen advisor and volunteer for Big Brothers. This illustrates my firm committment to helping the children of America. Its just that I don't like having to keep my head down and quickly shuffle myself out a department store entrance because I'm unable to buy cookies from every girl scout, outside every store, every day in the month of January. Its financially impossible.
If anything, I believe it deters people from shopping in those stores because they hate letting kids down. In this economy, people need to cut corners and the first people to suffer are the Girl Scouts of America. If I'm a shop owner (especially WaWa), I should know that for each box of Girl Scout Cookies sold outside my door, I am losing $3.50 of potential profit. I never heard anyone say "lets shop here because they have lots of GIrl Scout Cookies for sale outside." The Girl Scout Cookie fundraiser is potentially costing our US Economy $750 million dollars this year alone.
So to summarize...
1. I love Kids.
2. I hate kids pimping their cookies on me outside the store.
3. Girl Cookies are killing our economy.
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteI am vehemently against Girl Scout cookies myself, and I think you are well aware of my dedication to children in general. The reasons I am against them are simple:
1. The product is overpriced (more on this in a second).
2. The product is not as delicious as some people make them out to be.
3. I agree with you that I don't like the way they sell them -- through annoyance and guilt-inducing guerrilla tactics (or is it Girl-illa?).
4. The lack of enthusiasm in the scouts, as you mentioned.
Even worse, I just recently heard that, due to the economy, they actually cut back on the number of cookies in each box while keeping the price the same. Even worse, THEY DID NOT PUBLICIZING THIS DECISION! I think that is disgusting and unethical. Apparently the Girl Scouts are one of those organizations that feel they are affected by the economy, but that their consumers and audience are not.
Additionally, to strengthen my credibility in the world of children (and supporting those with whom I am familiar, I would like to share one of my mom's favorite stories to tell: I worked in an After School Program about 10 years ago. I came home one day with 8 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. My mom, knowing how I feel about GS Cookies, asked me why I had 8 boxes. My reply? "I decided to support one of my students, but realized the right thing to do was to buy from all of the Girl Scouts in my class." I couldn't buy from just one.