Sorry, Fall. Girl Scout Cookie season is actually the best season of the year. This year we’ve got some bad news for Girl Scout cookie lovers (basically everyone) though. The prices of our beloved Thin Mints, Shortbreads, Peanut Butter Sandwiches and, of course, Samoas just got a little bit more expensive. On Thursday The Girl Scouts of America announced that a box of their delicious cookies will now sell for $5, an increase of 25 percent from the current $4 a box. But wait — hear them out!
According to Jan Goldstein, chief marketing officer at Girls Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, in an interview with Today, the biggest feedback adult volunteers were providing was that while the cookie-selling experience for the girls was great, “they weren’t earning enough money.” Yes, even Girl Scouts gotta make a buck. But it is a little more complex than that.
With the increase, our favorite girls in green will be able to take in an average of 90 cents per box, according Goldstein. Those girls are working hard peddling those cookies from door to door, outside supermarkets and to their parents’ workplaces (raise your hand if you’ve ever bought cookies from a co-worker’s daughter). The take-home is important.
With the rising costs of raw materials, shipping costs and other factors, “the increase as an opportunity to offset natural price increases for running the cookie program bakery,” Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast VP of Marketing Tammy Gentry tells Today.
But don’t worry. This price increase isn’t happening all over the U.S. yet. For now it will only be in effect for Girl Scouts in the greater Los Angeles area, San Diego, Hawaiii, and Eastern Massachusetts. But regardless of price, remember that every box of cookie you buy helps an organization with a great cause that’s been helping girls grow confidence, develop character and skills since 1912.
We know what’s what you tell yourself when you’re eating those Thin Mints.
What do you think of the price increases? Will you still buy Girl Scout Cookies?
(h/t Today, photos via @girlscouts)