They're ba-a-ack!

Girl Scout cookies hit the streets

By DAVID J. COEHRS

Enterprise Staff Writer

They're crunchy and chewy and chocolatey and peanut buttery. And some people claim that they're just plain addictive.

But Girl Scout cookie fans be advised: those delectable treats in the form of Thin Mints, Caramel deLites and others are limited to once-a-year sales that begin tomorrow.

Between Jan. 8 and March 21, the 206 registered members comprising 24 Girl Scout troops in Fulton County will first canvass neighborhoods door-to-door, then set up cookie booths in various locations. Deliveries will begin Feb. 12.

The 17 girls of Junior Troop #10447 in Delta sold nearly 2,900 boxes last year. With help from the troop's "cookie mom," Patti Hehl, they hope to do as well again, troop leader Laura Thomas said.

Each Girl Scout can earn a patch by selling 30 boxes, although the typical member sells an average of 200. Last year's top seller, Thomas's daughter, Annmarie, sold 400.

The organization also awards everything from congratulatory certificates to a top prize of either an iPod Touch or $150 in Girl Scout money for selling 2,000-plus boxes. The top three sellers in the Delta troop are awarded within their group.

"The nice thing is, you don't have to sell Girl Scout cookies. Girl Scout cookies sell themselves. They have such a wonderful reputation," Thomas said.

For the first time, Girl Scout cookies will be sold over the Internet. Following strict organizational guidelines, Scouts 13 and older will be permitted to make sales on Facebook and Twitter and through their own Web sites.

"I think it will allow us to get the word out better and contact more people," Thomas said.

The cookies can also be requested at girlscoutsofwesternohio.org.

Maumee Valley Regional Director Kelly Chancellor said the door-to-door cookie sales were down last year, but those at Girl Scout booths skyrocketed. She believes the shifting trend is due, in part, to parents' concerns for their children's safety while traveling in neighborhoods.

"It's been a lot more popular for people to buy them face-to-face," Chancellor said.

And while cookie sales have stayed flat in recent years, they haven't decreased, even as the price of a box is $3.50. Each season, the organization sells 200 million boxes. In the Maumee Valley region alone, 800,000 have been sold.

"We attribute that to, it's a commodity that we can only get for a certain amount of time," she said. "It's a limited supply. You can't have them 12 months out of the year, and that's part of the allure."

Depending on the amount it sells, a Girl Scout troop can claim up to 65 cents per box. Fifty-four percent of the profit goes to the regional office, and 27 percent covers the expense of baking.

The Girl Scouts themselves began baking cookies as a fund-raising event back in 1934. Due to popular demand, the organization recruited the help of three or four professional baking companies by 1936. Presently, the cookies are made by ABC Bakers of Richmond, Va., and Little Brownie Bakers of Louisville, Ky.

Thin Mints remain the most popular Girl Scout cookie, and are second in popularity nationwide only to the Oreo.

Chancellor said she hopes customers believe in what they're buying, "because it helps create the future of women leaders. You're getting a cookie, but you're also supporting a worthwhile cause. I think Girl Scouting has done a good job of proving itself a worthwhile organization."

According to Thomas, the cookie sales teach the Scouts important lessons in communication and self-esteem.

"They set a goal, they reach a goal, they can be proud of themselves for what they've done for the troop," she said. "And the more profit we make off the cookies, the more learning opportunities they have."