As I eagerly await the delivery of my Girl Scout Cookies, I decided to research when delivery was due. Unfortunately, it appears that I will suffer without any Thin Mints until March 5th at the earliest.
In my search, I found one region that had a breakdown of the cost of a $4 box. (Luckily my region is still at $3.50).
$0.84 Cost of Cookies
$0.70 Troop Earnings & Recognitions
$0.17 Cost of Sale
$0.05 Opportunity Fund
$2.24 Council Services
I especially love the bundles that they are pitching on this site:
3 Boxes for $12 or upgrade your Girl Scout Cookie Bundle with your choice of 5 Boxes for $20!
Nothing like saving ... absolutely nothing on your bundle.
Last edited by Isgrimnur on Tue Feb 16, 2010 6:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
It's like the Taco Bell meals that save you nothing or the few Burger King meals that actually cost more than ordering the same meal by their components. It's a convenience thing, I guess.
"To wield Grond, the mighty hammer of the Federal Government, is to be intoxicated with power beyond what you and I can reckon (though I figure we can ball park it pretty good with computers and maths). Need to tunnel through a mountain? Grond. Kill a mighty ogre? Grond. Hangnail? Grond. Spider? Grond (actually, that's a legit use, moreso than the rest)." - Peacedog
Another Saturday night and I ain't got no cookies,
I got some money 'cause I just got paid.
Now, how I wish I had someone to buy from
I'm in an awful way
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General "No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton MYT
They must be pinching the hell out of the supplier. $0.84? That's a steal.
Or do they manufacture them themselves?
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General "No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton MYT
Little Brownie Bakers, a subsidiary of Keebler, owned by Kellogg
ABC Bakers, a subsidiary of InterBake Food, owned by George Weston Limited (FY 2007 revenue: $32.815 billion CAN)
Our first order showed up yesterday and I have eaten my first row of Samoas!
We always put in a huge order for all sort of boxes and then freeze most of them for munchies on our summer travels. This year we are splitting our order between three girl scouts.
Nothing like cracking out the Girl Scout cookies after a long hike in the Rockies in mid-summer.
My blog (mostly photos): Fort Ephemera - My Flickr Photostream
“You only get one sunrise and one sunset a day, and you only get so many days on the planet. A good photographer does the math and doesn’t waste either.” ―Galen Rowell
PLW wrote:From the original website, it seems that council services include money
Suave Marketing wrote:to maintain camps and other properties, and to deliver high quality training to Girl Scout troop leaders and other volunteers.
Running a camp is expensive, particularly when you factor in the cost of insurance.
Actually the cost of insurance is insane and when you factor in items like pools and boating, it gets even more expensive. The GSA and the BSA are two of the few organizations where the volunteers shoulder expenses for the kids, besides paying for their own participation.
Isgrimnur wrote:As I eagerly await the delivery of my Girl Scout Cookies, I decided to research when delivery was due. Unfortunately, it appears that I will suffer without any Thin Mints until March 5th at the earliest.
A guy that sits directly across from me at work has his daughters in the Fort Worth side of things and they've been doing next day delivery of cookie orders for weeks now. Their councils place a huge order up front so they have them available immediately. Much better way to do business.
I have about 30 cases of Girl Scout cookies in my dining room right now.
“We can never allow Murania to become desecrated by the presence of surface people. Our lives are serene, our minds are superior, our accomplishments greater. Gene Autry must be captured!!!” - Queen Tika, The Phantom Empire
Attention Thin Mints fans! This thread is timely. Earlier today we purchased some mint cookies from Walmart. It was their store brand. Great Value. You know, with the "we may as well make it obvious that you're a cheap bastard" white packaging. Those. Yes. They taste exactly like Thin Mints! EXACTLY! At least they did to us. I can't remember how much they cost, but it couldn't have been much.
I realize for some people a big part of the reason they enjoy Girlscout cookies is because they're "special" and not sold year-round. And they're for a good cause or something. If that's why you buy them, then this post is useless to you.
A Kentucky bakery that makes Girl Scout cookies is pulling some batches of its Lemon Chalet Cremes because people have complained of a foul smell and taste.
Little Brownie Bakers in Louisville is one of two bakeries in the U.S. that makes Girl Scout cookies. No one has gotten sick from the stinky cookies sold in 24 states, and the company says they are safe to eat.
LBB wrote:Certain lots of Lemon Chalet Crème cookies contain oils that may be breaking down which can result in an off taste and smell. We are asking that the councils that received these batches return any product inventory in their control to us. The affected Lemon Chalet Crème cookie batches have the following lot codes:
Today, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) announced that a new cookie, Caramel Chocolate Chip, will join the 2019 Girl Scout Cookie® season lineup, as a gluten-free offering with limited availability in select areas. With the returning gluten-free Toffee-tastic® cookie, also available in select areas, consumers in all markets will be able to enjoy a gluten-free offering along with the rest of the lineup during the 2019 cookie season.
...
Toffee-tastic, introduced in 2015, is a rich, buttery cookie with sweet, crunchy, golden toffee bits. Both gluten-free varieties are offered only in select Girl Scout council markets for as long as supplies last, and they can only be purchased from a registered Girl Scout. Not all varieties are available in every market, so contact your local council to inquire about the cookies they will offer this season. Like similar consumer products, gluten-free cookies may be priced higher than other Girl Scout Cookies, reflecting the cost of production.
Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2010 5:56 pm
As I eagerly await the delivery of my Girl Scout Cookies, I decided to research when delivery was due. Unfortunately, it appears that I will suffer without any Thin Mints until March 5th at the earliest.
In my search, I found one region that had a breakdown of the cost of a $4 box. (Luckily my region is still at $3.50).
$0.84 Cost of Cookies
$0.70 Troop Earnings & Recognitions
$0.17 Cost of Sale
$0.05 Opportunity Fund
$2.24 Council Services
I especially love the bundles that they are pitching on this site:
3 Boxes for $12 or upgrade your Girl Scout Cookie Bundle with your choice of 5 Boxes for $20!
Nothing like saving ... absolutely nothing on your bundle.
I get that this is 8 year old cookie economics. I also get that Boy Scout popcorn does not = Girl Scout Cookie. But somebody please breakdown the economics on the freaking $15 regular chip size bag of White popcorn my wife bought last night so it makes sense. It's a bag of freaking white cheddar popcorn. If you want a donation than ask for it; quit bullshitting with were selling popcorn crap. Cookies I get. Their mildly overpriced but for a good cause and damn Delicious. The BS popcorn crap is akin to getting a sticker saying I donated blood. We should have gotten the box of microwave popcorn for $25. I could have at least shared my misery at the office instead of just the one lonely bag of shame.
morlac wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 3:13 pm
I get that this is 8 year old cookie economics.
I'm a bad person. I never get GS cookies, but I'll be damned if I can walk in to ALDI and not not walk out with 1 or 3 packages of $.85 GS cookie knockoffs. So good, they're evil.
Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2010 5:56 pm
As I eagerly await the delivery of my Girl Scout Cookies, I decided to research when delivery was due. Unfortunately, it appears that I will suffer without any Thin Mints until March 5th at the earliest.
In my search, I found one region that had a breakdown of the cost of a $4 box. (Luckily my region is still at $3.50).
$0.84 Cost of Cookies
$0.70 Troop Earnings & Recognitions
$0.17 Cost of Sale
$0.05 Opportunity Fund
$2.24 Council Services
I especially love the bundles that they are pitching on this site:
3 Boxes for $12 or upgrade your Girl Scout Cookie Bundle with your choice of 5 Boxes for $20!
Nothing like saving ... absolutely nothing on your bundle.
I get that this is 8 year old cookie economics. I also get that Boy Scout popcorn does not = Girl Scout Cookie. But somebody please breakdown the economics on the freaking $15 regular chip size bag of White popcorn my wife bought last night so it makes sense. It's a bag of freaking white cheddar popcorn. If you want a donation than ask for it; quit bullshitting with were selling popcorn crap. Cookies I get. Their mildly overpriced but for a good cause and damn Delicious. The BS popcorn crap is akin to getting a sticker saying I donated blood. We should have gotten the box of microwave popcorn for $25. I could have at least shared my misery at the office instead of just the one lonely bag of shame.
As a Scoutmaster, I feel your pain. When I do it, I usually just tell folks it's a donation and we give you a bag of popcorn as a thank you. I've been trying to help out my son selling some at work, but this year I've gotten absolutely nowhere with it. I even brought a box of the caramel here, $10 a bag, instant gratification, and nothing.
“We can never allow Murania to become desecrated by the presence of surface people. Our lives are serene, our minds are superior, our accomplishments greater. Gene Autry must be captured!!!” - Queen Tika, The Phantom Empire
Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2010 5:56 pm
As I eagerly await the delivery of my Girl Scout Cookies, I decided to research when delivery was due. Unfortunately, it appears that I will suffer without any Thin Mints until March 5th at the earliest.
In my search, I found one region that had a breakdown of the cost of a $4 box. (Luckily my region is still at $3.50).
$0.84 Cost of Cookies
$0.70 Troop Earnings & Recognitions
$0.17 Cost of Sale
$0.05 Opportunity Fund
$2.24 Council Services
I especially love the bundles that they are pitching on this site:
3 Boxes for $12 or upgrade your Girl Scout Cookie Bundle with your choice of 5 Boxes for $20!
Nothing like saving ... absolutely nothing on your bundle.
I get that this is 8 year old cookie economics. I also get that Boy Scout popcorn does not = Girl Scout Cookie. But somebody please breakdown the economics on the freaking $15 regular chip size bag of White popcorn my wife bought last night so it makes sense. It's a bag of freaking white cheddar popcorn. If you want a donation than ask for it; quit bullshitting with were selling popcorn crap. Cookies I get. Their mildly overpriced but for a good cause and damn Delicious. The BS popcorn crap is akin to getting a sticker saying I donated blood. We should have gotten the box of microwave popcorn for $25. I could have at least shared my misery at the office instead of just the one lonely bag of shame.
As a Scoutmaster, I feel your pain. When I do it, I usually just tell folks it's a donation and we give you a bag of popcorn as a thank you. I've been trying to help out my son selling some at work, but this year I've gotten absolutely nowhere with it. I even brought a box of the caramel here, $10 a bag, instant gratification, and nothing.
I don't see why Boy Scouts can't sell cookies too. Maybe they could contract with "Sees" to sell exclusive cookies or chocolates, or soda, or all of the above.
I know it's probabally cause "they're boys" or some other such rubbish, but, I *do* get the feeling that the Boy Scouts are underfunded and the Girls are flush... So might just be time to re-examine the imagined gender roles.
*is not under the illusion that any part of this could work but still*
My son just started pre-school. They sell these coupon books as fundraisers. $25 for a book with "hundreds of dollars in savings." The school gets half and the book publisher gets the other half.
I looked at the book they sent home (an automatic $25 buy in since the kids deliver it in unreturnable condition) and nearly all the savings are at places in the suburbs that I will never patronize. So I just gave them $75 in cash; $25 for my book and $50 to cut out the middle man and pretend that I sold 4 more.
I'm skipping the annual Gala at work due to a prior commitment to a 100th birthday. Half the ticket price goes to the event and the other half to the charitable foundation. So instead of buying 2 tickets at $800, I'm donating $400 to the cause.
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General "No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton MYT
Yeah, my nephew is in the Boy Scouts and he's selling something to fund raise for a trip to Philmont (assuming it re-opens next summer). Anyway, he had a target goal of getting $50 in his account and in order to do that he needed to sell some absurd amount of [Boy Scout Product]. We donated a $50 check right to his account. It's not that there isn't value in working for something, but when you get pennies on the dollar it's ridiculous.
My daughter is a Girl Scout and she does sell the cookies, and similarly they get so little - and the council takes most of it. What's even more hilarious is that the council has indicated that if you (as a girl scout) don't participate in at least 2 fund raisers each year, you become ineligible for a series of awards related to girl scouting. It's seriously screwed up and I don't even know how they can say that. It's borderline MLM and to tell a kid they can't get an award because they didn't hock magazines and cookies? That's crap.
Smoove_B wrote: ↑Fri Oct 26, 2018 9:23 am
Yeah, my nephew is in the Boy Scouts and he's selling something to fund raise for a trip to Philmont (assuming it re-opens next summer). Anyway, he had a target goal of getting $50 in his account and in order to do that he needed to sell some absurd amount of [Boy Scout Product]. We donated a $50 check right to his account. It's not that there isn't value in working for something, but when you get pennies on the dollar it's ridiculous.
My daughter is a Girl Scout and she does sell the cookies, and similarly they get so little - and the council takes most of it. What's even more hilarious is that the council has indicated that if you (as a girl scout) don't participate in at least 2 fund raisers each year, you become ineligible for a series of awards related to girl scouting. It's seriously screwed up and I don't even know how they can say that. It's borderline MLM and to tell a kid they can't get an award because they didn't hock magazines and cookies? That's crap.
We actually took our daughters out of Girl Scouts, because as a manager, I found it hard to ask for cookie sales at work. And when they started to penalize the girls for not participating I got upset, and asked how much my 'dues' needed to be so my kids could be exempt from the selling. It did not go over well, and I might have been a little shitty about it. My wife suggested I stop talking to them.
Difficulties mastered are opportunities won. - Winston Churchill
Sheesh, this is one small box. Thankfully, everything's packed in nicely this time. Not too tight nor too loose (someone's sig in 3, 2, ...). - Hepcat
Smoove_B wrote: ↑Fri Oct 26, 2018 9:23 am
Yeah, my nephew is in the Boy Scouts and he's selling something to fund raise for a trip to Philmont (assuming it re-opens next summer). Anyway, he had a target goal of getting $50 in his account and in order to do that he needed to sell some absurd amount of [Boy Scout Product]. We donated a $50 check right to his account. It's not that there isn't value in working for something, but when you get pennies on the dollar it's ridiculous.
My daughter is a Girl Scout and she does sell the cookies, and similarly they get so little - and the council takes most of it. What's even more hilarious is that the council has indicated that if you (as a girl scout) don't participate in at least 2 fund raisers each year, you become ineligible for a series of awards related to girl scouting. It's seriously screwed up and I don't even know how they can say that. It's borderline MLM and to tell a kid they can't get an award because they didn't hock magazines and cookies? That's crap.
I am really hoping my kids don't feel the need to be involved with either of these organizations. I'll certainly provide no encouragement, although I will be pushing them some to be involved with music and that'll likely involve fundraisers too. Selling candy bars annually is something I can deal with. Oh wait...it's coming back to me now...long hours spent outside of indulgent businesses on cold, snowing afternoons trying to convince total strangers to buy candy. Hopefully whatever the carrot offered to achieve sales goals isn't something my kids are inclined to chase (in spite of my efforts, I never won a damned thing).
Boy Scout popcorn nets the troop 35% of the sale price (30% if the leaders screw up and don't submit things on time). My son's troop took the 5% "bonus" and put the 30% into accounts for the kids. Without any sales by us (no taking it to work and no selling at church) he still managed to have money left in his account at age 18 after paying all his dues over the years. Red state suburbs buy the stuff even if the kids are passively sitting outside Lowes in their uniforms.
Actually the cost of insurance is insane and when you factor in items like pools and boating, it gets even more expensive. The GSA and the BSA are two of the few organizations where the volunteers shoulder expenses for the kids, besides paying for their own participation.
