jimswside wrote:sounds like a good percentage to me, and a win win situation.

Girl Scouts get needed revenue.

Cookie factories get orders and keep people employed.

I'll stay out of the debate about whether Girl Scoot Cookies are good, bad, whatever. But I wouldn't count the employment of people at the cookie factory in any calculus here. If people don't spend their $4 on a box of cookies, their money would go to some other use, whether it be buying different cookies, taking a trip to Mexico, putting it in their savings account (and the bank then loans it to some other business), etc. All of these other uses have employees also. So the cookie factory's gain in employment is someone else's loss.

Mhays wrote:The problem is, you aren't really funding the Girl Scouts, your money mostly goes to the profits of the manufacturer.

There is a middleman involved called Girl Scouts headquarters who use this money to fund their operation, too. The troop's income is a share of the this.

I am never opposed to a manufacturer covering their expenses (building, taxes, material costs, depreciation, utilities), paying their employees or making a profit. They didn't volunteer to make Girl Scout cookies, they very likely responded to a competitive bid for the business. Whatever profit they may make, they earned.

Interestingly, Girl Scout cookies were once homemade at the very inception of this fundraiser.

Regards,

Let me clarify: I don't mind buying cookies made in a factory, I do it all the time. The GS cookies, of course, cost about twice as much as comparable low-tier grocery-store cookies. Like I said, if you like them, knock yourself out - but don't buy them out of a sense of duty when you have the option to write a check directly to the troop.

I went to the GS website; according to them, girls make between $.50 and $.70 cents per box of cookies for their troop, the remainder gets distributed up the chain. In order to earn as much as minimum wage in Illinois, they'd have to sell 16 boxes of cookies for every hour of effort; I'm guessing that unless Mom and Dad take orders at work on their behalf, they aren't coming close.

Cathy2 wrote:There is a middleman involved called Girl Scouts headquarters who use this money to fund their operation, too. The troop's income is a share of the this.

We were disappointed back in the day to see that the national office and the local council received most of the profits at the expense of the local troops. That is why we contribute to the local troops where they can use money to fund activities for the local kids.

Pie Lady wrote:

tgoddess wrote: Back in my day (Yup. I'm OLD.), we had to walk door-to-door taking orders in January and then delivering them in February.

Hey, I did that too! So you're not old after all.

So did I. Then one year, the Cookie Mom (holder of all the $$ collected for undelivered cookies) left town abruptly with the loot....

I'm still a fan of the Thin Mints and Samosas.
And we mustn't forget to appreciate the wonderful seasonal ice creams these two flavors have inspired. I think it's Edy's.

Chicago Expat wrote:I'm still a fan of the Thin Mints and Samosas.

Is this what the Devon & Western Girl Scout troops sell?

Chicago Expat wrote:I'm still a fan of the Thin Mints and Samosas.
And we mustn't forget to appreciate the wonderful seasonal ice creams these two flavors have inspired. I think it's Edy's.

I tried the Samoa ice cream and it was not to my taste. VERY sweet ice cream, with soggy pieces of what might, once, have been cookies.

Khaopaat wrote:

Chicago Expat wrote:I'm still a fan of the Thin Mints and Samosas.

Is this what the Devon & Western Girl Scout troops sell?

Apparently I'm pining for my old Chicago haunts more than I realized.

leek wrote:

Chicago Expat wrote:I'm still a fan of the Thin Mints and Samosas.
And we mustn't forget to appreciate the wonderful seasonal ice creams these two flavors have inspired. I think it's Edy's.

I tried the Samoa ice cream and it was not to my taste. VERY sweet ice cream, with soggy pieces of what might, once, have been cookies.

Sweet ice cream with soggy cookie pieces are the reasons to love it. But I love the thin mint ice cream more.

Yet more tarnish for these once nearly-mythical confections:

"AP via Chicago Tribune wrote:A Kentucky bakery that makes the cookies pulled some batches Thursday after about a dozen people complained of a foul smell and taste.

Little Brownie Bakers in Louisville, one of two bakeries in the U.S. that makes Girl Scout cookies, said Friday no one has gotten sick from the stinky, bad-tasting cookies sold in 24 states, and they are safe to eat.

The problem is caused by a breakdown of oils in the cookies, the bakery said on its Web site.

Bakery pulls lemon Girl Scout cookies from 24 states; morsels are safe to eat, but taste funny

=R=

I've just about gone through my yearly box of Tagalongs. I'm sorry, but I love those things.

jesteinf wrote:I've just about gone through my yearly box of Tagalongs. I'm sorry, but I love those things.

This, and the fact I really enjoy Ricobene's, is going to get both of our LTH licenses revoked.

Santander wrote:

jesteinf wrote:I've just about gone through my yearly box of Tagalongs. I'm sorry, but I love those things.

This, and the fact I really enjoy Ricobene's, is going to get both of our LTH licenses revoked.

Me too I guess. My dreams are fraught with Samoan fantasies.

Pie Lady wrote:

Santander wrote:

jesteinf wrote:I've just about gone through my yearly box of Tagalongs. I'm sorry, but I love those things.

This, and the fact I really enjoy Ricobene's, is going to get both of our LTH licenses revoked.

Me too I guess. My dreams are fraught with Samoan fantasies.

Same here. I like to stash 'em in the freezer, so they're cold & extra chewy.

Cookie Crumbles for Girl Scouts, as Teens Launch Palm-Oil Crusade - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 36782.html

Girl Scout Cookies add a new flavor, s'mores, to celebrate 100 years

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct ... story.html

From Mike Rowe's YouTube channel:

Honest Girl Scout Cookie Reviews

This is positively awesome and adorable.

Independent George wrote:From Mike Rowe's YouTube channel:
Honest Girl Scout Cookie Reviews
This is positively awesome and adorable.

That is funny.

Katie wrote:

Independent George wrote:From Mike Rowe's YouTube channel:
Honest Girl Scout Cookie Reviews
This is positively awesome and adorable.

That is funny.

So frakking cute! And funny! Since there are some folks who are sensitive to gluten(gratefully I am not one of them) the Toffee-tastic is a pretty good product for being gluten-free. I would give it a 6. It tastes better than dirt. But that is just my opinion.

It was last call.

I ordered the last 7 boxes of shortbread that were available from this scout.

They were delivered.

They taste stale. They lack crunch. This could be the end of a food memory. I have admitted for years that I could make a better cookie (heck I do) but the nostalgia kept me right there every year. Alas these stale-tasting cookies have probably done me in as a customer of a low-taste cookie.

I gave up on the shortbread years ago. No butter? Not shortbread.

I am getting a refund.

I learned that different markets charge different prices.

I didn't want a refund. I wanted the product to be fine. Oh well, HRH will be pleased with the influx of treats. She doesn't care if they are soft/stale-ish.

pairs4life wrote:...HRH will be pleased with the influx of treats. She doesn't care if they are soft/stale-ish.

If you look at the ingredients on the pet treat bar at Petco you can tell that some of those are simply repurposed people cookies.

leek wrote:

pairs4life wrote:...HRH will be pleased with the influx of treats. She doesn't care if they are soft/stale-ish.

If you look at the ingredients on the pet treat bar at Petco you can tell that some of those are simply repurposed people cookies.

Prior to reading this, I had already decided to use the stale cookies as treats for HRH.