Scouts can fill cookie cravings instantly

A change to a decades-old tradition means instant gratification for Girl Scout cookie fans.

Gone are the days when customers filled out colorful order forms, waited and ultimately received their delectable desserts after weeks of anticipation.

This year, the Girl Scouts have launched "Cookies Now" - putting the treats directly in the girls' hands as they make their annual sales in local communities.

No waiting involved.

The cookie sale officially begins today in Fargo-Moorhead, with Girl Scouts setting up booths at several popular businesses in the area.

Girl Scout organizers hope the direct-sales approach raises more funds than the previous ordering system, said Shaleen Wieland, northeast district director for the Dakota Horizons council, which oversees troops in the Dakotas and northwest Minnesota.

The new method was tested last year on a trial basis by a handful of troops nationwide with successful results.

By offering the product on the spot, the Girl Scouts also hope to entice customers back for more batches of cookies before the fundraiser ends on March 4, which could drive repeat sales, Wieland said.

The cookie sale is the Girl Scouts' primary annual fundraiser, with most of the proceeds benefiting the regional council.

Each troop in Dakota Horizons gets to keep 50 cents of every $4 box sold.

Fargo-Moorhead alone has about 1,600 Girl Scouts - about half of the membership in the Dakota Horizons council.

Sales are already taking off because of the new approach, Wieland said.

She ordered 1,200 cases - or 14,400 boxes - for the Fargo district office to kick off the fundraiser this week.

But by Thursday, regional Girl Scouts had sold out the district's stockpile.

Wieland said she ordered another shipment, which is due to arrive Monday.

"We're trying to keep up with the demand," she said. "We have lots of girls who've already gone out selling door-to-door, and some have come back three or four times for more cookies."

In recent years, the organization has partnered more with local businesses to help drive cookie sales, but the door-to-door approach isn't going away, Wieland said.

Regardless of how the girls choose to sell their cookies, she said, each Scout gains valuable life skills such as planning, organizing, goal-setting, money-management, communication and responsibility.

"It really is a program built so the girls run their own business," Wieland said. "They're like little entrepreneurs."

Girls in the Dakota Horizons council sold 880,000 cookies last year. Wieland said the goal this spring is to top 1 million boxes.

More information

• To find out where the Girl Scouts plan to sell cookies at Fargo-Moorhead businesses, visit www.gsdakotahorizons.com .

Readers can reach Forum reporter Kristen Daum at (701) 241-5541