GS Cookie Program: Online FAQ
Selling Girl Scout Cookies
- How do you ensure the safety of the Girl Scouts who sell cookies?
- Why should my daughter participate in the cookie sale?
Buying Girl Scout Cookies
- When do Girl Scout Cookies go on sale?
- How much are cookies?
- Should I pay for cookies upon ordering?
- Can you purchase cookies online?
- Do you accept credit cards for payment?
- I can't eat cookies, but I want to support local Girl Scouts. Is there a way to do that?
Cost and Proceeds
- Where does the $4 for the sale of a box of cookies go to?
- How much money goes to the national Girl Scout organization?
- Why are the prices of cookies different in other cities and states?
- How do the girls benefit from the proceeds?
Product Information
- What varieties of cookies do Girl Scouts in Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland sell?
- Why can I not find trefoil cookies?
- How do I find out about the ingredients, nutritional value, or allergen information for Girl Scout Cookies?
- Do you have a special cookie for the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts?
- Are you selling the new lemon cookie that I've heard about on TV?
Selling Girl Scout Cookies
How do you ensure the safety of the Girl Scouts who sell cookies?
The safety and security of our members is always our chief concern. We have strict guidelines for safety. Girl Scouts, depending on their age, must be accompanied or supervised by an adult when selling Girl Scout cookies and must always use the buddy system. Girls that are participating in online marketing initiatives (not online sales) must read and discuss the Girl Scout Internet Safety Pledge. Girls print out the pledge and ask their parents (or guardians), to read and sign the pledge together. Additionally, we offer letmeknow.girlscouts.org (for adults) and lmk.girlscouts.org (for girls), sites for general help on staying safe online.
Why should my daughter participate in the cookie sale?
The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the leading entrepreneurial program for girls in the United States. It is a primary source of funding for Girl Scout troops to have a self-sufficient Girl Scout Leadership Experience, enabling girls to help pay their own way. It also has intangible benefits, such as teaching girls business and life skills that they will carry with them for life.
The five essential skills that girls develop through the Girl Scout Cookie Program are:
- Goal setting
- Decision making
- Money management
- People skills
- Business ethics
Buying Girl Scout Cookies
When do Girl Scout Cookies go on sale?
Girls will take pre-orders January 6- 23, and will have products in-hand for delivery and additional orders February 10-March 11.
How much are cookies?
Girl Scout Cookies are $4 per box.
Should I pay for cookies upon ordering?
During the pre-order period, no money is collected. If you purchase Girl Scout Cookies at a booth or other direct sale, payment will be due on-site.
Can you purchase cookies online?
For safety of the girls and our customers, we do not collect payment for Girl Scout Cookies online.
Do you accept credit cards for payment?
Credit Card payments are accepted at our five service center Girl Scout Cookie Cupboard locations:
- Cape Girardeau Area Service Center: 1432 Kurre Lane
- Dexter Area Service Center: 1420 Girl Scout Way
- Jefferson City Area Service Center: 230 Metro Drive
- Joplin Satellite Office: 1202 S. Range Line Road, Suite 8
- Springfield Administrative Area Service Center: 210 S. Ingram Mill Road
Please click here for current hours.
I can’t eat cookies, but I want to support local Girl Scouts. Is there a way to do that?
Yes! We have a Cookie Share Program, through which customers can purchase boxes of cookies for an organization of the girls’ choosing - such as a food shelf, family shelter, or military group. Girl Scouts still receive proceeds and recognition for boxes sold through this program.
Cost and Proceeds
Where does the $4 for the sale of a box of cookies go to?
For each box of Girl Scout cookies that a girl in our council sells, about 25% of the cost goes to our bakery for production, transportation, and support costs. Of the remaining proceeds, 100% goes directly to benefitting girls, either through earned recognitions or through other aspects of our leadership program:
- Low-cost council program events
- Safe and well-maintained program centers for all girls to use
- Volunteer resources and support
- Recruitment efforts and resources
- Publications such as the camp guide and newsletters, provided at no charge to girls
- Council website and online resources
- Financial assistance
How much money goes to the national Girl Scout organization?
None. All proceeds from the Girl Scout Cookie Program stay within our council jurisdiction.
Why are the prices of cookies different in other cities and states?
Each Girl Scout council sets its own price per box based on geography, demographics, and benefit to girls.
The $4 cost allows us to provide the greatest possible benefit to girls in our area who participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program. They can earn troop proceeds, Girl Scout Cookie Credit, recognition items, and troop bonuses.
How do the girls benefit from the proceeds?
Girls received some proceeds directly- through troop proceeds, Girl Scout Cookie Credit, recognition items, and troop bonuses. The remaining proceeds are used for council-wide benefit to girls, such as subsidizing program costs, maintaining camps, providing free publications and resources for volunteers and parents, and offering financial assistance to families in need.
Product Information
What varieties of cookies do Girl Scouts in Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland sell?
We sell eight varieties of cookies:
- Thin Mints: Round dark-chocolate mint-flavored cookies.
- Peanut Butter Sandwich: Two oatmeal cookies with a layer of peanut butter sandwiched in between
- Shortbread: Shortbread cookies shaped like the Girl Scout trefoil
- Caramel deLites: Caramel, coconut, and chocolate doughnut-shaped cookies
- Peanut Butter Patties: Round cookies with a layer of peanut butter that’s covered in chocolate
- Thanks-A-Lot: Shortbread cookies with a layer of fudge on the bottom
- Lemonades: Shortbread cookies with lemon icing
- Shout Outs: Belgian-style caramelized cookie
Why can I not find trefoil cookies?
There are two different Girl Scout bakeries in the United States, and each has different names for its cookies. The good news, though, is that the same nationwide favorites are offered by both bakeries. The same cookie-different name matchups are:
- Peanut Butter Sandwich/Do Si Dos
- Shortbread/Trefoil
- Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs
How do I find out about the ingredients, nutritional value, or allergen information for Girl Scout Cookies?
Full nutritional information is printed on each box of Girl Scout Cookies, and is also available online at: http://abcsmartcookies.com/cookies_nutrition.asp.
Do you have a special cookie for the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts?
To celebrate 100 years of Girl Scouts, we have a special box design for our Shortbread cookies, which are shaped like the Girl Scout trefoil – an homage to some of the first commercially-produced Girl Scout Cookies. The box features vintage photography of early Girl Scouts.
Are you selling the new lemon cookie that I’ve heard about on TV?
Many Girl Scout Councils are selling a 100th anniversary cookie called the Savannah Smile. It is a lemon-flavored sandwich cookie marketed by one of the two licensed Girl Scout bakeries. Our baker, ABC Bakers, does not offer the Savannah Smile. Girls in our council are selling Lemonades again this year, a consistently popular lemon cookie that has been sold for the last several years. Lemonades are a lemon shortbread cookie with a tart lemon icing.
For information about how we are celebrating our 100th anniversary through the Girl Scout Cookie Program, please see Do you have a special cookie for the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts? above.
