From Tagalongs to Do-si-dos, my life selling Girl Scout cookies
Gazebo Photo by Cap Patel
Kaitlyn Neel
It may not be Christmas or my birthday, but Girl Scout cookie season is one of my favorite times of the year.
Starting in February and lasting for a few months, Girl Scout cookies were all I could think about for the past eight years of my life.
I started in Girl Scouts as a Daisy and worked my way up through Brownies, Juniors, Cadets, Ambassadors, and Seniors.(There are almost as many ranks as there are cookies.)
During my career as a Girl Scout, I have sold thousands of boxes of these addictive cookies. In my Daisy and Brownie years, my goal was to sell enough cookies for the “big prize,” which was usually a laptop computer, camera, or digital toy. I would calculate how many boxes of cookies I needed to sell in order to obtain this prize, then call everyone I knew and ask them to buy a box.
Loading ...I would always fall short of my goal, which was usually in the thousands, and end up with a T-shirt or something anticlimactic.
Some of my favorite memories are standing outside of Kroger with my table of cookies, eagerly trying to get shoppers to buy my cookies. I found when I was younger, the sales pitch was easier. Because who can say no to a cute little girl, right?
As I got older my enthusiasm outside of Kroger dwindled … and so did my sales.
Soon, my goal was to sell enough to pay for our end-of-the-year trip. I usually met this goal, but with a lot of struggle and effort.
Along with school and friendships, selling cookies became less important to me. Now, as a 16-year-old in high school, I am glad I no longer am required to sell Girl Scout cookies, although many of my long-time customers are not happy about it.
Even though I no longer sell cookies, I love going to Kroger and seeing the little girls making their pitches for Thin Mints and Tagalongs.
And now I always buy a box or two because I have been there and done that.
