A friend of mine calls to see if I want to buy Girl
Scout cookies from Andrea (her 9 year old). I tell
her that I would be happy to buy cookies from Andrea,
when Andrea calls me herself and asks. Last time I
checked, my friend is WAY past GS age. Of course, I
am the horrible witch that expects 9 year olds to call
me directly when they have something to sell me.
Seems like that's one of the points of selling GS
cookies--learning responsibility, etc. Isn't that
even mentioned in the GS promise or something? So,
later Andrea calls me back and I ask what the flavors
are. Her mother yells them to me from the background.
I then ask Andrea to please read them to me from her
order form, which she is more than happy to do. I
give her my order and tell her to call me when they
arrive. I know from past years that Andrea's mother
(and many other mothers) simply buy the GS cookies in
bulk themselves and then personally distribute them to
friends/neighbors/etc. without having the GS herself
do anything at all!! Naturally, this appalls me and I
will only purchase from the GS herself. I also expect
the GS (not her mother) to call me when they arrive.
The mothers laugh at me and give the impression that
they think that my demands are over the top, but they
humor me by having their daughters assume this minute
amount of responsibility for the cookie selling. Oh
well, I feel that in some small way I am attempting to
ensure that the youth of today learn to accept responsibility.
Today's Guest Rant is brought to us by my cousin Laura, an ex-Girl Scout. We share a love for Girl Scout cookies and a belief that it is best to buy them from the Girl Scout, herself. Thank you Laura, for Guest Ranting on my blog. This is a first in a series of Guest Rants, if you have a rant to share, please feel free to submit me to it. I reserve the right to only share guest rants that 1. I agree with 2. find very funny or 3. all of the above.
For a history of girl scout cookies and a listing of the life skills their selling is supposed to support, visit here.
Most Favorite Cookie, the Peanut Butter Sandwich, previously called the Tagalong.
2nd Favorite GS Cookie - the Thin Mint
What's your favorite and do you believe that Girl Scouts should sell their own cookies?
Friday, April 6, 2007
Guest Rant: On the purchase of Girl Scout Cookies
Posted by magpie at 9:31 AM
Labels: food, guest rant
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11 comments:
I love a good rant. But, I'm guessing that's no surprise.
I will most likely buy the ole cookie schtick from a kid in a uniform. Less so from a parent with an order form. I was always jealous (as a kid selling for fundraising) of the parents that were invested in seeing their kids win, but it was not my fate. Today, though, I generally won't buy without a kid's wavering and uncertain sales pitch... oh, and spousal approval.
p.s. Rent "Monster House" for a brief (and admirable) mention of cookie sales and the best house anatomy jokes on dvd.
I completely agree with Laura, your guest ranter. Hurrah for ranting! I think that is generally the problem with "today's kids". Parents want to assume the duties of the tasks their children are supposed to learn from in an effort to achieve perfection or money (which many probably see as the same thing). I will follow Laura's lead and try to put the parents back in their place.
As for best cookie. The tagalong is the best. Chocolate and peanut butter can't be beat. And thin mints are a definite 2nd.
Ahh Carol!
I am so wrong - that is not a tagalong above - it's a dos-i-do! Actually I do like these peanut butter cookies better than the chocolate covered ones (the real tagalongs) but Jason prefers tagalongs so we get both.
In efforts of full disclosure, I went through a middleman this year for my cookies -Laura ordered them for us from Andrea (the above mentioned Girl Scout). So, I did not actually talk to an actual girl scout, but Laura did. Does that count?
Oh, Girl Scout cookies, how I love thee. Ironically, growing up in Eureka Springs, we did not have Girl Scouts or Brownies; instead we had Pioneer Girls.
But, I love Thin Mints - that was the cookie I kept searching for during my entire pregnancy. I found a bastardized generic version of it at Loblaw's (the local supermarket), but it really wasn't the same.
As for the rant, I agree - the girl's should do the selling and the parent's should step back and play a supportive, but not interfering role.
You know what is even better than Girl Scout cookies? Raisins!
Alright, I know this is getting a little off the theme of the post/rant, but speaking of raisins, I am now into buying cat food with blueberries, cranberries, carrots, and other veggies. After eating the "good stuff" for a few weeks, she isn't so fond of the "healthy stuff", but she's getting there. So, I partially agree with Jason. I prefer craisins, though.
Even though I'm all for teaching responsibility to kids, Thin Mint Cookies are some heavy duty bribing material... I mean, come on...
Also, I'd like to have a geust rant too...
I guess I will complain about my typing skills...
Wow, I haven't been able to check this for a while, but this is clearly a hot topic! I agree that raisins are terrific, as are dried blueberries, cranberries and cherries. However, I think Jason was trying to bait our guest ranter into ranting about her hatred of raisins, but she's not rising to the bait.
Headly are you wanting a guest rant over here (if so, just e-mail me something and I'll see if I want to print it.) Or if you are requesting a guest rant, I imagine there are some folks who would be happy to oblige - Jason? Todd? Carol? Anybody have something they want to share?
BTW, there are some Thin Mints still in my freezer for anyone visiting anytime soon.
Perhaps we could trade out a rant?
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