Nursing some serious Girl Scout cookie withdrawal symptoms? Worry not, cookie season is upon us and this year, you can get your hands on the cookies you crave more easily than ever -- and you won’t even need to leave your house to do it.
Amid the ongoing pandemic, the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. will offer several contact-free cookie delivery options during its 2021 cookie season, which runs from January through the end of March. The organization will again use its national online ordering site, which will open on Feb. 1, and it will also partner with national delivery service Grubhub.
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“We’re proud of the resourceful ways Girl Scouts are running their cookie businesses safely and using their earnings to make the world a better place,” Judith Batty, the interim chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts, said in a release. “This season, our girls will continue to exemplify what the cookie program taught them — how to think like entrepreneurs, use innovative sales tactics and pivot to new ways of doing business when things don’t go according to plan.”
When the global pandemic was declared last year, cookie sales were already underway for the 2020 cookie season, which prompted many Girl Scout troops to adopt creative strategies, the organization said in a release. Some Girl Scouts created virtual cookie booths on social media while others shipped orders or set up drive-through pickup sites.
“From running virtual cookie booths on social media to setting up drive-through locations to facilitating orders that ship directly to customers’ doors,” the organization said, “girls as young as five years old are continuing to embrace their entrepreneurial spirits, stay connected to their communities, and have fun by participating in the cookie program.”
During the 2021 cookie season, consumers can order Girl Scout Cookies for pickup or delivery on Grubhub.com or the Grubhub app in select markets. Additional markets will be added throughout the cookie season. The Girl Scouts said Grubhub waived the fees it typically charges, making the new delivery option “feasible for sales without reducing troops’ and councils’ proceeds.”
Local Girl Scouts will track and fulfill orders, manage inventory, and more using Grubhub’s back-end technology, the organization said. In celebration of the collaboration, Grubhub will offer free delivery on Girl Scout Cookie orders $15 or more through Feb. 14.
The Girl Scout’s national online ordering site will begin processing cookie orders on Feb. 1. On the site, customers can enter their zip code into the Girl Scout Cookie Finder and order cookies for direct shipment. A local troop will process the order and benefit from the purchase, the organization said.
“Like other people running small businesses, Girl Scouts are growing their cookie sale online to connect to consumers who may be harder to reach during the pandemic, all while staying resilient and learning skills such as money management, goal setting, and customer service,” said Batty. “We are excited to open virtual cookie booths beginning February 1 to customers who don’t know a Girl Scout so they can still support girls during this challenging time for all of us.”
How to safely purchase Girl Scout Cookies this season, according to the GSUSA:
Girl Scout Cookie season is recognized nationally from January through April, but local timing and product availability varies, so contact your local council for more information. Cookie-lovers can support Girl Scouts by purchasing cookies a few different ways this season.
- If you know a registered Girl Scout, reach out to her to find out how she’s selling cookies in ways that meet local and state safety protocols.
- If you don’t know a Girl Scout, visit www.girlscoutcookies.org, text COOKIES to 59618 (message and data rates may apply. Text STOPGS for STOP, HELPGS for help), or use the official Girl Scout Cookie Finder app for free on iOS or Android devices to find socially distant or contact-free cookie booths if they are available in your area.
- Visit www.grubhub.com/food/girl_scouts to find out if and when contact-free delivery from Grubhub is available in your area.
- Beginning February 1, enter your zip code into the Girl Scout Cookie Finder at www.girlscoutcookies.org to purchase from a local Girl Scout troop online for shipment to your door or to donate cookies to first responders and local causes.
Important Houston-area cookie season dates:
If you’re on Girl Scout cookie watch, here are the important dates to look out for, according to the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto, which oversees Houston-area troops.
- January 28: Troops may begin picking up cookies from designated cookie drops. Girls begin taking orders via tools like Smart Cookies or an optional paper order card to help with planning.
- February 6: Rejoice, sugar fiends! The 2021 Cookie Program begins! All cookies will be delivered to all troops and will be available for purchase to the general public at this time.
- February 12: Cookie booth sales begin.
- March 28: A dark day: The 2021 Cookie Program ends.
For additional information about the local 2021 Cookie program, visit www.gssjc.org.
Our excitement over the 2021 cookie season, in the words of Kevin Malone (because he says it best):
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