What Would You Pay for a Thin Mint?

By CHARLENE ARSENAULT (Patch Staff)

For a lot of people, it’s a guilty pleasure. Girl Scout cookie season. You scarf up boxes of Thin Mints, Do-si-dos and Tagalongs. But what are you wiling to pay to help out these scouts with their annual fundraiser?

The Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts (GSEM) said it will increase the price of a package of Girl Scout cookies to $5 come next cookie season, which commences on Dec. 11.

“The council’s first cookie price increase in at least eight years will allow GSEM to provide significantly more proceeds from cookie sales to local troops so that girl members can participate in more leadership programs of their choosing,” said the release.

The price, said the Girl Scouts, aligns the consumer price of the cookies with the rising wholesale costs. The increase is a $1 over last year.

The locally managed funds, they say, pay for a wide variety of activities, including field trips, STEM conferences, community projects, travel and outdoor adventures.

The new price structure is predicted to significantly increase these funds, up to 45 percent on average.

“The Girl Scout Cookie Program provides consumers with a quality product available exclusively from their local Girl Scouts for a limited time each year,” said Patricia A. Parcellin, chief executive officer, Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, in the announcement. “Each package of cookies purchased is an investment in our mission to build girl leaders.”

In July 2015, Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts surveyed thousands of constituents, including adult volunteers, top cookie sellers’ parents/caregivers, board members and advisors for feedback on the Cookie Program cost structure, said the announcement. The survey helped in the decision to raise the prices.

Girl Scouts cookies will be available for a limited time, from December 11, 2015 through March 2016. As part of the annual cookie program, consumers can buy cookies through GSEM’s “Cookies for a Cause” initiative through which Girls Scouts set aside cookie packages for donation to military organizations, food pantries, and other local charities at the conclusion of the cookie program. Last year, GSEM donated more than 30,000 packages of cookies.

Find local troops and camps here.

Cookie lovers can visit this site beginning in early December to find out where to buy Girl Scouts cookies.

Photo Credit: The Girl Scouts of the USA