Girl Scouts booted from cookie corner - founder's historic house
Girl Scouts, seen here near Atlanta, smile despite challenging times during cookie season.
February 28th, 2011
08:03 AM ET

Girl Scouts booted from cookie corner - founder's historic house

It's hard out there for a Girl Scout.

After someone complained about a Savannah, Georgia, troop selling cookies at a busy intersection in town, the city forced the girls to move away from the money-making location, according to the Savannah Morning News. The demand to move broke decades of tradition because that corner - Oglethorpe Avenue and Bull Street - is in front of the historic home of the founder of the Girl Scouts organization, Juliette Low.

Savannah zoning administrator Randolph Scott said the problem was that the girls were setting up their sale table on a public sidewalk, which violates a city ordinance, the Morning News reports. Scott tried to help, calling for a survey in the hopes that the property line near the home had private space. No such luck.

The Scouts are taking it on the chin elsewhere in Georgia and around the country. Recently in Villa Rica, Georgia - about 35 miles west of Atlanta - Girl Scouts were told they could no longer peddle their Thin Mints at a strip mall. (Watch how a cop nearly booted the Scouts from their favorite spot. "He was scaring us," one of the girls said of the officer.)

And in this economy, the governing body of the Girl Scouts in Texas is adjusting sales methods. At least a dozen troops across the country are offering only six varieties of cookies rather than the usual eight, according to KVIA TV in El Paso. The price of Samoas and Tagalongs has gone up in some areas to $4 a box, the station reports. It's still a little too early to tell how well newly introduced cookies - "Thanks-a-Lots" and "Shout Outs!" - will sell or if some troops' use of new eco-friendly boxes will boost sales.

At least one girl has not been deterred from her cookie mission. Lydia Johnson, 7, and her mother, Susanne, of South Florida, have reportedly sold 2,053 boxes this year. "We're like twins," Susanne Johnson said. "People like it, and it is fun."

The Scouts are selling cookies until March 20.

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Filed under: Girl Scouts
soundoff (400 Responses)
  1. Wayne

    If I get a gun and a badge can I be GOD too? I want to go out an d arrest some bad guys. Maybe even go after Boyscouts and Cub scouts too. We are talking about really hardened criminals now.

    March 1, 2011 at 7:43 am | Report abuse |
  2. kimdubb

    quit being grumpy everyone. I feel the same way about being pestered to buy things when they attack you while you're goinin into a store. But, its not about the money. The whole reason behind kids doin this and spending all day pushing cookies like they're some dealer in training is so they can learn to work for things. It does them no good for the parents to just pay for, even though they eventuall will. Its about making these spoiled little snots earn something for once.

    March 1, 2011 at 7:53 am | Report abuse |
  3. GLO

    I'm shocked. I've been looking for a girl scout cookie seller for several weeks and can't find one. I'd love to buy a few boxes of thin mints. It's rare to see girl scouts selling cookies anywhere. The last time I bought some, I overhead a grandma in a restaurant asking her granddaughter how the cookie sales were going. I asked the girl if she had any thin mints with her, and her father went out an got a few boxes.

    March 1, 2011 at 8:02 am | Report abuse |
    • Yuri Kaslov

      Look on Amazon.

      March 1, 2011 at 8:18 am | Report abuse |
  4. GLO

    I love the thin mints, just tell me where the girl scouts sell them in zip 25420, or on the internet.

    March 1, 2011 at 8:08 am | Report abuse |
  5. GirlScout134

    I used to sell those cookies! No, I didn't like it, but I'm shy. I didn't like having to ask for something, even to raise money! The cookies are really good. Breaking a tradition is cracking at the foundation of what Girl Scouts is. I was in Girl Scouts from the time I was 6 to just before I turned 13. Tradition is part of what made Girl Scouts interesting to me. Once Girl Scouts became less about camping and more about makeovers, I quit. I liked the camping and outdoor traditions.

    March 1, 2011 at 8:15 am | Report abuse |
  6. Yuri Kaslov

    I'm not quite sure where to stand on this. On the one hand, I was a Boy Scout for near-on seven years (and a cub scout for five years before that), and we went door-to-door, and stood on street corners and outside the local grocery store, selling all kinds of stuff. So naturally (although I left on a bad note, but that's another story) I'm biased to say that they ought'n't have been kicked. On the other hand, though, my knowledge of United States law tells me that this kind of enterprise without a license is illegal, and can be counted as soliciting. Things aren't the way they used to be. Maybe this is just a sign of the times.

    March 1, 2011 at 8:16 am | Report abuse |
    • Yuri Kaslov

      Just as a side note... my account on the main CNN site is no longer allowed to comment, and I'm mad because of that. I didn't even do anything wrong, or in violation of the TOS! This type of commenting isn't as fun.

      March 1, 2011 at 8:33 am | Report abuse |
  7. Al

    To those who complain about this. Who cares if they are over-priced, not as good as they used to be, etc. These are children. Was your childhood so impoverished that you would deny the experiences of childhood to others? Will four bucks really cripple your budget? Is a four dollar Starbucks worth more? I routinely buy GS cookies and let them keep the boxes, rather than eat them. Do you know what they do with those? They send them to our troops overseas. This is a positive thing for girls. Girl Scouts counters the terrible role models these girls face everyday and teaches children about forming lasting friendships, service, community and caring for others while growing and achieving personally. Is it perfect? Of course not. But it is a refreshing alternative to a world awash in artificiality and in thrall to throwaway tweets and the endless navel gazing of Facebook.

    March 1, 2011 at 8:24 am | Report abuse |
  8. c

    Girl Scouts has a whole new philosophy now. Religion is optional. The new panel of 'women' who are running it and changing everything about it is eerie. I had 3 daughters in the organization, no more. We are joining Heritage Girls. Moral relativitism can kiss my grits

    March 1, 2011 at 9:02 am | Report abuse |
    • c

      p.s. I loved being in Girl Scouts as a child. The changes have broken my heart.

      March 1, 2011 at 9:03 am | Report abuse |
  9. Ronald Elrod

    I am appalled at how the Savannah city council has handled this situation. I used to live in Savannah. We're talking about girls from 7-17 who are just trying to raise money for their scout troops. I can understand if they were grown adults trying to run a business, but these are girls are in no way trying to run a full fledged business.

    March 1, 2011 at 2:31 pm | Report abuse |
  10. GS MOM in ND

    I understand both sides of this. I am a GS mom. My daughter is a brownie this year and will be moving on to the junior troop next year. While the troop does not get 100% of the sales, they do get some of it, and it helps offset the cost for their activities they do to earn their badges/patches. Last year my daughter was very nervous about asking people. This year she speaks up, has so much more self confidence, she speaks well and holds conversation with her "customers" she adds and multiplies for the sales, figures out change. She is an example of what the cookie sales are supposed to teach these girls. While mom or dad does go with her and assists, she does the majority of the work for her sales. She has sold over 1,000 boxes alone this year. Every box has been door-to-door selling. The kind of work and commitment that takes may fall on deaf ears right now, or blind eyes considering it's typed, but think about the hours this girl has "put in" to be SUCCESSFUL. You may not appreciate being bothered to buy cookies, but we all start somewhere, and for these girls, it can make a difference in their life and personal growth, after all, they're our future...

    March 1, 2011 at 2:57 pm | Report abuse |
  11. A. J. Lehe

    Funny, the same ones who remind us how much they need 33-round magazines to fight off oppressive government, unruly unions, overspending liberals, etc. are the ones attacking little girls, whether visiting with their representatives or out selling G.S. Cookies!

    March 1, 2011 at 3:29 pm | Report abuse |
  12. GS MOM in ND

    My daughter has brought in over $500 for our troop this year. It makes a huge difference when there are activities to pay for or badges to earn.

    Thank you to everyone who sees between the lines and knows what a difference their purchase makes for our girls!

    March 1, 2011 at 3:39 pm | Report abuse |
  13. kire

    beggers everywhere, I went to go renew my license at the dmv for 50$$ and they want to jack me for all kinds of donations on top of that.

    March 1, 2011 at 7:13 pm | Report abuse |
  14. blue lotus oil

    Hi there, I discovered your blog via Google whilst searching for a comparable subject, your website came up, it appears great. I've added to my favourites|added to my bookmarks.

    April 10, 2012 at 6:30 am | Report abuse |
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