Girl Scout Cookie sales rebound; newest is a hit … if you can find any

ATLANTA — Last year, hampered by COVID-19, the Girl Scouts found themselves with 12 million boxes of unsold cookies at the end of the sales season.

That number included about 720,000 leftover boxes in an Atlanta Girl Scouts warehouse, or $3 million in baked treats, according to Food & Wine magazine.

This year is a different story. With innovations, such as drive-through sales, touchless purchases, and a “cookie finder” app that helps you track down booth sales in your neighborhood, cookies sales are revived.

Even the newest cookie, the brownie-based, caramel creme “inspired” Adventureful, is doing well. If you can find one.

Due to supply problems and labor shortages, the supply of the new cookie hasn’t met demand.

“The Girls Scouts have not been immune to some of these supply chain challenges that have affected other vendors,” Amy Dolick, CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, said.

But Dolick reassured fans of the new cookie, “They are coming. There are some on the ground in Atlanta right now. The good news is that all of the initial orders for friends and family have been fulfilled.”

Door-to-door sales of the Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs and other familiar treats, took place last month. This month, booth sales began, and consumers will find Scouts hawking baked goods at tables in front of supermarkets and other businesses.

“In the next four to six weeks, you will see thousands of cookie booths popping up in Atlanta,” Dolick said.

Those booths should be able to supply our cookie needs, she said.

While participation in Scouting also dropped off last year, Dolick said membership is bouncing back as well.

“We had some folks take a break during the pandemic, when troops could not meet in person, but there is a strong response and rebounding membership this year,” she said.

Last year’s unsold cookies didn’t go to waste.

“We had some good Samaritans step forward,” Leslie Gilliam, spokesperson for the Atlanta council, said.

The cookies went to camps, schools, first responders, the military and other appreciative recipients.

“People are always surprised by the number of cookies we sell,” Gilliam added. “During sales season, we outsell every other cookie in the U.S. market, and that includes Oreos and Chips Ahoy. You’re buying more than a cookie, you’re helping girls.”

These cookies account for the following percentages of Girl Scout Cookie sales in Atlanta:

Thin Mints: 23.5%

Samoas: 19%

Tagalongs: 13.6%

Trefoils: 10.6%

Do-si-dos: 9.3

Special Photo: Girl Scouts via AJC