By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
They peddle their sweet goods with high-pitched little voices, dressed in their Girl Scout sashes laden with badges and pins.
They aren’t high-pressure hucksters – just incredibly cute and committed.
And how could anyone resist the temptation to stock up on this year’s Girl Scout cookies and please the young peddlers at the same time?
“These girls could sell anything,” said Julieanna Armstrong as she picked up her seasonal cookie quota from the Brownies brokering their goods in front of Ace Hardware in downtown Bowling Green on Friday.
The next sale went to John Carty, of Bowling Green.
“I was sent up here specifically to get the lemon ones,” and a box of the newest gluten-free cookies called Toffee-tastic. He limited his purchase to just two boxes, though he confessed, “I’ve got more boxes coming from other people.”
As the Brownies hawked the cookies, parent Jennifer Codding explained the secret to cookie sales.
“Girl Scout cookies are one of those historic things. People look forward to them every year,” said Codding, of Bowling Green Troop 10320. “They sell themselves.”
Codding said their troop traditionally sells about $1,000 in cookies, which is then used for camping activities.
The cookies can be addictive for some buyers, who look forward to feeding their need each year when the Brownies and Girl Scouts hit the streets.
“They wait for them. It’s the known relationship,” Codding said.
The most popular of the cookies nationwide are the Thin Mints, she said. Other cookies being peddled this year are Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-Si-Dos, Trefoils, Savannah Smiles, Rah Rah Raisins and Toffee-tastics.
Down the street a bit Friday afternoon was another group of scouts trying to broker their sweet treats in front of Grounds for Thought.
Brownie Jessie Bohaczenko, from Perrysburg Troop 10507, revealed her secret for snaring sales.
“I kind of say, in a cute voice, ‘Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?’” You could almost taste the sugar in her high-pitched appeal.
Her mother, Rhonda Bohaczenko, said some buyers get impatient to make their cookie connections each year. To ensure they have enough to get through the off-season, some order mass quantities. The biggest buyer so far this year purchased two cases – 24 boxes.
“They do stock up,” she said.
The cookies are so good that sometimes it doesn’t even require the young scouts to make the sale.
Jen Colony said she once peddled the cookies for her boyfriend’s sister.
“I was the middle man. I was the dealer,” she said.
But Colony was careful not to get too hooked herself. She tried to show restraint this year by buying just one box each of her favorites, Samoas and Thin Mints. “I make them last. I kind of ration them.”
As if the temptation wasn’t great enough, the Girl Scout cookie campaign has now gone high-tech. To find the nearest cookie booth for a fix, people can just visit https://cookielocator.littlebrownie.com/council_sales/find. There is also a Girl Scout Cookie Finder App available on most smart phones.
(Another story will be posted soon on the Girl Scout cookie favorites of local celebrities.)
