Social responsibility?

[bugscufle]

It is that time again.

Time for the Girl Scouts to start acquiring funds for very well paid executives by putting young girls before strangers to market over-priced cookies to an overweight/obese population dealing with the worst unemployment in 26 years.

I always wonder if some of the seven and eight year old children ever have their confidence damaged by declining passerbys? I realize not all would.

[Cil]

My only response is "How much for the thin mints?"

[Watonga_Jim]

It's not just the kids that are selling over-priced cookies, it includes their friends and family. I buckled to the peer pressure at work this week and ordered some cookies from a co-worker that was selling them for his daughter. It's quite a racket but I'm sure there are worse causes to support. ;D

Jim

[CarolAnn]

Actually, other than the year I was a Jr. Girl Scout leader, I've never had a Girl Scout try to sell me cookies. It's always mom or auntie at work.

I was pretty shocked when I found out how little the kids actually make for their troop with this business! It's pitiful!

[bugscufle]

I don't like the message that positive human events cannot occur without huge sums of money.

[MNMOM]

I remember when I was a Scout leader and the year that all the cookies came to my house to be dispersed to each girl to deliver. You could barely get through the house until they had all been picked up.

You are right, they are over-priced and there is very little money made by the troop.

[Magnificent_Madame]

But oh, those samoa cookies are so, so, so good!

[Wyobuckaroo]

Howdy

I agree with you Madame.

Some of those varieties are SOOOOOOOOO GOOD.

I don't care what the percentage split is on the $

I do know the local groups do get support from that $

Besides, all the neighbors / friends / coworkers put up with me when I did fundraisers for my kids, Scouts, 4H, marching band, dance, you name it.

So I will ALWAYS be available for them.

Short bread is my favorite flavor with sweet coffee.

Enjoy
Wyo

[maineyankee]

Mutially agreed upon extortion ;

'MAD'

[SpoonBread]

Bug Skuffle asked about damaged egos....

I was In GS when I was little. I have to admit that selling cookies was my least favorite part of it. There were always these prizes that you would get for selling a certain number of cookies (usually insanely high for one little girl). The same 3 girls would get the prizes every year, that was because they had their mothers, aunts and such taking sign up sheets to their work places, getting most of the orders. *I on the other hand, had to get all my sales myself, walking door to door for hours on the weekends in different neighborhoods. I have to admit that the whole thing made me feel ripped off, when I was putting the most work in, but never received any recognition for it. I don't know how much it hurt my ego, but it prolly helped to make me self reliant and caused me to shy away from joining organizations in the future.
I believe ultimately that it is a good program, but I take issue with some of their practices.



Now 4-H, THAT"S a program I LOVED growing up!!
;D

[Jezcruzen]

I remember that the news show "60 minutes" did a segment about the cookie fundraiser some years ago. They reached the conclusion that the Girl Scouts actually existed in order to slave for this company marketing the cookies. One can only wonder what compensation the national Girl Scout administrators receive for suppling this cost-free and unknowing workforce.

[rivahmom]

It isn't just Girl Scouts selling over priced junk food. I get bombarded on a monthly basis by my cousins, nieces, nephews, etc.. all trying to raise funds for the public schools. I was told the school gets to keep 05% of the profits so where does the rest go? I think these fundraising companies see huge profits with the use of free labor and parental guilt.

[Suzy]

the Girl Scouts of today are NOTHING like they were way back when I was a Brownie and then a Girl Scout....now it's more about cultural diversity and that kind of thing....at least from what I've seen...

When I was a Scout we camped, earned badges, and did all sorts of those kind of things...I still make "camp fire stew" occassionally which we learned to make over a campfire...

And no.....there is no better smell to a young girl than waking up after a night of weird sleep in a bedroll away from "mama and daddy" and smelling bacon and scrambled eggs being cooked over a campfire....I think I was seven....this was after a night when it rained buckets and of course our little two-girl tents leaked like crazy....

And yes, I was in 4-H too and earned my first prize for writing way back then by doing a safety essay in fifth grade....I also learned to sew back then and many other things....

I think too many of the kids activities now are about selling selling selling....we had fun and learned a lot thanks to dedicated VOLUNTEERS.....what we did back then didn't take much money....just time....

[Suzy]

And oh....we CAMPED in somebody's old cow pasture, NOT in some fancy Girl Scout camp that somebody had to sell 40 zillion boxes of cookies to pay for....

And we loved every minute of it.

[kmccune]

Well some of the cookies are good- but the kids are being exploited a bit,the big winners are the promotional and cookie companies.Although these intelligent and bright members do raise several salient points-the take for the groups is so small ,personally I think making a small contribution is easier[ in other words been there and done that] So true about the work thing-Kevin

[bookwormom]

when they want me to buy the cookies I give them a couple of bucks for not buying anything.

[flatwater]

I the tough times ahead you will see all sorts of things hawked on the street. I don't buy to support the girl scouts , I buy to support my friends daughter , nieces , Etc:

[bugscufle]

Do you know how much of your purchase they get to keep? If you wanted to support the girls, why not just make donation to their troop?

[flatwater]

I do that also.