Looking for your Girl Scout cookies? Why GrubHub could be way to go during pandemic
One of the most popular sights of the season — storefront Girl Scout cookie tables — might be absent, or largely so, in February and March.
The local Girl Scouts of the USA council has not forbidden cookie booths as the COVID-19 pandemic still grips much of California. But “as with most small businesses, our girls are keeping a close watch on the in-person guidelines set forth by the state and local government,” said Sara Hanson, communications manager for the organization’s Heart of Central California council.
Any lack of cookie booths doesn’t mean lovers of Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties and the other varieties will be deprived. The cookies will be as close as a mouse click and the doorstep.
Girls as young as 5 are learning to accept online orders that ship directly to customers’ homes and to navigate new contact-free order pickup and delivery options, including a partnership with GrubHub.
“This year, we have created a comprehensive plan to keep girls and their customers safe and have adapted to the current limitations placed upon our traditional face-to-face experiences,” said Linda E. Farley, Heart of Central California CEO, in a news release. The council supports girls in 18 counties: Stanislaus, Merced, San Joaquin, Tuolumne, Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Solano, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba.
“We haven’t completely ruled out girls having booths, but it is absolutely contingent on the risk level in their area,” Hanson told The Bee in an email. “We are monitoring the color tiers closely and as we get closer to Feb. 19, when girls would begin to host booths, we will work with girls and troops to identify the best options for safe sales.”
Scouts and their leaders are thinking outside the cookie box to achieve their sales goals from home by hosting virtual booths on social media, Hanson said. They’ll be placing door hangers at homes in their neighborhoods, asking retailers to post window cards in storefronts and placing yard signs on their properties.
Girls Scouts getting creative in distribution
Girls are encouraged to use no-contact transactions and distribution methods such as prearranged porch drop-offs or placing cookies in the trunks of cars, Hanson said. Customers also may have cookies shipped to them directly.
Since Jan. 8, Girl Scouts have been able to sell to friends and family via social media. “We highly suggest that potential customers who don’t know a Girl Scout go to girlscoutcookies.org to find cookies in their area after Feb. 1,” Hanson said.
Also starting Feb. 1, customers can text COOKIES to 59618 (message and data rates may apply. Text STOPGS for STOP, HELPGS for help).
And from Feb. 19 through March 14, Modesto-area cookie lovers can go to www.grubhub.com/food/girl_scouts to order contact-free delivery from Grubhub. “GSHCC is grateful to Grubhub for waiving all fees for the organization to make this new delivery option feasible for sales without reducing troops’ and councils’ proceeds,” according to the Heart of Central California news release.
The council is introducing a new treat this year, the Toast-Yay! cookie. It’s described as a French toast–inspired cookie “dipped in delicious icing and full of flavor in every bite.”
This also is the last year to purchase S’mores, the crunchy and creamy melding of graham sandwich cookies, chocolate and marshmallow.
The other available varieties are the aforementioned Thin Mints and Peanut Butter Patties, along with Caramel deLites, Lemonades, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Shortbread and Caramel Chocolate Chip.
The price this year is $5 per package for all varieties except the gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip, which is $6.
