Girl Scouts begin annual cookie drive
Troops of young ladies pounded the streets in neighborhoods across Columbia County on Saturday, hawking cookies and using adorability as their sales technique.
Girl Scouts began their annual door-to-door cookie sales last weekend.
"They're easy to sell, because people think I'm so cute that they have to buy," said Carly Crow, 8, who is a Brownie with Troop 161 in Martinez.
Pretending to be cold is another effective method for selling cookies.
"I'll stand on the porch and start shivering, and they'll want to buy some cookies from me," said 9-year-old Girl Scout Junior Jennie Paine.
"It's really not that hard (to sell cookies)," 10-year-old Junior Clair Maile of Troop 126 said. "Most people want them anyway."
Selling cookies is the Girl Scouts largest annual fund-raiser. Last year, the Central Savannah River Girl Scout Council sold nearly 562,000 boxes, or 95 million cookies.
Jennie and Clair said their troop alone sold 1,250 boxes and raised $537. The money will be used to help pay for a troop trip to either Zoo Atlanta or the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston, S.C.
Carly's troop plans to use their earnings to visit the home of Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low in Savannah and for horse camp.
"Cookie sales are a time-honored tradition," said Jennifer Crow, Carly's mom and co-leader for a Brownie and Daisy troop in the Lakeside area. "It goes back to the 1920s when Girl Scouts baked their own cookies to raise money for their troops."
Girl Scout cookie varieties include the best-selling Thin Mints, Samoas, Trefoils, Tagalongs, Do-Si-Dos, All Abouts, and newcomers Lemon Coolers and Double Dutch.
Anyone not receiving a house call also can find cookies being sold between Feb. 20 and March 14 at various locations around the county including both Wal-Mart locations, Kmart in West Town shopping center, Lowe's on Bobby Jones Expressway, area Krogers and Winn-Dixies.
Boxes are $3 each.
Certain troops may also solicit for donations to benefit Safe Homes of Augusta, a shelter for abused women and children.