Here’s How To Buy Girl Scout Cookies Online So You Never Run Out Of Thin Mints Again
If you don't personally know a Girl Scout, it can be really hard to get your hands on the cookies you know and love from your childhood. In the age of Postmates and Amazon, you might be wondering: Can you order 2019 Girl Scout cookies online? Your days of rationing out your boxes of Thin Mints and Samoas/Caramel Delites are over, because the Girl Scouts' Digital Cookies Platform has got all your snacking needs covered, minimum effort required.
With the launch of the 2019 Girl Scout cookie season on Wednesday, Jan. 2, it's time to start planning your cookie strategy and making moves to stock up for the months ahead. In addition to returning favorites like Thin Mints, Caramel deLites aka Samoas, and Trefoils' Shortbread, the new Caramel Chocolate Chip cookie made its debut to give customers one more gluten-free option to munch on in the new year. Luckily, your 2019 strategy doesn't require you to leave the comfort of your couch, because you can order all the boxes you desire straight to your doorstep, but first, you should get express your interest to whomever you usually get your Girl Scout cookies from, because any online orders need to be initiated by the troop member, per a Girl Scouts spokesperson
According to the Girl Scouts website, you either have the option to order your treats via a Digital Order Card for LBB councils or Smart Cookies Mobile for ABC councils. You can check online to see what title your local council falls under, but basically the Girl Scout troop's council either sources their cookies from the Little Brownie Bakers (LBB) out of Louisville, Kentucky or the ABC Bakery from Richmond, Virginia. Whatever troop you get your cookies from will determine the bakery, and the troop member will initiate the sale either by sending you an email with a link to her personal sale site or by logging your sale online herself, per a Girl Scouts spokesperson.
Once you've been sent the link by the Girl Scout selling the cookies, you can use her personalized digital order websites to make an order. It's important to note once again that troop members are the only people who can initiate an online sale, and per the Girl Scouts, the girls take a safety pledge before using the Digital Cookie platform in order to stay safe as they learn business skills like goal setting and money management through the use of online sales.
Once you select your cookies, you can opt to either have your order shipped by common carrier (which will add shipping and handling costs) to anywhere in the United States, or by in-person delivery from a Girl Scout. If you decide to use a traditional carrier, you'll receive an electronic confirmation and can track your Tagalongs as they make their way to your home.
For ABC councils, Girl Scouts can download the Smart Cookies Mobile app on both iOS and Android devices. From there, they can send e-cards or direct links to prospective customers, who are then able to order their favorite cookies to their doorstep. Who knew it was so easy to get your Thin Mints fix without having to traipse all over town looking for a Girl Scout booth?
If you are looking to buy in person from your local troop, though, you can use the Girl Scouts website to locate in-person sales troops near you are having, and all you have to do is enter your zip code.
Also, to note, the Digital Cookie platform used by troop members is to the only verified way to buy cookies online, as only registered Girl Scouts can sell cookies. The Girl Scouts of the USA "cannot guarantee the freshness or integrity" of cookies bought and sold elsewhere, like Amazon or eBay, per the website. So, express your interest to the Girl Scout you usually buy from or your friends and coworkers who you know have a connection to a troop, and let the Girl Scout get your online order started. You'll get your delicious cookies, and she'll have the benefit of acquiring business skills like decision making and people skills.
Like always, your purchase goes towards supporting young women in leadership roles, which is always a worthy cause. You can feel extra good about your order with the Girl Scouts' newest option which is basically what caramel lovers' dreams are made of. According to the Jan. 2 press release, the Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie is comprised of "rich caramel, semisweet chocolate chips, and a hint of sea salt in a chewy, gluten-free cookie." It's not available in all councils, so again I'd check, but the Girl Scouts' other gluten-free option (2015's Toffee-tastic cookie) will also be available in select areas.
Now that the Girl Scouts have gone mobile, it's never been easier to check what cookies are available in your market, hit "order," and wait for all the boxes of goodies to arrive at your doorstep. Who said Christmas is over in December?
