Don’t forget to get your cookies

Staff report

youngstown

When you buy your Girl Scout cookies this year, you can peruse your old favorites and even a new selection — Rah Rah Raisins is now thrown into the mix.

You may look forward to the tasty morsels that disappear, one after the other, until you’ve eaten more than half the box before you even realize it. But this year, take some time as you buy to consider who’s behind those cookie sales. Every Girl Scout learns valuable skills from the cookie program that can help her in the business world, says the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio.

You can participate in the sale and help her acquire those skills.

The Girl Scouts want your salesgirl to learn:

How to set goals and meet deadlines. A blown deadline can mean a blown deal in the business world.

How to work well with others.

How to understand customers.

How to influence others by selling ideas, pitching products and persuading others to help out.

Honesty, trustworthiness and reliability.

The cookie program is the largest girl-led business in the world, and it helps them develop those five essential skills.

Here’s how you can help them during the sale:

Say “hi” and smile. It will break the ice and give them confidence.

Look them in the eye, to help them get over their shyness in talking to people.

If you were a Girl Scout, say so and talk about how it helped you become who you are.

Instead of gushing about how cute they are, praise a business skill you see they have.

Ask about the inventory. They will gladly talk about Thin Mints — crisp wafers covered in chocolaty coating; Trefoils — traditional shortbread cookies; Do-si-dos — crunchy oatmeal sandwich cookies with creamy peanut-butter filling; Samoas — Crisp cookies coated in caramel, sprinkled with toasted coconut, and striped with dark chocolate-y coating; Savannah Smiles — Crisp, zesty lemon wedge cookies dusted with powdered sugar; Tagalongs — Crispy cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a chocolaty coating; and Rah Rah Raisins, raisins and Greek yogurt-flavored chunks in a crispy oatmeal cookie.

• Ask where the money goes. Each team decides for itself.

Talk about money. They learn to set up a budget and track money.

Ask why they’re Girl Scouts.

Notice the new package design. The boxes now share the story of what Girl Scouts do today.

Let them know how they did. Feedback helps them grow.

You can also become a digital cookie customer, introducing lessons about online marketing, application use and e-commerce. You’ll pay by credit card, have your cookies shipped (shipping costs extra), and can donate to the GSNEO Gift of Caring project that sends cookies to U.S. troops overseas.

Cookies are $4 per box.