#5Skills of the Girl Scout Cookie Program

We all know that by selling Girl Scout Cookies we earn rewards like Cookie Credits, Journey Books and Trips to New York City, but did you know that when we sell Girl Scout Cookies, we are Cookie Professionals who are learning #5skills! We are developing skills ranging from goal setting and decision making to money management, people skills, and business ethics. 

Let’s think about it…

• Before you start selling your Girl Scout Cookies, you need to decide what you would like to do with the money you earn and then figure out how many boxes of cookies you need to sell in order to be able to do the activity that you decided on… This involves both Goal Setting and Decision Making.

• When you are going door-to-door, you have to introduce yourself to the potential buyer, describe what it is you are selling and ask if they would like to purchase.  Then that potential buyer could ask you questions that you would have to answer… This is communication, which is an important part of People Skills.

• When your Troop is hosting a Cookie Booth Sale, you will need to calculate the total price a customer will have to pay based on the number of items sold and the amount of change you will need to give the customer.  For example, if a customer decides to buy 4 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies at $4.00 a box, you should be able to tell the customer that they owe $16.00.  When that same customer gives you $20.00, you should know that you need to return $4.00 in change… This is part of Money Management.

• Now, if you are not the only Girl Scout selling Girl Scout Cookies in your house or on your block, you need to make some decisions regarding how you both are going to sell those cookies—are your going to sell all the cookies yourself? Or are you going to work together and split the cookie sales down the middle 50/50?  These are important decisions to make!  You need to make sure you do what is right and consider this Golden Rule:  You should treat others, as you would want others to treat you… This is Business Ethics!

So next time you are at your Cookie Booth Sale, think about those #5Skills and ways you can learn way more than just 5.