Last week, the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX) and Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) kicked off the 2021 Girl Scout Cookie season during a challenging time. They are selling in creative, socially distant and contact-free ways to keep themselves and their customers safe. Even in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, girls are adapting their sales methods to share the joy of Girl Scout Cookies through the largest girl-led entrepreneurship program—including taking contact-free pickup and delivery orders through a new national collaboration with Grubhub. Additionally, GSUSA is making online cookie ordering available nationwide Feb.1 so consumers who don’t know a Girl Scout can still purchase cookies from a local troop for shipment to their homes or donation to local organizations.
Innovative girl-led sales methods
The Girl Scout Cookie Program has long taught girls how to be an entrepreneur via in-person booths, door-to-door activity and the Digital Cookie® platform online. When the pandemic hit in the middle of the 2020 season and girls were faced with the same challenges as other small businesses, girls in Northeast area of Texas quickly pivoted their sales methods.
From running virtual cookie booths on social media to setting up drive-thru locations to facilitating orders that ship directly to customers’ doors, girls as young as 5 years old are continuing to embrace their entrepreneurial spirits, stay connected to their communities and have fun by participating in the cookie program. And, the proceeds from every purchase stay local with the troop and its council.
“Everyone loves Girl Scout Cookies, but they don’t always know how the Cookie Program builds girls into future leaders,” said Jennifer Bartkowski, GSNETX CEO. “Girl Scouts are running their own businesses, adapting to challenges brought by the pandemic to reach their goals in a safe manner. Each box of Girl Scout Cookies teaches valuable lessons in entrepreneurship and powers possibilities for girls.”
Girl Scouts and Waymo team up
Today, GSNETX announced it teamed up with autonomous driving technology company Waymo to transport Girl Scout Cookies. GSNETX also announced it is an education partner in the Waymo-led public education initiative, Let’s Talk Autonomous Driving, which supports public dialogue around and understanding of autonomous driving technology. GSNETX is Let’s Talk Autonomous Driving’s first STEM-focused education partner and joins a diverse group of national and state-based organizations that share the belief that autonomous driving can make roads safer and improve mobility access.
“The Girl Scouts’ Cookie Program has helped girls and young women recognize and pursue their dreams for more than a century, and we’re honored to now be part of that legacy,” said Becky Bucich, chief people officer at Waymo. “We’re delivering today for tomorrow’s leaders, and we’re dedicated to inspiring the next diverse and inclusive generation of engineers, coders, programmers and STEM professionals.”
In early January, thousands of Girl Scouts’ signature treats were transported between warehouses in south Dallas with the help of donated services from Waymo Via, the trucking unit of Waymo. Be on the lookout for Waymo trucks carrying your favorite cookies in south Dallas!
Ordering available through Grubhub
This season, GSNETX is collaborating with Grubhub so girls have an additional way to facilitate contact-free cookie orders. Consumers can order Girl Scout Cookies for pickup or delivery on Grubhub.com or the Grubhub app. A hands-on experience in managing e-commerce, local Girl Scouts will track and fulfill orders, manage inventory and more, all using Grubhub’s back-end technology. This method will be available in select areas serviced by GrubHub. As always, the proceeds benefit the troop and council while providing another innovative way to safely run the program virtually. GSUSA is grateful to Grubhub.
Online ordering available Feb. 1
GSUSA is making it possible to get Girl Scout Cookies online. Beginning Feb. 1, customers can enter their ZIP code into the Girl Scout Cookie Finder to find a local troop to purchase from through the Digital Cookie platform for direct shipment or donation to local organizations. This additional contact-free method supports local girls and keeps their safety and skill-building top of mind.
Safely purchase cookies – Cookie season is Jan. 15 through Feb. 29.
- If you know a registered Girl Scout, ask how she’s selling cookies in ways that meet local and state safety protocols.
- If you don’t know a Girl Scout, visit www.girlscoutcookies.org, text COOKIES to 59618 (message and data rates may apply. Text STOPGS for STOP, HELPGS for help), or use the Girl Scout Cookie Finder app for free on iPadOSor Android devices to find socially distant or contact-free cookie booths in your area.
- Visit www.grubhub.com/food/girl_scoutsto order via contact-free delivery from Grubhub.
- Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas is grateful to Tom Thumb, Albertsons, 7-Eleven, Kroger, Brookshires and Lowe’s for opening space outside their retail locations for Girl Scouts to sell cookies in a safe and socially distant manner where possible.
- Beginning Feb. 1, enter your ZIP code into the Girl Scout Cookie Finder at www.girlscoutcookies.org to purchase from a local Girl Scout troop online for shipment to your door or to donate cookies to first responders and local causes.