Girl Scouts Go High Tech

Did you ever sell Girl Scout cookies? I remember trudging up and down my neighborhood taking pre-orders for cookies, and then delivering the cookies. Of course there were also the hours spent hawking cookies in front of the grocery store. Back then it was all about cash. We did take checks from our pre-orders, but only if we knew the people. Since most of my sales were to neighbors, this wasnt a problem. But in front of the grocery store, it was cash only. It has been pretty much the same way since then. If you want to buy Girl Scout cookies in front of the supermarket or K-Mart, you have to use cash.

Welcome to the 21st century! With a pilot program in Parma, Ohio and one in San Diego, California, Girl Scouts can now ask the cookie buyer, Will that be cash or charge? If the customer prefers to charge the purchase, the little Girl Scout whips out a Smartphone with credit card swiping capabilities. How cool is that? This has the possibility of hugely increasing sales. According to Meghan Barr, XFinity News, the girls are accepting credit cards using a device called GoPayment, a free credit card reader that clips onto Smartphones. Girl Scout leaders hope that allowing customers to pay with plastic will drive up cookie sales in a world where carrying cash is rapidly going the way of dial-up Internet. Keeping pace with changing technology is a priority lately for the historic Girl Scouts, an organization that's preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year.

"Normally I think a lot of customers would love to buy cookies, but they have to walk by the booth because they're not carrying cash," said Marianne Love, director of business services for the Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio. "I know I never carry cash when I'm out shopping. Love went on to say, I know there's a lot of interest across the country with other Girl Scout councils, so I wouldn't be surprised if you see it everywhere this time next year."

GoPayment, (Intuit, Mountain View, California) has a special rate for the Girl Scouts. Intuit is charging the Scouts their lowest rate, 1.7 % plus 15 cents per transaction. According to Intuit, most customers pay 2.7% per transaction. The Smartphone card swiping technology isnt new. It has been around for about 10 years, but didnt really take off until a San Francisco based company, Square, Inc., starting giving away the readers for free. Now, according to Ms. Barrs article, Everyone from delivery drivers to Girl Scouts to baby sitters are swiping cards on their phones to take a payment.

The Girl Scouts are welcoming high tech. Just check out Facebook, Twitter and the rest of the social media networks. There is even a new iPhone app called USA Cookie Finder that gives you locations of where cookies are on sale. Even though the Girl Scouts are soon going to be celebrating their 100th anniversary, the Scouts are well entrenched in the 21st Century.

What would the world be like without Girl Scout cookies? According Ms. Barrs article, Selling cookies is a massive and lucrative operation for the Girl Scouts, hauling in about $714 million every year. It started out in 1917 in Muskogee, Oklahoma, when Girl Scouts began baking cookies at home with their mothers, said Michelle Tompkins, spokeswoman for Girl Scouts of the USA. The sales went commercial in 1935.

How is this impacting the cookie sales so far? One troop in Ohio reported a 20% increase in sales. As this technology is embraced more, we will see a huge increase in cookie sales across the country. I predict that more and more non-profits that sell door-to-door or in front of supermarkets will adopt this technology. It will mean that it is much more convenient to give to charity than before. And being more convenient will probably mean more donations.

Do you become a cookie monster during Girl Scout cookie season? Me too