Cookie Sale FAQs
Cookie Sale Basics

When you buy Girl Scout Cookies, you power amazing adventures and life-changing opportunities for girls. The more cookies you buy, the more you help EVERY GIRL build entrepreneurial skills and take the lead, both now and in the future. It's about the experience of running her very own cookie business, working with others—and building a lifetime of confidence as she learns the five skills (goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics) essential to leadership, success, and life.
By selling cookies, girls establish individual goals that entitle them to incentives as well as the ability to contribute to troop proceeds. Juniors and above have the opportunity to forgo incentives and apply their cookie proceeds to specific goals they set for themselves such as a council trip or summer camp experiences. Rewards will resume at the 750 box level. The troop will receive the additional proceeds and individual girls will receive the rewards at 750+.
Your daughter’s troop receives money for every box of cookies she sells. The troop can use this money to fund activities, trips, service projects, scholarships and more.
69% of the council’s income every year comes directly from product sales. This money is used to reduce the cost of programs for girls; train more than 5,000 adult volunteers; provide financial aid and camperships; expand current opportunities and create new opportunities for girls.
Every year, the council’s finances are evaluated by an independent auditor. Every year, approximately 77.2 cents of every dollar earned is used to support girl opportunities, including camp, programs, after-school activities, leader training, facility improvements and financial assistance.

Troop Earning Items Sold (Per Registered Girl Average)

  • $0.80 per box 1-149 packages sold
  • $0.85 per box 150-199 packages sold
  • $0.90 per box 200-249 packages sold
  • $0.95 per box 250+ packages sold

Your troop can use this money to pay for troop activities – anything from programs to trips.

Boost Troop Earnings

A booth sale is a public sale that a troop hosts in front of a business. All booth sales must be prearranged between the troop leader and the business location in advance.

All Girl Scout troops planning to conduct one or more booth sales must enter the sale information in Smart Cookie. Once the council verifies there are no conflicts the sale will be approved.

Booth Approval Form Closed

Booth sale cookies can be ordered with your initial order and/or through one of the council’s cookie depots. Additional cookies can be ordered through Smart Cookie. Exact details to come.

Listed below are suggestions from the bakery for the number of case needed for your booth sales. Please keep in mind the following things to also assist in determining what you will need. Remember, these are only suggestions.

  1. Location of sale: Is this a high traffic area?
  2. Number of hours
  3. Weather conditions

Three-hour sale

  • Two cases of Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties & Caramel deLites
  • One case each of Peanut Butter Sandwiches & Trefoils.

Six-hour sale

  • Five cases of Thin Mints
  • Four cases of Peanut Butter Patties & Caramel deLites
  • Two cases of Peanut Butter Sandwiches & Trefoils.

Nine-hour sale

  • Eight cases of Thin Mints
  • Four cases of Peanut Butter Patties & Caramel deLites
  • Two cases of the rest

Note that the above list only includes the five main varieties. When choosing, you may want to add in smaller amounts of the other varieties.

The best thing to do is ask for checks to be made out to “Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore” as it covers all. This way the checks can be deposited into a troop account.

The answer to this question depends on the size of your car. You can fit a lot more in a Humvee compared to a Smart Car. In general, follow these guidelines.

Vehicle Type

Cases

Compact

23

Hatchback

30

Mid-sized Sedan

35

SUV

60

Station Wagon

75

Mini-Van (Seats in)

75

Pickup Truck

100

Cargo Van (Seats in)

100

Troops picking up cases or boxes of cookies must schedule a pick-up date and time with the council through Smart Cookie. The pickup process will be outlined before the start of the season.

Cookie depot locations:

  • Camp Sacajawea Infirmary, Farmingdale
  • Ocean Service Center, Toms River

Booth Sale Alternatives

Virtual Booths: Virtual booths—hosted on social media—gives girls a way to achieve their sales goals without leaving home. In fact, girls may find this allows them to discover new ways to take the lead in their cookie business and stay connected through virtual means.

Cookie Drive-Thrus: Troops work with local business to secure a safe location.  This gives customers a convenient way to get their cookies by offering a “drive-thru” service.  Troops can share locations with their community.  Drive thrus require the council’s booth approval.

Lemonade Stands: What is a Lemonade Stand? Lemonade Stands work like booth sales but are held on personal property. Families must work with their troop cookie manager to get inventory and should turn in money to their troop right away, following regular troop procedures for money collection.  These do not require approval from GSJS.

Community Walkabouts and Wagon Sales (mobile cookie booths): Grab that cart or wagon and cart cookies around the neighborhood.  Get the word out by leaving flyers or door hangers informing everyone how and when girls are planning on selling.

No-Contact Deliveries: Communicate with customers to determine where they would like their cookies dropped off.  Consider scheduling trunk pick-ups at a central location and scheduling customer pick-up times to minimize the number of people there at once.

ABC Bakers FAQs

Digital Cookie

Digital Cookie is a way for Girl Scouts to add an online option to their Girl Scout Cookie Program experiences. Digital Cookie is managed and coordinated by GSUSA with the majority of its 112 councils participating.
Digital Cookie is an enhancement of the Girl Scout Cookie Program, coupling traditional sales activities with online sales experiences that teach girls online marketing and ecommerce––all in a digital space that puts an emphasis on learning, fun, and safety. Future versions of Digital Cookie will expand the online program as an educational tool for girls and as an outlet for customers.
No, it is not. Digital Cookie is a tool available to Girl Scouts but it does not replace the traditional method of selling and buying Girl Scout cookies. We STRONGLY encourage all Girl Scouts to conduct the product sale as they always have and view Digital Cookie as an enhancement to reach customers who were previously out-of-reach. We believe the traditional method of cookie sales enhanced with Digital Cookie is the best way to find success.
Cookies can only be ordered through a girl and only when girls are actively selling Girl Scout Cookies. Ask a Girl Scout you know if she’s participating. If you need to be put in contact with a Girl Scout to order online, send an email to productsales@gsfun.org . The council will forward your request to a Girl Scout who is participating in the Digital Cookie program.
Digital cookies can be used to place girl-delivered orders during the initial order phase. Digital cookie orders to be shipped or donated can be placed during the entire cookie sale.
Customers who choose girl delivery will prepay online with a credit card; because the Girl Scout will deliver the Girl Scout Cookies herself, no shipping or handling fees apply. If you choose to have your order shipped to you, the Girl Scout will receive credit for the order and you will be charged a shipping and handling fee. This fee has been established by GSUSA. Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore has no ability to adjust or change these.
Cookie Reward Cards

You can check your balance online at www.mercury-gift.com or use the QR code on the back of the card. Simply enter your complete card number (19 digits – 5 digits) plus the two digits to the far right and click submit.
GSJS is not responsible for replacing lost cards. However, if a parent can provide the specific sale the card was attributed to, the council will make an attempt to verify the lost card number, the remaining balance and issue a new card. Replacement fee for a lost card is applied.
Cookie reward cards can be used as a donation to the council. It must be done in one of our council shop locations.
Reward cards are to be used by girls only and they are not to be used by adults registering for the same event or program.
GSJS gift cards can only be redeemed by girls at GSJS for items, programs, and membership. GSUSA gift cards can only be redeemed at GSUSA store, not for programs or membership.
Palm Oil

Palm oil is an ingredient found in the majority of baked snacks sold in the United States. GSUSA's licensed bakers tell us it continues to be necessary to use palm oil in Girl Scout Cookies to ensure their shelf life, to bring you the highest quality products, and to serve as an alternative to trans fats. While GSUSA continues to explore other alternatives, at this time, there are no viable or readily available alternatives on the market.
The world's food supply is intricately tied to the use of palm oil, so the licensed bakers believe promoting proper manufacturing principles is the most responsible approach to how Girl Scouts and Girl Scout Cookie development is advanced. While the bakers continue to explore other alternatives, at this time, there are no viable or readily available alternatives on the market.
To be very clear, child labor has no place in the production of Girl Scout Cookies. If certain suppliers are not following best practices, we expect our bakers and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), of which GSUSA is an affiliate member, to take action quickly to rectify those exceptions.

When you buy Girl Scout Cookies, you are creating opportunities for Girl Scouts to learn, grow, and thrive through the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world. From learning how to interact with customers to creating budgets and taking orders, the Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches Girl Scouts invaluable skills that they’ll need to succeed throughout their lives. It's about the experience a girl has running her very own cookie business, gaining five essential skills (goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics) as she learns to think like an entrepreneur. Plus, Girl Scout Cookie proceeds stay local! From trekking through the deep woods to traveling the world, you're helping fuel new experiences and adventures for local Girl Scouts all year long.

Girl Scouts build a better future for themselves and the world. And the Girl Scout Cookie Program makes it all possible, thanks to your support.

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