Ok, so I have to say that in spite of spending three years working for Girl Scouts, cookie time came and went this year and I never once encountered a cookie booth, or had any of my old contacts ring me up to buy cookies. So, for the first year in forever, I did not buy a single box of Girl Scout cookies. My mom gave me a box she bought, and a couple of people brought some into work, so I've EATEN a few, but it did get me wondering how someone so well-connected to the Girl Scout universe never got asked to buy. Then I saw this article online today-once again, accusing the GS (rightly so) of being "behind the times" and not living up to their claim that they are a progressive organization for young women.
The article is right on! It talks about a girl in North Carolina who made a You Tube video advertising that she was selling cookies. She did not exchange money via the Internet in any way-folks were simply able to contact her and she would take the order and deliver the cookies in person. GS does have a rule about "online sales"-the rule is that they are not allowed. The controversy here is whether or not what she did fell into the sales or advertising category, and whether it was "fair" Because not all girls have computers and what about the rural areas, etc. Well, she certainly wasn't taking customers from a rural resident who doesn't have a computer either, right? So that was kind of a dumb argument. Besides, competition does exist in the marketplace....get used to it! The other argument, and the more valid one here, at the center of the rule itself, is the safety of this kind of thing. I have not seen the video but I'm guessing as long as she did not give out her address via the WWW or anything, and her parents knew about it, its probably just as safe as going door to door. The child's parent makes a great point-you want my daughter to learn sales and marketing, but you don't want to allow her to use CURRENT methods? Come on-very few salespeople are "door to door" anymore. Most use the Internet, mass mailings, email, YOU TUBE, etc to get info out-I mean, look at the last presidential election for an example of using technology to spread a message and create "customers." Now, GS says the program is designed to teach "face to face" sales and marketing techniques, and I get that, but the girl WAS doing that to "close" her sales-she was just using the Internet as a tool for online advertising. I think she is super-savvy and we will see her as a CEO one day! GS has simply got to get with the times and allow girls to use technological resources-in a safe, responsible way-to carry out the cookie program. And they wonder why membership is on a steady decline.....
http://www.newsweek.com/id/188714?GT1=43002
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