When Girl Scout Cookies started selling over 100 years ago, they cost less than 50 cents. Now, the prices have gone up to at least $5 or more per package, depending on where you get them.
In Colorado, Girl Scouts sold more than 4.2 million packages of cookies in 2023, with prices ranging from $5 to $6 in the state. The most popular cookies were Thin Mints and Samoas, according to a Girl Scout public relations manager Hannah Gutkind.
But these prices aren’t the same everywhere in the U.S.
Girl Scout Cookie beginnings
Girl Scout Cookies date back to 1917, five years after Girl Scouts in the United States was created. The cookies were made for service trips, and girls would bake them with their mothers at the time.
The cookies were packaged in wax paper bags, sealed with a sticker and sold door-to-door for 25 to 35 cents per dozen, according to Girl Scouts of the USA. In the 1930s, the cookies went for 23 cents per box of 44 cookies, or six boxes for $1.24.
At the start of the cookie years, there were variations of sugar cookies. It wasn’t until the 1930s that the cookies were baked commercially. By the 1950s, such well-known cookies as Thin Mints were sold around the country.
But as the cookies increased in popularity over the years, the prices went up as well.
Prices vary in different regions
Now, Girl Scout Cookies range from $5 to $7, depending on where you buy them.
A quick scan of the Girl Scouts Cookie Finder shows all flavors cost $6 in most if not all areas of California.
In Colorado, the cookies are either $5 or $6. Most of the cookies are $5 per package, according to Gutkind. S’mores and gluten-free Toffee-tastic are $6 because there’s a higher production cost due to the specialty ingredients.
With that said, each of the 111 Girl Scout councils set its own prices. Some states raised their prices this year, but Colorado was able to keep the prices the same, said Gutkind.
“Prices reflect the current cost of cookies and the cost of providing high-quality Girl Scout programming and experiences in an ever-changing economic environment,” Girl Scouts of the United States said on its website.
The cost of cookies is different based on the troop.
“Each council determines its own revenue structure depending on how much it costs the council to buy cookies, the local retail price to sell cookies, and the amount of revenue shared with participating troops,” states the Girl Scouts.
At the end of the day, all the cookies are priced very similarly, according to Gutkind.
“We did raise our prices a few years ago, and all councils are priced similarly; the timing just varies slightly,” said Gutkind.
For local pricing in yourarea, go to the Girl Scout Council to find out more.
Each council determines its own revenue structure depending on how much it costs the council to buy cookies, the local retail price to sell cookies, and the amount of revenue shared with participating troops.
Each Girl Scout council contracts with one of two licensed bakers, whose recipes and ingredients may differ slightly: ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers. That's why some of our cookies look the same but have two different names.
Overall, we estimate that Girl scout cookies cost between $1.50 – $2.00 per box. At a sale price of $6 per box (in some areas, prices are now up to $7), Councils earn around $4 – $5 profit per box (or about 70% margins).
The cookies were packaged in wax paper bags, sealed with a sticker and sold door-to-door for 25 to 35 cents per dozen, according to Girl Scouts of the USA. In the 1930s, the cookies went for 23 cents per box of 44 cookies, or six boxes for $1.24. At the start of the cookie years, there were variations of sugar cookies.
That leaves the Girl Scout troops with 75 cents to $1.35 a box in proceeds. The money the Girl Scouts earn from the annual cookie sales goes to pay for programming or trips, Ms.
The cost of cookies is different based on the troop. “Each council determines its own revenue structure depending on how much it costs the council to buy cookies, the local retail price to sell cookies, and the amount of revenue shared with participating troops,” states the Girl Scouts.
Why do some cookies have different names? Each Girl Scout council chooses a licensed baker, either ABC Bakers or Little Brownie Bakers, and there are cookie variations by baker.
One hundred percent of the money that a council and its troops raise through the Girl Scout Cookie Program stays with that council and its troops. Let there be no question: all of the revenue from cookie activities—every penny after paying the baker—stays with the Girl Scout council.
As we boogied into the 1970s, the Girl Scouts started to shake things up with new pricing strategies. Some councils tried out tiered pricing, offering deals for buying in bulk or asking a bit more for those extra-special cookie varieties. Cookies usually went for between $1 to $1.25 per box.
While the flavor was “extremely popular,” says the Girl Scouts, “we are taking a pause this season to prioritize supplying our classic varieties.” Nothing is permanent except, of course, for change.
Most of the cookies are $5 per package, according to Gutkind. S'mores and gluten-free Toffee-tastic are $6 because there's a higher production cost due to the specialty ingredients. With that said, each of the 111 Girl Scout councils set its own prices.
Trefoils, or "Shortbreads", are shortbread cookies made in the shape of the Girl Scout trefoil. The national Girl Scout organization reviews and approves all varieties proposed by the baking companies, but requires only three types: Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos, and Trefoils.
Throughout the decade, Girl Scouts in different parts of the country continued to bake their own simple sugar cookies with their mothers and with help from the community. These cookies were packaged in wax paper bags, sealed with a sticker, and sold door-to-door for 25 to 35 cents per dozen.
ABC Bakers is owned by Interbake Foods, and Little Brownie Bakers is owned by Italian confection maker, Ferrero. Girl Scouts pay the bakeries $1.30 for each box of cookies, which comes out to a whopping $260 million in revenue annually for these bakeries.
The volunteer-led Product Sales Committee has approved increasing the price of Girl Scout Cookies sold in the 2024 Cookie Program to $6/package. An additional $0.20/package is allocated to girl rewards. After paying the baker for making the Girl Scout Cookies, all proceeds will stay local!
Each baker makes their own Girl Scout Cookies, which means iconic favorites may differ in flavor and name – and new, specialty cookies are now available. That being said, some cookies will be harder to get.
Those slight differences result in Caramel deLites having a higher cookie to caramel ratio. Samoas also tend to have more coconut, along with chocolate coating resembling dark chocolate, rather than the milk chocolate drizzle found on Caramel deLites. You can make your own Caramel deLites (or Samoas) at home!
Up to 12 varieties of Girl Scout cookies are offered. The same cookies may be sold under different names by different bakeries, with the choice of bakery determining the name.
The 2024 lineup includes classics such as Thin Mints®, Samoas®/Caramel deLites®, Peanut Butter Patties®/Tagalongs®, Adventurefuls® and other fan favorites. “When people buy Girl Scout Cookies, they're buying so much more than cookies.
Introduction: My name is Eusebia Nader, I am a encouraging, brainy, lively, nice, famous, healthy, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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