THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX
Girl Scouts get creative, continue cookie season despite COVID-19
Where there’s a will, there’s a Girl Scout way – especially when it comes to selling the iconic Girl Scout cookies – in difficult times.
The Girl Scouts of the USA and the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland Council in Columbus had to adapt to challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic during the annual cookie season that kicked off Jan. 12. But by innovating old methods and developing new ones, the season is going strong.
There are more than 1.7 million Girl Scouts across the United States, and local scouts such as Troop 1196, comprised of eighth and ninth graders and led by Pari Smith in Reynoldsburg, have soldiered on despite the challenges.
“My daughter knows how important cookie sales are to funding troop activities, whether it’s supplies or badges or service projects or travel, so she’s always looking at all of her angles,” said Smith, who has been a troop leader for 11 years.
As a leader, Smith said that she was worried about the possibility of doing cookie booths this year, and some troops chose not to sell cookies at all due to safety concerns.
Annie Nelson, spokeswoman for the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland, said the organization anticipated lower rates of participation in the cookie season due to the pandemic, but the girls who are selling are seeing success.
“Our challenge has just been making sure that we get out how people can get cookies still, because they’re still available and Girl Scouts isn’t canceled and certainly Girl Scout cookies aren’t canceled,” Nelson said. “It’s just a different way of getting them.”
Pre-sale numbers, which are usually driven by door-to-door sales as well as sales through schools, churches and parents’ workplaces, were down because of the lack of face-to-face interaction. But they weren’t hurt as badly as they could have been due to online ordering, Smith said.
According to Girl Scouts USA, scouts nationwide created virtual cookie booths on social media, drive-thru locations and even shipped them to customers’ doors. Troops also made use of the Digital Cookie platform, which launched in 2014 and initiates a sale between customers and scouts they know via email.
“We’re proud of the resourceful ways Girl Scouts are running their cookie businesses safely and using their earnings to make the world a better place,” interim Girl Scouts USA CEO Judith Batty said in a prepared release. “This season, our girls will continue to exemplify what the cookie program taught them – how to think like entrepreneurs, use innovative sales tactics, and pivot to new ways of doing business when things don’t go according to plan.”
Smith’s troop is approaching its third weekend of cookie booth sales, which involves a total of about 20 booths, she
said. With booths outside, sales are about the same or maybe even higher than in previous years, Smith said, so her troop has yet to rely solely on onlineonly methods.
Cookie-buyers have mentioned to Smith that with the loss of face-to-face sales, they are actively seeking out places to find cookies, making in-person booths that can be located on the council’s website or in passing even more valuable.
“That was kind of that eye-opener for me: Oh, it’s not just us trying to sell, but it’s actually people trying to buy cookies that need to find those alternate ways to buy cookies and still support Girl Scouts,” Smith said.
This season, Girl Scout cookies are also available through food delivery service Grubhub, which waived fees to ensure proceeds go to local scout troops and councils. Cookies are available for pickup and delivery – including in the 30-county Ohio’s Heartland Council market – until March 21.
“It’s just a different experience, and certainly e-commerce is a different way to tie that in and it’s very safe and contactless, so it’s a great option for girls. So we’re hoping that it continues to grow in the future,” Nelson said.
Nationwide ordering began Feb. 1 for customers who do not personally know a Girl Scout. Using a ZIP code, the Girl Scouts’ Digital Cookie platform locates a local troop cookie sales can support through direct shipment or donation.
Some girls in Smith’s troop are saving cookie money for a trip to London and Paris, while others plan to use funds toward their Silver Awards, which requires a community service project. These goals have motivated the troop during trying times, she said.
Smith said cookie sales this year during COVID-19 have been all about “taking the adversity and (saying), ‘OK, we have a goal, we can’t let this get us down, so what can we do, how can we find ways to combat that adversity and continue to work toward our goals?’ ” @sam_raudins sraudins@gannett.com
You can’t stop the rock.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has expanded its “Legends of Rock” exhibit to include four floors of the Cleveland museum.
The updated exhibit, which opens to the public Saturday, includes performance outfits, handwritten drafts of hit songs, musical instruments from famous concerts and artifacts related to the spirit of rock ’n’ roll. It encompasses everything from folk rock to jazz to heavy metal to hip-hop to rhythm and blues.
According to rock hall officials, the displays include “some of the world’s most iconic acts both past and present.” Among the artifacts on view:
h Prince’s Cloud 2 “Blue Angel” electric guitar.
h Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain’s Mosrite Gospel guitar.
h Stevie Nicks’ tambourine from the “Bella Donna” album.
h Jimi Hendrix’s hand-painted 1967 “Love Drops” Gibson Flying V, which was used in the recording of “All Along the Watchtower.”
h Jon Bon Jovi’s Fender Stratocaster, one of the first guitars he owned.
h Questlove’s drum kit from The Roots.
The exhibit features artifacts from more than 80 singers, songwriters, musicians and performers. It began as a much smaller display in 1999 at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art before moving to Cleveland and expanding over the decades.
This month, the rock hall announced 16 finalists for induction in 2021, including Akron’s own Devo, Mary J. Blige, Kate Bush, Foo Fighters, The Go-go’s, Iron Maiden, Jay-z, Chaka Khan, Carole King, Fela Kuti, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, Todd Rundgren, Tina Turner and Dionne Warwick. Fans can vote for their favorites through April 30 at rockhall.com.
The rock hall is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays at 110 Rock and Roll Blvd. off East Ninth Street in downtown Cleveland. Advance tickets are required to ensure timed entry and to limit capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Face masks are required for visitors and staff members. The rock hall’s other precautions include social distancing, daily continuous cleaning, temperature checks, hand-sanitizing stations, plexiglass shields and one-way paths through the museum.
For more information, go to rockhall.com or call 216-781-7625.
Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com.