Girl Scouts struggle with cookie sale, not allowed to sell at home of founder
Mom’s Corner
Sometimes there are things in the news that catch my attention and make me just shake my head and wonder. Although there have been several in the last few weeks, the one about the Girl Scouts just aggravates me.
For those of you who haven’t heard about it, Girl Scouts are no longer permitted to sell cookies outside the nationally recognized historic Savannah, Ga. home of Girl Scout founder, Juliette Gordon Low. Why? Someone complained. Okay, really? What happened? Did one of the Girl Scouts not take “no” for an answer and force someone to buy a box of cookies? I doubt it. The girls are taught to be outgoing, but respectful and there is always an adult present at booth sales. It is required by the Girl Scouts not only for the girls’ safety, but also so the girls’ don’t get too excited or distracted.
Girl Scouts learn useful skills though the cookie sales such as customer service, business ethics, marketing and money management. The girls earn “cookie dough” money that can be spent on things like girl scout merchandise and girl scout camp. They also learn the value of setting a goal and working to achieve it.
It has been a tradition for decades for Girl Scouts to sell their cookies outside their founder’s historic home and according to the executive director, Fran Harold, tourists loved buying from the Girl Scouts. I just find it aggravating that all it took was “a complaint.”
In all fairness, I do have to say that Savannah, Ga., does have an ordinance prohibiting peddling on a public sidewalk. However, I would love to know how much money the city of Savannah makes off the tourism that surrounds the birth place of the Girl Scouts.
However, I have a feeling the complaint had less to do with the ordinance and more to do with a case of sour grapes. I doubt anyone was walking by and said, “Hey, I think we have a city ordinance against peddling on a public sidewalk.” (After all, the Girl Scouts have sold their cookies there for literally decades.)
I think it was more along the lines of, “Hey, that’s not fair!! I wanted to sell my stuff too, but the city said I couldn’t. Well, I’m going to fix them. I’ll just complain!” Of course, once the complaint is registered the city is between a rock and a hard place. In fact, Savannah’s zoning administrator tried to find a solution, but was unable to work one out.
So the end result is the whiner “wins,” the Girl Scouts move their cookie sales, and I just shake my head and wonder why the whiner wasn’t told to stuff it!
Hope you have a great week. If you have questions or comments for Mom’s Corner, please e-mail them to moms-corner@juno.com.�
