Re: Old Girl Scout fabric

And they are made from 100% Girl Scouts! Diana

My question is: are there any area where the girls still go from door-to-door??? When I was in scouting, that was how I started my sales. Once I finished the neighborhood, Dad took it to work for 2 days, then Mother took it to work for 3 or more days.

I haven't noticed any scouts going through the neighborhood at all, and only see them in the mall, outside Wal-Mart, or sometimes in the grocery store. I know that safety is a major issue, so I am glad that our scouts are being looked out for...it was just a question of curiosity.

Also, if the scouts don't go door-to-door, why do they still let the kids try to sell things for their sports teams door-to-door???

Larisa

Laurie G. wrote:

Sssh, we're not telling that we remember that!

Lol

--pig

Ya know, Larisa, up until this past year I would say yes, they do, but this past cookie sale did not bring one gs to my door. I think it is a major safety issue. Unfortunate because cookie sales are a troops major money earning activity. ("fund raising" is what the board of directors and paid staff does. girls and troops "money earn") How's that for a fact you probably could care less about!

Laurie G.

CNYstitcher wrote:

I buy my GS cookies from my granddarling in NH. She phones me and tells me what she has and I mail her the check. They ship the cookies to me....in MO.

Leslie

The HairyFacedOnes 'N Me

RCTQ- Houston 2004..... A good friend will come and bail you out of jail.... but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn... that was fun!"

The only reason I can think of them not going door to door like they used to do, is just the danger. Seems that when I was in school,(too many years ago), we were selling something every other week, candy, cookies, Christmas related items from the little 4-5 pg books. I hated it then, and I hate it now when the kids bring these things home wanting to sell them to try and "win" the prizes for selling the most items. We lived in a very nice neighborhood but also had a child molester that lived right out my back door that no one knew about and no one would have believed they'd been told. He preyed on little girls. I'd warned all my friends about this man but never told my parents, or anyone else. He and his brother owned a small store that we kids,visited several times a day for candy and ice creams. He attempted to molest me at the age of about 10 or

11, when I was in the store alone one evening. I ran out of the store and told all the girls in the neighborhood to NEVER EVER go into that store alone when he was in the store. They DIDN'T. This man was a upstanding citizen and very trusted member of our community. He was caught finally when I was 19 years old. He'd been molesting kids at a nearby school that he lived directly across the street from. He was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison very close to the age of 80. He did his time in prison and later burnt to death on a heater, which I think was only too good for him.

After the man's name was announced on the local radio station after his arrest, my mother heard it and was just in shock, saying that there was no way he could have done what he was accused of. Only then, did I speak up and tell her that I hoped he got a nice long stint in the Alabama prison system for his deeds and that YES, he was guilty and told her what he'd attempted with me, only then, it had been a few short years ago with me. She wanted me to explain and I did. She said that I should have told her. I told her that there was no need, she wouldn't have believed me. I reminded her of this same man asking if he could take me shopping years earlier and she said YES, I could go. I told her that when she said I could go, I went and ask my friends mother if she could go with me, she said NO, that Teresa was not going anywhere with John Douglas. If Ms. Betty said Teresa couldn't do something, then I sure wasn't going to do it! I went and told John that Mama said I couldn't go with him. (This was before he'd tried to molest me.)

Never let your kids go door to door selling anything and keep your eyes and ears open at all times. It's not usually strangers that do these things to your children but trusted friends and family members. Just beware.

When we were scouts we only sold to our immediate neighbors. My folks aways made a purchase to satisfy the minimum that was expected. I hated going door to door. It was like begging. When my kids had to do it. We just when to the neighbors too and my DH took the cookie sheet to work and sold a bunch. As far as school stuff, I always just bought a token amount and sent them back with that. I do not approve of making kids beg door to door. Now that mine are grown, anytime a child comes to the house, their parent is with them and I always buy something. Sorry to be so long. Linda

When kids come to my door with the stuff I don't want to buy, I just ask if I can contribute money, instead. Usually, the answer is yes.

The school near us apparently got too many complaints. Now the kids come to the door and ask for a donation.

BTW, those of you who take it to work. Your fellow workers resent having to buy stuff, too. Especially the ones with no kids. Their take on it is that if the school is that hard up - perhaps the parents should be contributing more. Several people in my office complained about our boss bringing his kids' stuff in the sell. They felt because he was the boss, they were obligated.

I never made my kids sell any of the stuff. I hated it as a child, and I didn't want my kids growing up with it. If the school required it - I bought the minimum and gave the stuff out for Christmas or birthday gifts.

Merry Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once

I agree with the work thing, but at that time mine where the only GirlScouts they knew and they requested it. I had been in that situation at times and it can be very intimidating not to buy. My DH was very reluctant, but they approached him. So all around it was a good thing.

My parents didn't approve either, and in reality, I wasn't exposed to the forced selling in schools until we moved to the mainlaind of the US from the Peninsula of MD. When we were on the Peninsula, everybody was in teh same boat - enough money to get what we needed, but not enough for frivolous spending, and besides, homebaked always tasted better anyway. I also wasn't in scouts at that time.

When we moved to the Fairfax, VA area was when I was put in scouts and introduced to the selling through school dilemma. I can remember having to sell spice sets, calendars, wrapping paper, etc. as well as girl scout cookies. Biggest trouble was that all the children in the subdivision went to the same school and lots of the girls were in scouts. The parents actually came up with a good solution to this....they bought a small item from each child (most often something from teh cheapest cost level) and then bought something a little more expensive from their own child. They also only bought 1 or 2 boxes of cookies from each scout (this was when they were 1.50-2.00 per box).

Now that we have a child and another one on the way, I am dreading having to see the sales papers coming home with them. I also have a problem with people that don't bother giving you advance warning that they are sending you something that they want you to buy - a friends son is doing the magazine sales to raise money for school supplies (which I think is just disgraceful!) and all I got was an envelope in the mail - no call to give me advance warning, nothing! Our niece did the same thing (selling magazines), but her parents were sweet enough to call us before it reached us - she was going to a private school at the time, and school sales help keep the tuition down for the families. The friends son is in public school.....

If I have to, I will make things that can seel at craft fairs and the like to help raise money, and would willingly donate a good portion of anything I make to the school, should they need it, but I refuse to push things that they school send home with the children (this doesn't mean that I won't mention it once - and only once - to the grandparents...I just won't drag it around to all of my friends and neighbors).

Larisa, gett> When we were scouts we only sold to our immediate neighbors. My folks aways

Mother got around this by simply putting the information by the coffee machine and letting people know that if they were interested to fill out what they wanted. If not, there was no problem. This way, nobody was in teh bind of feeling they were forced to buy soemthing when she was right in their faces and she didn't have to feel guilty that nobody bought the wacky stuff the school wanted to sell....the cookied always sold well, however....there weren't many girls my age that were in scouts, so people actually looked forward to those sheets

Larisa

What annoys me is that these kids should be studying instead of out selling stuff for the school. I would much rather *give* the school $20 than buy a bunch of stuff I do NOT want and then have the school only receive a tiny portion of the money from the over-priced item. grrrrrrrrrr!

Leslie

The HairyFacedOnes 'N Me

RCTQ- Houston 2004..... A good friend will come and bail you out of jail.... but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn... that was fun!"

When I was in 4th grade and bravely out selling cookies I knocked a neighbor's door. She opened it brandishing a liquor bottle. Turned out she was an alcoholic (the first I'd ever encountered). Certainly scared me!

I regret not continuing with Girl Scouts beyond Brownies. (We moved, I was in 4-H for two years, then got caught up in suburban middle- and high school activities.) I do my part now by buying Girl Scout cookies. Each year when I observe that cookie time is during Lent, someone says that GS cookies freeze well. I can attest that they taste very good frozen.

Nann

Especially the choclate mint ones. Too dangerous.

Thin mints are addictive. Everyone knows that. Freezing them doesnt change it. I think its the rule that they cant sell you more than 5 boxes of them at a time. Legal liabilitys and all.. Diana ;-)

There are some kids who go door to door in my neighborhood. I buy at least one box from every girl who does come to my door since so many people supported my daughter when she was a GS. Last year a little girl sold me a couple boxes, she never came and delivered them, I did not pay in advanced, so her parents must have bought the cookies when they were delivered.

Debbi in SO CA