Some New Jersey Girl Scouts reportedly upset senior leaders recently by teaming up with a local weed dispensary to sell their beloved cookies — but it’s not the first time that a troop has shown an enterprising spirit.
Troops across the United States have long set up booths in spots where they expect high footfall or a particularly cookie-hungry clientele - from shooting ranges to marijuana shops and college-town bars. But where they are allowed to sell appears to vary, from state to state.
Last month, an unidentified troop sold cookies outside Daylite Dispensary in Mount Laurel as a trial run, according to store owner Steve Cassidy, after the idea had been rejected by the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey last year.
Cassidy said the girls’ effort was a success, which he attributed in part, to the cannabis “munchies.” But senior Girl Scout leadership was reportedly unhappy with the move, he told The Independent Thursday.
“It was about community,” Cassidy said. “If that means the local Girl Scout troop got in trouble, that is absolutely not what we wanted.” He declined to comment further.
It’s unclear whether the troop returned for a second scheduled sale that had been organized for Friday evening.
The Independent had no reply from attempts to contact the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey, as well as Girl Scouts headquarters for comment.
In a statement to News 12, the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey said: "Girl Scouts can set up booths outside of businesses that they would be able to enter and purchase something."
An undated Cookie Booth Essentials guide on the Girl Scouts’ website echoes what the regional chapter told News 12: troops shouldn’t sell cookies in or directly outside establishments where they aren’t legally allowed to enter.
Girl Scouts have been selling cookies to fund troop activities and teach entrepreneurship since 1917. While door-to-door sales were the original approach, booths outside supermarkets and grocery stores soon became a familiar sight. Nowadays, many Scouts also accept credit cards and digital payments through apps like Venmo.
Reports of selling Girl Scout cookies at cannabis dispensaries is nothing new, especially on the West Coast. In 2018, an unnamed Girl Scout sold more than 300 boxes in six hours outside Urbn Leaf, a San Diego dispensary, with the store promoting her sale in a now-deleted Instagram post, KGTV reported.
In 2014, a 13-year-old in San Francisco sold 117 boxes in just two hours outside a medical marijuana clinic, according to a report in Mashable.
That same year, some Girl Scout councils, including Colorado, restricted sales near dispensaries, bars, and liquor stores.
"If you are wondering, we don't allow our Girl Scouts to sell cookies in front of marijuana shops or liquor stores/bars," the organization's Colorado branch tweeted at the time, KGTV reports.
In 2018, AnneMarie Harper, a spokeswoman for the Girl Scouts of Colorado, told the New York Times that those restrictions had been eased, but Scouts in the state still need to get approval for booth locations to ensure safety and legal compliance.
“Back then it was a blanket: ‘No, you may not,’” Harper said. “Now, it’s more of: ‘Come to us, tell us where you want to be and what you want to do,’ making sure we’re checking off all of the safety guidelines.”
At the time, Harper said that while some Girl Scouts had sold cookies near breweries, she was unaware of attempts to set up booths outside legal marijuana dispensaries.
“We really want girls to be cookie entrepreneurs, to find new and creative ways to reach customers,” she said.
Even amid some controversies, Girl Scouts have found inventive ways to sell their cookies. In a February 2023 Reddit forum, one user said they have seen both Girl and Boy Scouts selling cookies at a local gun store or range.
Around the same time, seven-year-old Girl Scout Siena and her family hit the streets of West Hollywood, a neighborhood famous for its lively LGBTQ community, and sold out their entire inventory twice, with enthusiastic support from drag queens and patrons of local gay bars,Yahoo reported.
Online cookie sales began in December 2014 with the launch of the “Digital Cookie” platform, allowing Scouts to sell through personalized websites, apps and email links. The platform was designed to teach modern entrepreneurship while maintaining in-person sales, according to the organization’s website.
More than a decade later, Girl Scouts are now using social media to expand their reach. Last month, six-year-old Pim Neill of Pittsburgh went viral on TikTok, selling some 121,500 boxes of cookies to set a new record in Pennsylvania.
