Creative Ways to Pimp My Cookies

Wait, that’s not right.

I want to pimp Moon Unit’s cookies.

Uh, that doesn’t sound quite right either. :::scratches head::: :::what? try telling it straight out? what a novel idea!:::

OK - Moon Unit is a Girl Scout, in a troop with about 15 kids. I’m the troop Cookie Manager, for the 4th year in a row. It’s That Time Of Year (in fact I’ll be submitting the troop’s initial order in a day or so).

The girls are talking about some long-term significant goals for their cookie-selling funds - a major trip somewhere. Cruise, Hawaii, or even England. This will take several years and a LOT of boxes of cookies to be sold (they’ll try other fundraisers as well).

We have some pretty strict rules on “booth sales” - those tables you see set up in front of grocery stores etc. though we’ll do as many of them as possible. We could try scouting out the Metro stations during evening rush hour, but I suspect the Metro folks would chase us away quickly. We might have better luck staking out downtown (DC) metro stations - on public sidewalks - on weekend afternoons. Dunno if that’s kosher either.

Long story short: if anyone has any suggestions for how to push larger quantities of this product, we’d be very grateful to hear them

Disclaimers: I am NOT soliciting Dopers for cookie orders. 1) it’s against board rules, and 2) we have some pretty strict rules against mail-order cookie sales anyway. I’ve also checked this out with the moderators, and they’re fine with me asking for suggestions.

Oooh, you’re in DC. We always used to get well-connected parents to set us up inside large office buildings…I grew up in Silver Spring, MD and there was a HUGE building for Bell Atlantic (or AT &T or something) with thousands of workers in it.

I don’t know if federal buildings would allow cookie tables inside, but my parents certainly got tons of orders for me by taking forms to their workplaces (a fed agency and a hospital).

Another thought: college campuses (GWU, maybe?). Even if each student just buys a box or two you’re good to go.

Find out when and where your local Weight Watchers meeting is and set up shop right outside. People are more likely to cheat immediately after a weigh-in :wink:

Have you contacted any local colleges/ universities about setting up a table in the Campus Center/Student Union/Whatever they call it?

I know where I went to school people would go ballistic for girl scout cookies and the booth would be mobbed all day.

You might benefit from having the girls develop some materials about the specific goal they are raising money for. I must confess that I would be unlikely to be swayed to help send someone’s kids on a cruise or to Hawaii (sorry, my heart is kinda hard) but if they were going on a trip with a clear educational or service mission, I might be more likely to buy cookies or support their other fundraisers.

I’d second finding a university. Many college students probably don’t have any other way of getting them (no one comes door to door, may not know many scout aged children).

Someone brought a box of GG cookies to my office at the university last year. Damn thing didn’t last three hours. No one ate them, oh no, they just kept disappearing mysteriously as people came in and out. So another vote for university students loving GG cookies and not having ready access to them.

Pimp them? Pimp them?! They’re friggin’ Girl Scout cookies! Make them available and people will jump at the chance to get them!

You are very evil person.

And in fact I do know exactly where Weight Watchers meets near here :wink:

What an excellent idea! I’ll ask around at the local universities (nearest big one is George Mason).

Good idea! The place the leader is talking about trying to go would be England - which does indeed have some educational/Scout-specific benefit (Pax Lodge is one of the 4 “World Centers” for Scouts). That’s where I’d really like to go… been to Hawaii, can cruise anytime…

One note about college campuses- many students don’t carry cash anymore, and I assume you can’t take credit or debit. Setting up for two or three days in the same location might help make sure everyone who wants them can get them, as students make an effort to get cash so they can buy from you.

Alternatively, you might inquire as to where the nearest ATM is and be ready to direct students there or just set up nearby.