It's always seemed a little too effortless to finish off a box of Girl Scout cookies, but if they are a little easier to dust off this year, it's not just in your head. To offset the cost increases of cookie ingredients, Girl Scouts of the USA made the decision to shrink its cookie boxes by a centimeter, package fewer cookies into boxes of Thin Mints, Do-si-dos, and Tagalongs, and reduce the size of its Lemon Chalet Crèmes. 
According to the organization, the cost of flour rose by 30 percent, assorted cooking oils by 40 percent, and cocoa by at least 20 percent. The company felt this was the best method of dealing with increasing raw material prices. Alternatively, Girl Scouts could have used cheaper ingredients, or raised cookie prices from their current price of $3.50 per box.
This doesn't come as a surprise to me, since last year producers began rolling out shrunken products in reaction to the price of food on the rise. I'm secretly a bit excited — for once, the downsized box may be enough for me to stop short of a stomachache.
How do you feel about this news? Does it affect your decision to buy the cookies?
Giuseppe Zanotti
Damn! I just finished buying these cookies today.
1First, Dubya messes with my cheese. Now, Girl Scouts screw with my Thin Mints? b*tches.
2I already pay $4 here in LA, and the Tagalongs don't have that many in the box to begin with. Eff that.
3Dang it! I just ordered my cookies, wish I would have known. But it wouldn't have stopped me anyway, just disappointing.
4Lame, the boxes were already small. What they held like 12 cookies?
5The girls didn't come by yet. Thanks for the warning! I swear, besides Thanksgiving, this is one of my favorite times of the year.
6huh - that's kind of interesting. one of my co-workers just came around and was trying to get us all to order them.
it's one of those things that i'll be sad to see leave if they decide not to sell cookies - but i guess costs must go up right?
7I am not planning on buying them anyways.
8I've never liked any of their cookies. I know it's for a good cause but I wouldn't buy any.
9The boxes are freaking tiny as it is...how many cookies will you get now, 2? I always bought the Thin Mints because they seemed like the best value, but I'll probably skip them entirely this year.
10Personally, I don't like those cookies anyways. I'm really picky about my baked treats. Having had homemade cookies (made with real, wholesome ingredients), fresh from the oven, I can't eat package cookies anymore (that have imitation ingredients and fillers).
I have friends that eagerly wait for my Christmas shortbread. They're thick, buttery, melt in your mouth goodness. Seriously, my friends get excited when I bring those around.
11I'm so jealous of you Americans and your many, many Girl Guide cookies flavours. In Canada we only get sort-of-crappy vanilla and chocolate sandwich cookies and thin mints in the fall.
12the good thing is that when you eat the whole box you won't feel as bad.
i think girl scouts has kind of run it's course. my girls lost interest really quick. it isn't like boy scouts, where if you stick with it you become an eagle scout, if you stick with girl scouts you look like a huge dork in knee socks and an ugly uniform. and asking strangers for money starting at age 6; BAD idea.
13no matter how tasty girl scout cookies they are made with hydrogenated oils aka transfats........either way eat enough of these things and your on your way to higher cholesterol so i wont be buying these no matter what size the box is.
14I haven't bought Girl Scout cookies in years. Originally it was because when my daughter was in girl scouts and I found out how much the troop actually gets per box, I was disgusted, it's no wonder those girls try so hard to sell hundreds of boxes of cookies to get the money to go on a camping trip or some other trip. Now it's also because we don't do as much prepackaged and/or processed foods anymore.
15That's kind of crap. I mean, I understand that there is a purpose to the profits of the cookies, but they're ALREADY expensive and somewhat small, amount-wise. I don't buy them anymore anyway, being vegan, but that really does seem like a terrible consequence for consumers
16I love samoas/caramel delights, but I haven't bought any this season. Maybe, I will just try to make my own...it can't be too hard!
17The price of cookies was $3.00 here. They just went up to $3.50. I hate to hear they are cutting back on the size... cause there already wasn't enough for the price. I mean, I love Girl Scout cookies and supporting the scouts, but this year I'm doing without my peanut butter patties.
18Our food has been shrinking for years and years. It's not surprising. Smaller packaging is how most companies handle changes in cost and it's been popular since the 70's, not just since last year.
And no, I'm not just getting bigger.
19Boo! I love them!
20Maybe the girl scouts could sell something other than cookies to off set the change. Beer? Meat?
21I wouldn't buy these rip offs even before the change. When my daughter was in scouting 15yrs ago I found out the troop got $.30 per box. Then I find out that the heads of the scouting organization get picked up at the airport in limos. Boy Scouts give a much better return to the kids when they sell their popcorn and their camps are much cheaper and fun for the kids.
22when i was a scout mom, the girls got only 20 cents per box for themselves. the girl scout COUNCIL got the rest. you're not helping the little scout much, just the council so they can have nice buildings.
23It actually was the bakers idea to shrink the boxes. This way they kept the cost to the girl scouts at 83 cents per box. Leaving the profit margin to help support the girl scouts. Each troop gets about 56 cents per box. the rest of the money goes to local programing. This is the Girl Scout Troops ONLY way to earn money. Also keep in mind they haven't raised the price of a box of cookies in 6 years. There is something to be said for that.
24To be honest, I have seen and compared the new boxes to old. Unless you are a true expert, you can hardly tell the difference.
Also, comparing the Girl Scout program to Boy Scouts program is comparing apples to oranges. They are completely different programs geared toward the interest group they serve.
Well last year I was a girl scout leader and yes the cookies are a rip off. The girls only make .50 cents a box off of them. My customers complained about them and I don't think you get enough of the cookies to begin with considering the price. I think it is a rip off to begin with!
25That's a shame. Wish I had known before I placed my order; I would have cut it in half too. Another pleasant memory of my childhood, blemished by today's realities....
26Wish I had saw this article before I bought those five boxes.
27WOW! I guess people forget the real reason why these cookies are sold in the first place. We don't buy them because we need them. Those of us who choose to buy them do so in order to help out these little girls.
28I was in girl scouts 20 years ago, i was only in it for a year. When it came time to selling cookies i don't remember if i sold any or not. I think they are gross anyways. I prefer to make my own cookies. And where is the money going anyways? It should be going to a better cause instead of new buildings like scout mom said.
29It won't stop me from buying them but I won't buy more than 1 or 2 boxes. It still just comes around once per year and it's for a great cause. We're paying more for our own groceries too, it's not just a Girl Scouts thing. They have to make up those costs somewhere, just like the rest of us!
30I love Girl Scout cookies. Wish they would just make them the same size and maybe hype the prices about fifty cents or something like that. They are so small to begin with.
31Please continue to support GIRL SCOUTS!!! My daughter is a first year Brownie, I have 7 girls in my troop. We need the cookie sales to help run our troop. We are teaching girls to be confident and strong, and honest and fair. The organization is what you want to support, don't stop because of the cookie size! Thank you for your support!!!
32I remember when my daughter sold girl scout cookies and the their $1.75 a box. She is now 26yrs old. It's sad that they have to go up and I know the girls don't get much from selling them. They have been $3.50 for how many yrs now. I'm surprised they didn't go up this yr. So I don't know if I'm buying any this yr. If I do it willonly be a few boxes and I've already cut back the yrs before because of the price.
33what?? they can't mess with the sacred thin mint! when i was a kid i used to sell those cookies and everyone bought like 3 boxes of thin even mints. anyways i wonder if those people wouldn't even bother buying them this year knowing that an already small cookie was shrinking into oblivian??
34Just make a donation to your local scout troop (you don't need those fattening cookies anyway). The troop gets very little of the money for the cookies. Just give them 20 bucks (tax deductible by the way) and move on.
35Lets be honest, if the girl scouts came around asking, pure and simple, for donations how many of us would fork it over? Hardly anyone. They have to do SOMETHING to fundraise and since we live in a self-absorbed society they have to offer an incentive for us to donate. I do think it's crappy that the troop only gets $.50 a box, but it's better than nothing.
36I am a girl scout leader and our troops only get .45 cents per box while the council receives most of the profits besides paying for the cookies from the distributor. They say they cannot afford to give the troops more of a profit when (our council) has over one million dollars in the bank. They are beginning to become a greedy organization and that is sad.
37Personally I don't care how high the cookies go to, I will always buy at least 1 box just to show my support for the Girl Scouts. They do great thing throughtout communities. It will not kill anyone to help these girls out by buying at least 1 box. Keep up the great work Girl Scouts!!!
38The girl scouts is NOT on the way out, it is an organization consisting of millions of girls around the country, not to mention the girls and women in girl guides around the world. Don't worry, the cookies are not going anywhere, if the mints are getting smaller by whopping centimeter you'll miss out on a whole, what 2 cookies. The more cookies that the girls sell the more money per box they can earn so buy lots of them. And health concerns for yourself or dietary restrictions aren't a good excuse, you can easily donate 3.50 towards a box of cookies for the soldiers who LOVE getting girl scout cookies even if you don't want to eat them. Yes, I know that they are a little expensive but so is a box of chips ahoy and they taste lousy. Support your local girl scouts. And to the person who called the older girls dork in knee socks, we don't wear knee socks and aren't required to wear a uniform except to formal occasions. So who's the dork now? Not to mention being a girl scout as an older girl can help with college and getting a job. Gee that oh so dorky, employment!
39I stopped buying the cookies many years ago when I found ot that the scouts only get about 25-50cents a box. I am against child labor and this is exactly what this is. The cookie maker IS making money and using little girls as their labor. A Rose by any other name is stil a Rose. Same is true with the boys.
40Here's a suggestion... if you really want to support the girls in a girl scout troop, you don't have to buy the cookies. Just give them a cash donation. That way, 100% of those proceeds go to the troop and not to the larger organization. They only get a small portion (usually around 50 cents) per box of cookies they sell anyway. Whenever I pass a troop selling cookies, I just give them $5. That's all theirs. If I'd purchased two boxes of cookies, they would have only made $1.
The other ridiculous thing is that the larger organization imposes so many restrictions on how a troop can raise money. Very often, they're not allowed to do any other fundraiser on their own unless they've participated in the cookie sale. So unfair to the local girls who are trying to participate in what could be a great program.
41We have been eating everything in large quantities and in over-sized portions. now that everyone is cutting back we can't take it!! I just wish they would cut the prices like they cut down on the size of everything. It just seems so unfair that I'm paying more for less !!!
42I support Girl Scouts I don't care how much the cookies are - its a donation and I dont really need the cookies anyhow. lol
43Girl Scout cookies are a joke. You get like four cookies for the price of twenty. They say that they are raising their prices because the cost of materials went up, but how much do you think it actually costs to make a tiny little box of girl scout cookies. If they weren't so damn greedy, then we wouldn't be spending so much money in the first place. I understand it's a fundraiser, but theres a difference between raising money and straight up robbing people. I am so glad that Hersheys started making cookies similiar to girl scout cookies just so I wouldn't have to buy them. They also give you a couple more and they taste waaaaay better.
44I don't buy them anymore, wants they raised the prices, I stopped buying them. I am sick and tired of people of this country raising prices on things and we don't get nothing back. To me it's just a rip of artist thing any way, the girls don't really get nothing out of it. Just the bigger ups do and I refuse to put my money in they're pockets. If I didn't need my car I won't buy gas either. I am tired of people getting rich off us poor people that live from pay check to pay check.
45Girl Scout cookies are a joke. You get like four cookies for the price of twenty. They say that they are raising their prices because the cost of materials went up, but how much do you think it actually costs to make a tiny little box of girl scout cookies. If they weren't so damn greedy, then we wouldn't be spending so much money in the first place. I understand it's a fundraiser, but theres a difference between raising money and straight up robbing people. I am so glad that Hersheys started making cookies similiar to girl scout cookies just so I wouldn't have to buy them. They also give you a couple more and they taste waaaaay better.
46Ok... FIRST OF ALL. A CM is like "ONE" Cookie!! PLEASE! Of all the people who are bit*hing... You will usually spend $3.00- $5.00 for some POS Keebler cookie that goes to a Co. and support greedy CEO's instead of spending it on GIRL SCOUTS? Pathetic... $3.50 is high I agree...however, they ARE made with "Real" ingredients.. NOT "fake" (yea, there are a few artificial flavors)
For this person... "And I was in girl scouts 20 years ago, i was only in it for a year. When it came time to selling cookies i don't remember if i sold any or not. I think they are gross anyways. I prefer to make my own cookies. And where is the money going anyways? It should be going to a better cause instead of new buildings like scout mom said" - One year my selling helped me go to Girl Scout Camp (away from the City life...) and helped me grow in many more ways than you can imagine. Another year, they paid my way for a trip to TX. with my other 12 GIRL SCOUT friends (I was also about 13 at the time...the most crucial time when a quits).
I was and still am a Girl Scout. I recieved (and EARNED) the Gold Award (a harder award to earn than the Eagle...)and I busted my tail to earn that which took me close to two years to earn. Also, nearly every job I have had is/was because they called me in to hear about my project and knew it was a sign of hard work, self discipline and self respect. All of which young girls don't have much of to begin with.
It's sad that yet another hard decision was made in regards to GS. However, YOUR cost didn't go up much... or that at all in my case. (still $3.50...I sold them for $2.50 when I was in grade school... I am now 27 years old...)
PS. To those of you who don't know much about Girl Scouts... it has never been and never will be about "selling cookies". I bet you never rappelled off a 25ft tower at 8 years old?
47I haven't purchased girl scout cookies in the past two years because I can't justify the cost of one box of Girl Scout cookies. They are overpriced and I know I can get a better bang for my buck purchasing cookies elsewhere. For those of you that love the thin mints, Keebler puts out a cookie called Grasshoppers which is the same as the Girl Scout thin mint cookies. The cost for the Grasshopper cookies are about $2.50 per package at Walmart.
48Wait a sec... you mean, the cookies are NOT made from girl scouts? I'm crushed! Why are they called girl scout cookies, then?
49My older daughter was a girl scout till she graduated and didn't wear the goofy outfits. She earned the Gold award, which is the same as the BS eagle award. Its a great program if you are involved. If you show up occasionally, it probably seems like a waste of time. My youngest is in it now and loves it. Are the cookies a bargain? No. But no one said they were. It is a fundraiser. Girls have to participate in order to earn money and to do other fundraisers. Plus, they learn about business, setting goals, and managing money. There is alot more to the process then just selling cookies, if done right. We are in a small town and our girls have a blast! Please don't get jaded. Its still a great program for girls!
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