Read on for Initial Cookie Order, Cookie Calculator, Online Family Cookie Responsibility Form, Cookie Booths, Gluten-Free Cookie Exceptions, Cookie Rally Orders and more.
In this edition:
Up Next
What’s Trending
Reminders
For Service Unit Cookie Managers
Troop Initial Cookie Order in Smart Cookies
When your troop places an initial cookie order, it ensures you’ll have cookies to distribute to your Girl Scouts before Cookie Go Day, it saves you a trip to the cookie cupboard on the opening weekend, it secures you a supply of gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip cookies, and it gets you cookies for opening weekend cookie booths.
Your initial cookie order is due in Smart Cookies on or before January 22. Don’t wait until the last minute! If you haven’t already, reach out to your troop families now to determine individual goals and finalize your troop goals. The Smart Cookies Guide for Volunteers features step-by-step instructions on placing the order in the system.
Please Note: The initial cookie order is made in full cases.
After you have entered the order, you’ll select your delivery location and time. Troops that are assigned to a Mega Drop delivery can choose from any of the locations listed in Smart Cookies. Troops assigned to Mini Drop deliveries will only see one location and date for the delivery.
Don’t forget, when your troop places an initial order that follows the case count from the Cookie Calculator, your Girl Scouts will receive the Initial Order “GSRV Seas the Go Day” patch.
Need assistance with Smart Cookies?
Your Service Unit cookie manager is your local cookie expert and trained to assist you during the season. You can also contact us.
Did you also know that ABC Bakers offers a Smart Cookies Help Desk? It’s available 24/7 at ABCSmartCookieTech@hearthsidefoods.com or at 800-853-3730. Be sure to provide your troop number, council name (Girl Scouts River Valleys), your name, and if possible, your Service Unit name or number when connecting with the Smart Cookies Help Desk.
Cookie Calculator
The Cookie Calculator is designed to take some of the guessing out of your initial order. Along with your troop and individual Girl Scout goals, the Cookie Calculator is a tool to use to assist you in determining the order.
- Make the choice if your troop participated in the 2022 season or not
- Enter the number of participating Girl Scouts in your troop
- Get your recommendation
Note: If you plan to order fewer than 10 total cases (120 packages) for your initial order, we recommend you choose the varieties that you would like rather than following the variety recommendation from the calculator as they may appear imbalanced with a low total.
All returning troops can view last year’s sales totals in Smart Cookies.
- From the homepage, go to Reports and select Archived.
- Select the 2021-2022 season from the drop-down menu. You’ll find a variety of reports to review from the previous season.
After you’ve determined the varieties, enter the order in Smart Cookies and choose your delivery location.
Online Family Cookie Responsibility Form
As you begin to engage families in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, it’s important to remind families to complete the required online Family Cookie Responsibility Form. Connect with them during your Family Cookie Business Meeting or send them an email with the form link found on Cookie Central. Provide your preferred email address to enter in the form as well as the troop’s cookie return date. You’ll receive an email each time one of your families complete the form with your email. Completed responsibility forms are required prior to a Girl Scout receiving any cookie inventory.
Cookie Booth Lottery & First-Come, First-Served (FCFS) Booths
The cookie booth lottery is still open for selections in Smart Cookies. Troops can make up to 10 selections, with a maximum of one booth “win” when the lottery runs at 12:00 pm (CST) on January 15. Selections must be entered by January 15 at 11:00 am (CST). If your troop does not win a booth through the lottery, you will receive an email from Girl Scouts River Valleys to assist in selecting a booth time slot prior to the start of the first-come, first-served booth rounds.
The lottery and first-come, first-served (FCFS) schedule as of January 12 are below:
| DATE | EVENT | ACTION |
| Jan 15 | Deadline to enter lottery selections by 11:00 am (CST) | Make sure you have entered your lottery selections by this time. |
| Jan 15 | Lottery runs at 12:00 pm (CST) | Troops are awarded 1 win from their list of selections. |
| Jan 18 | FCFS Round 1 opens at 7:00 pm (CST). | Choose 2 new booths. |
| Jan 19 | FCFS Round 2 opens at 7:00 pm (CST). | Choose 3 new booths. |
| Jan 20 | FCFS Round 3 opens at 7:00 pm (CST). | Choose 5 new booths. |
| Jan 23 | FCFS Round 4 opens at 7:00 pm (CST). | Choose 8 new booths. |
| Jan 31 | FCFS Round 5 opens at 7:00 pm (CST). | Choose 10 new booths. |
| Feb 1 | FCFS cap is lifted. | Troops may select any new booths still available. |
For each round of first-come, first-served booths, the selections will close at 4:00 pm (CST) before the following round opens at 7:00 pm (CST). For example, round 1 opens at 7:00 pm (CST) on January 18 and closes at 4:00 pm on January 19. During this time, we will upload any new booths secured.
Note: The primary troop contact in Smart Cookies will receive an email to alert them of a troop’s lottery win or if they successfully secured a first-come, first-served booth location. You can also log in to Smart Cookies, then go to Booths and select My Reservations to view booths that are secured for the troop. For your must-read info on all things cookie booths, check out Cookie Central. You’ll find booth policies, the updated Cookie Booth Guide, the Cookie Booth Locations-Do Not Contact List, historical booth data and much, much more!
Need some inspiration for booths in your community? Here are a few ideas: Car dealerships, community centers, places of worship, and drive-thru booths in large parking lots. Brainstorm other gathering places in your area with your troop.
Both council-secured and all approved troop-secured cookie booths will be included in the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Online Cookie Finder, which connects customers looking for cookies to cookie booth locations during the Cookie Program
Walmart Council-Secured Booths
We will notify you through The Cookie Press and on Rallyhood when Walmart locations will be available for selections, and we will have an equitable process for all who are interested in having cookie booths at these popular locations. We are making progress in securing booth time slots at Walmart, so thank you for your patience as these approvals come in.
Gluten-Free Cookie Exception Requests
Troops that missed the pre-order opportunity and would like an exception to the two-case limit of gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies must enter the number of cases in Smart Cookies in your initial order. Plus, you must complete the Gluten-Free Cookie Exemption Form by January 22. We will send an email to confirm the request was successful or alert you if we are unable to fill your request the week of January 23.
Cookie Rally Order Shipments
Orders for rally cookies and reward kits are shipping the week of January 16 to Service Units that placed orders last month. Remember, reward kits must be returned to Girl Scouts River Valleys by March 1. Reward kits can be dropped off at the nearest Girl Scouts River Valleys service center locations or mailed to the following address:
- Girl Scouts River Valleys
Attn: Product Program
5601 Brooklyn Blvd.
Brooklyn Center, MN, 55429
Please Note: Include a note with your Service Unit name or number when you return the kit.
Assisting Troops with Initial Orders
Remind troops that if they plan to participate in in-person sales or wish to sell the gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie, they must place their initial order and select their delivery location by January 22. Service Units will be able to adjust or enter orders until January 23. If your Service Unit participates in a Mini Drop delivery, provide troops with the delivery date so they can get it on their calendar.
Smart Cookies Super Users: Want to know which troops have placed an initial order? Run the Troop Initial Order Report in Smart Cookies.
