Girl Scouts Go Mobile With Cookie Finder App
Girl Scout cookie sales have gone high-tech with a new cookie finder app for iPhone and Android devices.
The free app allows cookie aficionados to find the nearest cookie booth and meet the 16 cookie varieties for sale. It also provides tips on how to interact with the Girl Scouts.
The $790 million Girl Scout cookie operation, the largest girl-led business in the world, allows potential buyers to search for the nearest cookie booths on its website. Amanada Hamaker, manager of product sales, said the app was a "natural extension."
"This is important, because according to consumer surveys, the No. 1 reason cited for not purchasing Girl Scout Cookies is potential consumers don't encounter a Girl Scout during the local sales period," Hamaker told ABCNews.com.
The app requires only a few clicks before cookie lovers are put in touch with a list of the nearest places to buy Thin Mints, Samoas or whatever other cookies they're craving.
Locations can be found using a smartphone's built-in GPS or by entering a ZIP code. Cookie shoppers should indicate how far they're willing to travel and when they want to buy their favorite cookies.
The app allows users to sort through the search results by location and date.
The annual cookie sale is designed to teach girls skills including goal setting, decision making, money management, business ethics and people skills, according to the organization.
The core values of the cookie sale aren't lost in the app, which also offers tips on how to do business with a Girl Scout.
"Please don't call me cute," one tip says. "We're learning how to run a business. We want you to buy cookies because you want them and respect what we're learning, not because of our nice haircut or uniform."
And for cookie-lovers looking to venture beyond the ever-popular Thin Mints, the app encourages them to ask about the cookie inventory.
"We have a lot of cookies to tell you about," the app says.