Cookie Booths

Design your sale for SUCCESS! Booth Sales can aid the troop towards their goals and can take many forms and shapes. One of the 5 Skills, DECISION MAKING, requires girls to decide what works best for their cookie business, a drive-thru booth with curbside service, a traditional walk-up booth or a more techy option, a virtual booth.

Three Types of Cookie Booths

Cookie Booths/drive thru are a sales tool for troops where businesses grant advanced permission for Girl Scouts to sell cookies at their business.

1Council Secured Locations Dillons, most Walmart locations, and other select retail locations will be secured by GSKH. This means that the ONLY communication to these businesses is made by the council. If GSKH is successful in securing a location, it will be listed on the Booth Scheduler and is part of the Cookie Booth Lottery process. Troops can begin entering requests in the Smart Cookies Booth Lottery as soon as they are listed in Smart Cookies. January 9 at Midnight, is the deadline to enter requests to be included in the lottery selection process.

On January 10, the Cookie Booth Lottery selection process runs in Smart Cookies. Troops will be assigned up to THREE booth time slots through the lottery process. This process is run by Smart Cookies; GSKH is not able to control the outcome. Smart Cookies uses the preferences entered by the troops to generate the assignments, so be sure to list your first booth choice first, then your second choice and so on, up to 20 choices. The more you enter the better your chances of being assigned three booth time slots. Lottery results are final. Emails are generated from Smart Cookies to notify troops of their booth assignments. NOTE: To receive email notifications, the Troop Cookie Manager must enter an email address on the Troop’s Information page in Smart Cookies.

2Troop Secured Locations Troops are encouraged to secure Cookie Booth Locations on their own — churches, retail stores, schools, colleges, restaurants and sporting events are a few options. Requests for new booth locations secured by troops begins Jan. 7 in Smart Cookies. When a troop has secured a location/date/time, the troop needs to REQUEST A NEW LOCATION on the Smart Cookies Booth Scheduler.

GSKH will approve or decline the booth in Smart Cookies. Once the booth is approved, the booth is scheduled to the troop and will be listed under Reserved Booth Sales in Smart Cookies. 3 Virtually Secured Utilizing your individual Troop Link and/or QR code located in Smart Cookies troops are able to provide a hands-free no contact pay online opportunity for sales. See page 18 for details.

First Come, First Serve

After the lottery assignment process, troops may select additional council coordinated booths on a First Come, First Serve basis starting January 30 at 5 PM.

• Maximum 3 additional booths: Jan 30 • Maximum increases to 6 booths on Feb 6 • Maximum increases to 12 booths on Feb 13 • Maximum increases to 24 booths on Feb 20

GSKH tries to have all the council secured locations listed in Smart Cookies by Jan 7. However, some businesses are unable to commit to a booth sale at the time of request. If you don’t see a business that has been a council secured booth location in the past, please contact the Product Program staff prior to contacting the business.

CANCELLATIONS: If you need to cancel a booth, please cancel it in Smart Cookies and contact the Council. Other troops may be waiting for a booth sale location.

Review guidelines with girls and adults participating in Cookie Booths. When you participate in a Cookie Booth your troop is a GUEST of the business. Remind girls and adults that they are representing Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland and everyone must exhibit good manners and behavior. Remember, the image girls and adults portray determines whether Girl Scouts are allowed to sell cookies at the business in the future.

✓ Dress for Success! Girls should wear uniforms, sashes or vests during the sale. You are all representing Girl Scouts; uniforms help sell cookies! Wear warm clothing, as you may be near a doorway or outside at the location. ✓ Please Check In! Plan to arrive at the booth site at least 5 minutes early to check with the

Store Manager to confirm the booth/drive thru location. It may be a different location than a previous troop. This is not a point to argue. We are their GUEST. Politely accept their request.

Everyone should use the restroom before the booth sale starts. ✓ Arrive and leave on time! Do not try to set up early or stay late if other troops are scheduled.

Ask everyone who is leaving to do so in a timely manner. Store Managers and customers do not like groups congregating. If you have several shifts, ask parents who are leaving to do so promptly. Leave the area clean and free of empty boxes. ✓ Two Girl Scouts and two adults MUST be at your booth/drive thru at all times. A maximum number of four girls and two adults are allowed at the booth/drive thru. If needed, divide your booth/drive thru time slot into shorter “shifts” to accommodate all girls who want to participate. Schedule younger girls and those with short attention spans, in short (1/2 to 1 hour) shifts. This will help keep girls focused and cheerful. ✓ NO Tagalongs. Siblings, friends, additional adults and pets should not be at your booth/ drive thru. They distract those who are working from focusing on the customers and safety is key. ✓ Be Prepared! Bring a small table, money bag with change, clipboards, phone numbers, girl permission forms, First Aid kit, Care & Share receipts, booth/drive thru confirmation and of course . . . Cookies! ✓ Practice good People Skills! Encourage

girls to:

• Stand next to display/or proper curb lineup • Be attentive and courteous • Wait to speak to customers until they make eye contact or approach your table/drive thru. Girls should not chase people down, run through stores ,or block entrance/exit of customers. • Smile! You can’t sell cookies without one! • Remember to say “Thank You” when a customer makes a purchase • Say something nice even when someone chooses not to make a purchase ✓ Do not consume food and drinks at your booth/drive thru location. If water is essential, be discrete and store it behind the table. Adults may not smoke at the booth/ drive thru or in front of the girls. ✓ Put away cell phone and other electronics.

Remind girls that their attention should be on customers and the adults focus should be on the girls. NOT on phone calls or other activities. ✓ Designate a Cookie Runner. Someone other than the adults at the booth/drive thru, who, if needed can get more cookies for the booth.

Problems? If a problem or conflict arises at the booth/drive thru, handle it in a polite and respectful manner. Call Council Staff if necessary.

NOTE: The number one reason for conflict is usually scheduling. Always double check your troop’s booth/drive thru time and location.

Drive-Thru Safety Rules

• To deliver curbside service, the flow of vehicles should ALWAYS flow so that the driver is next to the curbside to conduct business. • Girls/Adults should NEVER cross in front of vehicles. • Orange cones are encouraged to guide the flow of traffic.