Girl Scout Cookie App Now Available

Girl Scout Cookies poster, circa 1950s
(image from the Washington Post)

I purchased four boxes of Girl Scout cookies at work this week. I did this the old-fashioned way. Someone has a daughter for whom the initials "GS" don't mean Goldman Sachs, at least not yet. His sales approach was more soft sell than hard push, and that made it much easier to want to say "yes." However, the cookies really sell themselves. I'm a sucker for the shortbread variety and the thin mints. (One of every four Girl Scout cookies sold is a thin mint.) As soon as the boxes arrived, I ate a couple of shortbread cookies and felt thoroughly satisfied.

The personal touch always seemed essential to the ritual of Girl Scout cookies. That's why I was so surprised to read a story in today's online edition of the San Jose Mercury News about an app for Girl Scout cookie purchases. And, yes, you can now use a credit or debit card to pay for your sweet GS indulgences. I suppose it's a sign of the times, but buying Girl Scout cookies still needs the inefficient, but sweet human touch rather than going through the motions with an efficient, but soulless app.