Thinner Mints: Girl Scouts Have Millions of Unsold Cookies

(AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

(AP) – The Girl Scouts have an unusual problem this year: 15 million boxes of unsold cookies.

The 109-year-old organization says the coronavirus shut down in-person sales at cookie booths.

“This is unfortunate, but given this is a girl-driven program and the majority of cookies are sold in-person, it was to be expected,” said Kelly Parisi, a spokeswoman for Girl Scouts of the USA.

The impact will be felt by local councils and troops, who depend on the cookie sales to fund programming, travel, camps, and other activities. The Girl Scouts normally sell around 200 million boxes of cookies per year, or around $800 million worth.

It won’t say how many cookie boxes were sold this year. But 15 million boxes remain at local councils or at the two bakers authorized to make them.

Those councils and bakers are trying to sell or donate boxes that are left.