Girl Scouts of America raising prices for beloved cookies due to inflation
NASSAU COUNTY, Long Island (WABC) -- Call it "cookie-flation." Girl Scouts of America says it's raising prices again this year to keep up with the cost of production... so be prepared to shell out a few extra bucks for that box of Thin Mints and Samoas.
Their determination stands the test of time, but like all businesses, even the Girl Scouts must adapt and change... their product lineup, and now their prices as well.
"The price is increasing from $5 a box to $7 a box, and we held the $5 a box for five years," said Cassie Colgan of Girl Scouts of Nassau County.
In fact, they held that price in both Nassau and Suffolk counties while some others had raised it already to $6 a box. But the Girl Scouts told Eyewitness News, like everything else at the grocery store, ingredients and costs of doing business have now gone up too much.
"The deciding factor really was what do we really need to provide to the girls? And can we afford to do it? And we couldn't afford to do it any longer at $5," said Tammy Severino of Girl Scouts of Suffolk County.
The reality is these cookie costs crumble into a lot of different areas and so, the Girl Scouts are also using this price hike to teach the girls some important business lessons.
"What your added expenses look like in running that business and then having to make the decision of either cutting a thing, or increasing a price," Severino said.
There's also the big change in the cookie roster. Two of the iconic types of Girl Scout cookies, S'mores and Toast-Yays, will no longer be sold after this season.
The tried-and-true Samoas and Thin Mints will always be around, but customer the ratings on those depends who you ask.
"I don't like Thin Mints, I don't like them, there I said it," said 'LIVE with Kelly and Mark' co-host Kelly Ripa on the show.
To those whose favorite cookie is the S'mores, Colgan says to "stock up."
The Girl Scouts are set to start their new selling season in the next few weeks. As usual, their leaders say their girls will reach whatever goals they set for themselves.
They are life lessons which can be bittersweet.
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