Girl Scouts Say No to Online Cookie Seller
Let’s face it, selling a product online is not a new-school idea. But for the Girl Scouts of America, it’s mind-blowingly illegal. I heard about this one on the way home from NEMOA on Friday, but am just getting around to researching it now.
The father of an 8-year-old girl in North Carolina was helping her sell Girl Scout Cookies. Innocent enough. But they say he went too far by using channels that are not face-to-face communication: YouTube, a page on Facebook and an online order form through his Web firm.
Nothing super fancy or complex here, but what Bryan Freeborn and his daughter, Wild, did is not permitted by Girl Scout Code. Creativity is apparently out, and face-to-face contact is mandated.
(Funny, because I’ve never bough Girl Scout Cookies through an actual Girl Scout. It’s always been a parent bringing the order form to the office… or my sister from Alabama sending me a request on her daughters’ behalf via e-mail).
Maybe the Girl Scouts could take a lesson from e-commerce. Or for that matter, from direct sellers who understand the times and rules of retail are changing. Heck, it’s a fund-raiser. Why limit sales to your community when you can sell outside your neighborhood and immediate family?
Freeborn brings up a great point in the video below. Maybe the attention brought to such a silly rule (my words, not his) will spark change, and kids (or their parents, really) will be able to take advantage of all the possible selling channels.
Now someone Tweet me when my order is ready.
