Girl Scout cookies may not be so sweet this year as a weak economy has increased the price of a box of the treats from $3 to $3.50.
‘The council has been facing financial challenges, driven by a sluggish economy,? said Marilyn Twine, public relations director for the Girl Scouts Fair Winds Council. ‘In an effort not to have to reduce programs or services, they voted on the 50-cent increase.?
The last price increase for the cookies was in 1999 when the price for a box of cookies increased 50 cents to $3. Prior to that, they had been $2.50 a box for 11 years..
The cookie sale program generates 54 percent of the operating budget for the Fair Winds Council. Each troop receives 45-cents from each box sold to use for whatever activities they wish. The remaining $3.05 pays for product costs, council-wide programs such as camps and property maintenance, volunteer training and registration fees for girls who otherwise couldn’t afford to belong to Girl Scouts.