Booth sales for cookie success

1. Booth sales for cookie success 2018 Volunteer Guide to Booth Sales Rock United Service Unit

2. Cookie success FACT: People want to buy Girl Scout Cookies. Sometimes getting the cookies to customers and collecting money can be difficult. This challenge can be solved with booth sales! By having a cookie booth at a public location, customers can get cookies in a convenient location and can get additional cookies when they want them. Girls and their parents don’t have to take orders, then make repeated visits to deliver products. Good for Girls—On the Leadership Journey Operating a booth does a whole lot more than boost sales! Girls get valuable experience conducting transactions, answering questions, counting money, setting up product displays and managing inventory. Girls can do market research for the cookie sale based on customer behavior and input. In short, booth sales can provide an opportunity for girl-led experiences that further each girl’s progress toward the Girl Scout Leadership Outcomes.

3. Booths are good business! Girls can collect and analyze data about their booth sale to learn more about sales and marketing. Examples of what girls can do: • Count the people who leave without making a purchase at the booth. • Track how many customers came to the location because they knew a Girl Scout Cookie booth was there. •Track which cookies sell the best. • Ask customers to rate the service they received. • Track how many boxes sold in an hour and make note of the best hours for selling at this booth location. • Poll customers about why they are buying cookies. • Count the people who stopped to view items displayed in front of the business. • Record the average number of boxes that people buy. • Note the demographics of the customers and analyze their buying patterns based on gender and age. • Pass out Girl Scout membership or alumnae information. Be sure to check out possible activities in the Cookie and Financial Literacy badges found in the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting.

4. Merchandising & Marketing Guide girls to create a plan for the booth! These promotional ideas can help girls get the most out of their leadership experience and meet their sales goals: • Be creative with displays. • Have fun decorating the booth. Be sure to display the Girl Scout logo prominently. Use décor that visualizes the group’s goal, such as pictures of where the girls plan to travel or information about a social issue the group wants to address. • Display the troop’s Goal Poster. Customers love to help Girl Scouts reach their goals! • Have girls make posters. Have them highlight their favorite cookie or make one poster for each cookie and rotate them during the sale. Be sure to visit the Art Gallery on abcsmartcookies.com to find graphics to make posters pop. • Share cookie recipes as a thank you when someone buys a box. • If you’re at the end of your sale and you’ve run out of some varieties, create a theme to promote the ones you have left!

5. Selling Strategies Encourage girls to be informed saleswomen! For sales success: *Limit the number of girls at the sale. Don’t overwhelm customers with a large group. *Be sure that girls are the ones sharing information at all times. *Approach customers either on their way in or their way out of the store (NOT BOTH!). *Have girls practice their “Elevator Speech” together. *Smile and say thank you to all customers, whether they buy or not. *Be prepared to answer questions such as “What is your favorite cookie?” or “Which cookies have nuts or other allergens?” *Have an Order Card handy to reference nutritional information and ingredient lists.

6. Rock United Service Unit Cookie Booth Rules and Etiquette BASICS In the interest of providing a quality program, ensuring safety, and providing the assurance of future booth sales for our Girl Scouts, the following procedures have been developed: BASICS: *Booth sales are conducted by TROOPS. Individual girls and families will not conduct booth sales. *Troops will not arrange booth sales on their own – instead they will only participate in booth sales at locations arranged by the Service Unit Booth Sale Coordinator. *When conducting a booth sale, troops will have a copy of the troop’s booth sale assignment sheet on hand. If another troop should mistakenly be assigned the same timeslot, adults will work it out as Sister Girl Scouts. Store management will not be involved. *Troop leaders will ensure that girls and adults participating in booth sales have reviewed these guidelines and agree to abide by them. *Girl Scouts always behave in a manner appropriate to a public place. Adults are responsible for the actions of themselves and the girls in the troop during booth sales. Girls and adults who are not willing to follow procedures and etiquette will not be permitted to participate.

7. Rock United Service Unit Cookie Booth Rules and Etiquette SECURITY SECURITY: *Girls will not be left alone or unsupervised at booth sales. The adults present will ALWAYS be engaged. *Although girls will be encouraged to accept payment and make change, the adults responsible will keep a careful eye on the money box and all financial transactions. Only registered adults who have a current criminal background clearance on file will be responsible for troop funds. *If approached by individuals challenging the Booth Sale Program or Girl Scouting in general, adults will not engage in debate. Instead, Cindy Cook (215 431-7182) or cookie booth manager will be contacted. *If troops feel threatened during sales, the responsible adult will call 911. *Adults will be mindful of weather conditions. Booth sales will be cancelled if weather extremes are determined to be potentially hazardous. This may occur prior to or during scheduled booth sales. The Service Unit Booth Sale Coordinator has the authority to cancel booth sales as a result of weather extremes. If inclement weather exists and the sales are not cancelled, participation in the scheduled sale will be at the leader’s discretion.

8. Rock United Service Unit Cookie Booth Rules and Etiquette STANDARDS STANDARDS: *There will always be two adults and a minimum of two girls present at each booth sale. Troops will schedule girls to participate in “shifts” so that each girl has an opportunity. *Friends, siblings (including infants), and pets are not appropriate and are not permitted at booth sales. *Girls will be identifiable as Girl Scouts by wearing a uniform or other Girl Scout clothing. Appearance makes a lasting impression, and when participating in Girl Scout activities all members will be mindful of this. *Troops will abide by the rules and limitations identified on the Booth Sale Assignment Sheet associated with the specific location. Reports of a troop’s non-compliance with this will jeopardize the troop’s ability to participate in any future booth sale. Location managers have the right to ask any troop participating in booth sales to leave. Troops will leave without comment if asked to do so. *Booth sales are to be set up OUTSIDE unless noted on the Booth Sale Assignment sheet. In case of severe weather conditions troops will remain outside and will not ask to move inside. If the store manager offers this option without the troop asking, the troop may move inside.

9. Rock United Service Unit Cookie Booth Rules and Etiquette STANDARDS (continued) STANDARDS (continued): *Troops arriving at a booth sale will not sell cookies prior to the beginning of their time slot and will store their cookies and supplies away from the troop currently scheduled. At the end of the shift, troops will manage the transition without argument. Troops can continue to sell if their shift ends and the next scheduled troop has not arrived yet, but will end the sale immediately once the troop does arrive. *Troops who are the last slot on the schedule will not continue to sell past the designated end time for their booth sale. *Troops will remove all items and trash at the end of the sale. Empty boxes will be taken and not disposed of in the store’s trash container. *Girls will be discouraged from using a business’s restrooms, except in a true emergency. Instead, girls will be instructed to use the bathroom prior to coming to the booth sale. *If a break is needed, girls and adults will eat and drink discreetly away from the booth sale. Food and drink items are not allowed on the booth sale table. There will be no smoking by anyone participating in a booth sale anywhere near a cookie booth.

10. Remember… We are all responsible for the reputation of Girl Scouts in Rock United Service Unit. Please protect that reputation and our relationships with the businesses that support us by offering booth opportunities.

11. 2018 Cookie Booth Lottery Rock United SU Cookie Booth Coordinator: Bonnie Tobin sucookiebooths@gmail.com 267-987-8831 IMPORTANT COOKIE BOOTH DATES: Tuesday, November 7, 2017 Cookie Training Meeting and distribution of booth sale lottery numbers ???? Start of Rock United SU Cookie Booth Lottery (conducted via email) ???? Official start of cookie sales ???? Cookie sale officially ends

12. 2018 Cookie Booth Lottery Check your email frequently during the Cookie Booth Lottery! At the Nove,ber Cookie Training, each Troop Cookie Manager (TCM) will choose a lottery number. The number each troop receives represents the order that booth sale location requests will be considered. Super Troops will choose from a different group of numbers, and they will be given choices 1 -4. The remaining troops will choose from lottery numbers which begin at #12. People assisting with the process of securing locations for booth sales will be given lottery #’s 5-12, based on the order in which they submit completed information regarding the sites they were assigned. On Monday, December 4, 2017(in the evening), each TCM will be emailed a pdf list of all SU cookie booths and asked to choose 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th choices. The TCM should email the choices to sucookiebooths@gmail.com within 48 hours. TCM’s who do not respond by Wednesday, December 6, 2017at midnight will lose their lottery chance for that round! Please respond as quickly as possible.

13. 2018 Cookie Booth Lottery Troops will be assigned their first location based on availability and in order of lottery #’s. If your 1st choice has already been taken, you will be assigned your 2nd choice. If that is taken, you will be assigned your 3rd choice, etc. If your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th choices are already taken, Bonnie will contact you to get your next choice. Once all troops have 1 choice….. Round Two will begin (this time starting with the last lottery # and working backward). During Round 2 and all subsequent rounds you will be asked to respond within 24 HOURS. Once all troops have their 2nd choice…..Round 3 will occur, this time starting with the first lottery # again.

14. 2018 Cookie Booth Lottery After the 3rd round of the lottery, TCM’s will receive an email with the remaining SU booths. TCM’s should send an email to sucookiebooths@gmail.com if additional locations are desired. These will be assigned first come - first served, 2 booths at a time. Once a location is assigned, TCM’s will receive a .pdf file showing the troop’s assignment(s). These authorization forms are to be printed and brought to each booth sale!!!. The Troop Assignment Sheets will contain information specific to each location. Troops MUST adhere to the information. These details have been established by the store manager, and troops are not to deviate from the guidelines.

15. Booth Sale Assignment Sheet You MUST adhere to the information on your Booth Sale Troop Assignment Sheet. Rock United Service Unit Cookie Booth Sale Troop Assignment ______________________________________________________________________________ This is your official authorization. Bring it with you as proof that you are the troop assigned to this location. Urgent questions should be directed to the SU Booth Sale Coordinator: Cheryl Bryant (410 608-4672)  LOCATION: Shop N Bag, 1025 N. Second Street Pike, Richboro Troop 21234 Date Friday, Jan 3. 2104 Time 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm Specific rules/requests from this business:  *Set up out front between the 2 front doors (near the pretzel store). Do not block the doors. *Maximum = 4 girls. REMEMBER: *There must be TWO ADULTS present at each booth sale. *You may only sell at this booth sale during the specific time noted. Do not stay after your assigned shift if no other troop arrives – the business may not have agreed to booth sales during that time. *After your shift, pack quickly and quietly and do not interfere with the next troop arriving. *Use a closed container for money. Bring your own change – do not ask the business to make change for you. *Bring your own table, banners, and posters. Do not tape banners or posters to store property! Secure them to your table. *Protect your cookies! Keep them out of rain and direct sun. *Leaders / adults in charge should have Girl Scout permission slips, health history forms, and a first aid kit. *Girls should wear uniforms and avoid eating, chewing gum, or talking on cell phones. Remind girls to speak politely and SMILE! *Please limit use of the establishment’s bathroom to EMERGENCIES only. *Let the store manager know when your troop arrives and leaves. Thank him / her as you depart. *Keep your booth area clean at all times. GIRL SCOUTS ALWAYS LEAVE AN AREA CLEANER THAN HOW WE FOUND IT! Take your empty boxes back home to recycle. *Remember that we are guests of the business and represent Girl Scouts. Girls and/or adults misbehaving or booth areas that are left untidy will leave a lasting negative impression of all Girl Scouts. This makes it more difficult to secure booth sale locations in the future. Remember: Our goal is to make sure girls are well supervised and in a safe environment!