Thin Mints, Samoas and Tagalongs will cost more in the new year as Girl Scout cookies become the latest victim of inflation.
The beloved American treats, which are generally sold through registered Girl Scout councils from January through April, will go for $6 this cookie season in some states — up from $5 last year.
At least one New York chapter, the Girl Scouts Heart of Hudson, is among the troops implementing the $1 increase when starts selling cookies on Feb. 1, 2024, according to CNN.
The chapter’s interim CEO Helen Wronski notified the outlet that “in order to combat rising production and material costs, GSHH will be increasing the price of all cookie packages to $6.”
“We expect our neighboring councils to announce similar increases in the coming weeks and months,” Wronski added.
The Girl Scouts of Western New York had already implemented the $1 increase, saying in a Jan. 31 notice that “inflation is taking a toll.”
“Due to the increasing costs of supplies, shipping and fuel, GSWNY has had to make a tough decision, like many other companies, to increase,” the troop said.
Wronski also pointed to Girl Scouts’ cookie supplier, Little Brownie Bakers, as reason for the price increase.
“Unfortunately, both LBB and GSHH are not immune to inflation, and costs have risen for all aspects of the business,” Wronski said, according to CNN.
The Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington announced last year that their beloved treats were increasing to $6 per box, and Boston’s Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts announced that they’d be joining in on the price hike just this week.
The cookie season for the GSOSW and GSEM start on Jan. 26, 2024, and Dec. 13, 2024, respectively.
The Girl Scouts of Louisiana-Pines raised its prices by $1 during the 2022 season, though the increase brought its core cookies to $5 and specialty varieties, like S’mores and Toffee-Tastic, to $6.
The Girl Scouts of Northern California were among the first to change its prices, announcing ahead of last year’s cookie season that core cookies like Trefoils and Do-si-dos would be $6, while the cost of specialty cookies would be reduced — meaning all cookie flavors are $6.
The GSNorCal said at the time that the price increase was “necessary to make progress towards balancing our budget,” and noted the the troop hadn’t raised its prices in eight years.
“Each of our 111 Girl Scout councils sets local Girl Scout Cookie prices based on several factors,” a spokesperson for Girl Scouts of the USA told CNN.
“In some instances, councils are faced with the tough decision to raise the prices, though prices have remained steady in many areas for a number of years.”
The Post has sought comment from the Girl Scouts of the USA and its cookie provider, Little Brownie Bakers.
Consumers lately have been spending less on discretionary items in response to economic uncertainty spurred by inflation, which rose a surprisingly stiff 3.7% last month — still well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.
However, one particular cookie from the 2022 season serves as hope that the price increase won’t deter Americans from buying up Girl Scout cookies this year — the Raspberry Rally.
The online-only addition to the Girl Scout lineup made its debut on Feb. 27, 2023, and was described as a “sister” cookie to the beloved Thin Mint thanks to its crispy inside and same chocolatey coating.
The inside, however, boasted a raspberry flavor instead of mint that saw the popular cookie flavor selling out within hours of its launch.
In fact, $5 boxes of the Raspberry Rally were so in demand that the variety was being sold on the secondary market on sites like eBay for as much as $199.97 despite the Girl Scouts marking all cookie packages as “not for resale.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
