Booth Sales Etiquette

Leaders and/or sale managers: Be sure all adults working at your cookie shops get a copy of this.

Booths are a great way for troops to boost their sales, and a lot of fun for the girls. While the girls are getting this valuable experience, there are a few things we need to remember:

For the girls… - Public sales are when Girl Scouts are the most visible to the community, so be sure the girls are well-behaved and polite. - Girls should wear their full uniform while selling at a nut/cookie shop. If they do not have one, they must wear a Girl Scout pin, at the minimum. - Girls should eat before coming to sell cookies. No eating while selling. Water bottles okay. - Ask the customer to buy nuts/cookies when they are coming out of the business, not going in. - Always have a good attitude while selling nuts/cookies, and try not to act disappointed if the customer says no. - Always thank or acknowledge those people asked to buy, whether they do or not!

For the adults… - Bring only Girl Scouts to booth sales - no siblings or non-registered friends of girls selling. Parents with younger -

children, trade babysitting services with each other so everyone can participate. Always have two GS registered adults at every booth sale, one of whom should be a woman. It is recommended to have at least one volunteer approved adult at the sale. If the booth sale consists of one girl and her parent then that parent does not have to be volunteer approved. If you are the first troop to arrive at the booth sale location, please check in with the manager or appropriate person. Set up your table at only one of the entrances, not all of them. Be sure to have a copy of each girl’s health history form and a first aid kit at each shop. Since girls have to wear a minimum uniform of a Girl Scout pin, you may want to keep an extra one in your cash box for those who may come without one. The troop is responsible for bringing its own table and chairs. Train the girls what to expect at a booth before their first sale. Do role playing where they practice what they could say to a customer in different selling situations. They should learn not to take it personally if they are ignored after asking the customer to buy. It will happen. It's okay to let the girls handle money, under supervision. If they are old enough, teach them how to count change back to the customer. Very impressive! Be Prepared. Have enough change in your cash box so that you don’t have to bother the business for change. If you have no other choice, have an adult go in and get it. Clear away all empty cases and take them with you after the sale. Do not throw them away at the selling location. If parents ask about Girl Scouts for their daughter, you can give them the phone number of your service unit registrar. You should have a few of her business cards to keep in your cash box. The sale manager and the parents attending the booth sale should verify the count of both money and boxes/cans before and after the sale. Use the sign-in sheet to reconcile these.

The most important thing to remember when selling products in a public place is that we represent Girl Scouts. We want our image to be a positive one!