6 August 2009
Wal-Mart Copycat Cookie Crisis
Posted by admin under: cookies .
One of my troop moms just sent me this story about Walmart copying two Girl Scout cookie styles reported by Kim Peterson for MSN’s moneyblog. It must have hit a nerve since the story already has nearly 100 comments, but that nerve is generally in the ennui bone since most people don’t seem mind what Wal-Mart is planning to do. Apparently, Keebler has been doing it for years.
Advertising Age tried to ask Wal-Mart about the issue, but a spokeswoman did not respond. A Girl Scouts spokeswoman said other companies have put out cookies similar to Girl Scouts varieties in the past. I can’t think of anything resembling a Thin Mint that’s ever been sold on a mass scale.
Girl Scout cookies are in high demand every year, and it’s not hard to imagine Wal-Mart wanting to cash in on some of that fever. There’s no law preventing the company from selling its own version of a Thin Mint, either. But the idea of a global retailing giant intentionally going after the Girl Scout cookie market isn’t going to sit well with some of the mothers that are Wal-Mart’s core customers.
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Cookie sales give the Girl Scouts much of their annual operational funding, and Thin Mints, the most popular flavor, brings in 25% of sales alone, Harquail says.
One thing my service unit has always wanted was a good Wal-Mart in our area because troops that sell cookies in front of Wal-Mart do good business. With Target, Trader Joe’s, Starbucks, Staples, and even a few banks turning Girl Scouts away from their doors during selling season it’s nice that Wal-Mart still allows Girl Scouts to access their stream of customers.
One of the things we just discussed in our Cub Scout Popcorn kickoff meeting was that when people buy from Scouts they aren’t buying specific products. They are buying Scouting. To get the same number of cookies in a store’s generic package you’d have to spend $20 on Girl Scout cookies. The cookies are a little treat. They’re a small, sweet reward for helping to fund this traditional organization. They’re also a connection to some women’s memories of their own carefree days in Girl Scouts.
Will the Walmart brand cut into Girl Scout sales? Perhaps they will, but more likely others will continue to support the organization and I’ve had people tell me quite emphatically that no one makes cookies that are as good as the GSUSA brand. Those people won’t forsake the Girl Scouts. If the GSUSA lost Wal-Mart as a selling location then that would be a major blow, but the story doesn’t say that’s happening.
I heard from my council’s fundraising chair that the Girl Scouts are trying to move away from relying on the cookies too much for funding. They are trying to style themselves more after the Boy Scouts version of raising cash by developing relationships with philanthropic wealthy people and organizations. That’s why I don’t think this will be too much of a big deal. My troop mom is still offended, though.
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3 Comments so far...
Dan - Scouting News Says:
6 August 2009 at 7:34 pm.
I tend to agree the cookies will be safe. There are already copy cat cookies out there. Unless Walmart does a marketing campaign during the same time, the sale should be fine.
With the Girl Scouts offering lifetime memberships it should be really easy to keep them engaged to foster those relationships for when they are older and may have more income. I’m trying to get my Boy Scout Council to set up Camp Staff Alumni associations and a local Eagle Scout Association to keep folks engaged with the program to help tap into additional resources. Its a lot easier to ask from folks who have benefited from the program…
Ben Says:
7 August 2009 at 5:41 pm.
MediaCurves.com just conducted a study on 307 viewers of a news clip discussed the recent controversy involving Walmart and the Girl Scouts. The majority (58%) of respondents who are parents of Girl Scout members said that they have a more negative perception of the discount store after watching the news clip. Over a third of these Girl Scout parents (35%) reported that they are now less likely to shop at Walmart stores after learning of the Girl Scout cookie controversy. For more in-depth results please visit http://www.mediacurves.com/NationalMediaFocus/J7486-GirlScouts/Index.cfm.
Thanks,
Ben
Pearl Says:
8 August 2009 at 11:53 am.
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It’s called the Keebler Fudge Shoppe Grasshopper
