Girl Scout cookie sales will officially kick off from 10 a.m. to noon day with a class at the EMEPA building on Highway 39 North.

    “We have local area girl scouts come,” said Alisha Parker, 2015 Lauderdale County Cookie Chair for the Girl Scouts of Greater Mississippi. “They learn safety do’s and don’ts. They learn sales pitches. They learn how to set up a cookie booth. They get to sample the new cookies. They will earn a participation patch for coming to the event.

    “One thing they learn is they never sell alone, always take a buddy. They never give a last name, only a first name and troop number. They never go inside anyone’s home. If they are a Daisy, Brownie or a Junior, kindergarten through fifth grade, they must always have an adult with them.”

    The girls must also learn how to ask someone to buy some cookies in under three minutes.

    We call it the elevator pitch, because it takes the same length of time it takes to ride an elevator,” Parker said.

    Cost for the class is $5 per girl. Parker said 90 girls have signed up and more slots are available.

    There will be eight cookies available this year: Trefoil, a shortbread cookie; Dosido, a peanut butter sandwich; Savannah Smiles, a lemon cookie; Tagalong, chocolate covered peanut butter; thin mints, a vegan chocolate covered wafer cookie; the Samoa, a chocolate and toasted coconut with caramel cookie that is in its 40th year and two new cookies; the Rah Rah Raisin, an oatmeal raisin cookie; and the Toffeetastic, a gluten free cookie.  

    The price has increased from $3.75 last year to $4.

    “But with that increase, each troop gets to keep 64 cents for each box they sell,” Parker said. “A large part of it stays here locally.”

    According to the Girl Scouts’ website, cookie sales began in 1917, five years after the organization’s founding. In 1922, American Girl, the organization’s magazine published a cookie recipe, giving the price as 26 cents to 36 cents for six or seven dozen and suggested Girl Scouts make the cookies and sell them for 25 cents or 30 cents a dozen.

    By 1937, the scouts were relying on commercially baked cookies.

    Those wishing to participate or wishing to buy cookies may contact Parker at 601-604-4560.