"Would you like to buy some Girl Scout Cookies?"
Each spring, we anxiously await the annual cookie feast that seems to magically appear at our local grocery stores.
While some people may resist the urge to buy these delicious treasures, customers of the Ultra Health medical marijuana dispensary in Albuquerque, New Mexico found it increasingly difficult to pass on the Thin Mints and Tagalongs this year.
Abby Sargent, a Junior Girl Scout, and her friend, coincidentally named Mary Jane Temer, were invited by store manager, James Gambling to sell their cookies in front of his dispensary. Gambling even offered to donate $1 for every box the scouts sold.
Mary Jane’s father Phil admitted, “It is very ironic that she has the same name [as cannabis], but she was named after Spiderman’s girlfriend,” still a perfect fit for their chosen location.
The girls themselves seemed oblivious to the genius of their operation. Instead, they were satisfied with selling over 60 boxes while their customers were thrilled to not only get their medicine, but also get their hands on some munchies in likely the last place they expected to find a Girl Scout Cookie stand.
Unfortunately, where there’s innovation, there are also naysayers.
After the original article about the savvy scouts was published, the Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails’ communications director, Carol Ann Short, told KRQE that setting up shop in front of a dispensary went against the rules by citing the 2016 Troop manual, “booth locations are never allowed at liquor stores, smoke shops, or medical dispensaries.”
While the girls won’t be punished, Short said she would “talk to the adults in charge, letting them know that this is wrong and why.”
Unsurprisingly, Abby and Mary Jane are not the only scouts to take advantage of such an opportunistic location.
In Portland, Oregon a Girl Scout cleverly posted up outside of the Foster Buds Marijuana Dispensary quickly surpassing her goal of selling 35 boxes.
Within minutes of setting up her table she had customers ready to gobble up her entire stock of cookies. We're sure the scouts cleverly placed sign which declared, “Satisfy your munchies!” contributed to her success.
While the spokesperson from the Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington said they, “recommended that if a minor cannot enter a premises unaccompanied, she should not sell Girl Scout Cookies in front of the premises,” however no further action was taken.
With innovative thinking like this, these young scouts will likely go far in life and may one day become business gurus, perhaps in the cookie or cannabis world. Only time will tell.
So if you happen to live in Albuquerque or Portland, you might be lucky enough to get both your bud and your cookies in one stop, and support a foundation that supports young girls. It’s a win-win.
