Girl Scout cookies: love them or hate them, it is hard to deny that they are kind of a big deal. Every year, as cookie season rolls around, Girl Scouts across the nation are out in full force, selling boxes of cookies to hungry customers. The Girl Scouts organization reports that their cookies, which are only sold a few months out of the year, rake in almost $800 million in profits, with over 200 million boxes sold every cookie season. The reason behind these impressive sales lies in the organization’s overall strategy. In the time the cookies are on the market, they are viewed by customers as limited supply, and are hyped up for their scarcity. The hype is real, but the question is, are the cookies worth it? Sure, Girl Scout cookies taste good, but are they overrated? 

Girl Scout cookies are not overrated. Senior Sam Jablecki said, “I actually really like them.” And what is not to like? They are tasty and fun. Unlike corporate cookie companies, like Oreo, Nestlé, or Chips Ahoy, most of the proceeds go directly to the girls selling them, and their Girl Scout troops. Sophomore Mateo Estrada-Vega does not think the cookies are overrated, he just thinks they are overpriced. But he is glad that the money is “going towards a good cause,” instead of to a big company. Buying Girl Scout cookies is a great way to give back to the community while eating delicious cookies.

The limited sales period also makes these cookies more enjoyable. Selling Girl Scout cookies year-round is not a good idea, because it would make them as generic as store-bought cookies. Harry Balzer, a food expert at the NPD market research firm, told USA Today that, “Girl Scout cookies only come around once a year, and they’re very much like Halloween is to candy and Thanksgiving is to turkey.” What makes these cookies special is that they only exist vaguely between January and March. And while they are here, they taste better than they would if they existed all year long.