Girl Scout Cookie Season Is Coming, Even in a Pandemic

Now that we're almost 10 full months into dealing with COVID-19, there isn't all that much about the pandemic that we haven't experienced already. With the exception of Valentine's Day, we've figured out how to handle the holidays, and (much as we may hate it), millions are used to working and/or learning remotely.

There's still at least one thing that we haven't really had to deal with yet, but soon will: what happens to Girl Scout Cookie Season?

The short answer is that not even a pandemic can stop the rollout of America's favorite collection of cookies. The preorder process began in December, and troops of budding young entrepreneurs expect to get their hands on the product in February.

Obviously, the how of Girl Scout Cookie sales will have to change a bit during the first full pandemic sales season. In addition to more socially distant sales in the usual locations, there's also the potential for contactless delivery that's functionally the inverse of how people handled Trick or Treating. One mother-daughter team who spoke to the Chicago Tribune floated drive-thru pickups as an option as well.

For those hoping to stay inside, your best bet this year might be to seek out the Girl Scouts' Digital Cookie platform. Rather than functioning as some soulless cookie clearinghouse, Digital Cookie lets girls set up their own personalized order page, where you can place an order, pay online, and even have it shipped. It also offers mobile app orders for those who want to transact from six feet apart.

The plethora of safe distribution options is a huge win not only for the Girl Scouts and their troops, but to anyone in need of a nostalgic favorite in these trying times. "People are looking for that happiness, that joy that they remember growing up as a kid," Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana CEO Nancy Wright told the Tribune. "And Girl Scout cookies are a way for people to remember that happiness and that joy. Girl Scout cookies [are] a way to get to people's hearts, and everybody needs to be refueled these days."

Cookie sales will run roughly through March 22nd, so there's definitely time to get those Thin Mint and Samoa orders in. If there was ever a year to buy an extra box or two, it's this one.