FOX6 Cents: How Girl Scout cookies create a ‘wealth’ of knowledge

BUTLER, Wis. - For some, it’s a highly anticipated and celebrated time of the year! Regional Girl Scout Cookie sales start on Jan. 27 and end on March 31. But there’s more in those boxes than just tasty treats.

Girl Scout Cookie sales begin soon

What we know:

FOX6 News met troop leader Cindy Cicerelli as she was getting ready for one of the most important nights of the year. 

"The more cookies they sell the more things we can do in as a troop," Cicerelli explained as she set down tablecloths. 

As the dozen members of Troop 30769 left their classrooms at St. Agnes School in Butler and headed to the cafeteria, there was only one thing on their mind.

"Raise your hand if you’ve never sold cookies before!" Cicerelli asked as the girls settled into their seats.

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There’s a lot riding on sales. For this troop alone, cookies helped the girls buy new uniforms last year and covered expenses for camp. 

Each girl is expected to sell between 300 and 500 boxes. Behind every Thin Mint and Peanut Butter Pattie, there’s a lesson about financial literacy. 

"The girls want to manage their own money," noted Cicerelli. "They want to take ownership of that. They want to be in control."

Lessons to be learned

Dig deeper:

Long before any box is sold, these first and second-graders are learning about budgets and goals. 

In a role-playing exercise, a St. Agnes teacher asked, "If I give you $20, how much do you give me in return?" 

A girl replied, "$1,000," which explains how much work was in front of them.

Most scouts have now ditched doorbells in favor of online sales and, along the way, counting cash became retro. Those skills are still needed, especially when the scouts sell in front of places like grocery stores.

Learning about marketing 

What we know:

There’s another element helping them to seal the deal: marketing. Poster-making and even costumes set these girls on a path to becoming young entrepreneurs.

"We’ve even heard young girls starting their own non-profits in high school," explained Emily Roethle, Director of Marketing & Communications at Girl Scouts of Wisconsin, Southeast division. "They’ve learned how to manage money and how to market their business – through the Girl Scout Cookie Program." 

Roethle continued, "It might just seem like, ‘oh, it’s a box of cookies. It’s a sweet treat.’ These girls are learning so many pivotal lessons at each individual moment."

How many cookies are being bought?

By the numbers:

Roethle said southeast Wisconsin buys more than a million boxes of Girl Scout cookies every year. The organization completed a study in 2025 called ‘The Wisconsin Girl Report.’ It found a gender disparity that Girl Scouts is trying to narrow. 

"There is a gap in math and science skills for girls," Roethle explained. "I think that translates to that financial literacy piece – that girls tend to fall behind, particularly in this state."

Girl Scout statistics show women also trail men in both business and science and engineering fields. There’s hope early money management in scouts will translate to smart financial choices with allowances and babysitting money, through first jobs, and just maybe – starting their own business. Scouts are rewarded with a financial literacy badge, but there are also big incentives for individual sales.

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"This year, girls who sell 2,026 boxes get a cruise to the Bahamas," Roethle said. "We have these incentives built in that teach girls that when you hit your goals, you can earn these really cool things."

Of course, the taste test is a critical component in any pitch and these girls get to sample them all — including the appropriately titled new cookie for 2026, the Exploremores. "It’s a Rocky Road ice cream-inspired cookie which is quite delicious," Roethle said.