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Adults try to talk politics with Girl Scouts

They just want to sell some cookies, man.

MINNEAPOLIS — There's a sugary sign that indicates that spring is here. When girls donning vests with badges and the colorful boxes start to stack up outside of grocery stores, you know it's Girl Scout Cookie season.

However, in recent years, not every interaction has been so sweet.

"It's kind of off and on. Usually you'll get one or two booths where someone will be real disruptive," troop leader Michelle Morlan said. 

Morlan was standing by as her daughter was manning the booth inside a grocery store.

A disturbing trend was captured in this article by Insider. The gist of it is that Girl Scout cookie sellers are being harassed by adults for various reasons.

Some are getting lectured for selling unhealthy food, while some are complaining that $5 a box is just too pricey.

Morlan agreed that this year has been tough for a combination of reasons.

"This year it's a little bit of a challenge because we're having some shortage issues with everyone else with COVID," Morlan explained. "And supply chain, we're working our hardest to sell the cookies that we have and with that and we've also run into issues with people at our booth sales like this one here where they have complained about politics to us, and our girls are over hearing this."

The Insider article also documents several incidents throughout the nation where people get upset at the girls for the false claim that cookie sales fund Planned Parenthood.

Something Emily Burtnett and her dad have run into last year.

"There was an individual that pulled up and was complaining about how they disagreed with the Girl Scouts supporting Planned Parenthood," Emily's father Mark Burtnett said. "We were trying to tell him we have nothing to do with that."

What's a Girl Scout to do? Or really say in that kind of situation?

"After we told him that, he proceeded to tell me that most of the time, abortions were of little girls," Emily added. "And we were really confused because we had told him we don't support that."

"It's happened at a number of different booths across the Twin Cities," Morlan said. "I'm part of a few different Facebook groups for local leaders. Other troops have run into it here and there — it's not overwhelming to a point where I'm concerned about the safety of my girls any time we're out. I'm still comfortable doing booths like this."

Luckily, booths are always supervised by a grown up, who can always step in and clarify.

Morlan said she hopes others won't crush the fun out of cookies. Emily said when she does have to have conversations like that with adults who never end up buying the cookies anyway, it takes the joy out of being there.

"Most of the time, the days you sell they're cold and windy, and you're already kind of miserable," Emily chimed in. "So it makes your day a little worse hearing that — you know it's not true but they insist that it is."

"Hopefully we don't have more booths like that this year," Morlan said. "I'm really hopeful people will understand they're talking to little girls and they're not going to not talk politics back to them."

KARE 11 made an inquiry to the Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys about this, and the CEO Tish Bolger said this in a statement:

"Girl’s safety and well-being is always the top priority; Girl Scouts River Valleys has no reports of improper customer behavior at cookie booths this season. Girl Scouts are doing exceptionally well this year with their Girl Scout cookie business; customers have been enthusiastic and supportive of the program. We appreciate our customers and community partners that help support a program where girls learn life-long skills like goal setting, decision-making, people skills, and money management."

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