Many troops are wrapping up their cookie sale now. If you find yourself with a few extra cases of cookies, here are some ideas for how to get rid of your extra cookies:

• Post to your neighborhood email list. A lot of people are looking for a few cookies here and there to fill last-minute orders or fill out their Gift of Caring donations. Some troops are still boothing so they and their girls can reach their goals. You can transfer some of your remaining packages to another troop, and then they're gone!
• Notify your neighborhood cookie manager. She/he will know of any troops still looking for cookies. (And if you're looking for cookies, these two are good places to start.)
• Notify all the girls in your troop, and their parents. Often people have heard of others who wanted cookies, but thought it was too late. Some troops just divide the extras among the girls--if you have 50 boxes left and ten girls, that's only five boxes each!
• If you just have a couple of boxes, consider giving them as troop thank-yous to the school you meet at, the stores you held your cookie booths, or volunteers who have helped your troop with program.
• You can use a couple of boxes for snack for the next couple of weeks.
• If there are just a few boxes, add them to your Gift of Caring. Or consider asking one of your troop parents or their business to make the purchase for Gift of Caring and donate them to your troop's favorite charity.
• Pick up an extra cookie booth. Booths that have been cancelled by other troops are listed as "Troop 4500" (a fake troop number). There are still vacancies in the store schedules as well. To request a booth, please fill out the request form.
• Set up a small cookie booth on your own. Consider asking for permission to set up a table at your school, workplace or place of worship. After the end of sales (March 16), I cannot schedule a cookie booth at one of the large chains (Fry's, Safeway, etc.), but many store managers are sympathetic if you ask them politely. I suggest trying Albertsons, Bashas', or your local video store as those managers have the authority to set up booths at their own stores (where Safeway/Fry's are corporate scheduled). Maybe one of your parents owns a business that will let you booth. Think outside the box for times, as well--you don't have to booth on the weekend. Cookie booths in the early evening during the week can be quite effective.
• Get permission from a nearby apartment complex and load up the wagons with cookies and go door-to-door. Girls can work in pairs with an adult watching nearby. Many troops have reported that this is a faster way to sell cookies than a cookie booth! Be sure to observe no solicitating signs.
• Load up the car and do the same thing in a residential neighborhood. Girls can walk in pairs to the houses, with cases of mixed cookies in hand, with adults supervising. Catch people in the early evening or on the weekend when they're home.
• If you have a huge number of extra cookies, please let me know and I will try to direct troops to you to pick up their extra cases.

Good luck!