By Monique Roth
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — Girl Scout Cookie fans across the River Region can rejoice now that the wait for their favorite annual treat is over.

National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend started Friday and stretches through Sunday, marking the first weekend of Girl Scout cookie booth sales in southeast Louisiana.

“Girl Scouts have begun delivering to customers who pre-ordered cookies, and will (now) be out en masse at booth sales this weekend,” said Alisha Moore, vice president of sales for Girl Scouts Louisiana East.

According to Moore, the 2015 Cookie Weekend will mark the 98th year of Girl Scouts selling cookies. She said cookie sales end March 15, with all proceeds remaining locally to support Girl Scouts’ activities, special events, field trips and community service projects, as well as helping the council maintain camp properties, train and recruit volunteers and provide the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. 

Valerie Desselles, who volunteers with St. James Parish’s Troop 20480, said booth sales are a fun time for her daughter Alexia and other Girl Scouts in the troop.

“They get really excited about it,” Desselles said laughing. “They get enthusiastic about it and are screaming and yelling as customers come up to buy cookies.”

Desselles said proceeds from the sales help fund field trips throughout the year for the troop, which in the past have included outings to the Build-A-Bear Workshop and Mardi Gras World.

Marianne Addy, vice president of communications and marketing for Girl Scouts Louisiana East, said cookie seekers can now utilize a Cookie Finder app, which makes supporting Girl Scouts and finding your favorite cookies a snap.

The free app is available for iOS or Android phone or mobile devices by searching “Girl Scout Cookie Finder.”

Addy said patrons can use the app to find the cookie booth closest to them (including the time, date and location of the sale). The app’s latest features include cookie sale searches using selectable start dates, driving directions to nearby booths, an Instagram option for sharing, links to Girl Scout Cookie recipes and the ability for users to vote on their favorite Girl Scout Cookie.

Another way to find local sales would be to log onto girlscoutcookies.com and use the “Find Cookies” search box to search a zip code.

Some Girl Scout troops are making their customers’ cookie purchases even easier, with credit card readers at select booth sales.

“Girl Scouts are really embracing technology as an effective way to market and sell Girl Scout cookies,” Moore said. “This year we will have more troops than ever using credit card readers with their smart phones.”

Jodi Luna, a Girl Scout Troop Leader of 24 troops in LaPlace, said “this will be the first year that our troop will be having a debit card option, and I am certain that it will help our sales.”

Moore said if you notice a little extra “bling” on cookie booths, it’s because troops are participating in a Bling Your Booth contest to entice customers to buy from them, as well as have fun with the sale and earn a free weekend at camp.

Girl Scout Cookies are $4 a box, except for the $5 a box gluten-free Toffee-tastics.