NEW YORK, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- A Girl Scouts of the USA spokeswoman says the U.S. youth organization is facing a significant decline in pre-order sales of its traditional cookies.
Girl Scouts spokeswoman Michelle Tompkins said while national pre-order sales numbers have yet to be determined, a number of regional Girl Scout councils have reported a drop in Girl Scout cookie sales this year, USA Today said Friday.
Tompkins said those councils remain hopeful they can counter the drop in pre-order sales with increased cookie sales at U.S. shopping centers this spring.
Council leaders said pre-order sales of the tasty Girl Scouts treats represent nearly 70 percent of each year's final cookie sales.
Girl Scout officials said among the councils reporting pre-order sales declines are the Eastern South Carolina Council, the Northeast Ohio Council and the Frontier Council in Las Vegas.
Marianne Love, director of business services for the Ohio group, said even longtime cookie customers have cut back on the Girl Scout treats during the ongoing economic crisis.
"If a customer was purchasing six to eight boxes, now they're purchasing three to four," Love told USA Today.
