| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Amie C. |
Posted - Aug 05 2009 : 12:35:56 PM
I just read about this, and I must say it seems like a low blow. I don't shop at Walmart anyway, so I won't be buying any of these. I hope they don't take off. It would be really shameful to see the American public so eager for a bargain that we kill off the annual Girl Scout cookie sale. It's both a fundraiser for a good cause, and at the same time a tradition that I know many of us have fond memories of.
http://authenticorganizations.com/harquail/2009/08/03/wal-mart-knocks-off-the-girl-scouts/ |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| farmmommy |
Posted - Aug 12 2009 : 06:46:44 AM
Lisa...I also did not know that about the girl scouts...you know....I wonder if it would be possible to start a MJF FarmGirl Scouts???...lol...
I mean, we, as adults participate and earn badges...wouldn't it be neat for our daughters, granddaughter and neices could be a part of it on a bigger level?...I'm just blabbering here, not trying to do away with the girl scouts or anything...
I know about the farmerettes, but maybe a group nationwide that is based around MaryJanes Simple Soultions For Everday Organic and Farmgirl ways of thinking.....Something a little less corporate organized...oh well...like I said, I'm just blabering..lol....I do alot of that...tee-hee!
http://cockadoodledewberries.blogspot.com |
| Annab |
Posted - Aug 12 2009 : 03:27:19 AM
I guess that's what happens to a lot of organizations we give money toward.
Was very pleased to read thaat 100% of the Livestrong procedes go directly to the foundation.
Guess one can do that when they are a private member.
This is why I am reluctant to donate to most "charities". |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Aug 11 2009 : 10:34:04 AM
Kelley, I think you pretty much summed our country up in just a few paragraphs. It is just a huge ripple that never ends, does it? It takes the very smallest people to get to their product to the big guys. You brought up a lot of great points I had not thought about. Thank you.
And you did, too, Lisa. Wow, I would not have thought that that happens.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| 1badmamawolf |
Posted - Aug 11 2009 : 09:49:16 AM
Lisa, its good to see someone with an opinion from the otherside of Girlscouts
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
| LisaTwo |
Posted - Aug 11 2009 : 09:38:56 AM
I am a GS leader and of the $3.50 that is charged for cookies only $.70 goes to the troop. The Girl Scouts is a corporation just like Wal-Mart with a CEO with a huge paycheck. Very little support goes down to the individual troops but the girls are made to sell the cookies, candy and magazines in order to pay for this administration. You wouldn't believe the "training" that we have to do with the girls regarding cookie sales. It is supposed to teach them business skills, which is true I guess, you do all the work and someone in a higher position will reap all the rewards. The politics of the counsel is frustrating and the amount of paperwork and hoops you have to jump through to get any support is amazing. You know those cute little vests with all the badges, I figure for each stage those little vests cost the troop about $100.00 each. I wouldn't be surprised if the Girl Scouts are behind the knock offs and getting a portion.
This is my last year as a leader, I'll take my daughter and her friends camping, do crafts with them, teach them how to sew and milk a goat and we will make our own cookies and I won't make them beg door to door.
http://pinkporches.blogspot.com/
*And you know when the truth is told-- you can get what you want--or you can just get old.* (Billy Joel) |
| Miss Bee Haven |
Posted - Aug 11 2009 : 09:00:48 AM
I only buy GS cookies. I don't buy/keep cookies in my house for a very good reason - my hips and thighs! LOL! But once a year, when I see those cute little girls, all my resolve goes out the window and the thin mints come in!
Farmgirl Sister #50
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?"
'Br.Dave Gardner' |
| 1badmamawolf |
Posted - Aug 11 2009 : 08:37:21 AM
Kelley, very, very well said, thank you
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
| farmmommy |
Posted - Aug 11 2009 : 07:13:25 AM
Just my 2 cents worth, and I promise I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers either....
Ok....It's easy to be sued by every tom, dick and harry when you are the #1 retailer in the WORLD!!!! People know there is money to be had and get "sue happy"...I have seen it done (had a very personal experience with friends of the family suing Walmart for something that walmart 100% was not involved in and had no part of!)but they still got sue, and still had to come up with settlement money.
Ok....I have an immediate family member who is a corporate for walmart...."walmart" themselves come up with very few of the "off" brand products you see on the shelves...the bigger comapnies, Keebler, Nabisco, Heartland, Proctor & Gamble...etc...are actually the companies manufacturing these products....then Walmart buys label rights from the companies...in turn...it is not JUST benefitting walmart...it is benefitting Nabisco, Heartland, etc... WalMart themselves DO NOT maufacture ANYTHING....they Distribute.
Another point....Walmart MATCHES the dollar amount of fundraisers held on their property...I have been on the recieving end of this....and had it not been for the fact that walmart matched the funds we raised, our "fundraiser" would not have done so well....Walmart also donates TONS of money every year to groups such as Childrens Miricle Network, Toys for Tots, Humane society...not to mention the local communities the stores are in...Walmart has also been "going Green" since before it was "cool" to Go Green.....
LOL.....don't get me wrong...I get plenty ticked off at Walmart...lol....alot these days to tell ya'll the truth....but at the same time...I believe they suffer from alot of undue critisim (?) Because they are in fact the LARGEST retailer in the entire world, but lets also keep in mind that they weren't always......you know, if we all wanted to get down to the knitty gritty....we could be shaking our heads at some other retailers that have done the same to the "MOM and POP" businesses....Look at what Lowes and Home Depot have done to the local lumber yards....AND nursuries....Look at what Tractor Supply has done to the local harware stores, Auto Zone and O'reilly's to the little old Auto parts houses, Golden Coral to the mom and pop dinners, Sports Clips and SuperCuts to the barber shops and hair salons....I think ya'll catch my drift...
In my personal opinion, alot of this all has to do with the Supply and Demand issues our nation has, I believe this walmart issue is just one itty bitty speck in a whole barrel full of specs that makes our country quite spoiled to " Get it now, Get it Cheap and Get it Fast"
Thank Goodness for every single one of us Farmgirls who want to slow down, not be involved in what seems to have become the worlds moto, and do things a little more "FarmGirly"......
FarmGirl Hugs and Smiles, Kelley
http://cockadoodledewberries.blogspot.com |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Aug 11 2009 : 06:35:12 AM
I just have to put my two cents in here, ya'll. So if you buy the cheaper store brand and it's not good and the chickens end up with it, are you really saving money? I would just buy the better brand and pay more and know it's going to get eaten by me and not the animals. It does not make sense to me. Sorry. I will go to other stores and pay more for a better product and feel good about it, too. The employees are nicer and will go to more trouble to help me when they are treated better and actually like to come to work.
I have not shopped at WM in several years now. But I will admit that Sunday I had my granddaughter with me. We went to church then had lunch then she wanted to go shopping. I told her I really didn't have much money so she informed me that Wm had shirts for $4. I gave in and we went and I swear I just wanted to run right back out again. I felt like a traitor. Really. I think I had a panic attack while I was there. And Chloe is not a fast shopper at all. I finally found an outfit apiece for each of the girls and we left. There was not anyone who worked there that ever smiled or said hello or thank you or anything while we were there. Not even the greeter. Nothing. So they got $33.00 of my hard earned money. And it was hard earned money. Lots of sweat in those bills!
And my hubby is a truck driver. He hauls lots of WM loads. I guess he would not have much to do if he didn't. So we are right there with all of America right now. I won't go back but my hubby brings the stores more stuff to put on the shelves. It's a strange situation. I hope I don't step on any toes. Sorry if I do. But I will go to Aldi's when I need to. I buy toilet paper there and the other day they were out of the Northern. The guy said the store brand is just as good. I said if they'd let me try it I might buy some. He went to the office and brought me a roll. Would WM do that? NO. I did try the tp and it's just too thin for me. But that was so nice and they want to keep people coming back there.
And my hubby loves GS cookies. I will not eat them anymore but do donate the money to them instead. And they very much appreciate that alot.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| FarmGirl~K |
Posted - Aug 11 2009 : 05:36:44 AM
I think people will continue to buy GS cookies because of who it represents. I know I will. (I dont normally buy cookies any other time. Maybe Oreos on occasion for DD. Or bake my own.) I enjoy buying the GS ones because its a special treat only available once a year. But any other time I wouldn't pay that for cookies. I know it goes to a good cause so that makes it worthwhile. Though the GS dont make very much from the sale of those themselves, it still helps.
It will be interesting to see if Walmart will give a portion of the proceeds of their brand to the GS org. This would be a great help to the GS as well. I think the taste probably won't compare, so the GS won't have to worry much. But if they are good, it will be something for those to buy when the GS kind arent available.
By the way. Here's the websites to the GS cookie bakers there are 2. They also have some recipes on here to make w/the cookies. http://www.littlebrowniebakers.com/ & also http://www.girlscoutcookiesabc.com/
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| Annab |
Posted - Aug 11 2009 : 03:38:22 AM
sorry to admit I shop fpr groveries at Wal Mart. I tried really at one of the smaller "nicer" grocers and it just about broke the bank.
Bought one of the Wal MArt frozen pizzas for the other night. And lemme tell ya, if the new GS cookie knock off tasted anyting like this pizza, the little girls will have nothing to worry about.
I believe a re-wickering has gone on, and a few cuts have made the store brands a little less tasty. The pizzas we used to get were actually pretty tasty. The rest of thisone went to the chickens.
And I also niticed how my checker lady wasn't in the best of moods.
Poor thing
And when I do have $$ and gas, I do PREFER to shop at the Kroger near my parents and of course Trader Joe.
So sad to say, some of us are kind of forced to shop where its cheaper and convenient. It's a gotcha for sure |
| sleepless reader |
Posted - Aug 10 2009 : 04:53:37 AM
Just a thought way before cookie time... If you can't afford the GS cookies, please feel free to donate a dollar or two directly to the girls standing there selling. As a booth-sitting cookie mom (my daughter sold over 650 boxes this past season), I can tell you the single dollar you donate is WAY more than the girls/ troops will get from selling a box (though they do get "prizes" at different levels of sales) and it will be greatly appreciated!
Farmgirl Sister #74
Life is messy. Wear your apron! |
| Peacebird |
Posted - Aug 07 2009 : 05:06:04 AM
Wal8mart employs a lot of people but it also likes to keep folks at part-time status to avoid having to give benefits, it comes into towns and undersells the local stores - many of which go out of business as a result. And it's "business model" is to buy the cheapest chinese made crap it can - when it started it prided itself on buying American. Now there isn't anything made in America on its shelves. The price you pay for an object bought there may be lower, unfortunately the sticker is NOT the whole cost. The loss of local companies, the drain on local health resources, the loss of American manufacturing jobs - THOSE are all part of the "bargain" you get for shopping at Wal*mart. I wish people would recognize that and stop spending their hard earned cash there.
Farmgirl Sister #661
chickens clucking, bees buzzing, flowers blooming, all is good! |
| Annab |
Posted - Aug 07 2009 : 03:26:45 AM
Here's another thing too.
Last year I bought 3 boxes of cookies from some little girls standing outside Wal Mart with their moms. It was kind of funny to see them all jockeying to get our attention, take our money and deliver the cookies.
The smiles and thank yous were endearing enough to leave an obvious lasting impression.
Even if box prices rose to 5.oo I'd still at least buy 1 or 2. If for nothing else, to see the smiling faces and hear the cheerful thank yous.
Stuff you will never see or hear in Wal Mart for sure! |
| harmonyfarm |
Posted - Aug 06 2009 : 12:36:42 PM
Sam Walton is rolling in his grave watching his heirs do what they do. Did they really need to steal an American tradition like Girl Scout Cookies? Maybe if Girl Scouts sold them year round then Walmart wouldn't have bitten into the "Girl Scout cookie market"...I quit shopping at Walmart about a year ago, and I don't miss them at all....
Debbie
"If you can't find the time to do it right...how will you find the time to do it over" |
| Alee |
Posted - Aug 06 2009 : 11:57:11 AM
I don't necessarily think it will be much competition- I mean Keebler has made Grasshoppers and chocolate covered peanut butter cookies for years. My niece is in the scouts and I will still buy cookies from her to support her fundraising. I think it will all be fine. :D
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Amie C. |
Posted - Aug 06 2009 : 09:25:48 AM
I know Walmart has the right to compete in the marketplace...but competing with a little girls' fundraiser just seems outrageous. In all fairness to them, though, I don't know for sure if they are actually marketing the cookies as "bargain Girl Scout favorites" or if they just happen to be similar cookies. I got the impression from the article that they were actively going after the people who love Girl Scout cookies and don't want to pay Girl Scout prices. It's those kind of shoppers who would really be the meanies. Can you imagine going to someone's door (I know, I know, nobody does that in this day and age) and being told "Beat it, kid, I can get the same cookies for less at Walmart"? |
| bohemiangel |
Posted - Aug 06 2009 : 08:32:00 AM
That's pretty low, but I doubt they'll be the same! :)
**~~Farmgirl Sister #60~~**
"... to thine ownself be true."
http://liggybitsandpieces.blogspot.com/
http://ligonierliving.blogspot.com/
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| FebruaryViolet |
Posted - Aug 06 2009 : 06:13:35 AM
Ah! the Keebler cookies things is news to me because I don't even go down that aisle at the market. My husband only eats those "two for a buck" iced oatmeal and almond windmill cookies...or ones I make myself :)
"....Walmart employs over 1.4 million americans. How would we feel if suddenly all of these jobs were lost?" I completely understand, Julie, but having been on the end of legal transcripts and listening to testimony, I really, really despise them---girlscout cookie knockoffs or no. I truly wish people didn't HAVE to work for them.
I've mentioned it before when someone posted about Walmart--they may employ many people, but they are one of the largest offenders of unfair employment practices. They are currently settling a very large lawsuit in which they have been fined severely for unfair employment practices. We've sued them countless times here, in our little office! I can only imagine how many other lawfirms have! It's a totally different animal than when Mr. Walton was living. Employing people is good, treating people who work for you like dirt, not so good.
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
| Annab |
Posted - Aug 06 2009 : 03:29:28 AM
Anything to make a buck.
that's sad
Did you know Keebler makes a thin mint cookie called Grasshoppers?
Not sure if these are still on the shelves
I'll still buy the Girl Scout ones simply b/c it IS a fund raiser and the cookies are really good. You can duplicate but there's always going to be something missing |
| 1badmamawolf |
Posted - Aug 05 2009 : 6:33:08 PM
None of mine ruffled either, everyone has a right to their opinion, and 10 differant opinions can still be right for them and others. I don't buy packaged cookies ever, not even girl scouts. I home make all of my own. I am sorry that this might hurt the girl scouts, and I DO beleive that Wal-Mart is wrong, but as I said, I have no choice, inorder to make my money last. I have always agreed to disagree about somethings, and I leave it at that.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
| Diane B Carter |
Posted - Aug 05 2009 : 5:41:19 PM
I buy girlscout cookies every year and they usually stand in front of Wal-mart to sell them. I will always buy girlscout cookies and what-ever the school kids are selling I will buy. Because,It's for the kids & I can. Thank-God!!!
Hope all your days are Sunnydays.
dianebcarterhotmailcom.blogspot.com |
| GrammyGoose |
Posted - Aug 05 2009 : 5:17:45 PM
The employees have no say in the policies and sales decisions of a huge conglomerate like Walmart. The only thing I am grateful for in regard to that company is that they do provide so many jobs in thousands of communities around the country. I only wish they were still run with the same integrity that Sam Walton so painstakingly demanded while he ran the company. I can only imagine that poor old Sam is spinning in his grave.
Sue
Farmgirl #656
"This is the day that God made, let us drink juice and enjoy it!" - Reece Stutts, age 3 |
| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Aug 05 2009 : 4:41:28 PM
None ruffled! ;)
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
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| peapicker |
Posted - Aug 05 2009 : 4:38:55 PM
I agree Julie, I didn't mean to start one either. I totally understand why everyone has to do what they do. Times are rough right now. I think most of us would like a more simple, self-sufficient, kind world to live in. I certainly don't intend to ruffle any feathers. |
