It Looks Like Girl Scout Cookies Are The Latest Victims Of Food Inflation
If there's one thing cookie enthusiasts look forward to each year, it's Girl Scout cookie season, which runs from January to April. How could they not? The Girl Scouts are the organization that has brought us delightful treats like Samoas, Trefoils, and Tagalongs. Any cookie lover who claims never to have devoured an entire sleeve of Thin Mints in one sitting is no true cookie aficionado.
Unfortunately, Girl Scout cookies have been hard to get this year. To make matters worse, the issue appears poised to escalate further, as these cookies are also the latest food item to fall victim to inflation. According to CNN, the Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson chapter in New York informed both parents and community members via email that cookie prices will rise for the 2024 season, increasing from $5 per box to $6. This marks the most significant price hike since the cost went from $4 to $5 in most locations between 2014 and 2015.
Increases in supplier prices lead to corresponding increases for consumers
Anyone who has shopped for groceries in the past two years can attest that food inflation has been a Problem with a capital P. The USDA predicted that grocery prices would rise by 5.8% in 2023 — lower than the sky-high rates of 2022, but still well above historical averages. Girl Scout cookies, despite their deliciousness, are not immune to this trend.
It's worth noting that Girl Scout cookies don't have a universal price; each chapter sets its own pricing to help balance its budget. When local or regional supplier prices increase (as they have in the past year), cookie prices tend to follow suit. Nonetheless, this is expected to be more than an isolated incident. Other New York chapters using the same supplier are likely to adopt similar price changes, and we may see analogous adjustments nationwide. Specific varieties such as Toffee-tastic and S'mores were already set at a $6 price point, while the classic types had been maintaining a $5 cost.
Let's be real, though: Even a historic price increase like this won't deter us from indulging in our favorite cookie. An extra dollar won't stand between Americans and a box of Samoas.