The bright boxes with smiling girls plastered on the sides are a familiar sight in February, the highly anticipated Girl Scout cookie season. Though just as popular as ever, Girl Scouts in Palo Alto have had to adapt their selling methods with the pandemic still in full fledge.

Vivian Trach, a Paly sophomore and member of a local Girl Scout troop, says that the social aspect (or lack thereof) from distance learning has an immense impact on cookie sales.

“It’s a lot harder to find people to buy Girl Scout cookies because a lot of the time, people would get them to snack on in class,” Trach said. “Now, nobody can do that.”

Not selling cookies in-person has pushed many scouts to rely on social media to promote themselves.

“I’ve had to advertise a lot more digitally,” Trach said. “I’ve mainly posted on Nextdoor and Instagram and have been advertising in random group chats I happen to be in.”

In addition to taking online orders through personal web-pages on the Girl Scouts Digital Cookie website, (www.digitalcookie.girlscouts.org) the organization is also working with Grubhub, providing the option to order cookies delivered straight to their home.

While snacking on Thin Mints and Samoas with a room full of classmates will remain a distant memory for now, the magic of Girl Scout cookie season prevails.

What is your favorite Girl Scout Cookie?

Source: Data presented comes from an opt-in Verde Magazine survey of 144 Palo Alto High School students, conducted from Feb. 1 — Feb 11 through a digital form published on school-related social media and Schoology pages. Responses were anonymous and participation for all questions was optional.