.png)
Pulling a wagon full of Girl Scout cookies was young Juliana Rubio, who stopped, quickly sized up her next customer and said those famous words heard by millions everywhere.
“Want to buy some Girl Scout Cookies?”
Rubio, a 5th grader at Arroyo Vista Elementary School, was working on her entrepreneurial skills at a young age as she gave the quick sales pitch to a pair of bystanders Tuesday night in the 1100 block of Mission Street in South Pasadena.
Polite, engaged, well spoken, and energetic, her approach paid off handsomely as Rubio soon was kindly saying, “thank you” after receiving a $20 check for four boxes of the famous cookies.
In Rubio’s first two days selling the baked goods, she had already sold about 100 packages, with help coming from her mother – making every step with her walking through South Pasadena neighborhoods –and her father and aunt, who took orders at their workplaces.
The most popular cookie sold by Rubio have been Samoas, coated in caramel and sprinkled toasted toasted coconut, and Thin Mints, crisp wafers covered in a chocolaty coating. Other tasty choices include: S’mores, Peanut Butter Patties, Shortbread, Do-Si-Dos, Savannah Smiles, Toffee-Tastic and Tagalongs.
Selling a bunch of cookies will send Rubio to San Francisco, where she will take part in a bridge ceremony next spring as she goes to the next level in scouting, from Junior to Cadet.
Rubio’s mom, Deyanira Vega, has been highly supportive of her daughter’s efforts, explaining: “The girls set goals and our troop is very goal oriented,” noting that one of their biggest is to go to San Francisco with other members of Troop 9271 to take part in the Girl Scout’s bridge ceremony at the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
Perfecting her sales techniques are just some of the traits learned as Girl Scouting prepares girls for a lifetime of leadership.
“I think this has taught me a lot about money,” explained Rubio. “You have to enter the inventory so you know how many boxes have been sold. There’s a lot to it.”
Vega said her daughter has “stepped out of her comfort zone” in asking complete strangers if they would like to purchase the cookies. Rubio’s mom said her daughter is much more confident from the experience. Selling cookies plays a big role in transforming the scouts into G.I.R.L.S. – Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, Leaders – as they learn key skills that will stay with them throughout their lifetime.
Rubio knows the secret why the cookies in her decorated green wagon featuring colorful lights are selling fast.
“They’re delicious,” she said, flashing a bright smile.
Choosing among a large assortment of prizes offered to top sellers, Rubio hopes to unload a total of 650 packages of cookies over the next month and earn a backpack purse for her effort.
Want to buy some Girl Scout cookies?
Juliana’s mom can help you with that by contacting her at D.Vega02@yahoo.com
At $5 a box, they’re a sweet deal.
