Why almost $3 million of Girl Scout cookies are sitting unsold in Atlanta warehouse

close

Video

Check out the Girl Scouts' newest cookie

The Girl Scouts' Lemon-Ups are baked with inspiring messages on them.

That's the way the cookie crumbles!

There are nearly $3 million worth of Girl Scout cookies sitting in an Atlanta-area warehouse because the pandemic has crushed local troops’ traditional sales opportunities, a scouting official said.

Though the bounty of Thin Mints and Samoas might sound like a cookie monster’s dream, it’s created a headache for the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, who rely on the revenue to fund programming for their young members, WSB-TV reports. To date, there are over 720,000 boxes of the coveted cookies sitting unsold in an Alpharetta warehouse, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta CEO Amy Dosik told the outlet.

Samoas and Carmel de-lites Girl Scouts cookies. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

GIRL SCOUT TROOP LEADER INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY STEALING $12,500 FROM COOKIE SALES, EVENT FEES

"If you stacked up all those boxes of cookies, there are actually enough boxes of cookies here in Atlanta to go all the way around I-285," Dosik told CBS 46. "All the proceeds stay local and so when we have fewer boxes of cookies sold, it means fewer scholarships for families in need and fewer resources to support girl scouting for all girls in our community."

Though online cookie sales are up 150% this year, the pandemic has bitten the Girl Scouts’ in-person marketing tactics, like going door to door and hosting a pop-up booth at a local supermarket or having a parent pass around a cookie order form at work.

Cookie coordinator Debbie Reynolds, 39, of Villa Park, from Troop 4055, stands next a stack of Thin Mints during the Girl Scout Cookie Mega Drop at the Anaheim Business Complex in Anaheim, Calif. in this January 2019 photo. (Kevin Sullivan/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

Now, to sweeten the deal, the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta have extended in-person cookie sales until the end of April in a bid to boost business. Supportive shoppers can also order the treats online, or donate boxes to first responders fighting the pandemic on the front lines.

Though the cookies don’t expire until September, WSB-TV reports, smart cookies would be wise to hurry – as the inside of the warehouse can get steamy during the summer.