Sure, Girl Scout cookies are delicious. But are they more delicious because they’re only available for a limited time each year? Scarcity, whether manufactured or real, helps give an item value.
Take diamonds, for example. A large, perfectly cut stone is extremely rare, so it commands a high price. Or the Nintendo Wii, which has sold way above retail on eBay during each of the last 3 holiday seasons since it wasn’t available in stores.
The Girl Scouts have perfected manufactured scarcity. Because of that, we pay more for their product even though they have lower costs than any other cookie-maker. Think about it — no excess inventory, everything is pre-ordered, and their entire sales force is unpaid child labor! And we’re happy to do it because the cookies are great and it’s for a good cause.
Did You Know?
Depending on where you live, your favorite Girl Scout cookies may go by a different name. Here in California, Samoas are known as Caramel deLites. I learned from another blog that this is due to the two different commercial bakeries contracted to make Girl Scout cookies. Little Brownie Bakers makes the familiar Samoas, while ABC Bakers put out the Caramel deLites.
And, according to the (unscientific) study done by the other blogger, the name-brand Samoas won out in a taste test. So the folks being served by ABC Bakers are getting short-changed!
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Tags: california, marketing, selling
and just to blow your mind a little bit more. I brought home carmel delites the other day, but have 2 boxes of samoas on my desk right now. It isn’t even the same in California! Livermore came out with Samoas, Stockton delivered the Carmel Delites.