Venomous Girl Scout
I bought a cup of coffee from an 8th grader at Marcel's school this morning. It wasn't that bad; I thought he was a decent salesman as well as an 8th grader who looked surprisingly well-rested on a Friday. His tablemate, the girl who was manning the donuts, was absorbed in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The kids are raising money for their annual springtime trip to Italy -- which Marcel should be able to do at age 13.
Later on at work, I stumbled upon this article about the most aggro Girl Scout salesperson of all time. She does everything but put hemlock in her customers' tea and pinch their wallets:
Ashley has raised selling Girl Scout cookies to high art
WATERTOWN - She's deceptively unassuming with her dimples and pigtails.
But you don't become the top Girl Scout cookie-seller in south-central Wisconsin for five years running by being a pushover.
Ashley Richter, 13, a seventh- grader at Riverside Middle School, will begin defending her title this morning against a new batch of Brownies gunning for her crown.
The 88th annual Girl Scout cookie sale starts today and runs locally through Jan. 23. Last year, the 8,800 girls in the nine south-central Wisconsin counties of the Black Hawk Council sold an average of 120 boxes each.
Ashley sold 1,543. Her goal this year is 1,650 boxes.
She'll start early this morning with her bus driver, then hit up the principal, her teachers and the school office ladies. From there, she'll branch out to business owners, her parents' co- workers and the neighborhoods where she knows no Girl Scouts live.
She'll make about 75 phone calls to far-flung relatives and friends. She's kept a log of every person she's ever sold a box to since first grade.
She really doesn't care if she's the top seller for a sixth year. "I do it because it sets a good example to other girls."
Ashley makes an interesting interview subject because she has no desire to fudge the truth. Asked if she eagerly awaits this annual two-week sales period, she said not really. "It turns me into a major basket case."
Ashley's advice to newcomers: "Go to the bowling alleys. I do really good there."
The secret weapon in her arsenal is Zwieg's Grill in Watertown, where her mother has been a waitress and cook for 15 years. Ashley said she will go there before and after school and on Saturdays for the next two weeks and approach customers.
Her pitch to restaurant regulars: "Hi, I'm Carol's daughter."
For every $3 box Ashley sells, about 50 cents goes to her troop to help offset the cost of uniforms, summer camping trips and other activities.
If Ashley went to St. Francis they'd have the Italy fundraising wrapped up in a fortnight.
zack
