Last month the U.S. rejoiced -- or cringed in terror -- when it learned that Girl Scouts would begin selling cookies online, making one of the country's favorite sweet treats disturbingly convenient.
The new online sales platform and mobile app, called Digital Cookie, is making headlines again, now the Girl Scouts have headed to Las Vegas to show it off at the CES trade show.
But there's been a good deal of confusion about how the digital platform works. For example:
Just so everyone knows Girl Scout cookies can be bought online.... Year round....— katelyn (@krockk69) December 2, 2014
Wrong.
You can now buy Girl Scout cookies online. I finally don't have to have a 9 year old girl judge me on how many boxes I order. [!!!!!!!]— Matt Peterson (@heymattpeterson) January 6, 2015
Wrong again.
Your local girl scouts will still be able to judge you for the exorbitant amount of cookies you purchase. This is not a digital store that can endlessly funnel you cookies whenever you're craving Thin Mints.
Regular cookie seasons stay the same. And there is always a real-life Girl Scout in the equation, who initiates the purchase.
You have to know the Scout, and she has to reach out to you personally (via email) if she wants to sell you cookies. For one thing, this protects the girls from potential predatory behavior. Her parents or guardian have to approve every single interaction she has online.
After all, this is more about young girls learning business tactics than your cookie cravings -- even after Girl Scouts announced three new cookie flavors.
And not all Girl Scout troops are adopting Digital Cookie, either. It's done on a council-by-council basis, so many Girl Scouts might reject digital cookie sales altogether.
Yes, if you know a Girl Scout and her parents, you can buy cookies online from her. But you can stop with "the Internet is killing Girl Scouts' jobs" jokes.
If you're that desperate for cookies, the Girl Scouts offer a cookie-finder app that will take you the nearest sales booth -- in real life.
BONUS: Girl Scout cookie shot recipes to earn your drunk merit badge