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Tuesday, February 29, 2000
Brownies have your cookie needs covered
Unfortunate snub leaves area Girl Scouts $2,100 in the hole
Richard Tijerina
Sports Editor
The scene was one of horror for any parent: a group of 6-, 7- and 8-year-old girl scouts, dressed up in their little Brownie uniforms, little Brownie shirts, little Brownie sashes and little Brownie shoes, all crying their little Brownie hearts out.
On one hand, Pamela Kasperitis, the troop leader, had to worry about all of the broken hearts. On the other, she had to worry that she had $2,100 worth of Samoas, Thin Mints, Do-si-dos, Trefoils, Lemon Drops and Tagalongs sitting in her blue mini-van, which still has "Girl Scout Cookies for sale - $3" scrawled on it with shoe polish.
Follow closely. This is the anatomy of a 7-year-old's broken heart:
The Brownies wanted to sell cookies Friday at the IceRays game. Kasperitis asked permission from the team, who gave her the OK.
Last week, Kasperitis ordered 60 cases, or 720 boxes, of cookies.
On Friday night, the Brownies began unloading their cookies at the Memorial Coliseum. They were turned away by the concessionaire, who said only his company was allowed to sell munchies to fans.
The Brownies just wanted to sell cookies. The IceRays just wanted to help them. But they forgot to ask Wolfgang Buschang, the one man who could have, and should have, given them all the approval to sell the cookies there in the first place.
A harsh lesson
Buschang, the general manager of Noble Food Services, which owns the exclusive rights to sell food and beverages at the coliseum, said he has nothing against Brownies in general. He just didn't want their Samoas and Do-si-dos eating into his company's profits.
"As bad as it's all been, it's actually turned into a good situation where we can teach about communities and government lessons," Kasperitis said. "I had one girl who said she'd take care of it by 'hitting the mean man.' I said she'd be better off writing a letter to a city councilman, or to Noble Foods."
Cookies for sale
The coliseum wasn't home to the IceRays when Noble signed its contract to operate vending operations. The team has brought thousands and thousands of hungry and thirsty fans, and Buschang's contract is suddenly gold.
Maybe allowing Brownies to sell the cookies would have opened up a Pandora's Box if you were in charge of concessions. But was putting them in a $2,100 hole really worth it?
Because of a business decision, Kasperitis now has 17 days to either get rid of the cookies or eat them.
Figuratively, literally or financially.
Noble Foods can be happy that its coliseum's corner of the vending world is safe. But Kasperitis doesn't want to hear it. She's too busy. She's got 720 boxes of cookies to sell in the next two weeks.
Anyone want a Thin Mint?
Sports Editor Richard Tijerina can be reached at 886-3745 or by e-mail at tijerinar@caller.com
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