I had to stop at Walgreens on my way home from work and saw a table of Girl Scouts holding their annual cookie drive by the entrance.

[image courtesy of bigcrazylife.com]

Typically I lie to get out of buying a box. So, something like, “My daughters/nieces are already selling them.”

For the last year or so, the lie has become truth as I now actually have two nieces in the GSA and we buy from them. So that’s been nice. I have them to fallback on. 

So I did just that tonight. 

”Would you like to buy some cookies?”

”Thanks but my two nieces are already selling.”

”Well, would you like to just donate money instead?”

Woah. I’ve never been faced with this option before. I was caught completely unawares. But I still didn’t want to. So I came up with another excuse.

”Thanks, but I don’t have any cash.”

That’s when they reached for a smartphone with a Square credit card reader attached. While it only makes sense they’d have one, this is the first time I’d ever seen that. I was shocked. 

I went inside the store, got what I needed, and left. I looked at the girls on the way out and admitted, “You've seen through my ruse but I’m still not going to. Sorry. Don’t hate me.”

They and their parents laughed and said to have a good night and I went on my way. 

Scouting in the digital age. Who’d’a thunk?