ANDOVER — Longtime Girl Scout and 17-year-old Andover resident Anna Bacchi is no stranger to selling cookies.
Bacchi, a Girl Scout since the age of five, sold 2,006 boxes of Girl Scout cookies from November to April this year, making her the ninth highest cookie seller in Eastern Massachusetts.
While the number may seem extraordinary to most, Bacchi has been selling hundreds if not thousands of boxes of cookies for several years.
The Andover High School junior is a seven-time member of the Girl Scout’s 500 club, something that can only be achieved by selling at least 500 boxes of cookies in a season.
This year, Bacchi broke her personal sales record after selling a whooping 1,121 boxes last year.
Despite the total of boxes sold, Bacchi focused on selling to individuals, with her largest order being only 15 boxes.
“I basically just asked everyone and anyone. I asked a lot at school, people in my classes, I asked some teachers, some teachers wanted to know. I sent out emails to people who have bought from me previously, family members, neighbors, people I go to church with,” Bacchi said
To sell as many cookies as possible, Bacchi not only reached out to everyone she knew, but also participated in “booth sales” where she and other Girl Scouts set up tables at various locations to reach more people.
“We stand out there and ask people as they pass by if they want to buy some cookies, and many times people are willing to because everyone loves cookies,” Bacchi said.
For Bacchi, participating in booth sales not only helped her sell cookies, but also strengthened her relationships with other Girl Scouts.
“There was a couple of girls who needed some people to go with them on a booth sale, and so I’ve offered to go with them. So, I got to hang out with them, and they’re in younger grades, so it was nice to connect with them,” Bacchi said.
After the sales were complete, Thin Mints were determined to be the clear favorite, with Bacchi selling around 400 boxes of the minty snack.
“They’re usually the best seller, they’re very popular, they’re my favorites,” Bacchi said.
Bacchi attributes her high number of sales to getting outside of her comfort zone, and encourages other girls trying to sell a large number of cookies to do the same.
“Step out of your comfort zone, don’t be afraid to ask someone just because you aren’t sure what they’ll say, because there have been a lot of people that have surprised me,” Bacchi said.
Now that cookie selling season is over, Bacchi’s hard work is paying off in the form of an international trip.
With the help of cookie credits accumulated from a portion of her sales, Bacchi is funding a Girl Scout Destination trip to London and Paris this summer to see the sights and engage with Girl Scouts from all over the world.
“There are many destinations available, and Girl Scouts once they’re old enough, go through an application process. So I applied for this destination which had a couple of steps, and then I got accepted, which is great,” Bacchi said.
As for the future of Bacchi’s cooking selling career, it is slowly coming to an end. Her upcoming senior year will be her final year selling cookies due to her age, yet her time as a Girl Scout is far from over.
“It’s not the same, because there’s certain things that are only for the girls, but you can still very much be involved, and I plan to be involved after I’ve graduated high school,” Bacchi said.