We all have favorite Girl Scout Cookie flavors, but the selling season is only January through April. What do you do in the middle of June? September? December? Or when there’s a Girl Scout Cookie shortage?
Now listen — we are all about the Girl Scouts’ biggest fundraiser of the year, but you need options outside cookie season. And these options shouldn’t be $6 a box.
Luckily, luckily I’ve been eating knockoff girl scout cookies for years. And there are many store-brand snacks with the same Girl Scout Cookie flavors we all know and love. I compared three store brand options across seven popular Girl Scout Cookie flavors — sorry no Raspberry Rally cookies — to find which alternatives offer the best bang for your buck. (Spoiler alert: Walmart is the best deal, but not the only game in town.)
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First — we’re aiming to pay less than $0.67 per ounce for Girl Scout cookie flavors.
Prices vary for Girl Scout cookie flavors and box sizes. So when it comes to getting the best deal, comparing the price per box isn’t the best indicator. Smaller boxes will typically be cheaper, but that’s mostly because there’s less product. So instead, you’ll want to find a way to compare prices across different-sized containers.
But don’t worry! While there is math involved, it’s really not too difficult. To calculate the price per ounce, all you have to do is divide the item cost by the number of ounces in the package. So for example, if a $6 box of cookies has 9 ounces of product, then you divide 6 by 9 for a cost per ounce of $0.67. Since most Girl Scout cookies come with 9 ounces of cookies, we’re aiming to pay less than $0.67 per ounce to get the best deal.
Here’s what we found:
As you can see, Girl’s Scouts’ pricing (left-most side with Girl Scout logo) has the highest price per ounce range, starting from $0.66 per ounce to $1.20 per ounce.
Overall, we found that Dollar General has the lowest price per ounce when it comes to the Do-Si-Do alternative. But generally speaking, Walmart has the lowest cost per ounce for other flavors, starting at just $0.17 per ounce. Meanwhile, Target has a decent cost per ounce for Girl Scout Cookie flavors that weren’t represented in other store-brand alternatives.
Let’s dig into each Girl Scout cookie, their cheaper alternatives, and how much you can save below.
Samoas: Walmart, Dollar General, and Target have them for as low as $0.24 per ounce.
This iconic flavor has the most representation across store brands. You can opt for the Clover Valley cookies ($2.25, Dollar General) for $0.32 per ounce. Or, for a better deal, you can go for the Great Value ($2.08, Walmart) for $0.24 per ounce. While not a store brand, you can use your Target RedCard to save 5% on the Keebler alternative to get it to $0.39 per ounce ($3.39, Target). In all three cases, you’re spending around half as much for these Girl Scout cookie flavors.
Shop the Dollar General Option
Related: Find the Best Deals on Girl Scout Cookies Online
Lemonades: Walmart has a nearly identical version for nearly a third of the price.
What’s more refreshing than a box of Lemonades? Paying almost a third of the name brand price for a comparable product. The Clover Valley option ($2.25, Dollar General) comes in at $0.26 per ounce. On the other hand, Great Value’s alternative ($1.54, Walmart) is only $0.18 per ounce.
Shop the Dollar General Option
Related: 25 Name Brand vs Generic Face-Offs: Best and Worst Revealed!
Tagalongs: Walmart has a version for 44% cheaper than Dollar General.
I’m a Tagalong girlie through and through. If it’s one of your favorite Girl Scout cookie flavors, too, you’ll want to opt for the Great Value alternative ($1.73, Walmart) since it’s only $0.18 per ounce. Of course, there’s also the Clover Valley option ($2.25, Dollar General) for $0.32 per ounce.
Shop the Dollar General Option
Thin Mints: Walmart wins again, at $0.17 per ounce.
For that classic Thin Mint flavor without the classic Thin Mint price, might I recommend the Great Value alternative ($1.73, Walmart)? At only $0.17 per ounce, it’s a good deal. If it’s not in stock, check out the Clover Valley option ($2.25, Dollar General) at $0.25 per ounce.
Shop the Dollar General Option
Do-Si-Dos: Dollar General has the best alternative at just $0.11 per ounce.
You may know them as Peanut Butter Sandwiches. I know them as Delicious. And, if you opt for the Great Value alternative ($2.68, Walmart) at just $0.17 per ounce, you can know them as Cheap. For the most cost-effective option, though, consider the Clover Valley option ($1.50, Dollar General) for $0.11 per ounce.
Shop the Dollar General Option
Trefoils: They’re the spendiest of the bunch, but Target has the best deal.
Fans of this tried-and-true classic will want to consider the Lorna Doone alternative ($5.95, Dollar General) for $0.59 per ounce. However, Favorite Day has a cheaper option ($2.99, Target) for $0.42 per ounce.
Shop the Dollar General Option
Caramel Chocolate Chips: Buy at Target to save you $0.78 per ounce.
I haven’t seen this Girl Scout Cookie flavor represented in any other store brands so this was a pleasant surprise. The Favorite Day alternative ($2.99, Target) is only $0.42 per ounce too. Not bad at all when compared to the $1.20 per ounce price of the original Girl Scout cookie flavors.
So, which one’s your favorite?
Tell us what you think