Beginning February 17, finding – and paying for – Girl Scout Cookies will be easier than ever.  Customers in Washtenaw, Livingston and Western Wayne Counties can find Girl Scout Cookies using a free Cookie Locator mobile phone app, and can pay for them with credit cards at many locations.

Searching by GPS location or zip code, customers can find cookie “booths” at nearby  stores with the free Cookie Locator mobile app, or on the Cookie Locator website.  Both the website and app include features such as recipes and videos.

Once customers find those cookies, they will be able to pay for them with credit cards at many booth locations. Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan has partnered with Sage Mobile Payment Solutions to offer a flexible payment option that exceeds industry standards for customer privacy and security, according to Amanda Kremer, GSHOM product program specialist. (Nationally, Girl Scout councils that have adopted credit card payments have experienced a 13 percent increase in booth sales.)

“At Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan, our girls are embracing technology while maintaining the values that have served us for 100 years,” said Jan Barker, CEO of Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan.   “These two innovations show how the Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches girls important business, leadership and technology skills,” she said.

From February 17 through March 18, Girl Scout troops will be stationed in downtown Milan, at Busch’s on Green Road in Ann Arbor; at Hungry Howie’s Pizza in Howell; at Kroger stores in Ann Arbor, Brighton, Canton, Hartland, Howell, Milan, Northville, Pinckney and Plymouth; at Lowe’s in Canton and Ypsilanti; at Walmart in Canton and Ypsilanti; and at many other locations.

Smartphone users can download the free cookie locator app by simply calling **GSCOOKIES (**472665437). Data and messaging rates may apply. The cookie locator app for iPhone, iPad and Android is also available in the App Store and Android Market. Blackberry users can access the mobile site at http://mobile.littlebrownie.com.

Customers without smartphones can use the cookie locator to find cookies by visiting: http://cookielocator.littlebrownie.com/

 Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan invites girls everywhere to become Girl Scouts.  To learn more, visit www.gshom.org or call 1-800-497-2688 (49-SCOUT).