Stacks of Girl Scout cookies replaced stacks of newspapers last Saturday as local scouts took over the Whidbey News-Times warehouse on Barrington Drive. The organization used the location to bring in the giant shipment and to distribute for the start of cookie season.

Green-vest-clad Girl Scouts will start appearing at various locations around the island with cookies in tow. Demand is already high for the treats, as Oak Harbor Girl Scouts have already sold over 1,200 boxes by doing door-to-door pre sales.

The Scouts sorted 1,400 cases in the News-Times garage. That’s a total of 17,000 boxes of cookies, or approximately 340,000 Girl Scout cookies.

The 17 troops started knocking on doors on Jan. 19, but business still has a ways to go.

Booth sales start Friday, March 2.

Last year the Oak Harbor troops sold more than 40,000 boxes, which Amy Barkley, service unit manager, called a “normal year.”

“Sales are down so far this year,” she said. “But they are going up now that cookies are in hand.”

Old favorites like Thin Mints and Samoas will be available, along with the newer and increasingly popular S’mores flavor.

S’mores made its debut last year and became the most popular flavor to launch in the 100 years of Girl Scouts selling cookies, according to the Girl Scout website.

The Girl Scouts started selling cookies to support troop activities in 1917. Today, over 200 million boxes of cookies are sold each year, and the proceeds go toward troops’ community projects, summer camps and trips.