Girl Scout Parents Freaking Out Over Unsold Cookies, Org Vows to Help

Girl Scout cookie sales are crippled due to stay-at-home orders nationwide -- and parents are worried they'll be stuck with a fat bill ... but fret not, your nonprofit's got your back.

TMZ spoke to our Girl Scout sources -- yes, we have them too -- and we've got a consensus from lots of households ... since the girls in green can't set up shop outside and guilt-trip the public into buying cookies right now, there's a TON that are going unsold, with a deadline to pay fast approaching. Normally, it's parents who gotta pay the difference.

Here's how it works, per our sources. Parents can take just about as many cases of Girl Scout cookies from their local HQ as they want -- but they gotta be wise about that, 'cause they can only return a certain amount without penalty. Ten is one number we've heard, but the bottom line is ... if you bite off more than you can chew, you're on the hook.

The cookies add up too. At $5 a box, and at 12 boxes a case ... these things ain't cheap, especially if you aren't moving them at a decent pace. Clearly, because of coronavirus, a bunch of go-to Girl Scout spots in public places are off-limits at the moment, which means a big chunk of these GS sales have dried up in recent weeks.

Our sources say lots of parents are facing steep tabs -- upwards of a several hundred dollars or more -- because cookie season is wrapping up, and local councils want their dough.

Fortunately, Girl Scouts of the USA -- the org at the helm of this whole operation -- tells TMZ they're not going to let their parents default, so to speak. They say, "Girl Scouts of the USA is working closely with our 111 local councils across the country who administer the iconic Girl Scout Cookie program to ensure that no troops, girls, or volunteers are left financially responsible for any excess inventory of Girl Scout Cookies."