Jim McIngvale and all those Girl Scout cookies.
The 2025 Girl Scout Cookie sale may have come to an end in Houston, but, if you need a fix and are in the area, I know where you can pick up a few.
After a recent mattress factory tour in Texas’ largest city, we made a cold-call stop into Gallery Furniture for a quick howdy and walk around the store. Inside, by the front desk, where the one-and-only Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale mans the store daily, stands a cookie tower of sorts.
To hear Mack tell it, as only he can, a troop of Girl Scouts asked him to help kick off their selling season in the area by addressing the group of young ladies about successful sales strategies. He, after all, is the consummate pitchman, and learning from the master ahead of the big fundraiser, well, that’s just awesome.
There was a presentation that included reading Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham.” The children’s classic is, of course, a class is Selling 101 with its lessons in persistence and overcoming objections to close the deal.
After the scouts departed, Mack started thinking. He could help motivate the young ladies in their sales quest. He pledged in a social media post to buy $500 worth of cookies from any troop that came to the store and pitched him. I’m sure that request sounds familiar to any Gallery Furniture manufacturing partner.
One troop after another came in, recited the Girl Scout pledge and brought their best sales pitch, practiced public speaking and embraced the entrepreneurial spirit.
Mack said the stream of Girl Scouts was impressive, and he logged $5,000 in cookies before too long. Then, the number topped $50,000. At $125,000, or almost 21,000 boxes later, Mack cried uncle. He had to cap it.
Not only does he have the tower of boxes in the lobby, but there are stacks and stacks tucked away in a room just off the store’s entrance. So what’s the plan for all of those cookies? Give them away to customers.
The move is just one more step that aligns with Mack’s commitment community service. Over the years, he has been recognized for his support of public education, military personnel, disaster victims, and mental health programs.
Again, if you need Girl Scout cookies now that the annual sale has closed, take a trek to Gallery Furniture. Ask for Mack.
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