It’s that time of year again. Girl Scouts come banging on every door in your neighborhood, trying to convince you to buy their cookies. Now it all depends on your personal taste. Whether you love or hate these iconic cookies, sometimes when it comes to selling the treats, you simply want to be left alone. There are two different types of cookie-selling Girl Scouts, so let’s talk about ways to avoid each. Here are a few ways to avoid a Girl Scout from a former door banger.

For the number of times I saw people peek through their blinds and scurry away after I knocked on the door, I might as well have been a salesperson. The tactic was simple and effective avoidance for me. I was able to take the hint if someone wanted to not be bothered, but some Girl Scouts were far more persistent once they know that you are home. So, I would recommend staying put and waiting for them to leave together.

If you make the mistake of answering the door, you could always pull the “I don’t have cash,” which in this economy, works just fine and is a surefire way to be left alone.

For the Girl Scouts that stand outside grocery stores, the previous tactic of saying you can’t afford cookies doesn’t really work because you are walking into the grocery store, so of course, you will spend money. If you are approached when trying to get groceries, you can use one of my favorite tactics: headphones. Just simply pretend you can’t hear whoever is bombarding you and keep pushing that buggy.

Now I feel like this should be common knowledge of manners, but please don’t yell at the Girl Scouts to go away; I can speak from personal experience that it is not fun at all. In my opinion, the cookies are always delicious and the Girl Scouts have already gotten my money this year. It is however completely understandable if you want to duck them despite that.