Need a Thin Mint fix? You're in luck. Girl Scouts around Northern Virginia begin selling Girl Scout cookies Friday afternoon from their "booths" outside local grocery stores and other troop-friendly retail and high-traffic areas. Booth sales will continue through March 24. (Locations and times are listed below.)

For many troop members, this will be their first foray into the cookie-selling tradition. For weeks leading up to the sales, most troops create signs for their booths, rehearse their sales pitches, learn how to count change, and test their knowledge of each cookie in anticipation of customer questions.

Cookies (which sell for $4 a box), on sale this year are:

• Thin Mints
• Samoas
• Tagalongs
• Do-si-dos
• Trefoils
• Savannah Smiles
• Dulce de Leche
• Thank U BerryMunch

While some troops are raising funds for particular endeavors such as trips to Savannah, home to Girl Scout founder Juliette Lowe, others are simply raising funds for the scout program in general.

"Last year, our cookie sales exceeded 4.3 million boxes for the region," said Nancy Wood, director of public relations for the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital. Girl Scout troops earn on average 69 cents per box, and last year they earned more than $3 million to support troop activities, she noted.

"The council’s proceeds helped us maintain eight camp properties, develop programs, recruitment and volunteer trainings, as well as provided financial assistance to girls from families with low-income," she said.

So far this year, GSCNC is experiencing a more than 6 percent increase in initial door-to-door cookie orders, Wood said. "Our goal is 4.45 million boxes and we expect to exceed this goal."

Don't want to miss a minute of booth sales? Here are some locations where you should be able to find a cookie booth sale (set up near the entrance of local businesses), on Friday, according to the Girl Scouts:

Annandale: 4-7 p.m. Friday, Giant, 7137 Columbia Pike

Burke: You have your pick of not one, not two, but 11 locations on Friday! Those include the VRE station from 4-7 p.m. Friday. Other spots include the Petco at 9230 Old Keene Mill Road, from 5-8 p.m.  There is a drive-thru cookie booth at the Burke Centre Conservancy office every Satruday 12 - 4 p.m. and Sunday 10 - 4 p.m. Feb. 25 - March 25.

Clifton/Fairfax Station: 4-7 p.m. Friday, Giant, 5740 Union Mill Road, in Clifton

Del Ray: 4-8 p.m. Friday, Giant, 425 E. Monroe Ave.

Kingstowne: 4-8 p.m. Friday at Giant, 5870 Kingstowne Blvd.; 4-8 p.m. at Giant, 7558 Telegraph Road, and 4-6 p.m. Kingstowne Library, 6500 Landsdowne Center

Lorton: 4-8 p.m., Friday, at Giant, 8941 Ox Road, and the Shell Station at 8225 Gunston Corner Lane.

Old Town Alexandria: 5-7 p.m. Friday, Why Not Shop?, 200 King St.; 4-8 p.m., Giant, 530 First St., and 4-7 p.m. outside SunTrust Bank, 515 King St.

Rose Hill: 4-6 p.m., Friday, at Grounded Coffee Shop, 6919 Telegraph Road 

Some areas won't see booth sales begin until next weekend.

In Fort Hunt, the earliest we could find in the Cookie Booth Locator is starting next Friday, March 2, from 4-6 p.m., at the Hollin Hill Shopping Center Safeway

In Mount Vernon, according to the Girl Scouts, sales begin Saturday, March 3 from 9 a.m. to noon, at the Safeway at 8646 Richmond Highway

In Belle Haven, Girl Scouts will be selling cookies beginning Saturday, March 3, from 10 a.m.. to 4 p.m. outside the Safeway at 1624 Belle View Blvd.

Looking for a booth near you or later sales? Head to the Girl Scouts' cookie booth locator and plug in your ZIP code: http://cookielocator.littlebrownie.com/ or download the free mobile app for your iPhone or Android device by  calling **GSCookies  (**472665437) from your mobile phone. The mobile app uses GPS to map the cookie booth location and adds this information to your calendar.

See which cookies topped a recent Patch poll for reader favorites.