If they gave them away, i would cheapen the value of the brand, thus making it more difficult to sell so few cookies for such a high price.
Thus the girl cookie motto:
“A tasty treat isn’t all that’s involved with a box of our caramel and toasted coconut-covered cookies. Through interaction with each customer and other Girl Scouts, a girl learns the importance of keeping her word, doing the right thing, and being fair. A girl learns the business ethics that will serve her throughout life.”
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_cookies/meet_the_cookies.asp