What a great transition we have all witnessed for our store these many long months. We witnessed it first hand while we shopped. There was no closure behind big plywood covered windows with us not knowing what they were doing. No secrets here. We got to continue our shopping and could see very well behind those plastic curtains what was going on, since it was very easy to peek! We could see when the changes seemed to come fast and when they seemed to stall out for long periods of time, as most construction projects do. We got to see shelves move and grow taller and products disappear only to appear somewhere else. We got to see our little store grow bigger in the same footprint. How DID they do that?
We also get to see what most shoppers really want because that is what the store is based on. It has to be in order to survive. I miss bulk black currants that have been gone for a year or so. It is a food staple for me. I actually special ordered a case last year and got a few people to take a pound or two, but mostly I filled gallon jars and enjoyed a surplus of black currants for a year. But it appears I am alone in my consumption of black currants and I can't expect the co-op to use a bulk bin just so I can have them on my morning cereal.
Thank goodness for special orders. What a great service to offer us member-owners so we can still get products that might not be as popular with other shoppers. If you are unsure how special orders work, be sure to check in with a staff member. Be patient because, just like the layout of the store, the staff and in fact all of us members and shoppers are in transition too as we move into a new age of the Co-op.
We all know that things are changing, but what has stayed the same? The Co-op is still rooted, designed and committed to the principles agreed upon by the international cooperative community. We are a member-owned grocery store operating for the benefit of our owners and wider community. Yes, we need to make a profit to continue to exist, but it is not profit for absentee investors making money off the labor of the employees. The “fee” you pay to become a member is not the same as a fee you pay to shop at a corporate club. The Co-op “fee” is actually an equity investment in the store. There’s no risk in investing; your shares are fully refundable. There is a minimum investment of $20.00 for 1 year and a maximum of $300.00 to be fully invested.
Continue choosing your local community over corporate businesses whenever you can, and if you are not a member-owner of the co-op yet, please join up soon and invest in this community-owned gem of a grocery store.
Kathy Faith
Board of Directors