Write Us!
We welcome your comments and give each one attention and serious consideration. Send them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or fill out a Customer Comment form in the Owner Resources area. Each month a small selection is printed in the Reader; publication does not necessarily indicate an endorsement of views stated in a customer’s original comment. Many more comments can be found in the commons or in the binder near Customer Service. Thank you!
Store Bags
Q: I recently submtted a request that Willy St. restart acceptng grocery bags for re-use. With Willy St.’s income and dedication of principles, it feels unthnkable to me that Willy St. will no long accept clean grocery bags for reuse. I come to both West and Williamson St. locations. Pre-COVID this was standard practice. I feel both frustrated and miffed that Willy St. bag pile up in my kichen. I am a dedicated member since the 1970s. Please re-instate the ability for members to bring in clean papaer gracery bags for reuse. If Willy Street managment has a good reason why it dropped this, and keeps the no-return policy post-COVID Crisis, I would like to hear it. An know whatever the reason. The reason is no good as this needs to be done. Give us a $.10 less per year refund for the person hours this would entail. After all we pay a lot and I mean quite a bit more money for similar or same, on many items that are available at other venues around Madison. Please do whatever it takes to re-implement: RETURN AND REUSE PAPER GROCERY BAGS. With Appreciation.
A: Thanks for writing back to us about this request. I brought your ideas to Co-op leadership and we discussed your request. We found a solution that we feel helps our local environment and community-at-large.
Starting April 1, we will be accepting paper bag donations at all three locations. These donations will be collected and given to our various local food pantries each week. These organizations desperately need paper bags, and we have a community of Owners that would love these bags to be reused for the collective good. Our donation drop-off location will be near where one can donate items to the food pantry at each store. Have a wonderful day and thanks for writing in! Best, Kristina Kuhaupt, Customer Experience Manager
Missing the Grill
Q: Hello, I would love it if the grill would re-open. Missing the Tofu Cuban Sandwiches! Thanks!
A: We’re glad to hear you enjoy the hot sandwiches from the grill at Willy West! We’ve received a lot of feedback from customers about wanting to see this come back, unfortunately we haven’t had the staffing necessary to keep it open consistently along with our other Deli services we currently run. We do intend to bring it back eventually, but we want to be able to offer it when we know we can keep it open reliably. When we reopen it we will make an announcement and post about it on social media to get the word out so everyone knows. Follow us and stay tuned! In the meantime you can regularly find the following hot sandwiches in our Grab n Go hot merchandiser at West: Bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches, Sausage egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches, Veggie breakfast sandwiches, Vegan breakfast sandwiches, and Breakfast wraps. Thank you, Renee Strobel, Willy West Deli Manager
More Hot Sandwiches
Q: A different kind of hot sandwich. The only kind of hot sandwich you have is Reuben. I am not recommending you discontinue them. Obviously they sell. But I really dislike Reuben sandwiches and suspect some other customers do too. Would you consider switching sometimes?
A: Thank you so much for the feedback. You are right, it has been quite a while since we had another hot sandwich available besides the Reubens that we sell. We sell so many Reubens (just about 200 last week) that I think we almost forgot there’s other sandwiches out there. I’ll try to work some other options into the rotation. If you have any suggestions please feel free to let me know. Gratefully, Bob Smith, Willy East Deli Manager
Customer Service
Q: Hey Willy West, I recently was looking for a product and couldn’t confirm online if you stocked Agar Agar powder. So I went old school and called into Willy West. First of all the phone was answered by an awesome caring human on the first ring. It sent shivers down my spine and I panicked that I was wasting someone’s time and energy for something so silly. Not only was the person kind but they went out into the aisle to search and confirm current availability and then communicated clearly to me. What the heck? I never caught her name but when I tried to thank her for her time she thanked me for being a co-op member. Thank you rockstars.
A: I wanted to reach out personally and sincerely thank you for the kind words you had in regards to your experience over the phone recently. It is always refreshing and heartening to hear positive feedback on a job well done. And I agree with you... rockstars, indeed! Take care, Jonathan Hopp Front End Manager—West
Ownership
Q: Can I add my son to my membership?
A: Thank you for reaching out about adding your son to your Owner account! If your son resides at the same residence as you, then yes you can add him! I looked up your account and it looks like you currently have an Individual type that allows one person on it. If your son is under 18 you can add him to your Individual account. If your son is 18 or over you will need to request that your account type be switched to a Household and an equity payment will be due. If your son is under 18 you can reply to this email and I can get him added right away. If your son is 18+, please stop by the Customer Service desk at any of our retail locations to fill out a form and make an equity payment. The minimum equity payment due will be $13 + $2 admin fee OR you can pay it all at once by paying $35 + $2 admin fee to make your account a paid-in-full Household. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Have a great day! -Rosalyn Murphy, Owner Records Administrator
Local Bread
Q: I’m a frequent shopper at the North side. Every time I come in I’m disappointed on the selection of breads from local bakeries. The shelf always seems to be empty. Has someone been in contact with Stalzey’s Bakery? There bread is simple and is also local. Thanks
A: I’m sorry about the local bread selection when you have been shopping. Batch no longer delivers here because of labor constraints at their bakery. Madison Sourdough has also been in a rough spot as well but told me recently they were getting back to normal. Madison Sourdough tends to deliver in the late morning or early afternoon every day. Clausen’s is usually here right away in the morning but doesn’t deliver on Sundays. La Campagne just delivers Wednesdays and Troubadour delivers every day except Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Many of these businesses have also felt a financial pinch of overstocking and lossing out too much product and have really toned down the amount they deliver to us to mitigate that situation. You can always call us and we can check and hold a loaf for a day that you may be looking for. We just had a meeting last week and our Grocery Category Manager informed me he was reaching out to Stalzy’s about retailing their breads but I unfortunately don’t have a time frame of if/when that will happen. I will be passing along your request to him to show that there seems to be customer interest. -Nate Groth, Grocery Manager—North
Produce Stickers
Q: We compost and have trouble with the stickers being missed then ending up in the soil. Is there any larger movement to use compostable stickers or labels for produce? Thank you.
A: Thanks for the comment! I’m not aware of a larger movement to use compostable UPC stickers/labels, but there are companies producing and supplying biodegradable and compostable produce stickers to growers and packers in the produce industry. Currently, it is difficult to identify which PLU/UPC stickers on your produce meet the FDA requirements to be considered compostable. https://products.bpiworld.org/?type=company&subcategory=98 This website provides sources for compostable products, but I’m not finding anything regarding produce labels or how an individual would be able to identify a compostable sticker vs. a non-compostable sticker. I think for now, the best solution for you would be to remove the sticker prior to composting. Thanks, Andy Johnston, Produce Category Manager