Bulk Returns
Q: This comment is in response to the Plastics customer comment in the July 2021 Reader.
The Purchasing Director stated that the Co-op has "received very few requests" for bulk to return. I made the unfortunate assumption that bulk would return when the pandemic ended. I wonder if there are other members who also didn't write because they too made the same assumption. However the PD also made an unfortunate assumption that there was little interest in bulk returning before asking members directly about a major change to our Co-op options.
PLEASE bring back bulk everything. I am significantly committed to decreasing plastic waste, so bulk is my best option.
Thank you for being my co-op. We are fortunate to have you.
A: Thanks for the comment! I'm sorry if my response in the Reader came off as assumptive. That was not my intention.
The pandemic brought such a huge change to the way people shop in our stores and how people view being in public and shopping generally that we just haven't been sure how bulk foods will be received as we wind our way out of the pandemic restrictions. This is the reason that we've approached the reopening of some bulk services cautiously. For example, as I write this to you today, our bulk grocery departments are nearly 100% back to their normal pre-pandemic offerings, with no restrictions. However, sales in those departments are still down 40% from pre-pandemic levels. We're planning some promotions with the hope of bringing some of this business back, but it does seem that at least some customers are not coming back to shop in our bulk aisles as they did before the pandemic.
In areas of the store where we've historically offered fresh, perishable bulk items (like salad mix and mushrooms), it is imperative that we maintain a certain level of sales in order to turn the products over and keep them fresh on the shelf. Otherwise, we end up having to waste quite a bit of wilted greens and browning mushrooms—which is also a sustainability issue. Using the reduced business in the bulk aisle as a gauge for what's likely to happen in Produce, it's not clear that we will be able to maintain the amount of sales on the produce items in order to keep the product fresh and avoid excess food waste.
All that said, I have heard from quite a few Owners in the last few weeks that they would like to see the bulk salad and mushrooms return to our Produce departments, and so I am in the process of working with the Produce Managers to make that happen. Like everything else in our stores, we will plan to monitor sales of these items—as long as they sell well enough to maintain freshness, I would anticipate keeping them indefinitely. If they do not, we will have to consider discontinuing them on a more permanent basis.
I hope this is helpful information. Thanks again for writing! Best, Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
Reciprocity
Q: I once was able to use my membership while shopping at another co-op while on travel. Gratefully, I'm traveling again and wondered if there is a list of co-ops who would honor my membership. I prefer to shop at Co-ops! Thanks in advance for any links you can point me toward.
A: Thanks for the question! Co-op Ownership reciprocity is not something that we make arrangements with other co-ops to provide; it's up to them to decide whether they will honor the ownerships in other co-ops. So, I would recommend contacting the co-ops you are interested in visiting ahead of time to see if this is a benefit they offer. All of the grocery co-ops that are part of the National Cooperative Grocers network can be found at www.ncg.coop/find-co-op, and it's a great starting point to find a co-op along your travels. I hope that helps, please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you! -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Boxed Srawberries
Q: I recently with relief bought some boxed strawberries that were in cardboard! YES!
This week they were not available and I wanted to put out a strong ask to you to let the vendor know how wonderful it is to have this packaging option. Because the cost of packaging has been offloaded to the public (by providing cheap plastic packaging that although "recyclable" no one in the whole world recycles and thus we all pay through environmental degradation), the cardboard boxing might be a bit more expensive. Well, okay by me, give us the extra cost of this option anyday.
I believe many people at the coop would go for this packaging, especially were it known that the recycling option is actually a mirage.
Please 1) ask the company to make this option available ongoing! 2)encourage all vendors to forget plastic and 3) increase education of coop consumers.
A: Thanks for the message! The cardboard box "Eco-Pack" strawberries are a relatively new offering from a few growers on the West Coast—I'm glad you were able to get some! Because they are new and in high demand, they aren't often available to us in the quantities we would need to keep the option on our shelf as our main berry offering. We've also found some quality issues at times with the berries since they aren't as protected from the elements as their counterparts in plastic clamshells.
That said, it's great to hear that you appreciate the offering—we'll do our best to keep them in stock as much as possible. Thanks so much! -Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
Valencias
Q: I think most valencias are harvested for juice processing and the retail season is never long enough. When can expect to see them on the shelves here?
A: Thanks for writing. We just got organic valencia oranges in stock at Willy Street North, and I anticipate that we'll have them in at Willy East and West shortly. Typically, we wait for the organic navel orange season to wind up before we bring in valencia oranges since the navels are more popular with our customers, and we just don't sell many valencias when the navels are in stock.
As you probably know, valencias are a summer orange. Organic valencias for retail sale are mostly grown in Mexico and California, as opposed to the juicing valencias which typically come from Florida. We usually have them in stock from early summer though December, to complement the navel orange season.
I hope that's helpful information. Have a great day! Best, Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
More Bread
Q: We need more bread!
If am shopping at the Co-op after 4:00pm or before 9:00am, I feel lucky to be able to find any Batch or Madison Sourdough loaf. We need more bread. I watch customer after customer walk and stare at the empty shelves and walk away confused. When Batch is on vacation or has limited hours(which I totally support), it's even worse. Can Claussen deliver more options? Can Madison Soudough? Is there a way to free up shelf space for by eliminating some of the sliced breads which are always there and don't seem to sell as well. Maybe the kitchen can learn to make baguettes?? This doesn't seem like it should be an insurmountable issue, but it's been this way for years. Please get us more bread.
A: Thank you for your comments and questions! I am going to talk to our Grocery Managers and see if we can come up with a solution for this problem.
Many of the local fresh bread deliveries do not happen until after 9:00am, and we often run out before the evening. All of the bread brands you mention are smaller local bakeries that have been recently working at a reduced capacity with less staff. They also decide how much bread they will bring to our stores based on their sales data, since they cover any loss of their products that go stale, so it can be a little tricky.
I appreciate you bringing it up to me! It has been an ongoing issue, and I am hopeful that we will be able to get more bread delivered to cover all of our needs. I do not think it is a question of space on the shelves per se, because many of our bread vendors have multiple shelves in their bread sets. Since our stores were at reduced customer capacity during the pandemic, our bread vendors did not deliver as much bread to us. -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
Extra Effort
Q: Hello! I was in on Wednesday evening (6/9) and bought two greeting cards which I left in the bagging area as I walked out with my groceries. The cashier (her name begins with an A, but I can't remember who!) kindly ran out and caught me as I was driving away to hand me the cards. I am SO grateful for this extra effort! Thank you, thank you.
A: I have shared your comment with the Front End Manager, which we believe is the person that was your cashier for this instance. I am so happy she was able to connect with you and give you the greeting cards that were left behind. It happens sometimes, and we are not always able to find our customers when we get out to the parking lot. We are always happy to go that extra mile! Have a fantastic day. -Amanda Ikens, Owner Resources Coordinator—East
Masks
Q: Walking into the co-op this morning I noticed the bright, hip, newly designed CDC poster about masks in the front entry. It notes that if you are NOT vaccinated, you should still wear a mask inside. Unfortunately, It also sends the subliminal message that if I walk in with a mask on, that I am unvaccinated.
I have been vaccinated since January 20th, I will continue to wear a mask for a while, especially inside stores and other buildings. I am not concerned for other staff wearing masks or not, I am concerned about being lumped in with a group of people who will not get vaccinated.
Please post a second sign that encourages ALL people to still wear a mask in the Co-op. This removes the "stigma" and encourages a safe community environment. As a matter of fact, the co-op ( being a private business) can say that everyone should STILL wear a mask inside. But that is your, and the board's, decision.
A: Thanks for writing. You are absolutely welcome to continue to wear a face covering; in fact, many employees and customers who have disclosed their vaccine status to us voluntarily are still doing so. We do not have any interest in judging whether or not a person is vaccinated based on whether they wear a face covering. We only want to ensure people who are not vaccinated for COVID-19 know that it is important for them to wear a face covering while shopping. Our signage follows the current guidance provided by the CDC and endorsed by Public Health Madison and Dane County.
In light of your comment, we did make an update to the new signage pertaining to face covering guidance. It now has the added language: “Anyone who wants to wear a face covering for any reason may still do so.” That should support those who may feel the same as you do. I am not sure if all of the signs have been swapped out yet, but they should be very soon. -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Seating Areas
Q: When do you expect to have BOTH the inside and outside seating setup like it was pre-COVID at the Williamson Street store?
A: Thanks for asking. Our outdoor commons at Willy East is already open. Inside there is currently a register lane stored in the commons seating area that we removed last winter to make space for customers to be socially distanced while waiting in line. That lane takes up a lot of space! We are in the process of scheduling that lane to be reinstalled, and when that happens we should be able to open the indoor commons again. Stay tuned and have a great weekend! -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Retail Ready Lab
Q: I had heard about a program called the Retail Ready Lab and I was searching the site to find more information about it, but can't find anything. Is that program still available and if so, where can I get some information about it.
A: Thanks for the question! Unfortunately, the Retail Ready Lab program has been suspended for the foreseeable future. Between the pandemic itself and now the recovery period, our staff have had to devote their full attention to the needs of our business, and unfortunately that does not leave time for the Retail Ready Lab.
If you have a product you'd like to submit for our consideration, you can use the process outlined here: www.willystreet.coop/pages/new-vendor. Thanks so much! -Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
Impossible
Q: I was horrified when I saw the June Reader announcing at Impossible Burgers are now available. The label on these burgers clearly shows that the product is bioengineered...also known as genetically modified. How in creation does that give them shelf space at Willy Street? There is nothing about this product that qualifies it as real, whole food. It is industrial waste that has been allowed for human consumption. Please explain.
A: Thank you for your comments and questions! We are here to serve our Owners and enough people expressed interest in us carrying the Impossible Burger, so we are carrying it at our stores. We have a good number of products on our shelves that most likely contain GMOs, but their producers are not as vocal about it as the folks from Impossible Burger are.
I appreciate you reaching out to voice your concerns! We do not carry only non-gmo items in our stores. It is important to read labels when you shop to make sure you are buying what you like. Everyone has different tastes, so not everything we carry will fit your needs. -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager