Item Look-up
Q: In the past I was able to look on the website to see the price of an item. I can't seem to figure out how to do that. Do you still offer that service? I need to know the price of organic bulk sugar.
A: You can look up item pricing on our new e-commerce website shop.willystreet.coop. You can also get to our e-commerce site by clicking on the “Shop” button in the top right corner of our home page.
On the shop.willystreet.coop site you can use the search bar to search for items. After you search, you can click on a product category to further narrow it down. For example, I searched for “Sugar,” and then clicked on “Bulk Food.” Here you can see our bulk sugar offerings. You can use the filters on the left to narrow it down even further (for example, to show a specific brand). If you know the specific UPC or PLU of an item, you may search for that as well. Prices are displayed below the product image.
Please note that the product selection on our e-commerce site is based on our North side store, so some items sold only at East or West may not be listed. If you can’t find the price of a specific item you are looking for, you are welcome to call Customer Service at any location and we will gladly look up the price for you! I hope this helps. Please let us know if you need more help! Thanks and have a great day! -Matt McHugh, Logistics Director
Co-op gift cards
Q: Hi, I have a friend who is a co-op owner and who loves Willy Street. I'd like to buy a gift certificate for her. Is it possible to buy a gift certificate or something similar? If so, how would I go about purchasing one as I live out of town?
A: What a thoughtful idea! We definitely sell gift cards, and you can find out how to purchase one at www.willystreet.coop/co-op-gift-cards-available. Thanks for thinking of us! -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Produce bags
Q: I hate the new bags being used in produce. They attach themselves to fruits and vegetables and promote mold and rot. Please return to plastic and encourage recycling. Why did you make the switch?
A: Thanks for your comment regarding our new compostable produce bags. We started offering these new bags after hearing requests from quite a few Owners for options other than single-use plastic bags. The new bags are certified home-compostable, which is an option that many folks were looking for. It is true that some veggies do not hold up well when stored in the compostable bags—unlike traditional plastic, they "breathe" much like a paper bag would. Because of this, we recommend that for leafy greens and veggies such as broccoli that thrive in a wet environment, that you transfer your produce to a different storage container when you get home in order to preserve peak freshness. We are currently working on making some signage for the bag holders in the produce departments that explains this.
If you prefer to purchase your produce in the older traditional plastic bags, the Produce departments are all committed to carrying both options. If you need help finding the bags you are looking for, just ask a Produce clerk. Best, Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
Online shopping
Q: Hi! I don’t think the online shopping pages are mobile-ready. I tried shopping from my iPhone and it’s impossible to see things. It’s a mess. I hope you can fix it because most people use phones for everything instead of computers.
A: I received your comment about our online shopping site not being mobile-ready.
Our initial focus was to get the desktop version of the website ready for our public launch. Once we have some remaining fixes put into place we will shift our focus to getting the mobile version of the site up and running. We will be working with our software developer on this.
We don't have an ETA just yet, but it is a high priority for us! We agree that most people will want to shop on their phones. Stay tuned! Thanks, Matt McHugh, Logistics Director
Barefoot
Q: Hi, just wondering: are shoes required to shop at the Co-op? I was in recently and a customer was walking around without shoes and I was horrified. Thanks!
A: Thanks for asking. While we do recommend that customers wear shoes in the store, we do not require they do so. Please let me know if you have other questions. Have a good weekend! -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Sell-by dates
Q: Hello! The last few weeks there has been no "sell by" date on the fresh meat that I buy (from the case, not frozen). I have a picture if you want me to send it. I usually use the "sell by" date to know when meat should be cooked by, but since there has been no "sell by" date, I have been assuming three days from purchase. However, on at least two occasions, my meat has gone bad by the third day (so if I buy it on Friday, I assume I can cook it until Monday). The meat also doesn't seem as fresh as it used to be. This lack of freshness, the lack of a sell-by" date and the fact that my meat has gone bad within three days of purchase, suggests to me that something is not right and also makes me wary of buying fresh meat from Willie (which is where I exclusively buy my meat!).Also, I called a few days ago and talked to someone in the meat dept about this and he said they should put sell-by dates and he would handle it, and then I went today and bought some meat and again, no "sell by" date. Is there a new policy to NOT include a "sell by" date on fresh meat? I prefer it when this date was included so we know when to cook it by. Please let me know.
A: I am so sorry to hear about your experience. I checked in with our West Meat Department Manager Nick Heitman and our Logistics Director Matt McHugh. I can assure you that the policy IS to include a "sell-by" date on all of our meat. Thanks to your inquiry, we have come to learn that some of the price look-up codes (PLUs) in the Meat department have not been automatically populating the "sell-by" date on the label. We are now doing a full audit of our fresh case PLUs and looking into technical solutions so that sell-by dates automatically populate. We're also working with our Meat department staff to show them how to manually populate the correct date if it is missed in our system. We hope to have a remedy to the issue soon. If you haven't already asked for a refund for the meat that you were unable to enjoy, please contact Customer Service at West and we'd be happy to process a refund for you. Thank you so much for contacting us about this important issue. Have a great day! -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Customer surveys
Q: Hi, I would love it if you could extend the expiration of your customer surveys to a week. I never get to my receipts in time to take advantage of the survey and discount. Thanks for your consideration.
A: We use the three-day expiration to ensure the feedback is still fresh in the minds of customers, but it’s actually not a hard deadline. We definitely appreciate the feedback whenever it’s provided and will still accept the survey and honor the coupon! If you have any trouble with the survey, please let me know. Thanks for sharing your feedback both through the customer comment and on the survey, and for shopping at Willy East! -Brendon Smith, Communications Director
Mural
Q: I’m really tired of that mural on the parking lot side of building. Boring. Can’t we have another artist have his/her say? Why not, if not. So sick of it.
A: Thanks for writing and for your interest in our community art spaces. I am not sure which side of the parking lot you are referencing, there are two murals that are near the parking lot. The first is on the side facing the fire station, and that mural was dedicated as public art, and the Marquette Neighborhood Association is responsible for its care and deciding its fate. You can contact their president at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to let them know your thoughts. I will pass your message on as well.
The other mural on the parking lot side of the building is near our loading dock. We commissioned that one, and it was intended to be temporary and so we may do something else with that wall at some point. As we have three locations and three murals in total at East, we have been focused on bringing community art to North and considering how to bring some community art work to West presently.
Please let us know if you have any other questions. -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
FY19 annual report
Q: When will the FY2019 Annual Report be coming out? Last year’s report is still pinned in the “About Us” section at the top of the website.
A: Thanks for your question! We send out annual reports in December each year. Admittedly, that’s months after the fiscal year has ended. First we have to make sure all of the accounting for the completed fiscal year is complete, then the balance sheet and income statement have been audited by external auditors, then we collect the other data and information, lay out the piece, and send it to the printer. We have talked about trying to shave a month or so off of the timeline, but it’s unlikely we’d be able to get it sent out earlier than the beginning of November. -Brendon Smith, Communications Director