Donations
Q: A high percentage of the apartments being built across from Willy West will be affordable housing. I would like to donate so those eligible for affordable housing can get a free ownership. Others may be interested in doing the same. How can we make this happen?
A: Thanks for the inquiry! We do not have a program for donating funds to the Co-op to select people to offer Ownerships. However, we do have ways for individuals and organizations/businesses to purchase gift Ownerships to provide to friends, family, staff, clients, residents, or others and distribute using their own criteria if that is something you are interested in or if you would like to work with the property managers directly. Please let me know if you would like more information about this. Have a wonderful day! -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Store capacity
Q: I have heard that you folks are planning on increasing the number of people in the store at any one time on the Northside? Is this true or will it be staggered? We love you folks, but with the spread of Covid we are concerned about finding times that would suit to shop.
A: Thanks for writing. We have kept our total capacity limits at or below 25% throughout the pandemic, and have made small adjustments based on the ratio of employees and customers in the stores as well as efficiencies we have been able to gain in providing faster service for customers. We hope this message meets you well! Take care and have a safe and happy New Year! -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Reusable bags
Q: I hope you will think about allowing reusable bags again.
A: We started allowing reusable bags again in September, and I hope you have been able to start reusing them again at the stores yourself! Take care. -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Curbside pickup
Q: Are you guys doing curbside pickup? If so, what's the process? I don't see anything on the website. Thanks!
A: We do have a few curbside options and you can find them here: www.willystreet.coop/curbside. I hope you have a wonderful New Year! -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Thank you
Q: Thank you. I realize what strenuous circumstances you are functioning under. And, through all that you managed to provide me and my family with an extra 10% off during July and June (and May?) because of our financial needs. I now realize what a significant financial help that was. Thank you for stretching even further than necessary. I appreciate you.
A: We appreciate the kind words, and are so grateful that we were able to provide a little extra support to the community during Safer At Home. Thank you so much for reaching out and for your patience with our late response. We wish you a safe and happy New Year. Take care! -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Reciprocity
Q: I see in the list of owner benefits, "similar benefits at partnering co-ops" do you have a list of these other co-ops we can shop at?
A: Benefits vary from co-op to co-op as we are all independently owned and operated. If you are curious whether a specific co-op offers reciprocity to owners of other grocery co-ops, I would recommend calling them to confirm, as benefits can be subject to change. Many grocery co-ops are members of National Cooperative Grocers, and you can locate them here: www.welcometothetable.coop/all-coops. Have a wonderful New Year! -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Bike panniers
Q: I shop at North and East equally and when East I am always on my bike. I am working at adapting to your policy of not allowing bike panniers into the store—including skipping some shopping trips because my bike bag has something of value like my computer and I can not shop without confidence of theft of items I can’t do without. I typically have to carry my keys, wallet-phone (they are one item) in my hands (if you haven’t heard most women’s summer clothes don’t have pockets) —my keys and phone are definitely the most *contaminated* items I possess for perhaps obvious reasons and instead of being safely tucked in my bag, I get to figure out how to juggle them while I go through the store (I usually tuck them into my waistline and hope I don’t lose them). When I finish my shopping, I have to be quick and especially on a hot day—frozen items melt quickly when the sun is blazing down on the concrete , etc.—if I have a cart, I try to pack my bags in my cart but if not, I usually end up having to lay my food down on the concrete while I unlock my pannier (which I find disgusting and then I’m usually annoyed with myself that I forgot to grab a cart.) Usually there is some stranger less than six feet away, struggling similarly to pack items out of their cart and onto their bike—we get to negotiate space for our carts, bikes, bags, and bodies in a space not built for this purpose. It seems unlikely that your going to change your policy soon, so a simple request—please provide cyclist a with a small card table to pack up groceries. If it were a space with a bit of shade, better yet. Provide disinfectant wipes to clean between customers ( or add this to the greeter responsibilities).
Also, please ask customers if they want items double bagged (seems to be the new trend on the North side) and consider taking back paper bags ( tho folks at the food bank take them gratefully) —it has been well established that it is very unlikely that one can contract Covid from surfaces and meanwhile the planet is still suffering greatly from the weight of our consumption which is one of the reasons I started shopping at the co-op years ago—the strong ethic around environmentalism (which is notably different with the latest version of management). This has changed my shopping habits and I am spending much less money at the coop as you don’t stand out anymore as a place that is trying to uphold this ethic (I may as well pay less if there no actual difference between say Willy East and the Jenny St Market, who does provide me a safe place to put my bike bag inside the store).
I’d appreciate a response. Thank you.
A: Thanks so much for writing. Looking back at records, I see you wrote to us twice regarding these issues and were not personally responded to either time, and we apologize for that.
Discontinuing bag reuse early in the pandemic was a decision we made with Public Health Madison and Dane County guidance and in accordance with public orders. Hopefully by now you have been to the Co-op and have seen that we no longer require people to leave personal bags outside, and we also started allowing customers to bag their groceries in their personal reusable bags in early Fall. We are also continuing to refine our practices related to surfaces, and doing our best to not only keep up with new science but also continue to heed public health guidance, knowing updates to official guidance sometimes trails scientific reporting.
We appreciate your feedback, and while we didn’t respond right away, I can personally assure you that your thoughts have been part of the conversations we have been having with staff and management regarding what we now know about surfaces and COVID-19. We agree that reusable bags are not a means to spreading COVID-19 and that reuse is, of course, better for the environment. We are looking forward to better communicating that and getting back on track in the New Year. Take care. -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Vent ports
Q: I am surprised you allow people wearing masks in that have the vent ports on them. These provide no filtration of exhaled breath.
A: Thanks for writing, I’m sorry that no one had gotten back to you in a timely fashion, and that it appears that someone may have been in the Co-op with a face covering that does not meet our policy nor Public Health Madison and Dane County standards. Our policy states that “mesh masks, masks with holes or openings, and masks with vents are not acceptable face coverings” and we do discuss face covering choices with customers when we notice that they are not aligned with policy (you can find the full policy here: www.willystreet.coop/about-us/store-policies). I hope this message meets you well and that you have a safe and Happy New Year. Take care! -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Delivery service
Q: Hi, my mom lives in Madison. If you deliver to her, what is the delivery charge and how far in advance will she need to place the order? Also, which store would this be? I usually shop at West/Middleton store (I live out of town) so I'm more familiar with your Westside products. But maybe no difference with there and Eastside (I think East might be closer to her house). I will buy her a 1 year membership if she wants to order from you guys, but only if you deliver. Ordering for pick up won't be an option for her. Thus all the questions. Thank you in advance for any info!
A: Thanks for thinking of us! Our delivery service does include that zip code. Delivery service is $9.99 for Owners and $14.99 for non-owners. Currently, our delivery service is very popular and timeslots fill up about a week in advance. Available delivery times pop up in our FAQ window when you visit the site. Our online delivery service runs out of our North location, which is our largest store, meaning that they carry a lot of what you see at Willy West, and some other items as well. Please note: our delivery service currently requires a computer to use. The mobile application is still under development and so it won't work with a cell phone or tablet. You can find more information in our FAQ and navigate the shopping site from any desktop or laptop computer at https://shop.willystreet.coop.
If you are thinking of purchasing an Ownership, you can do so by selecting "Become an Owner" from the homepage of the shopping site. I've added our Owner Records Administrator Robert Halstead here in case you have any questions about registering for Ownership or using the Ownership in conjunction with shopping the delivery service site.
Please let us know if we can assist you further. Thanks! Happy New Year! -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
An apple a day
Q: I subscribe to the adage: An apple a day keeps the doctor away and I really enjoy slicing my apple up with a dollop of peanut butter. My favorite peanut butter I have found locally is freshly ground honey roasted peanut butter from Willy St North. It is SO good!
My concern is that when I went looking for the same product at Willy East, where I typically shop more often because it is bikeable from my house, it was nowhere to be found! I would love for the same delicious honey roasted goodness to be available at all locations so I do not need to burn excess fossil fuels traveling further to the north branch. I understand that all products are not available at all locations but I would encourage you to consider bringing honey roasted peanut butter to all locations—specially as more bulk items become available as this awful global pandemic hopefully winds down. Thanks for all that you do!
A: Thank you for your feedback! I have heard many good things about the honey-roasted peanut butter that is at Willy North in their Bulk section, so I am happy to hear that you are a fan.
Unfortunately, our Bulk peanut butter machines have been shut down since the beginning of the pandemic and we are not sure when we will be getting them back into use again. I know our Bulk Buyer at North has been prepacking the honey-roasted peanut butter there for folks. We could transfer a package of it to our Willy East store for you, if that interests you?
I will also speak with our Grocery Manager at East about carrying it in the future. Currently we are prepacking the most popular variety at our Kitchen for our three stores, but they have limited capacity. Have an excellent week! -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
Bulk aisle
Q: Greetings, WSGC. I shopper wrote, in a recent issue of The Reader, to raise the issue of whether or not it was sanitary to sell products in bulk, now that the bulk aisle is, well, bulking up. I write to say how grateful I am that WSGC is able to return to selling items in bulk. Use a lot of olive oil, as I do? Then you, too, may be grateful you can purchase good quality olive oil is mass quantities, filling a container according to the Coop's requested safe handling of such things. Use about 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder every other month (if that) yet want a quantity of curry powder that's not been sitting in a jar for three years? Head to the bulk aisle to obtain only as much as you need, again proceeding according to the Coop's requested safe handling of such things. Thanks, WSGC.
A: Thank you for your kind words! I am happy we have been able to reopen some of our bulk aisle again, too. I will make sure to pass on your comments to our Bulk Buyers. -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
Donation ideas
Q: I have a Champion Juicer in good condition with parts and the manual that I would like to donate. Would you have a suggested resource before I donate it to St. Vincents or Goodwill?
A: What a nice thing to donate (and an interesting question too)! I'm not 100% sure, but I looked up your Owner record and in your area, and you might want to reach out to Clark Street Community School, Lussier Community Education Center, Wisconsin Youth Company, or the Middleton Youth Center to see if a juicer would be of benefit to some of their food-related educational activities. In some cases, if it would be useful to them, they may want to know if the juicer is a commercial model before accepting. Otherwise, I'm sure someone would really enjoy the opportunity to receive a Champion Juicer through St. Vincents or Goodwill like you are already considering. Please let us know if we can assist you further! I hope your juicer finds a good home! -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Double dollars contributions
Q: I read about the Double Dollars fund struggling financially in your newsletter. I would like to make a one-time donation to support the program. Can I do that without coming into the store?
A: Thanks so much for the thoughtful support! You can make a donation through our online shopping service at shop.willystreet.coop by typing "Double Dollars" into the search engine and then selecting one of the donation choices and the quantity that will match the donation value you are considering. Or, you may also send a check payable to Willy Street Co-op with "Double Dollars donation" in the memo line, and we can make sure it gets added to the funds that are dedicated for that program.
The check can be sent to:
Willy Street Co-op Central Office
Attn: Finance Director
1457 E. Washington Avenue
Madison, WI 53703
We appreciate you staying in tune with what's going on in the Co-op community, and your generosity. -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Wellness coupon
Q: Today at the Coop North, I heard that the wellness coupon benefit will be suspended and no longer offered. I am very sorry to hear this. This benefit, very in line with the Coop's Mission, is a greatly appreciated benefit by Coop members. In the months ahead, many/most of us will need to “cut back” and do with less. Can the coop also find a way to adjust its bottom line around profit, and continue to offer the wellness benefit for members?
A: Thanks for reaching out. We too, are very sorry that the wellness benefit is not one that we can afford to continue in the manner by which we were currently offering it (as the Any Day Wellness coupon). We did not arrive at this decision lightly, and the economic reasons have been highlighted in our January Reader. This change is also intended to be temporary. Pre-pandemic, the Co-op offered Wellness Wednesday as an Owner benefit, a win-win for Owners and the cooperative: Owners received 10% off the first Wednesday of the month. This benefit promoted stocking up and transactions and sales would be high on those days, resulting in labor efficiencies that largely paid for the discount and gave the Co-op a head start on monthly projected sales. A wellness coupon that can be used any time of the month does not provide the same sales boost or incentive to stock up, and so the Co-op no longer reaps the benefits of the labor efficiency. We are seeing regular income loss as a result, and based on recent financial reporting, these are not losses the Co-op can afford. While we agree that wellness benefits support our mission, benefits we offer, as per our mission, must also be economically sustainable. Owners who are experiencing financial hardship, as you have identified, are encouraged to participate in our Access Discount Program, which is a benefit designed to address those needs, and offers 10% off of all groceries.
We do plan to bring back the Wellness Wednesday Owner benefit in the future, dependent on the outcomes of coronavirus prevention and the economic impacts. We will reevaluate when the economy and
the financial outlook for the Co-op turns around. We appreciate your understanding and continued support, and look forward to better times. -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director