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. (link sends e-mail) or fill out a Customer Comment form in the Owner Resources area. Each month a small selection is printed in the Reader. The rest can be found in the commons or in the binder near Customer Service. Thank you!
TEEN COOKING CLASSES
Q: My son enjoyed your cooking classes for several years. He was always incredibly proud of what he made, was eager to use the recipes at home, and his food preferences became much more diverse. As a 13-year-old, they’re almost no classes for him. Perhaps there’s a general dip in interest, but I’d encourage you to reconsider. Middle school and high school kids make many more choices about food. Most kids feed themselves after school. Many make their own lunches. With busy schedules, many families alternate between frozen pizza, mac n cheese, and restaurants. I would love to see classes with a teen’s only audience about great food on-the-go or after school and food for sleep-overs. My son asked for classes about the ultimate sandwich, meatballs and desserts. Exploring in community in a teen space is so much more fun than online research. Thank you for considering. :)
A: I’m happy to hear that your son has enjoyed the cooking classes at Willy Street Co-op, and I’m glad to know there is interest out there for teen classes. Historically, we have not had success with classes for teens, but I am willing to try again and see how they go. I will talk to our instructor about the possibility of trying out a couple of classes, and I hope to have them on the calendar in the new year (our classes are currently scheduled through December).
Best regards, Liz Hawley, Education and Outreach Coordinator
THANKS FOR SPONSORING
Q: As a long-time Willy Street Coop owner, I was very appreciative that the Coop was a Diamond Sponsor of the 5K race. It was so impressive that the race ran so smoothly given all the rain and the necessary course changes days before the race.A community coming together!
A: How nice to hear from you and receive your positive feedback concerning the race. Yes, the Middleton Good Neighbor Fest has been around a long time and is so important to the people in the community. I’m glad to hear that the race went off without a hitch.
Cheers, Katie O’Connell-Jones, Owner Resources Coordinator–West
FLOWER ARRANGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
Q: do y’all do arranged flowers? if not, can you refer me to a talented and fair florist in madison? much gratitude
A: Thank you so much for reaching out. We do not create arrangements, but here are some places I can recommend:
•Farm To Vase: Local and seasonal flowers
•Lewiston Perennial Farm: I know they do weddings, but they are one of the places we buy flowers from. They may be able to help you...
•Rose Cottage: Small local florist.
•Felly’s Flowers: Local florist chain.
I hope one of these folks can help you. I am so sorry for your loss.
Let me know if I can help further; take care! -Angela Pohlman, General Merchandise Category Manager
GREAT MEAT AND FISH
Compliment: The meat/fish dept is spectacular! Love the house made sausage and Dan Fox’s pork…and everything. Best in Town!
Response:Thank you for your positive feedback about our Meat and Seafood departments at Willy North. We think so too! We are very proud of the Meat department. Thanks for your support of Willy North.
-Lily Hoyer-Winfield, Assistant Store Manager—North
HOT BAR FOOD CHOICES
Q: I am more than disappointed with your hot food bar choices. I am going to leave hungry. You need to focus on food allergies. Choices today:
Cuban Pork—gluten
BarbQ Chicken—pure meat
Chicken w/spicy sauce—too spicy
Veggie lasagna—gluten
Tofu and tamales—just moved over from your cold display—not anything different for dinner
Brown rice—thank you! Not a meal, tho
Coconut mashed potatoes—coconut allergy
Sweet potato quesadilla—gluten
Chicken Piccata—gluten
Creamed corn w/bacon—gross
Turkey tetrazzini—gluten
Get rid of so much gluten! Feed people who have food allergies.
A: Thank you for your feedback on our hot bar menu and your awareness to customers who have food allergies. We try to have options for all our customers, but it is difficult to have options daily for all customers with specific allergies. Please reference our hot bar menu online for daily options. We may also have varieties of salad and sandwiches and sushi that may satisfy. Thanks again for your feedback.
–Lily Hoyer-Winfield, Assistant Store Manager
THANKS, NANCY
Q: Hello! Just want to put in a word of appreciation for Nancy in Health & Wellness! She saved 6 empty liquid soap gallon jugs for us to make bluebird houses (sparrows hate plastic). My next trip to the Co-op, I was pleasantly surprised she had remembered my request and set them aside for me. They were perfect for our project and I am very grateful for her kindness! Thank you.
A: Thank you for your recent customer comment regarding Nancy, our Health & Wellness buyer saving gallon sized jugs for you to use in a project. We love her too! I’m so happy that you thought to ask about recycling the bulk gallon jugs for birdhouses. We have plenty of recyclables for use in any project so keep asking. Thanks for your kind words about Nancy, we are grateful to have her as a part of our team.
Thanks again for your feedback and support of Willy North.
-Lily Hoyer-Winfield, Assistant Store Manager–North
STAFFING SUGGESTION
Q: Have you considered hiring more produce staff at West on Weeks? Bins are consistently picked over/empty the last 3 Weeks.
A: Thank you for your comment. It looks like the day on which you wrote this comment was the day of our year-end inventory. Each year when this happens, we do purposefully sell down items on the retail floor to make the counting process go more efficiently for us. There are also other occasions when we sell down or run out of items for various reasons, that are both in and out of our control.
I can assure you that we do our best to make sure both products and staff are in good supply on the Weeks. :)
-Max Wilke, Produce Manager—West
HEALTHY LUNCH
Q: So grateful that I can bring my kids here and eat a healthy lunch—all 3 of us for $12 or less from the food bar—we leave feeling full and energized! Thank you!
A: Thank you so much for taking the time to reach out and share your kind words. It makes such a difference to those working so hard to share the mission of the Coop!
–Katie, O’Connell Jones, Owner Resources Coordinator—West
$5 DINNER
Q: Loved the $5 Dinner. I would do this every month! Maybe choose a different night in summer to not conflict with Troy Gardens Pizza Night (Thursday).
A: Thanks for your interest in our Willy North $5 Dinner! We were very happy with how the first one went and we’re planning at least two more, then we’ll evaluate the future of the event. Great point about the Troy Pizza Night—we’ll talk about that when planning for summer Dinners in the future. Have a nice week!
–Brendon Smith, Communications Director
