Masks
Q: I would like to thank you for enforcing the mask policy even before it was a state mandate. While I know that I am wearing a mask to protect others, those others are wearing their masks to protect me. These are "interesting" times to say the least and anything we can do to show a little kindness makes us all a little more human. For those people who refuse to wear a mask, it's their loss for being so self-focused that they can't think about their part in protecting the rest of us. Again, thank you for seeing the bigger picture. I for one have increased my shopping trips to WSC because I know that you have the best interest of your clients at heart. Together, we will get through this.
A: Thank you for your kind words and for your support of our policy! Take care, Liz Hawley, Education and Outreach Coordinator
Wildcrafting
Q: In the past you offered a class on foraging/wildcrafting. Is that still being offered? Thank you.
A: Thank you for asking! Our class program has been suspended since early this spring due to the pandemic; however, your comment compelled me to reach out to the herbalist who has led these classes in the past, and we are talking about making it virtual! It may take a bit to work out the details, but I'm hopeful we'll be able to get this online. And when it's safe to resume in-person learning, we will certainly offer these types of classes again. Thanks again, Liz Hawley, Education and Outreach Coordinator
Olives
Q: While the olive bar is closed, why not pre-package a few varieties for sale at Willy East. They do it at Willy North and Jenifer St. Market.
A: Thanks for the suggestion about packaging the olives that used to be offered on our olive bar. You are correct that our west side location is able to offer some grab and go olives that they package themselves. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, each location has had to make drastic changes to their labor situation. At the moment, I am unable to devote labor to pre-packaging olives.
We are working on bringing back our olive options in a similar format to the olive bars. We are starting to work on turning the deli service case into a full service olive case. This way folks can still get the olives that we are only able to get in bulk. I am hoping to have this up and running by the end of September. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns. Best Wishes, Dustin Skelley, East Deli Manager —East
Hours
Q: Finding the hours of locations on the website shouldn't be a chore for site visitors. The only place I found them was on the rotating banner on the front page, which only displays for a few seconds...and that's poor web design. Please make it easy for site visitors to find store hours.
A: Thank you for your feedback. We removed the hours from their regular spot on the homepage because our hours kept changing due to COVID-19 precautions. That spot was too difficult to change as quickly as it needed to be, so we moved the hours to the rotating banner.
Now that the hours will probably stay the same for the foreseeable future, we will reconsider their placement on the website.
In the meantime, you can always find the most up-to-date hours and other store information on our coronavirus page.
Thanks again and stay well! Sincerely, Ellie Habib, Webmaster
Receipts
Q: Is it possible to look at ones receipt/account online? I never take a receipt but sometimes I need to know how much I paid for something after the fact. I couldn’t find any information about this on the home page.
A: Thank you for reaching out. Going forward, it is possible to have receipts emailed to you automatically after each purchase. If you would like me to activate this for your account, just let me know.
If there is a specific date range in the past that would like to see your receipts for, I can run a report for you. These receipts won't look exactly like the ones from the register or that get emailed, but you would be able to see how much each item in your transaction cost as well as your total.
Please let me know how I can best help you from here. I hope you've been having a good week! -Robert Halstead, Owner Records Administrator
Recipes
Q: Greetings, and thank you for your good work editing "The Reader." Question: when did the recipes featured in "The Reader" stop including the critical information known as "servings" or "yield," a number that, I would argue, is as important in a recipe as the measurements of its ingredients? Though I rarely read the recipes (though I enjoy seeing their useful presence in "The Reader"), only today did I notice this glaring omission. Why the omission and when will "The Reader" resume—or begin—Including recipes' servings/yield/portions information? Thank you.
A: Thanks for writing! This is actually something I think about all the time. They haven't ever had them in there, at least as long as I've been doing them (which is 19 years!). However, almost every time I put them together, I think, "Should these have serving sizes, etc.?" I will make this change and include that information when it’s available. It's something I've been meaning to do for a long time.
Thank you for taking the time to write with your suggestion and thank you for the kind words! Take care, Liz Wermcrantz, Editor
Sandwiches
Q: Checked the website last night and confirmed sandwiches were available from 7:30 on. When I arrived this morning to grab my lunch on the way to work, I learned sandwiches aren’t being made at all right now. Disappointed, I grabbed a Caesar salad after ascertaining the “croutons” were garbanzo beans and no WHEAT was highlighted on the long list of ingredients, since I have celiac. Soy and milk both appeared in all caps. Just broke out my salad and discovered wheat is in the dressing, but buried in all lower case in the ingredients. So now I’m doubly disappointed and hungry! Wish I could send you the photo of the label but I don’t know how to do that.
A: I apologize for the issues you had with our Deli yesterday. We have been slowly rolling out services and it's been difficult to keep the website up to date; I have requested our IT dept update the website with correct hours and services. This was supposed to have happened but there must have been a mistake. I apologize for the inaccurate information on our website.
I notified our Kitchen Director of the issues with the Caesar Salad, we have altered ingredient labels to highlight wheat (in all caps) as an ingredient for now. We will be switching the ingredients in that salad shortly so that it is made with tamari. That way the item will be gluten-free.
Since you were not able to enjoy your salad and had a frustrating experience in our Deli. I have issued a $10 gift card so that you can try another lunch (or whatever you'd like from the Co-op) on us! I totally understand the disappointment and frustration and I hope you find that to be adequate compensation.
I apologize for the issues on our end and thank you for supporting the Willy Street Co-op. Best Wishes, Dustin Skelley, Deli Manager—East
E-receipt
Q: We received an e-receipt for a purchase we didn't make. See: We did not make this purchase.
Just thought you should know that someone used our member number (either by accident, or fraudulently).
A: Thank you for reaching out about this receipt being sent to you. It is not all that uncommon for a cashier to mishear a name or owner number OR the customer may mishear what the cashier says back to them when they try to verify that they have the right account.
When I receive a report like this, usually, it is a one-time or once-in-a-blue-moon sort of thing. If you continue to receive receipts for purchases that are not yours, let me know and I will investigate further.
Please let me know if there is anything else I may do for you. I hope you've been having a great week! -Robert Halstead, Owner Records Administrator
Wellness coupon
Q: I was wondering if I could use the Wellness Any Day Virtual Coupon on the purchase of the gallon size bottles of Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap?
A: Hello! Thank you for writing. Our Wellness Any Day coupon can absolutely be used for Dr. Bronner’s gallons!
In your email, you referred to it as a Virtual coupon—if you were hoping to make this purchase on our eCommerce website, unfortunately there is not a way to apply the coupon to your cart—however, if you add a note (on the last page of the checkout process before clicking "place your order") you can request that it be applied when our teams process your order.
Otherwise, the coupon can be applied at checkout at any of our physical locations for any bodycare product or supplement.
I hope that helps, take care! -Angela Pohlman, Wellness Category Manager
Gratitude
Q: As the months have gone on, I'm growing more and more grateful for the existence of the Co-op. I've always appreciated that the co-op is a place where I can access good food that's good for people and the earth because of all the research and legwork you do before items reach the shelves and then continually after.
Now, brought to the forefront, is the feeling that the co-op also feels safe. That's an incredibly big deal these days. My family primarily uses your pick up service in the North Side parking lot, and very occasionally goes into the East Side or North Side stores when we just need a couple of last minute items. Going into the stores re-affirms and strengthens my feelings of tremendous gratitude that the Co-op exists. I've seen how careful all the employees are, showing respect for everyone's comfort levels with space at this time. I feel like the Co-op is the only "public" place I feel safe entering. Face masks, social distancing (including employees always changing their path to give shoppers enough space), cleaning—I can see it's all happening regularly, thoughtful, and carefully.
This is such a big deal right now—the co-op is making our world more manageable during this difficult time. Thank you so very much!
A: Thank you for your kind words and gratitude! Take the best care, Liz Hawley, Education and Outreach Coordinator
Produce
Q: Howdy! First off, I sincerely enjoy being an owner—this is one of the best grocery stores I have ever shopped at and am only writing because I know you take comments and suggestions seriously. Keep in mind that I know lots of things are in flux so these comments are directed to pre-2020 craziness and not any recent developments.
I became a member because I am extremely particular about the source of consumables I purchase - sustainability, ethics throughout the production chain, the carbon/fossil fuel imprint, etc. MOST OF THE PRODUCTS YOU OFFER keep all these in mind—however—here are 2 areas that I feel fall a bit sub-par.
Apples are a product that grow super well in the Midwest, and yet so often all of them are from Washington, Argentina, or locations many states (or countries) away and the impact of this seems so unnecessary. Has this been something discussed in the past?
Additionally, there are very few local brands that are in the frozen produce section (Woodstock is China based, Cascadia is from Washington, the berries are from Maine, etc.). This may be a matter of local companies simply not offering frozen options, but as the offerings are pretty minimal I was curious if the lack of local options and/or cost was the main barrier.
This is super nit picky I know—the store needs to balance affordability in addition to the costs of "taking the high road" in this day and age. But thanks for hearing me out! Cheers.
A: Thanks for the questions! Regarding local apples: We do actually have a good supply of organic locally grown apples right now, and this will continue through November or early December. We source local, certified organic apples from Two Onion Farm in Belmont, Atoms to Apples in Mount Horeb, and Hoch Orchard in La Crescent, Minnesota (this farm is out of state, but still falls within our local definition of 150 miles from the state capitol building). We also source local non-certified organic apples from Ela Orchard in Rochester, WI. Ela follows strict IPM methods, with minimal synthetic chemical inputs.
Unfortunately, these local apples are quite seasonal due to limited supply. In order to keep our Produce departments stocked with fresh organic apples for the remainder of the year, we have to look farther afield to the West Coast for the winter months, and South America in the springtime and into summer when the previous year's domestic crop has been exhausted and before the new apple crop arrives.
Regarding frozen items: It's true that there aren't a lot of local options in the frozen section. This is due to a lack of supply—unfortunately there just isn't much out there in this category from local vendors. I can say that the Sno Pac label of frozen vegetables often does include local veggies, but unfortunately, they don't label them as such and it's really hard to say exactly what is local and what isn't.
I hope this is helpful. Thanks again for reaching out! Best, Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
Permanent wellness
Q: I'm writing to request that Virtual Wellness Day remain a permanent feature. I'm LOVING the Virtual Wellness Any Day each month. I live outside of Madison and I'm not always able to attend when it's on a scheduled date. I imagine it's easier on the Willy staff as well ;) Thank you for being awesome!
A: Thanks for the feedback! At this point, we plan to continue with the virtual wellness coupon at least through the COVID-19 crisis. We haven't made a decision on what comes after that, but this is valuable feedback that we will consider when we do make that decision. Thanks again! -Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
Keeping Your Money Local
Q: Really enjoyed this month’s Reader issue, as usual the Staff Picks and Local Produce Availability section was helpful. However, I really found the “Keeping Your Money Local” article by Kristen Moore valuable.
I became a co-op owner many years ago just because, and while I’ve moved slightly farther away since, still try to get there for certain items and produce. That being said, I’m going to up that as often as possible now after reading more about how my money is used to truly support local infrastructure, especially in such weird times.
Thanks for putting that information together! Reinforces my soft spot for the co-op as a whole :) Thanks.
A: Thank you so much for writing! I’m glad you found Kristen’s article valuable. I’ll pass along your feedback. It made my day and I’m sure it will make hers. Take care, Liz Wermcrantz, Editor
Electric Cars
Q: For the first time today, there were two electric vehicles charging in the two spaces in front of the electric chargers installed at Willy St. Coop East; both plugged in; mine and someone else’s! I took a picture; let me know if you want it for the newsletter. Hip hip hooray!! May it continue. Thank you Willy Shoppers.
A: I'd love a photo [See photo below]! Thank you so much! -Liz Wermcrantz, Editor
Meat Dates
Q: I love being able to buy locally sourced, sustainably raised meat at the Co-op. Unfortunately, I keep running into the issue of sketchy expiration dates or bad meat from the North location. Tonight I took a sealed pork shoulder from last week’s sale from my fridge to season in anticipation of cooking tomorrow. The package states the use by date was 9/9. Today is 9/7 but the package smelled rank the second I broke the seal. The package looked great and well sealed before opening. This is not the first time this has happened. I have also asked store clerks before about a ground beef sale where EVERY package on the shelf had a use by date of the day I was shopping.
I have concerns that the stores are playing fast and loose with meat use dates and selling questionable products. I hate wasting food, especially meat. I also hate wasting money.
Please advise.
A: Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I am sorry that you ran into that with a Fox pork shoulder. We are checking into that specific issue now.
I am by no means questioning your experience; however, I will say that oftentimes natural pork (especially with the bone in) has a very distinct smell, especially when it first comes out of a sealed package. If this has happened multiple times now, it could be due to 'off gas'—which naturally occurs when reduced oxygen packaging is employed (almost all meat sold at Willy North is packaged using this method.) When the oxygen is removed from the packaging, meat becomes a darker color and also 'sweats' in the package—which typically results in an unpleasant initial smell upon opening but is by no means in indication of the freshness of the meat. As someone who also detests wasting meat, the procedure I like to use when determining if bag-sealed meat has gone bad is as follows: open the package completely, give it a few minutes to 'air out', and return to give it a final sniff. If the product still smells off at that point, absolutely get rid of it. In that case, I also encourage you to call customer service and complete a return in order to get your money back.
I can assure you that all meat staff take sell-by dates very seriously. We always use the number of days given to us directly from the vendor (in this case the farm itself). It's an unfortunate downside of buying and selling fresh, natural, untreated meat.
In response to your comment about the ground beef sale, you are correct that often times when a product like that goes on sale, we tend to have shorter sell by dates available. Usually that's due to us working to help a local farmer move product on time so it does not go to waste. If you ever encounter this again, please feel free to check specifically with a member of the meat department to see if we have newer product available in the back. While sealed ground beef should be perfectly fine to use or freeze on its sell by date, I understand your concern.
Please let me know if you have any more questions and I not only appreciate your feedback, but am taking it seriously. -Anna Seaman-Gilberts, Meat Manager—North
Thank you
Q: For almost 25 years you have been an integral part of my life. The foods you made available and the ones you introduced me to made my life richer. The bulk Nessalla Kombucha dispenser is a joy. You kept us alive. And when my wife passed away 4 years back, I’d shop alone, but the friendly staff and patrons gave me a profound sense of accepting community.
I’ve recently relocated to Denver, CO to be nearer to my daughters. The thin air and tumbling rocks and water are a welcome infusion of change and energy... but I sorely miss the familiarity of Willy St. Coop—knowing where to find the tempeh and all the smiles and good humor of the staff. I’ll find my new food and community sources, but they will never compare to the coop.
Thanks for everything (especially the cordito from Fizzeology!)
A: Thank you so much for writing. Having just gotten back from a road trip to Colorado, I fully understand your decision to move there. It is amazing. We'll miss you and we wish you all the best in your new adventures. Take care of yourself! -Liz Wermcrantz, Editor