by Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
First, a confession: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I always purchased bulk coffee. I had my reasons—bulk is 50¢ per pound less expensive than the packaged option, plus I love the smell and flavor of freshly ground coffee—but truthfully, I rarely thought about that. Bulk coffee was simply part of my regular routine; I’d pour the beans out of the bulk bin, one of my kids would get to push the button on the grinder and write the number (hopefully legibly) on the bag, and we’d be on our way. It wasn’t something I ever really thought about, I just did it.
In March of 2020, when bulk coffee ceased to be an option due to county regulations, I started purchasing 12 oz. bags of the same roast, pre-ground.
Here’s the confession: even when bulk coffee returned nearly a year later, I didn’t go back. My old routine had been completely replaced by my new, simpler habit of grabbing a bag off the shelf and moving on to the next thing. Sure it would be great to save some money and have fresher coffee, but somehow, at the moment of purchase when it’s just me and the grocery shelf, either my rationale for bulk doesn’t come to mind, or I feel too hurried to care.
Establishing Routines
It turns out I’m not alone. Our Bulk offerings have been back up and running for more than six months, yet many Co-op shoppers have not reestablished the routine of shopping in bulk. Compared to August of 2019, we’re selling 38% less Bulk, which in one month alone represents more than 10,000 pounds less than 2019. Experts say that establishing a routine takes up to eight months. When you consider that the pandemic shut down our Bulk departments for almost exactly a year, it’s no wonder that so many of us are simply out of the habit of shopping in Bulk.
What Does This Decline in Sales Mean?
Simply put, it means that it is becoming harder and harder for us to justify continuing to offer the number of Builk items we’ve historically carried. We’ve always prided ourselves on our large selection of bulk—we carry many more items than any other grocer in the Madison area. The reason we’ve been able to maintain such bountiful Bulk aisles is that it’s always been a popular destination in our stores, and a much larger part of our overall sales makeup than other grocery stores. In the long term, if we sell significantly less Bulk than we used to, ultimately the footprint of our Bulk aisles will need to change as well.
Reestablishing Routines
We’re not ready to throw the towel in quite yet. There are so many good reasons to purchase Bulk products, and bulk is a huge part of who we are as a Co-op—we know that many of you value the diversity of our Bulk offerings just as much as we do, and so we’re hopeful that just as routines of purchasing Bulk were disrupted with the onset of the pandemic, that they will be reestablished, and our Bulk aisles will become just as busy as they ever were.
Why Shop in Bulk
Price. Packaging food is an increasingly expensive undertaking for any food manufacturer—both in terms of the packaging material itself, and the labor or equipment needed to get food into that packaging. Across the board, Bulk products offer a better value simply because you, the customer, are doing the packaging yourself—either into your own container or into a simple and inexpensive bag provided by Willy Street Co-op. If you are looking to cut down your grocery budget without compromising the quality of the food you eat, shopping in Bulk is the number one way to do it!
Reduced Packaging. Packaging not only costs money, but it has an ecological footprint as well, and by buying products in Bulk (particularly if you bring your own containers), you are reducing that footprint significantly.
Selection. Many of the products that you’ll find in our Bulk aisle are also available in a packaged version, but not all. Many kinds of nuts, for example, are only available in Bulk. Granola is another category that has a much wider selection in Bulk than packaged.
Waste Reduction. Need only a half-cup of rice flour for that new gluten-free recipe you’re trying out but you don’t want more than that since you’re not sure you’ll ever use it again; or do you need three pounds of pecans to candy and turn into holiday gifts, but you don’t want to buy six 8-ounce containers and waste all of that plastic packaging? The Bulk aisle is the place for you. You can buy as much or as little as you need in Bulk, eliminating excess packaging and those half used bags of ingredients that pile up, unused in your pantry.
Quality. As I wrote the first few paragraphs of this article, I began to crave the smell of those freshly ground coffee beans I used to purchase in our Bulk departments. In many instances, bulk versions of products are fresher and of higher quality than similar packaged items—especially for the price!
How to Get Back in the Bulk Habit
Here are some ideas to help you break the packaged food habit and reestablish your bulk routine.
Remind yourself of why you want to shop in Bulk. What was it that brought you into the Bulk aisle in the first place? Maybe it was the lower cost, or reducing your environmental footprint and eliminating waste—or maybe you just liked the smell of the Bulk department and the routine of writing those little numbers on the twisty ties…. Everyone has their own reasons for shopping in Bulk. Take a moment to remind yourself what yours are.
Make the Bulk aisle part of your regular shopping routine. Do you pass by the Bulk aisle entirely, or just glance in that direction as you walk by and tell yourself you don’t need anything there today? Try consciously changing the route you take through the store to include the Bulk aisle and look to see if maybe there is something there after all that you could purchase in bulk rather than in packaging.
Find one or two Bulk items you love and buy them regularly. No matter your taste, there’s something in the Bulk aisle that you can treat yourself with. Maybe it’s those huge malted milk balls, or peanut butter you grind yourself, or pistachio mulberry granola... all of these are only to be found in the Bulk aisle. Find a few items you absolutely adore and use them as your reason to get into the bulk aisle regularly. Chances are you’ll find a few more things you need along the way.
If you’re looking for me, you’ll find me inhaling the scent of freshly ground coffee as I grind my own beans in our Bulk department!