Remerchandising Product
I have a request for reorganizing products at the co-op. I do not like gluten-free baked products, and I never buy them! (Same goes for sugar-free, vegan, etc., although I do prefer organic, when possible.) Although I try to check the labels, to make sure I buy the products I want, they sometime have fine print, and I have weary, old eyes. Consequently, every few months I accidentally end up with something I don’t want. In the current case, it was 3 boxes of gluten-free ginger snaps for a Thanksgiving dessert. They cost ~$6/box. (I don’t mind paying a premium price for what I like, but I dislike paying for something I would never use.)
I would like to suggest that you organize all the odd-ball baked goods into clearly labelled sections, so that no one ever buys the wrong product.
On a similar note, I have often wondered why there are so many odd-ball products for sale, in proportion to “normal” stuff? Wikipedia says only 6% of the population is gluten-intolerant. I don’t care if the proportion of odd-ball stuff is a little higher than 6%. But my very unscientific survey suggests that more than half of the baked products for sale are weird. It would be interesting to know what percentage of the population just wants to buy “normal” stuff? I’m guessing 80%. Thanks for your consideration.
Thanks for your comments, I’m sorry to hear you purchased a product you did not intend to. You are able to return or exchange them if you’d like to get something that may be more suitable to your needs. In terms of merchandising—most of our packaged cookies are grouped together in one area, we do try to keep the gluten-free products separated to make them easier to find for shoppers who are looking for them (or not looking for them!) but it’s by no means a perfect system; product changes and spatial constraints can lead to products blending into different sections. We do try to organize our in-house and fresh baked goods in a similar fashion, but the same challenges can exist there as well. I know you mentioned you did read the label, but I’d have to reiterate that that’s always going to be the recommendation I have for anyone looking for products that do or don’t contain any specific ingredients.
People have always looked to co-ops to provide products they can’t necessarily find elsewhere. While that’s changed some over the years and more alternative diet foods are available in more mainstream avenues, our owners and other shoppers come to our stores looking for food to suit a wide variety of diets. I find that it’s always important to keep in mind that food choices are personal—they are subject to a wide variety of reasons and that folks are shopping for what works for their own bodies, budget, needs, and/or preferences. We take a lot of pride in knowing that we offer a wide range of selection that can fit many/most diets—even if you may find foods in our stores that don’t appeal to you—I hope you’re also finding plenty that do! -Liz Muñoz, Director of Purchasing
Pot Pies
Hello, several days ago at the Willy West store I purchased two pot pies made by the Willy Street Kitchen. One of them was labeled vegan. I didn’t understand that because of course it had been cooked. However, it was very good other than the mushrooms which I personally don’t care for. The flavor was really good and the crust was delicious. On the other hand, the other pot pie, which had potatoes and broccoli and cheese and I don’t know what else in it… was pretty much awful. It was terribly bland and it had been way overcooked. The broccoli was just like mush. The crust was not well browned and flavorless and I just don’t understand how these two pot pies could be so very different. Disappointed. Thanks for listening.
We have three different kinds of pot pies, a vegan (i.e. does not contain any animal byproducts), broccoli & cheese, and a chicken. All of them are definitely cooked at the kitchen, we don’t have a raw pot pie variety. Glad you liked our vegan one, personally it’s my favorite of the three! I am passing along the feedback about the broccoli being overcooked to our Kitchen’s management team so they can work with their team to make sure those aren’t getting overdone. After talking to our Kitchen Director, I think we figured out how we can improve this issue.Thanks for the feedback! -Nicholas OConnor, Prepared Foods & Cheese Category Manager
Wrong Member Number
This morning I received an email receipt for about $300 in groceries purchased using my member number. This was not a purchase my wife or I made. The individual did not use our credit/debit information so there is really no issue here, just noting that our member number was used incorrectly.
Thank you for reaching out to let us know someone other than yourself used your Owner number! Likely what happened is the cashier accidentally entered the number given to them incorrectly, or the person shopping accidentally gave the cashier the wrong number. I apologize that this happened! I do want to assure you that someone other than you using your account does not compromise your personal information in any way. That said, if this continues to happen please let me know and I would be happy to issue you a new Owner number if you wish. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. -Rosalyn Murphy, Owner Records Administrator
Thanks for the Help
On 10-2-24, I parked in your Williamson Street parking lot and upon exiting my vehicle, I slammed my thumb in the car door. As you can imagine, the pain and blood overtook me (along with a bit of shock), but I managed to come into the store for assistance. The person behind the customer service counter quickly figured out that I needed a bandage, a lot of tissue and an ice pack. I just wanted to send her a big “THANK YOU” for helping me save my composure and alleviate some of my pain, at least long enough to get to the back of the store for the poultry I came in to get for dinner. A second “THANK YOU” to the nice person who offered to cut up the chicken because clearly, I wasn’t able to with an injured thumb. BTW – I was visiting from out of state so that I could help support my daughter, husband and their brand new baby. Thank you from my family as well!
I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and am happy that our team was able to help you after the shock of slamming your thumb in the car door. I have passed along your thanks and wish you and your family the best! -Kristin Esselstrom, Willy East Store Director
Yogurt
I’d REALLY love it if you could start carrying Old Home Yogurt! It’s the BEST yogurt I’ve ever had (I can eat it plain, no sweetener–I’ve never been able to do that with other yogurts). They’re a MN company, but it’s so hard to find it this far south in WI. Plus they’re women owned.
Thank you for your comments and request! I did a little research and found that Old Home yogurt is available through one of our vendors. I am going to speak with the Grocery Manager at Willy East and see if they can make some space on their shelves for some of their products. I appreciate you letting us know what you are looking for in our stores! -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
Kids Cooking Classes
I am looking to purchase a cooking class reservation for my grandson who is 10, do you have classes for 10 year olds, if so what is/are the dates and the prices?
We do have classes for 10-year-olds! Our Sprouts classes are for two different age groups (5-8 and 9-12). If your grandson is interested in one of the classes that’s for the younger age group, we will allow him to take it as long as he’s okay cooking with some younger kids 🙂 Here is the link to the calendar of upcoming classes: willystreet.coop/events. The registration fee for each class is $15 for Co-op owners and $25 for non-owners. You can find the registration form in each class description and also linked here. -Liz Hawley, Education and Outreach Coordinator
Trucker Hat
I was just about to buy a Willy Street Co-op trucker hat and was appalled to see that they were not locally sourced and not made by union workers.
Thanks for your email (and for being a Co-op Owner)! Everything but the hat itself (creation of the patch, sewing, other elements of production) was done by Ambient Inks in Eau Claire, WI, a small and independently operated business. The hat is manufactured in a WRAP-certified factory, which means the factory has to comply with the 12 WRAP principles. Ambient Inks has told us that it’s very challenging to source truly locally-made baseball hats unless the production facility happens to be located near a factory; for all the strides the apparel industry is making, accessory items like hats are the last to improve. That said, we’ve asked them to explore any union-made options they can find for future hats. -Brendon Smith, Marketing & Communications Director
