Grocery

Customer Question: Can the Coop start ordering soups made by “Sierra Soups”? They are delicious, affordable, and vegetarian with lots of varieties.
Co-op Answer: Thank you for your input! This brand is not currently available from any of our distributors.  If it does become available, we will certainly consider it. In the mean time, we do carry the Frontier line of soup mixes, all of which are vegetarian (even the one that says it is chicken noodle).  -Olivia, Grocery Buyer

Q: Please please please bring back Snyders gluten free pretzels.  The new ones (Quinn) taste terrible!
A: Thank you for your input! Unfortunately, most of the Snyders gluten free pretzel line was discontinued and in order to still have a wide variety of flavors and styles, we brought in the Quinns.  Personally, I love these pretzels and the farm to bag traceability.  You may still special order the remaining variety of Snyders pretzels that our distributor carries.  -Olivia, Grocery Buyer

Q: Can you get “Honest Earth Creamy Mash” instant mashed potatoes – fabulous!
A: Thank you for your input.  Unfortunately, the Honest Earth Instant Mashed Potato line is not currently available through any of our distributors.  We do currently carry the Edward and Sons Organic Instant Mashed Potatoes.  -Olivia, Grocery Buyer

Q: I miss the regular Butterworks buttermilk in a pint (not non-fat). Kimball Brook makes one – just chatted with them at the Wellness Fair – possible to get?
A: Thank you for your input! Our current Butterworks buttermilk comes in  a pint and is the only one we have carried.  Natural buttermilk is always non- or low-fat due tot he nature of how it is traditionally made.  Kimball Brook’s is also a non- or low-fat Buttermilk.  -Olivia, Grocery Buyer

Q: Please order Udi’s gluten free bread in the full-size loaf, comparable to other sandwich breads.  You have a good selection but it is all mini-loafs.  
A: Thank you for your input! We will change out our current offerings for the full size versions starting in January. -Olivia, Grocery Buyer

Q: Please carry Ripple half and half, and Wayfare butter and nacho cheese.  
A: Thank you for your input! We will bring in the Ripple half and half in January.  The Wayfare butter will not be coming in right away, unless we find room in that section.  We should be getting the Siete Vegan Queso in January if you are looking for a vegan cheese dip. -Olivia, Grocery Buyer

Q: Could you please stock GF vegan bread? I see almost none at all – in either the freezer or fresh.  
A: Thank you for your input! Starting in January we will be carrying the brand Little Northern Bakehouse, which is gluten free and vegan (and also so good)! -Olivia, Grocery Buyer

Q: Glad to see glass containers for the pudding! Yay.  Sad that you can’t get Stacy’s tortillas.  How about another brand w/out all the additives (guar gum, sugar, etc.).
A: Thank you for your input! There aren’t any shelf stable tortillas currently on the market without stabilizers, unfortunately.  As soon as room opens up in our refrigerated section, we will bring in some Stacy’s items.  In the mean time, I highly recommend in the Siete tortillas.  They are gluten free but I prefer them to flour tortillas, especially the cashew flour.  They can be found in our bread freezer. -Olivia, Grocery Buyer

Q: Interested in local pickles? Vinegar, shelf stable.  Made in Vermont!
A: Thank you for your input! I am not comfortable with this brand name or logo and I do not see us bringing them in. -Olivia, Grocery Buyer

Q: What ever happened to Pamala’s cookie section?  There are only 2 kinds.  Where did shortbread and lemon go?
A: Thank you for your input! Unfortunately, these items were both very slow sellers in this set and were discontinued. You may still special order them and receive a 10% discount on a full case. -Olivia, Grocery Buyer

Q: Would you be able to get oat milk, please?
A: Thank you for your input! This product will be on our shelves in January – we are just waiting to for Oatley to get their production levels up to what we will need.   -Olivia, Grocery Buyer

Q: Can we carry Newman’s Own Family Recipe Ginger Cookies you used to carry?
A: Thank you for your input! Unfortunately, these were discontinued by our distributor and we are no longer able to get this product.  -Olivia, Grocery Buyer

Food Services

Q: Please bring in Roger’s Farmstead Fresh Mozzarella.  It is sensational! 
A: Thanks for asking about this product.  I’m getting in touch with the farm and will hopefully get some into the store. -Bibi, Cheese Buyer

Wellness

Q: Thank you for carrying Alba lotion in bulk! I’ve tried to convince many co-op and health food stores and they don’t want to. Thank you for helping the environment so we don’t have to buy more plastic lotion bottles. 
A: Thank you for the positive feedback. -Laura, Wellness Manager

General

Q: Health and Wellness Fair – it would be great to have a display of the products featured in the “produce area” or a map of where to find the products from the fair!
A: Great feedback! Thanks, we will make a note of this for next time. -Stephani, Community Relations Manager

Q: Your “Housing Book” near water station is an absolute mess.  I would volunteer to clean it up weekly if you need someone to do this. 
A: Thank you for bringing this to our attention – I will add this to my list of post-holiday projects. -Emma, Customer Service Rep

Q: The tables in the dining area are very dirty and worn.  Can they be cleaned and refurbished?
A: I am sorry to hear that.  We just used some non-toxic varnish the summer before last to refinish all of the tables.  It sounds like it is not holding up as well as we hoped.  We will plan to revisit this project in the summer. Thanks. -Mary, Facilities Manager

Q: The area between the salad bar on the soup end and the refrigerated shelf is a big bottleneck and hazardous with the hot soup. Customers are often running into each other.  Please move the salad bar back to create more space. 
A: We do recognize that the area between the salad bar and grab and go cooler can become congested.  It is not something we can move right now due to the complicated nature of the project, but do know that we have this on our radar for future improvements. Thanks! -Mary, Facilities Manager

Q: Is there any progress to report on covered bike parking?
A: Not yet, but it is on our list of projects to revisit in the spring.  Thanks for checking in. -Mary, Facilities Manager

Q: No one answers the phone when we call, why is that? Also, I hear employees in the deli saying “don’t answer the phone, errr.”
A: Our apologies if you had trouble getting through to a person during our open store hours.  Perhaps our system was overwhelmed when you called.  All employees in the Deli are expected to help with answering calls for that department, but not other departments. -Kari, General Manager

Q: I really appreciate seeing BioBag compostable bags you provide in your bulk food section.  And I really appreciate living in a community and shopping at stores (like the coop) with values that support caring for the earth and avoiding single use plastics.  This generation needs to be change makers reducing use of single use plastics and one day no plastic at all.  We eat organic, avoid harsh chemicals but we use products packaged in plastic and chemicals leach from that plastic into our food.  The bee’s wax wrap is awesome that you sell and the coop could save money by selling fabric/mesh reusable bags to replace the plastic bags.  If you offered them at cost it would encourage shoppers to buy and use them cutting down on plastic bags and bio bags.  See-through bags are best – to see items in fridge stored in them.  Please consider.
A: Thank you for the support and your ideas.  We do sell a couple of reusable produce bags in our housewares section and will look into a mesh “see-through” type.  Members have been expressing desire for plastic alternatives lately. -Kari, General Manager

Q: The shared seating in the dining room is cramped.  Suggest replacing round tables with long bench tables to have more room. 
A: We too have been thinking about changing the seating layout.  We are considering installing some bar seating to help open up the space, likely within the next fiscal year.  Thank you for your comment. -Mary, Facilities Manager

Q: Would it be possible to volunteer to give up 3% of the senior discount instead of the full 6%?
A: Thank you for the suggestion/question. Our system does not allow us to create additional discount schemes. We can reactivate the discount at any time if you do decide to give it up. Happy Thanksgiving. -Kari, General Manager

Q: Get phone service in store – AT&T.
A: Thanks.  Verizon service seems to work well but AT&T struggles in this building.  We are considering adding a signal booster in 2018.  Unfortunately they are fairly expensive and there is some challenge to installation.  We will put this on the front burner after the holidays. -Kari, General Manager