Perhaps there is a way to structure we haven’t thought of yet. I know there’s been some trouble with the “working member programs” in coops who are open to the public. Some coops have chosen to discontinue the working member programs because of this (not sure what the issues are). VERY sad. The working members always made the coop truly a community effort!! The pride in ownership was always such a beautiful thing. Our pricing structure worked like this: working member 4 hrs a month, 19%off non sale items, 2 hrs mo 10% off non sale items, non-working members 2% off non-sale items, non-members sticker price. I wonder if going the other direction, adding a % to sticker price or having 2 prices on stickers would encourage people to become members. This could be a way for people to allow people more flexibility in their working hours; if one month some one cant work, a percentage would be added on to the working member price, there could even be a way to have tiers of work instead of all the same. It sounds like there is a lot of frustration around people “having to work” or else they can’t shop (is that the policy at PSFC?).

I wonder if we could do a viability study for how many working members a coop needs to have in order to keep prices low. Non members or lesser working members would pay that marked up price which would help pay for any hired help needed & also be an incentive to become a working member.

One last item. I do feel really strongly about making high quality, nutritious food, available to all people – NOT JUST THE ‘RICH’, EDUCATED FOLK – and reaching out, educating people, creating an inviting & exciting environment. I think we may just have an opportunity of a lifetime on our hands here….our area is on the brink of loosing its rich cultural diversity, perhaps we can help keep it a magical community!!!

Just tossing around some ideas. Hope it’s useful in the conversation.

We need a group email, specially for those who are active.

As far as having the means to contribute time to a cooperative you co-own: Since the PSFC is able to offer such low prices, it tends to be financially very worthwhile to commit a couple of hours a month in return for, at a minimum, inexpensive food. Hence, the large percentage of our membership who depend on government assistance (food stamps, etc.).

Part of the PSFC’s mission is to provide good food at low prices. If you don’t get everyone involved and working together, you’re not going to be able to accomplish such a goal.

A great way to entice membership and support is to actually be something involving, interesting and unique. If you just look like a store that has “co-op” in its name, where someone else runs the place, and where prices aren’t competitive…what will be the thing that keeps someone from simply going somewhere else?

And if “membership” just means paying an annual fee, where’s the connection and commitment? Why have the concept of membership at all, unless it will really mean something? Why form as a cooperative without planning on having everyone cooperate? Why not just call it a local food store at that point?

Just thoughts for consideration…

Note also that the PSFC is working with a few new and forming coops right now, and is also contributing our member labor to the two new local ones (East New York and South Bronx). I know there are/will be a ton of PSFC members who would love to help out.

I agree it would be great for the Fort Greene Co-op to be open to the general public! This would be a wonderful opportunity to show the community what it’s about and share resources.

Also -I’d be in favor of having working and non-working categories of membership – so that people who would like to be members but are unable to commit to regular shifts of work, could still join and benefit from a level of discount. Flexibility, I think, would be welcomed by the community