emma42

Hi,

I am switching my diet to as much as possible organic too--have been already buying organic dairy and eggs, but now am interested in expanding. I've moved so it's limited in terms of places I can buy organic at. In the next town there's a Trader Joe's and I've been able to get organic items at regular supermarkets but the selection is still kinda slim. The nearest Whole Foods is over an hour away.

Last night there was a commercial for a Co-op in a town about 30 minutes drive. It caught my eye and I went online to check it out--its site says it carries organic produce/meats and natural foods from local farmers. It also says anyone can shop there. It looks like a small grocery store vs. a farmer's market atmosphere.

So I just have a couple questions--does anyone know about shopping at co-ops? Is it cheaper or as expensive as a Whole Foods? Also, I thought co-ops had members--does that mean I can shop there but I'd get a discount as a member? I'd just like to know before I go there.

I'd read not on that site but on another that co-ops sometimes asks its members to volunteer to run the store--does that sound the norm?

Thanks.

purplerose

I shop at two different co-ops. I'm a member of both--they welcome everybody but you get a discount if you're a member. At one of the ones I shop at, the membership card is $10/year and you get a 15% discount on anything in their store, plus 10% off anything in the other local health food store except fresh produce. At the other, the membership is $10/year and you get 15-25% off anything in the store. (One of the ones I'm a member of also gives a discount to members of any other co-op, but I prefer to support both.) The great thing about all of them is that they have a lot of stuff in bulk and you just scoop out what you need, so that's typically cheaper than a grocery store because you don't pay for all the excess packaging. I like co-ops because they tend to have lots of things that are vegetarian/vegan, as well as organic stuff, herbal and homeopathic medicines.

We don't have a Whole Foods here so I don't really have a comparison to their prices. But you could go compare prices and also see how much you might buy there if you got a membership. At both of the ones I shop at, the membership expires in December but they gave me a discount on the price of the card since I didn't buy it in January.

The ones I shop at don't ask members to help run the store, they are just locally owned and the membership costs help to keep the store running. I think some may be volunteer-run though.

Here are the links to the two I shop at to give you some idea of what they're like. The first one is more like a typical co-op, the second is a locally owned natural food store/cafe.
http://www.eatsnaturalfoods.com/
www.harvestmoonfoodstore.com/