Things have changed a lot at the co-ops. The membership fee varies from about $75 - $150 for your stock purchase depending on the store and usually arrangements can be made for paying off that fee. I even know people who have left town and gotten their original stock purchase back). There are almost no worker/volunteer hours except and still at North Country Co-op - where they do still cut cheese and help bag up things. The costs and efficiences along with increased health regulations have changed the whole working membership program - although people do serve on the Board of Directors and special projects and activities and they often qualify for some type of discount. Most of the stores now give a quarterly membership discount and every year for quite a while I have gotten my partronage refund check in October at the Annual Meeting based on my purchases from the co-op. There are other membership features and just last week I received my first ever coupon book on over 50 items available at the co-op. A coupon book - how far we have come from the co-ops of the 70's. And the new co-ops have raised quite a bit of their capital by loans and additional stock purchases (Class C type) to help leverage the rest of the money for the projects. Co-ops are common throughout the Midwest and have been for over a hundred years. And they are still democratic - one member, one vote. And check out the new bakery expansion on the Wedge - and yes, those are solar panels on the south end of the building and yes, they do work. Alternative community economics - try it - we all might like it! Annie Young Phillips
At 09:22 AM 10/4/01 -0500, N.S. Gill wrote: >While I enjoy shopping at the Wedge, the last time I worked in a Co-op was >probably North Country in 1971. If a modest annual fee were all that would >be required for a downtown co-op, I would be all for it, but I'm afraid the >fee would be high and on-site work might be required. > >I, too, have wondered why the SuperValu by Surdyk's isn't better. I usually >walk to Lund's on Lake Street for groceries once a week. Lund's smells >better, has a better selection, better prices on what I buy, and a better >feel. > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Many Crows" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "Mpls Issues" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2001 8:22 PM >Subject: [Mpls] NE Cooperative > > >> There was an inquiry about the North East Cooperative opening next >> spring. I thought I would pass the website along to the list if anyone >> else was interested. For those who were thinking of starting a downtown >> coop you could look at what they're doing and call them for advice. What >> do people on the list think of a coop downtown? >> >> http://tcfreenet.org/org/efc >> >> Robert Yorga >> new3 >> >> _______________________________________ >> Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy >> Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: >> http://e-democracy.org/mpls >> > >_______________________________________ >Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy >Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: >http://e-democracy.org/mpls > _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
