Fort Greene Co-Op Chooses Toiling
Despite the low-pitched groan that emanates from the Park Slope Food Co-op due to compulsory work slots, the impending Fort Greene co-op has chosen to follow Park Slope’s model. The Brooklyn Paper reports that every member of the Greene Hill Co-op will work a shift in exchange for discounted organic groceries, though they’re in favor…
Despite the low-pitched groan that emanates from the Park Slope Food Co-op due to compulsory work slots, the impending Fort Greene co-op has chosen to follow Park Slope’s model. The Brooklyn Paper reports that every member of the Greene Hill Co-op will work a shift in exchange for discounted organic groceries, though they’re in favor of a less strict policy than Park Slope’s, which has members work two shifts if they miss one. Can’t have community unless all folks participate, they decided. Now they just need to find a space.
Workers of the Co-op Unite [Brooklyn Paper]
PSFC Produce. Photo by bluesage.
East River;
You raise a good question, and I think I need to take my point a step further, after seeing 11225’s post.
I myself am involved in several activities, for which I am not paid. One of these activities is a charitable/fraternal organization. When I work for this organization, I do not look at the time I contribute in terms of its economic worth. I am dedicated to our charitable goals, and am happy to contribute my time. Moreover, in addition to the larger goal of the charity, there are social benefits to me (it is a fraternal organization), which I value.
What I don’t get about the COOP is this larger goal. Where is the “greater good” in organizing a COOP for the basic economic function of procuring one’s food? I don’t see it. To me, it just comes down to a way of organizing the economics of procuring food, and, as I’ve tried to show above, I don’t think it does a very good job of it, when one calculates all the free labor they receive.
It seems to me to be misplaced idealism. Procuring food is near the bottom of the economic ladder in an advanced society like ours, and in an affluent area, consumes a few percent of the average family budget. Why are folks contributing free labor to taking the profit out of this small part of the economic ladder? I don’t understand it. It would seem to be that this volunteer labor could be directed towards much loftier goals.
That’s just my opinion. However, the idea of the COOP doesn’t bother me. I believe in liberty, and if folks think its is worthwhile, well, it’s worthwhile.
Now that we’re heard from Sper & 11225, I can switch hats; see what I mean about being deadly serious?
Firstly, in the 7 years I’ve been a member, with the exception of checkout there’s almost always too many people for each shift. I’ve hardly ever seen a checkout stand un(wo)manned. So checkout cannot be speeded up unless there are more stations, not more workers.
And it’s a very rare day when “we just can’t keep things coming up from the basement fast enough.” Shoppers at the Co-op expect a certain level of uncertainity in the stock.
It’s not unusual for workers to wander around aimlessly and being told “go ask that squad leader (yes, indeed, that’s what the terminology is) what to do.” So yes, I fully believe it’s time to reduce the work-load. It would make us marginal types a lot happier.
They now have people wheeling carts home with you, no doubt a laudable service but it’s make-work. And “diversity committees” to ensure that we don’t treat minorities badly (huh?) And a disciplinary committee (read the minutes for a good belly-laugh). It’s no wonder that there’s a satirical article on the Co-op every few months, many in the NY Times.
And as for the punitive 2-for-1 when you miss a shift, let’s just say it’s observed more in the omission than in the commission. As it should be.
Heather,
You really need to start taking some medication. I really don’t care what your position on the matter is let alone whether or not you feel threatened by anything. If you don’t want to be a member, then don’t be!
I couldn’t help but laugh at your bizarre characterization of me that I have some infatuation with novelty. Seriously, where do you come up with this stuff? For the record, I’ve been going to the co-op since the 1980s when I was a kid. It was little more than a speakeasy then and I would just go with my mom.
Hi, I’m a staff person (yes, a paid staff person) at the PSFC. When the Coop was started by a handful of folks back in 1973, Park Slope was not an affluent neighborhood. Since 1973, dedicated members have worked hard to build the Coop from the single room it once was (up a flight of stairs, open only one evening a week, produce pickup only) into the multi-building store that it is now (open 7 days a week, 6 of those days open at least 14 hours).
Because our membership has grown to almost 14,000 members – our members and staff rotate our *entire* inventory once every 5.5 days! (Lots of items don’t stick around that long, and produce comes in every day.) Of course that means that our food doesn’t sit around at all so it’s fresher, but also that means that all of those 14,000 members are helping to try to keep the shelves stocked. But it’s not easy – if you’ve ever spent any time during a busy shopping hour in the Coop, you’ll witness how we just can’t keep things coming up from the basement fast enough. It takes a LOT of members to keep all that food stocked. If you walk by the coop (or walk into it) at a not-busy time, sure you might see a much more laid-back environment. However, I assure you that the workslots that we have are not a “joke”. Some people take their jobs seriously (as in life, perhaps) and some don’t. Some people are members of the Coop simply because they want to shop for cheaper prices, while others join for that and also to be a part of something cooperative, as an alternative to for-profit business.
I’m not going to get into the discussion about what people’s work-slot time is worth based on whatever they make in their paid-job, because that’s seriously missing the point. If you’ve ever been involved in a project with others, or volunteered at an organization that you cared about, you may have come to understand that WORKING together is what levels the playing field so-to-speak. When people work together, interact with each other toward a common goal or to complete a project, you not only complete whatever the job was, but you get a sense of bonding over having a personal investment by working on it together. We have such a diverse membership and each member decides what the value is in staying a member. Whether it’s worth it to them is their decision. I personally value working in an environment where people from all over NYC want to come together and have this Coop in common.
Whatever reasons people join the PSFC, I’m constantly amazed by our membership. You can see by the posts here that people have passionate opinions about the Coop, the idea of working together to run a business so it’s members can benefit together. And we’ve been doing so for 35 years!
I commend the Fort Greene Coop folks for their decision-making process, and think that there has been growing interest in forming food coops in the 5-boroughs because people want to work together to gain more ownership over where their food comes from, stay connected to the farmers that are growing it, and pass the savings on to their membership.
benson-I do believe that and I believe it about a lot of things. But that’s how I choose to think and live my life – doesn’t mean I think it works for everyone. And I’m not judging anyone. Probably explains why I’m not rich too.
What I’m wondering is why you seem so adamant that coop members examine (or re-examine) why they’re members? You said you have an issue with the coop from an economic standpoint, which you explained, but you also seem skeptical of their commitment and what they feel they get out of it. If it’s not for you, that’s fine. But why question those who say it works for them? Not trying to get a rise out of you. Just feel like I’m missing something in your argument.
I like co-ops. I even like member-only co-ops. I grew up with the one in Powelton Village and the one on Baltimore Avenue. Hell, I started doing our family’s work shift at age fourteen or so. (There was only the one work shift, one per family.)
I do however not like thinking about my shopping enough to stand in line for an hour to get it. Nor would I like driving to get it, even if I knew how to drive. Nor would I like schelpping it all home in a cart with a toddler because I don’t know how to drive. I’m preparing myself to deal with the occasional excursion to Trader Joe’s… but that is as far as I’m willing to go.
So, no, Polemicist, I am not threatened by your love of the unique and special that you seem to think was just invented, but for those of us who eat out when we want something special and eat pretty simply the rest of the time, in a land where both FreshDirect and Urban Organic deliver… I think the co-op’s a bit unnecessary.
If I lived in East New York where there is no Fresh Direct, I would feel differently. A co-op there sounds great. One in Bed Stuy would also rock.
By the way, I think Urban Organic is a pretty underappreciated resource. $35 gets us a box of fruits and veggies each week. Sure, some of them come from Chile, which I realize is politically incorrect (unless you need a cheap bottle of wine), but I am happy to be doing my part to promote the global economy.
Or — whatever. I just like to not spend a lot of time and effort shopping for food. How can you all complain about the work and not complain about the four hours you spend each month standing in line for it?
East River;
I can respect what you are saying, if that is what you believe. If one you believe that there is real non-monetary value in belonging to the COOP, well great for you. Please see what I wrote above: “Live and let live”. My issue with the COOP is strictly from an economic point-of-view.
CMU;
Now you are finally framing the issue in a realistic way. There is no general answer to this question, as it depends upon each person’s marginal earning capability. Some people (such as lawyers) surely can work an extra 2.75 (or 2.5 hours, whichever it is) a month at their specialized profession, and make lots more money than the cost savings they will realize at the COOP. Others will not. I believe that what can be said safely is that the higher one’s marginal earning capability, the less economical the COOP becomes.
I can see from these posts that some folks have a real attachment to the COOP. Once again, great for them. All I’m suggesting is that folks carefully examine what they are really getting out of the deal.
dave:
It’s a tough call, but they’ll never rent, that’s for sure. I think the goal now is to support as many new co-ops as possible so that perhaps someday – no one will have to leave their neighborhood to shop at a co-op.
I’m actually surprised this isn’t happening in Bed Stuy given the income demographics,housing stock, and conspicuous lack of a grocery store are a lot like Park Slope was in the 1970s.
Maybe an industrial building along Atlantic Avenue?
I’m a long-term coop member (my member ID number is only 4 digits) and I strongly oppose reducing the work requirement until every check-out station is fully staffed at all times! Ditto for the two for one make-up rule. People have been bitching about the work requirement since forever, but forget that a growing membership means a growing need for member labor (because more sales = mor work to do), aas well as an opportunity to be creative with member labor. For example, the cart walking service didn’t exist five years ago and now is available most of the time — a result of the creative allocation of member labor.
Most of the complaints about member labor being a waste (ie “there’s nothing to do on my shift”) are a result of allocation problems. Also, there will always be a need for redundancy in member labor — it’s inherently less reliable than paid labor.
I disagree that member labor doesn’t promote a sense of ownership and community. Many members become friends with others on their shift and come to a sense of ownership of the coop through the experience of running it, even for that brief and relatively infrequent 2.5 hrs/month.