Have a comment or request you’d like to share? We would love to hear from you!
Toxic Receipts
I was wondering if the receipt paper that you use contains BPA or BSP? Both are quite toxic. I decline receipts when I go through the line. But I’m concerned for your employees and customers that handle the paper in the event this is toxic. It’s fairly common knowledge and perhaps you are aware of this.
Thank you for reaching out with your concern about our receipt paper. I want to let you know that all of our receipt paper is indeed BPA- and BPS-free. Thank you again for reaching out, and have a great day! -Jonathan Hopp, Willy West Front End Manager
Bulk Dispensers
The current bulk laundry detergent system at East does not work well. The former system, with a valve to open at the bottom, filled my container quickly and neatly. The current system, with a pump at the top, is slow and messy. I gave up after a few ounces, when I planned to fill a 100 oz bottle.
You may have already seen but we have the old jugs back There was just a temporary change from the distributor. We also have a new fixture for the area that allows us to have more space for larger containers to be filled. Thank you, Jason Zabinski, Willy East Grocery Manager
Sushi Options
Could we please have more sushi options that don’t have mayonnaise and breadcrumbs all over them?
Thank you for your recent customer comment regarding sushi selections available at the co-op. I spoke with Joe, who operates the sushi program at each of our stores and he gave me the following information: “Yes, we only use spicy items with mayonnaise. There are so many items without mayonnaise and bread crumbs. All the veggie rolls, avocado rolls, real crab California rolls, shrimp California rolls, salmon avocado rolls, tuna avocado rolls, smoked salmon Philadelphia rolls, raw fish hosomaki rolls, and assorted nigiri. Customers may also request any sushi order from the chef in store. Request order window is open until 2:00 pm. Customers may also call ahead and pick up any time.” I hope this information helps, and have a great day! -Nick Heitman Meat, Seafood, Beer, Wine & Spirits Category Manager
Kudos to Willy West
I just joined the co-op today and visited the Middleton location. The staff was unbelievably helpful and gave me help even when I didn’t ask. Maybe they thought I looked lost, which I was. Anyway, really happy that I joined. Great people. PS – Amanda Ikens rocks!
Thank you so much for reaching out and sharing your positive experience with us! We’re thrilled to hear that your first visit to the Middleton location was a pleasant one and that our staff went above and beyond to assist you, even without you asking. We take great pride in providing exceptional service and creating a welcoming environment for all our customers, and your feedback reaffirms that we’re on the right track. It’s wonderful to know that you’re happy to be a part of our co-op community. And a special shoutout to Amanda Ikens! We’re so glad to hear that she made a lasting impression on you. We’ll be sure to pass on your kind words to her! Once again, welcome to the co-op, and thank you for choosing us as your partner on this journey! Warm regards, Frantseska Kois, Willy West Store Director
Tiny Carts
We would like tiny carts at the downtown location, just like the north side Co-op. Please. I love tiny carts!
Thanks for taking the time to write about this! I remember the tiny carts with some fondness as well. I remember that it could be quite charming to see some well-behaved children shopping with their families in what we referred to as the little helper’s carts. However, I do also recall that it created some other concerns as well. Ease of use in our small store was among the top concerns we have heard from staff and shoppers over the years.
When the little helper carts went away in 2020, it was largely because of the pandemic and some efforts to create a more safe environment, based on what we knew about the virus at that time. Since then, we sent the carts away to other bigger sites to use and we have found that the space we had used to store those carts is now being better used to be able to merchandise products for sale. We are very proud of all that we are able to accomplish out of our small retail store but at this time we are not interested in bringing back the little helper’s carts as a service.
That said, we still love to see families coming in to shop with little ones and teaching them about the values of ethical food choices and participating in the local economy. Next time you’re at our store, I hope you’ll stop at Customer Service and ask for some kids activities. We have coloring books and crayons available for your family to use while you’re shopping. Thanks for your support, Katherine Kornely, Willy East Assistant Store Director
Nutrition Consultations
In the past the Co-op has offered individual nutrition consultations for a charge. Does the Co-op still offer this? Any information regarding this would be appreciated. Your staff are very helpful and knowledgeable, so no worries if the individual nutrition consultations are something the Co-op does not currently offer.
We do offer 45-minute individual nutrition consultations! Here is the information: An individual nutrition consultation is your opportunity to learn how the correct food choices for your body can enhance your well-being. A one-on-one session with Katy Wallace of Human Nature includes a 45-minute consultation regarding your health goals, as well as lifestyle and food choice suggestions geared toward addressing health goals and developing sustainable change. Appointments are confirmed upon payment. Payment is due at the time of scheduling; otherwise, the appointment will be released to other interested parties. Payment is non-refundable and non-transferable unless notice of cancellation or rescheduling is provided seven (7) or more days prior. To register for the next available opening, email info@humannaturellc.com or call 608-301-9961. Best, Liz Hawley, Education and Outreach Coordinator
Unavailable Bulk items
One of the reasons I have shopped at the Co-op has been the availability of bulk items. However, the ever decreasing presence of the things I have bought over the years- white mushrooms, wheat germ, arrowroot powder (for example) has made me question the Co-ops policies of providing things requiring less packaging as well as a better financial cost.
Thank you for your comments!! Many people
appreciate the fact that we still carry products in bulk. They are often cheaper in price and they have less packaging. Bulk sales have steadily declined at Willy Street over the years, and our selection has decreased as a result. Recently we also made some changes to the Willy Pack program and had to reduce our repack offerings. Our Kitchen just does not have the space to accommodate packing these items for the stores. I am sorry to hear we have disappointed you and are no longer carrying some of the items you formerly bought in Bulk. I know others have commented on missing Bulk products as well. We have been doing our best to refine our selection based on what people have been buying.I appreciate you sharing your feedback with us!! Have an awesome week!! Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
Store Hours
Hello all you beautiful humans. Please consider shorter hours. Even closing on some of the holidays. The community can handle it. It would be fabulous for the spirit of your teams. Peace.
I discuss our hours of operation with the store directors regularly. We evaluate sales as well as seasonality to help determine store hours and hours on open holidays. Additionally, open holidays have been negotiated with the union, and these days are paid at time and half; changing this would need to be (re)negotiated. Thanks for your comment. Best, Anya Firszt, General Manager
Electronic Receipts
In the last three weeks, my electronic receipts all of a sudden stopped coming. I have notified the Northside and Westside stores about this issue. I am under the impression this issue appears to affect members with a gmail account. I use an iCloud account and am still waiting to find out whether this issue is fixable in the near term. Would you please give me an interim update? In the meantime, I wonder if it was worth a trial of using a different email account such as a Yahoo email account.
Thank you for reaching out with your question! You are correct we have been having some issues with emailed receipts and it has mostly been affecting Gmail users. That said, in your situation we were able to determine that our emails are being sent to you, but you are also being spammed by someone who is using our email address, noreply@willystreet.coop. Because of this, your email address is marking all of these emails as spam. The options you have are to give your email address permission to let these emails through to your inbox (which will also result in the real spam ones coming to your inbox as well) or we could try replacing the email address on your account with a different one to see if that makes a difference. I hope this is helpful and I’m sorry for the inconvenience. Have a great day! -Rosalyn Murphy, Owner Records Administrator
