Willy West Parking lot
Can the Co-op and other tenants address traffic concerns in parking lot. Perhaps speed bumps, slow signs, “child, elder crossing” and better access in general? Too many accidents and near hits in general. Thanks!
Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention regarding traffic safety in our parking lot. We will be forwarding your suggestions regarding speed bumps, slow signs, and designated crossing areas for children and elders to the landlords. They are responsible for making decisions regarding improvements to the parking lot infrastructure.Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Best regards, Frantseska Kois, Willy West Store Director
Plastic Waste
One of the reasons I like willy st coop is because it helps with source reduction, plastic free living, reducing my exposure to microplastics and overall reducing my plastic waste footprint. However, the coop, like all stores, has a blind spot final frontier situation that remains unsolved: refrigerated and frozen foods. It seems that everything that is available is in single use plastic containers. I am not interested in buying fresh food and preparing it to be frozen. I would like to purchase food that is already frozen or refrigerated in more sustainable packaging. You are doing well with the sauerkraut and mayonnaise stuff that is in glass containers in the fridge over by the eggs. Yogurts, kefirs and fresh milks leave much to be desired. In the frozen and refrigerated sections (meats, pizzas, fruits and vegetables, breads, ice cream, etc), seems like everything is single use plastic, little of which is recyclable (or realistically going to be recycled).
• As consumers, how can we use our purchasing power to move toward zero waste if there are no zero waste options?
• Is there a way that willy st coop can acquire large amounts of fresh produce, freeze it in a returnable bulk containers locally and sell that stuff in your stores? With container deposit and return?
• Are there any refrigerated or frozen food brands that offer recyclable or compostable containers?
• Is there a way to have a bulk section for frozen goods, so that we could bring our own containers for frozen goods?
• Certain mason jars can be used for freezing goods. Is it possible for willy st coop to make sorbet locally and sell it frozen in mason jar containers?
• Am I the only one with this problem?
• Is there a concerted coop-wide effort being made to reduce plastic packaging? By shifting which items are sold in your store and how they are packaged?
Thanks for your questions! I worked with a few of our Category Managers to make sure I got the most informed responses to your questions.
I appreciate your interest in reducing single use plastics; this is a common concern from many of our shoppers and owners. It seems that you are particularly interested in frozen goods—it’s true there are certainly less options out there than in other categories.
We are unfortunately not able to provide bulk frozen goods, or prepare and package any plastic-free frozen goods at this time; there are a number of barriers and it is simply not cost-effective nor do we have the labor or capacity to support the types of programs suggested.
As an organization we are always considering ways to improve and to reduce our use of single use plastics. We recently had a workgroup evaluate how we’re using plastic in each of our departments and there is some positive work coming out of that effort. One notable change we’ve recently made at our East location is bringing back a fresh bakery case, which allows us to stop wrapping a considerable number of products in plastic (which was a shift we had to make during the height of the pandemic). We’ll continue to make changes where we are able to and will forever be on the hunt for more products that come in more sustainable and plastic-free packaging. If you come across anything specific that you don’t see in our stores we’d love to hear about it! I hope I was able to answer most if not all of your questions; please let me know if you have others! I’ll include some specific product suggestions here too: From our Grocery Category Manager Dean: White Mountain Foods organic Bulgarian yogurt comes in glass jars and is sold at all of our stores. We also have La Fermiere yogurt which comes in reusable terracotta and glass pots. We have several milks in cardboard containers and we carry Crystal Ball Farms whole milk half gallons in glass bottles at all of our stores. I believe the Clover Meadows drinkable yogurt we sell at East is still in glass bottles. From our Health & Wellness Category Manager Sara: The brands currently available to us (through direct vendors and/or distribution) do not offer pure cocoa butter in a glass jar. However, we do carry a wonderful moisturizer from Booda Butter, which is a blend of cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, and jojoba oil, and it comes in a metal tin (2.3 oz). If you’re interested in trying a blend of moisturizing ingredients, I would highly recommend giving Booda Butter a try! Thank you, Liz Muñoz, Director of Purchasing
Willy West hot bar
There were zero vegetable options on hot bar or ?. And corn is a grain not a veggie. Also no salad bar and to argument with. I think of the co-op as a health food store and in so many ways it is. I appreciate the wonderful produce selection and wide variety of healthful grocery items. The hot bar often surprises me. I need greens/veggies in my diet. Thanks.
Thank you for taking the time to write to us about your feedback on the Willy West Deli Hot Bar. We are sorry to hear that you did not find what you were looking for on the day that you stopped in. We have a mixture of steamed vegetables on our hot bar every day as a staple for those looking for fresh veggies. It looks like you stopped in on a Thursday, where we usually have Vegetable Fried Rice, as well as several other dishes that contain vegetables. If you are unable to find something that you are looking for while you’re shopping with us please don’t hesitate to stop by our Deli counter and ask one of our staff members! We’ll be happy to help as much as we can! Thank you, Renee Strobel, Willy West Deli Manager
Reader
I so enjoy receiving your Reader news. It’s full of great information, tips, even fun advertisements! It makes me feel proud to be a member every time I read it. I appreciate the articles, and found Mickey Ellenbecker’s recent article fascinating – Appreciating Migratory Workers in Wisconsin. She gave background of history and H-2a visa process that was so insightful, that I would wish for all Wisconsonites to read it!
Thank you for your kind words about our Reader. It’s so nice to hear that our writing and designing efforts resonate with the Willy Street Co-op community. And I agree–Micky’s September article was thoughtful and informative. I will be sure to pass your message on to her. Have a great day! -Caitlyn Tompkins, Content Specialist
bulk spices
I love WSC and shop there often. Yesterday I needed some unusual spices in small amounts and visited the bulk section. The choices were much reduced from earlier visits this year. And, as usual, one needs 3 hands to hold the paper funnel inside the tiny plastic bag while pouring my spices in the bag. ! Any chance I could bring my own sturdy plastic funnel? Or use a jar? More important – why the greatly reduced selection
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us, along with your question. You are always more than welcome to bring in your own container and funnel. Just make sure to use our scale in the bulk aisle to weigh your container so that the cashier knows the tare weight. Regarding our spice selection, in the last two years we actually haven’t made any cuts to what we are currently offering. That being said, the new space might make things look a little slimmer, but the amount of space is exactly the same as our previous setup. If there is a spice that you were unable to find that we once had, please let us know. I would be more than happy to look into bringing them in. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks! Dave Andrews, Willy West Grocery Manager
Store is cold
It is way too cold in the store for comfort when shopping. I feel like I need my winter coat and a pair of socks. I also get concerned about air conditioning as it relates to climate. Please consider adjusting temps even slightly. Thank you.
I’m sorry you have not been comfortable while shopping in our stores in the summer. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for us to balance staff and customer comfort and the ambient temperature/humidity level limitations of our refrigeration equipment. The temperature in the stores is set based on what our HVAC and refrigeration service technicians have suggested to help maintain optimal functioning of the refrigeration systems and to avoid costly and inconvenient equipment breakdowns. The technicians’ guidance is that refrigeration equipment operates best in conditions where the indoor ambient air temperature is around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity level is around 50%… or as close to that as possible. Even with the store inside temps being set where they are in the summer we still have problems when it is extremely hot and humid outside. High heat and humidity puts a lot of stress on the refrigeration systems and can cause them to run less efficiently or even quit working. This puts temperature critical products at risk of getting too warm, and can also cause significant inconveniences for customers when product that gets too warm needs to be discarded, or entire coolers or freezers need to be emptied for maintenance. I hope this information helps. -Jim Jirous, Facilities Director
