Write Us!
We welcome your comments and give each one attention and serious consideration. Send them to customer.comments@willystreet.coop or fill out a Customer Comment form in the Owner Resources area. Each month a small selection is printed in the Reader; publication does not necessarily indicate an endorsement of views stated in a customer’s original comment. Many more comments can be found in the commons or in the binder near Customer Service. Thank you!
More protein
Q: I came here busy and hungry hoping to find some protein on the hot bar. There was only chicken nuggets and 4 carb options and spicy collards. I thought I’ll just get chicken salad. NOPE so no protein for me. Bar looked sad and empty, despicable. You can do better. I’m leaving with a pitiful tuna burger and am pretty disappointed in MY Co-op. Let’s raise the bar!!
A: Thank you so much for taking the time to fill out a customer comment form. I am sorry you had a disappointing trip to our Deli. We, of course, try to offer a wide variety of as many of our products as we can at all times, but it does sound like we fell a little short of that goal on that evening. I will check in with the clerks and cooks to make sure we are being diligent about restocking the shelves as they sell down. I will also reevaluate our purchasing to be sure we have enough on hand to get from one delivery to the next.
Thank you again for writing in! I really appreciate the feedback! Gratefully, Bob Smith, Deli Manager—East
Oatmeal
Q: Your east side location said they are no longer offering oatmeal in the hot bar. This makes me sad because this was pretty much the only affordable option in it for breakfast. I even brought my own blueberries from home to add to it today.
I hope one day you can bring it back, because now I’m really not able to financially justify coming to the hot bar if I’d otherwise need to.
A: Thank you for writing in. We brought back the oatmeal after having a few requests for its return. Unfortunately, after looking at sales from the last eight months, we just aren’t selling enough to justify us keeping it on the Hot Bar.
I know it’s not exactly the same thing but we have added two new delicious overnight oats options to our cold Grab & Go case. We have Dark Chocolate & Raspberry with Chia Seed as well as PB&J with Flax Seed. Thank you again for taking the time to write in. I am sorry for the sad news about the oatmeal. Gratefully, Bob Smith, Deli Manager—East
Octopus
Q: I know that other consumers will want to weigh in on it, but it bothers me that you sell octopus for meat consumption. This will participate in the increasing push for octopus farming that producers are pressing. Octopus’s are highly intelligent animals, known to need creative environments and to be ingenious and playful. They are not suited to being farmed or farming environments.
A: Thank you for your recent communication regarding octopus sold at the co-op. I did not have previous knowledge about efforts to farm-raise octopus, so I was glad to gain some knowledge after looking into it! It appears the research on farming octopus from a company in Spain is still ongoing, and this product is not available for purchase and hasn’t been approved by Spain’s government. We use the Marine Stewardship Council to guide us on sustainability and farming practices of the seafood products we sell, as do our suppliers. The Co-op only carries wild-caught octopus, and will continue to do so. Thanks again for reaching out and I hope you have a great day! -Nick Heitman, Category Manager: Meat, Seafood, Beer, Wine & Spirits
Thanks for the product
Q: You added Hain safflower mayonnaise after I put in a product recommendation. Thank you! But, it’s 2x the price of other mayo? Can you get a better price? I can’t buy it :((
A: Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback regarding the Hain Safflower Mayo offered at our location. We also appreciate your recommendation for getting this back at West.
My apologies that the price has gone up substantially over the years. Unfortunately, the egg price surge that happened last year, rippled into a lot of other products that eggs are used in. Clearly, Mayo was one of the most affected categories that saw a substantial increase in price. With that being said, all Mayo has become relatively expensive with this variety being no exception.
We are always on the lookout for the best pricing that’s available. We also update our prices as soon as the cost changes. At this time, the vendor that we’re currently ordering these from has the lowest cost that we can find. We will keep an eye on pricing and if we can find a lower price, we will definitely let you know. Thanks! -Dave Andrews
Grocery Manager—West
What’s your name?
Q: I’m finding the “what’s your name” a bit sully and tiresome! I never mind being asked my name, but this reversal bugs me. is it required?
A: Thanks for taking the time to write in about your experience and thoughts with how we verify Ownership at our registers.
We started this process about 6 months ago to bring inclusion into this portion of our business. Currently and for the foreseeable future, yes it is a required question from our cashiers. Based on feedback we did re-evaluate our process with a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens and determined that many Owner names were being mispronounced. We wanted to remedy that for our Owners as well as for our staff to not be put on the spot to accidentally mispronounce and/or identify our Owners. I am sorry this process has become tiresome from your perspective and will be taken into consideration, but for now we want to honor this newer process as to be inclusive for all.
One suggestion to aid in this process would be to request an Ownership Card from our customer service desk, which would contain your name as well as your Owner number. This way, the cashier could verify your name right on the card and no verbal request on your behalf would be needed.
From the February Reader:
“HEADS UP: NEW REGISTER PROCEDURE STARTING FEBRUARY 1ST As Anya mentioned in her General Manager’s Report, you will be seeing an updated procedure as to how you will be asked about your ownership at our registers and Customer Service desks. You will be asked for your Owner number and then for the name on the account, which you will verbalize, not the staff member. For those who have been Owners for many years or decades this may feel different, but after evaluation of our current procedures, we want to bring a more inclusive operational policy that makes everyone feel welcome. In this way, you will be in control of how your name is pronounced, not our staff. It is one more step to help verify we have the correct account. We hope this new procedure will alleviate the times that you have come into our stores and we have mispronounced your name. Thank you for your willingness to try out this new method and we look forward to bringing a welcoming checkout experience for all.”
In cooperation, Kristina Kuhaupt, Customer Experience Manager
Online parking only
Q: Would you be willing to do an analysis of your online order parking only to see if you really need 2 spots?
A: I received your comment about doing an analysis of the two online order parking spots. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. After careful review, we recognize that we don’t need two parking spots designated only for E-commerce. The signs are now removed and the spots are available for normal parking.
Have a great day! -Frantseska Kois, Store Director—West
Sassy Cow
Q: Sassy Cow Organic Skim milk- gallon size. I haven’t seen it in the store for a long time. Is it no longer available?
A: Thanks for reaching out with your question regarding Sassy Cow’s Skim Milk availability. Unfortunately, they decided to stop manufacturing this several months ago. The reason for this change was due to the higher demand of their other varieties, and the need to put more focus on those products.
We asked that they update us if this variety is ever available again. I’ll be sure to follow up with you if this happens. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks! -Dave Andrews, Grocery Manager— West
Favorite co-op
Q: This is my favorite Co-op in the world! I always come here when visiting family and look forward to it. Thanks for all your efforts to support healthy eating!
A: Aw, thanks for saying! I love our Co-op too! Thanks for sharing the love and have a beautiful day, Amanda Ikens, Owner Resources Coordinator
North Rewards flyer
Q: Hello, I subscribed to the Willy North owner rewards over a week ago but did not receive an email, can you check the subscription. I requested the Willy North owner rewards.
A: Thank you for reaching out about the Willy North sales flyer! I also apologize for the delayed response to your inquiry, I wanted to make sure I had the correct information before responding. We have recently discontinued making and sending out the Willy North sales flyer. Because we’ve been working on more continuity in product offerings at our three stores, the number of North-only sales have decreased over time. We will continue to have some items on sale only at Willy North, but we are no longer making a sales flyer for these few items. I hope this answers your question. Have a great day! Rosalyn Murphy, Owner Records Administrator
After our friends at Equal Exchange read the customer comment suggesting that Willy East customer service use a banana phone, they sent one!
