November GM Report

by Kenna S. Eaton, General Manager of The Food Co-op

Each month, I report to the board on what is happening in the store as well as our progress on our long-term goals, which we call our Ends. These Ends reflect our aspirations—what we want to accomplish—and they are part of what makes us different from a regular grocery store. We publish these reports as a blog to keep our member-owners up to date on what we are doing.

Our Ends

The general manager strives to provide these benefits to our member-owners and community while operating a strong grocery store:

• Strengthen and advocate for our local food system, with a vibrant culture of appreciation and support for local farms and producers.

• Treat people well, increasing equity and access by providing a safe, welcoming, and educational environment.

• Treat the planet well, by modeling environmental stewardship and regularly sharing our accomplishments and challenges with member-owners.

November Update on Store and Progress on Ends

Working Together to Nourish our Community

STORE UPDATE:

At the September Board of Directors meeting, a member spoke about the difficulty in accessing our mobility shopping cart. I asked Dave, Front End manager, and Estelle, Assistant Store Manager, to investigate the situation, and they proposed a solution to make the cart easier to use. By mid-October we were able to announce that customers no longer needed to ask for the key to the scooter but could instead just use it.

We are adding nine new Co-op Basics to our shelves—three bottled spices, four cookies, and two sizes of distilled white vinegar. Other areas of the store that will soon be refreshed and have some new items added are baking, aseptic milks, and canned tomatoes. In addition, we recently brought in several new Thousand Hills grass-fed beef prepackaged items to supplement our selection, including frozen organic ground beef. Several Thousand Hills items that we stock are Co-op Basics, but none of those are among the new items. 

ENDS UPDATE:

Local

• Local 5: Katfish salmon is back. We have cans of both Coho salmon and smoked Keta salmon. In the meat freezer, we also have Kat’s Coho salmon and Sablefish. (See more about Katfish at www.katfishsalmonco.com.)

  • Gray Fox Farm is also back in production. We have an assortment of Laurae’s jams, and new for this season are honey and herbed olive oil. (Check out her website at www.grayfoxfarmwa.com.)

  • We have local calendars available from Gathering Place and from Becky Stinnett of Port Angeles. 

  • Look for Tricks or Treats, two seasonal coffee blends from Over the Moon Coffee Roasters in Kingston. 

• Local WA: We added La Panzanella multigrain to our selection of mini crackers. And seasonally available Grace Harbor pumpkin spice eggnog, from Lynden, is a staff favorite. 

People

• Nine staff members, including managers, team leaders, and assistant team leaders, are in the process of training for a role we call PIC (Person in Charge). This role is part of their regular duties but requires deeper knowledge and skills. PICs are on call during their shift and help with keeping the store running smoothly.

• Two staff are retiring this month: Marcia, Store Manager, and Layne, Lead Receiver. We thank both of them for their many years of service and wish both of them well—and we will greatly miss them both!

• The Employe Engagement Survey launched October 10th. We’re looking forward to staff feedback on our workplace. Results will be shared with staff in November, and workplans will be created to address those areas that need attention. And the results of our Member Satisfaction Survey are in, and we are busy digesting all that data as well. Highlights include 79% thought we meet their needs well or very well, and 68% say they are very likely to recommend our co-op to a friend or colleague. And as to feeling welcome, 75% feel welcome or very welcome, with 65% citing our staff as a large part of that sense of inclusion. We were very glad to read everyone’s feedback and will be using that as we plan for 2025 and beyond.

• Based on feedback from our staff Affinity group, we have had an initial meeting with local equity and inclusion expert Beau Ohlgren. HR is excited to put together some educational trainings for our staff in the future.

• The Workforce Engagement and Enrichment Committee sponsored a Halloween costume contest—but this time it was departments competing on participation instead of individual costumes. Ice cream fun ensued!

• And the marketing team put together a campaign for October highlighting “The Co-op Difference.” The materials—ads, in-store signage, and social media—showcased the many ways we are different, from reminding us that a co-op can’t profit from its members because they own it, to spotlighting local vendors, to focusing on how we give back to the community through our various funding programs.

Yours in community, Kenna