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.
Combustiblegirl2 – great post!
“She said all adult members of the household would have to work there”
Now I’m going to invoke Godwin’s Law!!!!
Really??? So they get twice as much labor for a married member as a single one??
That sounds fair, northsloperenter. Clearly the co-op is not for you.
Personally I don’t agree that there are plenty of places to buy fruits and vegetables in the immediate area, thus my reason for wanting to join. Not quality ones, anyway. And certainly not organic ones.
The options in the North Slope for produce is despicable, in my opinion. I try to get as much as I can at the Greenmarket at Grand Army Plaza, but barring paying huge prices at Union Market, I’d say the selection of good groceries in the neighborhood is downright poor.
When we moved to park slope, my wife was interested in the co-op. I said ‘fine, whatever you like’. She said she would have to work there some times. I said ‘sure, if you want’.
She said all adult members of the household would have to work there, I said ‘no way in hell’.
I could understand this more in an isolated neighborhood, but there are plenty of places to buy fruits and vegetables in the north slope, and in a household that includes two working adults who work outside the neighborhood (and thus eat outside the neighborhood 10-20 meals a week), I cannot see any reason other than personal satisfaction (which I clearly would not get) for joining a co op.
I mean, to each their own of course, and the co op certainly doesn’t lack for members, but I have better things to do with my time than work in a grocery store.
Won ton- Also reasons why Costco and big box food stores don’t make sense for singles too (but I confess to buying at Costco and sharing with friends because the food is great). Still, even just shopping at Foodtown, my fridge is often a morgue for lettuce and milk.
by the way, i hope my wife isn’t reading my defense of the co-op in this thread, as she has been trying to get me to join for over a year!
also benson, to use your example of a person who makes $200k/year, assuming they work 2000 hours/year (around 40 hrs/week), that translates to an hourly wage of $100/hour.
what these calculations don’t take into account, of course, is the value of leisure time, which is one reason i’m not a member (every hour of free time is precious to me!).
Z;
Correct you are! My mistake.
dave: i don’t have hard evidence as i am not a member of the co-op. i have heard anecdotal evidence of savings between 10% and 50% on various types of items. i picked a number in the middle of the range that would allow for an easy calculation. even if you cut the savings assumption in half, though (to a mere 14%), you still get an after-tax hourly rate of $75/hr, which for a lot of people is a good wage (even in park slope).
benson: check your math. the assumed tax rate is 33%, not 50% (i.e., $150 minus $100 = $50, divided by $150 = 33%).