A note from our Chairman: “As you know we exceeded our fundraising target and raised $53,000. After paying off our debts of $35,000 and the Pozible fees of $3,000, we had a $15,000 cash surplus. But the hard work is not over yet, and sales still need to improve to ensure a thriving Co-Op.
It’s been 6 weeks since the new board formed. Along with new marketing and events plans to drive sales, one of our first actions was to shorten hours to reduce costs, however the Co-Op’s finances remain balanced on a knife’s edge. The weekly sales figures have improved (thank you for your increased shopping!), but we are still far from having a healthy balance sheet.
This is where you come in: the Co-Op needs you to shop with us as your first grocery option. Currently only 41 of our 772 members spend $50 or more per week at the Co-Op. If this increased to 100 members our financial troubles would be over, and we could think about expanding hours, increasing discounts, or reducing prices. I’d love to hear what would make it easier for you to buy more of your groceries at the Co-Op.”
As a member you already get 10% off your shop, but how great would it be to get an additional 10%? All you need to do is average $50 spend per week from now (week of October 9) until December 10 and your account will be credited with a special 20% discount for one unlimited shop (and we will do the same in 2018 on a quarterly basis starting in January). Additionally, every week we will randomly pick a member who spent more than $50 the week before and that member will get a whopping 40% off for the following week (limited to a $250 shop).
Take advantage of these rewards* and make the Co-op your number 1 destination for your weekly shop. The Co-op can only survive if we get more of our members to average $50 or more each week. We understand that everyone has their shopping preferences and this might not be possible for you. In any case, we are keen to hear from you, so please share your thoughts with our Chairman Tyler anytime via chairperson[at]manlyfoodcoop.org
*Board members and employees are excluded, so you have a good chance 🙂.
If, on the other hand, sales remain stagnant into next year, we will likely have to reduce paid staff hours and rely on volunteer hours and reduced opening to run the shop which we don’t want to do. So, please make the Co-op your first choice!