It’s that magical time again when we look back on the year that just ended, often in the form of top ten countdowns, and look ahead to the new year and how we want our lives to look at the end of it.
While some people are resolving to be brilliant, hot and/or rich in 2019, we know that the resolutions that succeed are ones that are measurable and attainable. Since I am also moderately lazy, my resolutions that succeed are the ones that require minimum effort. That’s where shopping your co-op comes in. That’s where you can work toward some of the most common new year’s resolutions in America including:
- Spending less money
A lot of people seem to think that a typical shopping trip at Good Foods requires a pile of money, but unless you’re buying for an entire sports team, that’s just not true. Our grocery department recently lowered prices on 858 of their packaged products. That’s almost half!
Our Co-op Basics program helps you save too. Co-ops across the country joined forces to negotiate prices on hundreds of our most common offerings like pasta, canned vegetables, laundry detergent, toilet paper, soup, soap, peanut butter and cereal. That means the things you use most cost less than the suggested retail price!
We have three types of deals that change every two weeks or less which you can see on our website and on flyers throughout the store. Owners get the deepest discounts and save 10% on their first shopping trip upon becoming an owner. Coming soon, owners also have a chance to earn points with each purchase that can be redeemed for discounts on future purchases.
2. Eating better
This can obviously mean a lot of things, but shopping your co-op can help no matter what your diet goals are. Do you want to try eating more plants? Check out our signs to see what’s local and what’s organic in our produce department. Our produce team members can even help you pick out things you might like.
Are you looking for products that are gluten-free/ low-sodium/ vegan/ non-GMO? Take a look at our Good Food Finder (to the left) and match the colors on the guide to the colors on the shelf tags. Do you have an in-depth question about something nutrition-related? Schedule an appointment with our Store Dietitian, Kathryn. Just email kathrynd@goodfoods.coop.
3. Wasting less
If things continue the way they are now, the world’s garbage problem, which is already being called a crisis by some activists, is expected to grow exponentially in the coming decades. The simplest thing you can do to help is to throw fewer things away.
You can get reusable shopping bags, produce bags, straws, sandwich bags, utensils, mugs, travel cups, lunchbox containers and more shopping your co-op. Owners even get a free reusable shopping bag when they sign up to be owners.
Using our bulk foods and body care products are good ways to cut back too. Just bring any container you want, have it weighed at our Hospitality Desk so you don’t pay for the container and fill it with the amount of product you want; no plastic necessary.
4. Trying something new
Generally, when people make this resolution it has an element of grandeur to it. They want to try a new lifestyle or job or way of looking at the world. While those are great and we support those choices, there are simple things to try that are still exciting — and shopping your Co-op can help.
If you want to try some remedies that are more natural than what you usually use (like our CBD products that are all 30% off all of January), our Wellness team can help you find what you’re looking for. If you want to try a persimmon or a drink of kombucha or a dairy-free cheese (or pretty much anything in the store), just ask a Co-op team member and we’ll do our best to make it happen. If you have something in mind that you’d like to try, but don’t see on our shelves, just fill out a suggestion card at the Hospitality Desk and we’ll see if we can bring it in for you.
5. Learning something
One of the driving principles of every co-op is education, information and training and we’re no exception. From our signage to our social media to our team trainings, we’re all about learning. One of the easiest ways for you to get in on this is through our Wednesday night classes that take place right in our Community Room. Are you an owner? You get a discount on tickets! In the next few weeks, you can learn about Laughter Yoga, CBD basics or how to be a successful writer. There’s even a class to learn more about shopping your co-op!
See? Resolutions don’t have to be hard. Tiny steps can lead to big results, and we hope we can be a part of your new year and new adventures. See you at the Co-op!
