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On Sundays, Gothamist runs opinion pieces on issues relevant to life in New York. The views expressed below are solely those of the author.
Living, as I do, in what Craigslist deems "in or around Park Slope," it is taboo to insult the Park Slope Food Co-op. Even if you are not a member, you are supposed to understand that joining is both a good deal and—more importantly—a progressive act. I happen to believe it is neither, and have already made this semi-public by writing about it on my semi-read blog. If revealing this to a larger audience means I will be banished to, say, a townhouse in the West Village, so be it.
Some of my best friends shop at the Co-op. I don't blame them—one recently let me in as her guest, and the atmosphere was laid-back and social, the selection of imported beer impressive, and many of the members were good-looking in that shabby, recent-grad-living-in-Brooklyn way. A shabby recent-grad living in Brooklyn myself, I, too, considered joining upon moving to the area, having heard that it was the best way to get great produce at low prices. But as a non-member visiting on my own, I was not permitted to even look inside, so, not knowing what I was missing, I sought out greener (if less organic) pastures.
The Co-op presents itself as progressive in every possible sense. They sell organic food not because that's what Gwyneth's been eating these days, but because it's kind to farmers, the earth, or some combination. They only let members—who must pay a $25 fee—shop, but only because that's the best way to ensure that only those with progressive values bump into you in the cereal section.
The Co-op's mission statement includes the following: "We are committed to diversity and equality. We oppose discrimination in any form" That's comforting language for open-minded types, but think about this for a minute: it's a members-only supermarket. "We welcome all who respect these values," concludes the statement. Who needs a supermarket that concerns itself with the values of its customers? Why not just say, if you voted for Bush, oppose gay marriage, or are pro-life, go to Union Market, Whole Foods, or some other bastion of right-wing consumption. The Co-op's progressive mission depends upon its exclusivity—the purity of the shopping experience is that you will not once encounter a fellow shopper who does not believe in The Cause.
But the main problem with the Co-op's identity as a progressive entity lies not in its exclusivity but in its most basic claim to economic leftiness:
The Park Slope Food Coop is a member-owned and operated food store–an alternative to commercial profit-oriented business. As members, we contribute our labor: working together builds trust through cooperation and teamwork and enables us to keep prices as low as possible within the context of our values and principles. Only members may shop, and we share responsibilities and benefits equally. We strive to be a responsible and ethical employer and neighbor. We are a buying agent for our members and not a selling agent for any industry. We are a part of and support the cooperative movement.
In other words, everyone who shops at the Co-op also works there. Rather than having your groceries bagged by an impoverished, possibly illegal immigrant while you yap on your hands-free cellphone in one ear and blare your iPod in the other, you exchange a meaningful, not-for-profit exchange of money for food with someone you consider to be an equal. The caste system of service-sector vs. yuppie is thus eliminated. You can rest easy from now on.
Or can you? Until all of the United States—or, for that matter, all of Brooklyn—decides to follow the true path and embrace communism, certain people will need jobs at supermarkets while others will not. This need not mean a caste system, as often those working at such a job are teenagers who will move on to other things. By refusing to provide jobs to those who actually need them, reserving work instead for those well-off enough to be shopping for organic food in Park Slope in the first place, the Co-op is not fixing any of the admittedly legitimate social problems revealed by the breakdown of just who does end up working in upscale NYC markets.
Perhaps the Co-op believes it makes up for the injustice of not providing jobs to those who need them in other ways, such as by providing only the fairest of fair-trade products. Yet the problem remains of just why so many well-meaning, progressive New Yorkers feel the need to cut themselves off from the truly urban experience of going to the local deli or supermarket and interacting with whichever fellow shoppers and store workers happen to come their way, choosing instead not just to buy organic but to buy organic in an ideologically homogeneous environment.
—Phoebe Maltz recently returned to her native city after doing educational time in far-off Chicago. Though she grew up in Manhattan she has fully embraced her new life in Brooklyn.
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Seeing as you used the word "communism" with a small c, I don't know if you actually meant some form of capital-c "Communism." (A lot of people don't make the disinction and so I am going to assume you did. Because small-c communism is rampant throughout humanity and being angry with that is a hopeless cause.
The other kind, Communism, however, in conscious organization of people institutionalized. Some groups (Maoists, Stalinists, etc.) hijack it and do horrible things with it that don't really fit the original definitions. Same can be said for Capitalism and Merchantilism (but that was pretty much agreed to be bloody... got a well-deserved bad wrap, and then some people took this Capitalism name (which was supposed to include "stewardship of the earth") and wrapped it around good old merchantism. That's a different rant entirely.
And guess what: in your example, as you've described it, this Communism you're bitching about isn't denying people shit.
It's called free association and it is an attempt to scale up a form of equitable (not equal) sharing as a reward for participation in a way indepenent of the so-called free market.
As for the those others who do need viable options, the solution isn't to turn to what sounds like a fairly successful (if perhaps socially vapid, I've never been to this coop, I don't know, but it sounds like maybe you're peeved over something else really -- a hollow vibe) and lasting attempt at an alternative into a another exploitative commercial model that is myopically bent towards the short term in its view of success.
One of these models is innovative. One of these models is a throwback to feudalism. And at its face, its not so obvious which is which.
The solution is to provide more viable options. They needn't be communisum. Getting our capitalism streak back to its roots (Adam Smith was a lot more "granola" than people figure, most people haven't even read his shit) might help quite a bit.
The upward mobility from minimum wage bag-boy is not what you suggest it is, even if it is useful to some, and something others who are desperate enough are grateful for.
Well, the coop can be pretty annoying and inefficent at times. But, they do have good deals on good food. There aren't many other shopping options here, the Key Food is horrible. As long as you avoid the raw foodists, you should be fine.
The problem with the Coop is not "The Cause," as you suggest. While most members surely lean left of center, there is a diversity of opinion there and not everyone agrees with all of the Coop's decisions and policies, even if they do shop there regularly. (And the membership fee can be waived or structured differently for those who truly can not afford it.)
The biggest barrier to making the Coop truly great: their stubborn insistance of hanging on to the current work schedule: members must commit almost two hours and forty-five minutes every four weeks to get credit to shop for a month. But with thousands of members who typically want to work in the hours before or after 9-5 career schedules, finding an available work slot is nearly impossible.
As it no doubt has many more members than it had ten or twenty years ago, the Coop should change its work requirement to once every five or six weeks. It's just basic math: the more workers you have the less time it takes to do the work.
Coop members have not cut themselves off from the urban enviornment any more than the thousands of people who line up at the Whole Foods in Union Square or Columbus Circle. In fact, how does shopping at a national chain with identical corporate logos and displays connect one into the local urban experience better than shopping at a community-focused market?
As for the poor who could benefit from the jobs they might be able to get if only Park Slope yuppies didn't bag their own groceries, many of the Coop's members are of below-average incomes and benefit immensely already. The coop may not "provide jobs for people who need them," but they provide good food for people who otherwise might not be able to afford them. The prices there are oftentimes cheaper than in grocery stores, even for organic produce. If yuppies get a good deal, too, what's the harm?
""We welcome all who respect these values," concludes the statement. Who needs a supermarket that concerns itself with the values of its customers?"
The coop isn't a supermarket with customers. It's a cooperative with members. Its superficial resemblence to a grocery store might make its unusual rules seem offputting to someone unfamiliar with it, but membership is open, and it sounds like you were given an open invitation to learn more. It just seems like you want them to play by your rules. If you don't want to play by theirs, just don't join.
These public tirades make you come off like the shitty kid on the playground who gets upset because someone's different than you.
Your logic is liberal elite. We need to "preserve" supermarket jobs for the poor? Sorry, we need to lower prices of good food so that everyone can afford them. And that's what the CO-OP does. Rich people, poor people ALL have a job there and can afford organic, healthy options. Preserving shitty jobs so that only rich people can afford healthy food is ridiculous.
Everybody knows that the Co-Op is run by self righteous fascists who have more in common with Evangelicals than with Co-ops in other cities. Their insane work requirement and inflexible schedule leaves working people at the mercy of constant suspended memberships and endless makeups. Their membership reflects only a fraction of the neighborhood, thank god.
It seems pretty obvious that "members only" does not equal exclusive or discriminatory if anyone can join. You need to work there to shop there, and it's set up that way because otherwise the whole thing falls apart. And I've come to understand that the elaborate and sometimes bizarre rules exist because a few decades of experience have shown that this is how to keep things from falling apart.
I can't stand the co-op (and I live around the corner). I've been a member of really great co-ops elsewhere, but the attitude of the members running the introduction sessions I've gone to have just been unacceptable. They've screamed, whined and generally been unpleasant. I'm happy to pay more for service at Union Market.
your logic is wrong because you mis-read the purpose of the Coop.. Pay the $25 and get to work you may just like it.
this comes across as hostile and ignorant. co-cops are not the same as supermarkets, as people who commented above me have stated. you need to do some research and better your understanding of what you're writing about before you write. i'm embarrassed for you after reading this piece.
Even though some Coop systems have been proven to work over decades, some practices seem to hang on simply because that's they way things always have been done. Why keep the 3 hours of work every 4 weeks if it's hard to find a work slot? That might have made sense when they had 200 members, but not now that they probably have much more than 5000. I think this rule hangs around because the old guard had to suffer through it, so everyone else should today. Sort of like fraternity hazing but with organic milk instead of Pabst Blue Ribbon.
Hey so I wonder how the impact of other 'healthy' or 'organic' shops around the Slope affect the Coop's membership and gross sales? I would guess that the other stores merely shave off the Coop members who aren't super into the ideology - the marginal members who aren't too into being part of the group. So - what kind of impact is the Whole Foods opening on 3rd and 3rd going to have on the Coop? It's only 7 blocks away. Bye bye coop!!!
I'm a member of the Park Slope Co-op and no one has ever asked me my politics, my feelings about the environment, my views on gay marriage, or any other question that would peg me as liberal or conservative. In fact, my discussions with people usually have to do with what you can do with some obscure vegetable or if the ready-to-eat coconut curry is any good.
Yes, as noted by many the Co-op has a ton of rules and, like everywhere, there are people who can be annoying who shop and work there (but there are also very friendly people who shop and work there). But mostly I find it a fantastic, affordable option and I'm very happy to have it in the neighborhood. My thanks to those who founded the Co-op in the 70s. There should be more community-minded efforts that are so successful.
there are actually something like 12,000 members at the coop now, not 5G.
whole foods, union market, korean vegetable bodegas... none have shown any signs of impacting co-op membership. many of us would actually be grateful if it were the other way around - it would be less crowded if fewer people would join!
if the type of person who doesn't care about locally-produced food, doesn't care about environmental politics, doesn't care about organic versus conventional and GMO, doesn't care about community, etc, leaves their tenuous connection to the co-op behind to shop at whole foods - it's not really a big deal.
as for the article - send this woman back to Economics 101, she clearly didn't pay attention.
whole foods won't hurt the coop because it's hideously expensive. as for the author of this piece, sounds like someone too lazy to do a workshift trying to justify her lazienss on some grand scale. what.ever.
For the record, this coop *does* have paid staff -- to wrangle all that member labor and keep the inventory interesting and changing over 60 times a year. Everything is fresh because it has been in the store less than a week!
It's also one of the cleanest grocery stores in NYC.
And the paid staff - 50 or so of them - all have health insurance and vacation pay and a pension plan.
The place is a marvel -- people come together based on their shared interest in good cheap food, and that includes all political stripes.
I've been living in the slope for over 10 years and have not joined the co-op because I can't fit 3 hours a month into my schedule.
I care about organic produce and go elsewhere for it. I've spoken to many times to people "recruiting" members and they seem to care more about the egalitarian nature of the organization than they do about expanding the consumption of organic foods.
I'm into the organic produce and will go to Whole Foods even though I would prefer to go to the food co-op.
I am fortunate to be the general manager of a food co-op in western Massachusetts, and read your comments about Park Slope with interest. Personally, I see nothing wrong with your opinion, particularly when we really think of the unique purpose and operation of a co-op. Unlike traditional grocery stores, co-ops are built around the concept of providing particular services and products based on member input and needs. Each co-op is unique unto itself. Viva la difference.
The intent of any co-op is not to set itself apart as a private club, as such. Granted, Park Slope is unique in that it is one of the only remaining co-ops that insists on allowing only members to shop there. However, it is my understanding that one of the primary goals at this co-op is to provide healthy food at the lowest prices possible. At my co-op, the major operating expense aside from the purchase of food is personnel. Our mission is not to neccesarily provide the cheapest food, but to act as a transformative force in our community. Park Slope using member labor to keep prices down does not subvert their mission. I also contend that your suggestion that this method contributes to employment woes in your area is far too simplistic. It could be argued that the lower price of healthy food provided contributes to lower health care costs, and provides access to these foods for lower income families.
You've made it clear that the Park Slope method does not work for you. That's fine. I applaud the co-op method and movement. In the reality of todays market, when 4 or 5 companies control almost 80% of our food supply, and where multi national corporations and the Wal Mart syndrome is on the rise, I will choose to support local homegrown businesses as much as possible.
If Park Slope is not your cup of fair trade tea, so be it. However, I encourage you to seek out other co-ops that may be more in tune with your outlook. After all, can you think of any other business that not only is concerned with building community, but is run by its community?
One of the things I've found instructive working at the coop is meeting people outside of my yuppie elitist circle. A lot of the coop's members are people for whom the 40% discount makes a huge impact on their bottom line. Some of them use food stamps. Very few of them have the option of deciding that it's morally preferable to shop at Whole Foods in order to subsidize poor people.
There is a sizable Hispanic community in Park Slope. Most of them are low-income. Do many of them shop at the PSFC? When I walk by, I tend to see people who are white and generally well-off looking. If the PSFC is cheaper, how come these lower-income people are not joining in droves? Or are they? Personally, I don't give a damn about organic apples, if I'm not saving money. I want cheap food.
Is the PSFC cheaper than buying produce in Chinatown?
The work requirement isn't an outmoded holdover; it's exactly what has made the coop flourish for all these years. The coop has been bursting at its seams with new members forever now. Every time the coop physically expands the store, new members rush in until the place is again crowded. So, obviously quite a lot of people (over 13,000 now) think it's worth putting in 2 hours and 45 minutes every 4 weeks in return for being part of a truly local, member-run food cooperative, with extremely low prices and high quality organic and non-organic food and non-food.
The coop used to close at 5pm on Sundays. Once the latest renovation was completed, making room for many new members, those new members enabled the coop to expand Sunday hours to 7:30pm. More people joined, so then the coop expanded morning hours and Saturday hours. More people joined, so then the coop expanded the membership office hours. More people joined, so the coop expanded the childcare hours. More people joined, so the coop created new roles, like the people who walk your cart back from wherever you live or parked nearby. More people joined, so a maintenance committee was created to keep the larger store well cleaned. More cashiers were added to try to reduce the wait to leave the coop. Etc.
Reducing the work requirement would reduce the services to members. The work requirement is pretty small, and apparently 13,000 people have been able to find work there while working 9-5 jobs. Reducing the work requirement to, say, once every 5 weeks as someone suggested above, wouldn't make things much easier (does working 2 1/2 hours once every 5 weeks really feel any different from every 4 weeks), but would reduce the available labor to the coop by 85,800 hours/year. Where would those hours come from? Who would stock the shelves all day and all night? Who would run the checkout lanes? Who would receive the high volumes of produce every morning? We'd either lose essential services, or we'd have to hire a lot more paid staff to cover the gap - which would result in higher prices - and we'd be failing our mission.
To the person who said he only sees "well-off looking people" at the coop: As someone who works as a cashier, I sure process a lot of food stamp transactions. I work with people as young as 18 and well into their 70's. I work with people of an extremely wide range of ethnic, religious, political, and philosophical bents, with varying physical and mental characteristics.
To the person who mentioned not liking the people s/he encountered at the orientation session: Like almost everything at the coop, that's just run by a large group of members who choose that job. Each orientation day throughout the month, a different member conducts the session. So, there are going to be wide variations depending on when you go...just like with everything at the coop. One day you get someone in a crabby mood checking you in at the entrance, and another day you meet your soulmate at the checkout line. What else would you expect with an open membership of 13,000 members?
Everyone's different at the coop. There is no prevailing attitude. It changes completely every 2 1/2 hours throughout the month. It's what the members make of it.
I used to live in Ithaca and I loved to shop at the co-op there although I couldn't afford the dues or the time to work as a student. Yet the GreenStar provided a place to buy bulk food and organic food at reasonable prices(even if not at the member discount). Since I've moved to New York, it seems like all the co-ops are members only and there are no shops where someone who likes to shop at these types of markets once every month or two. I find this really strange because I have easier times finding markets like the one in Ithaca in the suburbs these days than in the city.
Frankly, I'd be brain-dead to NOT be a member of the PSFC. Not an adherent to the idealism in food coops? Fine. Let's talk MONEY. I save, conservatively, over $2,000 a year on my expenses thanks to the lower prices. Work shifts are what provides those savings so consider it to be PAID WORK. What a concept. If I divide my annual savings by the 33 annual hours of required work then I earn $167 per work shift! Who, reading this, makes that kind of cash?? Simon's characterization of the PSFC as a Communist strong-hold adds an amusement tone to his writing but is pure hokum. The typical experience most members have there is positive and most people there are just average, decent people. No Gestapo...really.
I agree the work requirements at the Park Slope Food Coop are bordering on a logistical nightmare. But, I am poor, I shop at the Coop and know many folks like me, who want organic food for their families at affordable prices. I find that working where I shop makes me more conscious of how food should be treated and more aware of the work of other folks in the food industry and at the coop, so that I do not act carelessly when I shop. I wished there were more institutions like this one, where everyone is invested in what they buy on a deeper level.
After actually reading this entry in its entirety on the blog, you'll realize that she's basically pissed because the coop didn't let her in to look around one day. Hence the shaky attempt at making the place out to be "unjust" because it doesn't provide jobs for "certain people".
As other people have already pointed out, the coop's organization is different - people who shop there also work (and incidentally there ARE paid jobs at the coop, and I don't know where she gets off asserting that those jobs aren't going to "those who really neeed them").
At the coop, it makes the food cheaper for everyone if the members also work. The idea that not having real jobs at the coop perpetuates injustice is absurd- by that token, why don't the people who run the delis, bodegas and restaurants of her precious "truly urban experience" create more jobs in the community and hire out instead of having their family members work the counter? By refusing to create jobs, I guess they're unjust too.
My time is worth more to me than some minor discount on groceries. Frankly if a Trader Joes opens up somewhere nearby, the co-op will really discover who shares their "values" and who was in it for the discount on organic food.
F%#k the Cause if you're not into it! The Co-Op's got great food at great prices and all you have to do is work a few hours every month. Ignore the Party members if they bother you; same with the yuppies, the grad students, or any other group of people that you're misanthropic heart finds repugnant. But your 'blame the coop for the lost cashier jobs' argument rings hollow without also arguing for a standard of living increase in the federal minimum wage. You don't give two craps about those workers and you know it.
I just moved to Brooklyn in December of 05. I, not knowing what the co-op was, walked in and took my time picking out my meats and other food. After about 30 minutes of shopping took my stuff to the counter where they asked for my membership card. I asked what they were talking about and the gentlemen responded, "how did you get in here"?? I thought I was on candid camera. I explained what happened and we both had a good laugh over it. That never happens at C Town!!! LOL
The coop is not for everyone. The author's "beef" with the Coop is a normal symptom experienced by a person who is not part of the Coop's "target market".
To all of those who have defended the Park Slope Food Coop because you save money by purchasing you food there.
Of course.
Then again, you also save money by buying electronics made in China by workers making 30 cents a day.
Somehow walking out of PC Richard with your Chinese-made stereo doesn't provide the purchaser with the same sense of "doing the right thing."
In the end, the only difference is that the workers in China--although horribly exploited--receive the work.
The savings realized at the Park Slope Food Coop, on the other hand, come on the shoulders of a population that could really use the work, people who are also a part of our community.
Key Food may not be a great supermarket but at least it employs a union workforce, which is paid a living wage, with full benefits.
wow, i was going to leave a scathing comment for this author but I see most people have already done the job. I'll just say this - I am not yet a member of the coop, but I am about to join and it has nothing to do with ideology. its simple economics - affordable, healthy food for my bod, with the added benefits of being environmentally friendlier and economically supportive of local agribusiness.
and as for your comments re: worker's strife? please. carlo trino's response says it best - your logic is liberal elite and just plain offensive. and don't suggest whole foods or union market as comparable alternatives - they are overpriced and just as self-righteous as the rest. you don't have to be nearly as "well off", as you put it, to shop at the coop as you do to shop at either of those.