Do you see many refills for liquids in pump dispensers?
Once upon a time, I bought liquid soap based on the availability of larger refill bottles. When I checked a local supermarket earlier this week, there were no refills to be found, neither for soap nor sanitizer.
The groceries and the larger manufacturers make more money per unit selling only the pump containers.
Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth bucks this trend. Not only does it have refill bottles but it also has bulk containers so you can refill your own container.
Many people don’t shop at co-ops because many items often cost more. They don’t realize all the savings in plain sight that are available at co-ops.
See also “Smaller package? Blame Shrinkflation”.
Showing posts with label Whole Foods Co-op. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whole Foods Co-op. Show all posts
Friday, September 26, 2014
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Big corporations hinder little corporations
Not quite always, some little corporations do grow into big corporations and some big corporations buy from little corporations. But think how hard it is for people to start a company in many fields.
When I grew up in Cleveland, there were many grocery stores in walking distance of one place we lived and there were many drug stores and grocery stores in another place. By walking distance, I mean less than ten minutes, more like five minutes. Since we moved to Duluth fourteen years ago, a state-wide drug store has closed, a city-wide drug store has closed, and only two independent pharmacies are left. All the others are in large chain stores and medical centers.
Now suppose you start a small company that makes a skin medication. How are you going to get it into all those chain stores? Will the local managers of those stores have the authority to buy local products on their own, or will they have to get corporate approval? It depends on the company. But if you had access to locally-owned stores, you would have a greater chance of getting in the door.
I'm only writing based on observation and not personal experience. I know people who know people who are active in such a small company, and I have observed their marketing results. The company is Apolonia B, a maker of a skin ointment. When it first came out, it was available at the city-wide pharmacy, Falk's Pharmacies. Falk's closed all of its stores rather than compete with the big chains.
As my own jar was getting low, I wondered where I would get a refill. I checked Apolonia B's web site and found one retailer listed - Whole Foods Co-op (not to be confused with the national chain Whole Foods Market). Bias warning: we are two of many owner-members and we shop at Whole Foods Co-op regularly.
I can only surmise that being a locally-made natural-ingredient product, Apolonia B was an easy sell to the buyers at Whole Foods Co-op and was probably too time-consuming to try to sell to the big chains.
Our choices for buying locally are dwindling. At least we have a great choice in locally-owned restaurants and even locally-produced beer, many local hair salons, several locally-owned coffee shops, three or four locally-owned hardware stores, and one locally-owned camera shop.
When I grew up in Cleveland, there were many grocery stores in walking distance of one place we lived and there were many drug stores and grocery stores in another place. By walking distance, I mean less than ten minutes, more like five minutes. Since we moved to Duluth fourteen years ago, a state-wide drug store has closed, a city-wide drug store has closed, and only two independent pharmacies are left. All the others are in large chain stores and medical centers.
Now suppose you start a small company that makes a skin medication. How are you going to get it into all those chain stores? Will the local managers of those stores have the authority to buy local products on their own, or will they have to get corporate approval? It depends on the company. But if you had access to locally-owned stores, you would have a greater chance of getting in the door.
I'm only writing based on observation and not personal experience. I know people who know people who are active in such a small company, and I have observed their marketing results. The company is Apolonia B, a maker of a skin ointment. When it first came out, it was available at the city-wide pharmacy, Falk's Pharmacies. Falk's closed all of its stores rather than compete with the big chains.
As my own jar was getting low, I wondered where I would get a refill. I checked Apolonia B's web site and found one retailer listed - Whole Foods Co-op (not to be confused with the national chain Whole Foods Market). Bias warning: we are two of many owner-members and we shop at Whole Foods Co-op regularly.
I can only surmise that being a locally-made natural-ingredient product, Apolonia B was an easy sell to the buyers at Whole Foods Co-op and was probably too time-consuming to try to sell to the big chains.
Our choices for buying locally are dwindling. At least we have a great choice in locally-owned restaurants and even locally-produced beer, many local hair salons, several locally-owned coffee shops, three or four locally-owned hardware stores, and one locally-owned camera shop.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Absentee capitalism and participant capitalism
I thought I had posted the following in January after reading the article on co-op statistics. It was a fluke that my January notes file was open and open to this article. But I couldn't find it among my actual posts. Better late than never!
Capitalism thrives all over the world, but few of us see much of it, being blinded by the ads of the multinational corporations. The co-operative movement is a huge source of personal investment by workers or customers. Actually it is so huge that co-operatives provide over 100 million jobs around the world, 20% more than multinational enterprises. (Source: Statistical information on the Co-operative Movement). Then there are all the individual or small group owner-operator enterprises that still exist, though less and less in retail.
I can't complain too much about absentee capitalism because I get a portion of my income from dividends of corporations whose leaders I don't remember past skimming the annual reports. However, we do buy most of our groceries at Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth where we are owner-members.
My chances of serving on a board of one of these large corporations are as much as the proverbial snow ball*, but if I so chose, I would be welcome to run as a candidate for the board of Whole Foods Co-op (actually getting elected and serving well are different issues).
* For readers who are not familiar with American idioms - As much chance as a snowball in Hell
Capitalism thrives all over the world, but few of us see much of it, being blinded by the ads of the multinational corporations. The co-operative movement is a huge source of personal investment by workers or customers. Actually it is so huge that co-operatives provide over 100 million jobs around the world, 20% more than multinational enterprises. (Source: Statistical information on the Co-operative Movement). Then there are all the individual or small group owner-operator enterprises that still exist, though less and less in retail.
I can't complain too much about absentee capitalism because I get a portion of my income from dividends of corporations whose leaders I don't remember past skimming the annual reports. However, we do buy most of our groceries at Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth where we are owner-members.
My chances of serving on a board of one of these large corporations are as much as the proverbial snow ball*, but if I so chose, I would be welcome to run as a candidate for the board of Whole Foods Co-op (actually getting elected and serving well are different issues).
* For readers who are not familiar with American idioms - As much chance as a snowball in Hell
Friday, March 23, 2012
Manufactured natural versus really natural
I am often amused by all the manufacturers who put "All natural ingredients" on their products. Excuse me, but poison ivy is a natural ingredient. Second, if the ingredients have been processed, are they really natural anymore?
We try to eat mostly fresh, unprocessed food. Exceptions include yogurt, maple syrup, and meat, fish, and poultry. One of our favorite snacks is about as-natural-as-you-can-get peanut butter – unsalted roasted peanuts that we put through a store grinder ourselves. Almost every afternoon I scoop a big glob out of the jar with a tablespoon. Nibble, nibble, lick, lick, until the spoon is almost clean enough to go back into the drawer.
Unfortunately, this peanut butter is a bit too popular, and the peanuts are often back ordered. I had this problem last weekend. I didn't want to do without my peanut butter and checked the peanut butter in jars. I selected one that was labeled "organic no stir peanut butter".
I didn't read the ingredient list until I got home – organic dry roasted peanuts, organic palm oil, organic unrefined cane sugar, sea salt. Palm oil? Sugar? Salt? I don't need these.
I debated taking the peanut butter back or donating it to a food shelf. But snack time rolled around and I had to have my peanut butter. Hm! This is kind of creamy and sweet, and it has bigger chunks than the self-ground. It is a bit salty, but not as salty as the pretzels I snack on. I could get to like this stuff. It is certainly better than the nationally-branded peanut butters with overdoses of sugar, salt, and other unneeded stuff.
But, I'll be strong and go back to the really all-natural peanut butter as soon as we've finished the jar. Besides, the peanut butter in a jar costs about two dollars a pound more.
We try to eat mostly fresh, unprocessed food. Exceptions include yogurt, maple syrup, and meat, fish, and poultry. One of our favorite snacks is about as-natural-as-you-can-get peanut butter – unsalted roasted peanuts that we put through a store grinder ourselves. Almost every afternoon I scoop a big glob out of the jar with a tablespoon. Nibble, nibble, lick, lick, until the spoon is almost clean enough to go back into the drawer.
Unfortunately, this peanut butter is a bit too popular, and the peanuts are often back ordered. I had this problem last weekend. I didn't want to do without my peanut butter and checked the peanut butter in jars. I selected one that was labeled "organic no stir peanut butter".
I didn't read the ingredient list until I got home – organic dry roasted peanuts, organic palm oil, organic unrefined cane sugar, sea salt. Palm oil? Sugar? Salt? I don't need these.
I debated taking the peanut butter back or donating it to a food shelf. But snack time rolled around and I had to have my peanut butter. Hm! This is kind of creamy and sweet, and it has bigger chunks than the self-ground. It is a bit salty, but not as salty as the pretzels I snack on. I could get to like this stuff. It is certainly better than the nationally-branded peanut butters with overdoses of sugar, salt, and other unneeded stuff.
But, I'll be strong and go back to the really all-natural peanut butter as soon as we've finished the jar. Besides, the peanut butter in a jar costs about two dollars a pound more.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
A terrible mismatch of foods
I've long wondered why hot dog buns are longer than the hot dogs available. Tonight I was again puzzled by this mismatch.
We had hot dogs from Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth with buns also bought there. I think all the varieties of hot dogs, chicken, tofu, real, are about the same size. They sell only one kind of hot dog bun from the Positively 3rd Street Bakery, less than a mile away. The buns are at least one-and-a-half inches longer than the hot dogs!
You would think the grocery that has a good relationship with its primary bakery could work out a better match.
Of course, other grocers don't match their buns to their hot dogs either; it's just that we bought the food for this meal at Whole Foods Co-op.
Speaking of mismatched foods, what about the "foot-long" hot dogs sold at the State Fair? These supposedly super long hot dogs are no longer than the maximum spread between the tips of my thumb and little finger — nine inches. Do you think the vendors would accept payment of 75 cents on the dollar?
We had hot dogs from Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth with buns also bought there. I think all the varieties of hot dogs, chicken, tofu, real, are about the same size. They sell only one kind of hot dog bun from the Positively 3rd Street Bakery, less than a mile away. The buns are at least one-and-a-half inches longer than the hot dogs!
You would think the grocery that has a good relationship with its primary bakery could work out a better match.
Of course, other grocers don't match their buns to their hot dogs either; it's just that we bought the food for this meal at Whole Foods Co-op.
Speaking of mismatched foods, what about the "foot-long" hot dogs sold at the State Fair? These supposedly super long hot dogs are no longer than the maximum spread between the tips of my thumb and little finger — nine inches. Do you think the vendors would accept payment of 75 cents on the dollar?
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