Find Magazine Articles By Topic or Date

An archive of Cooperative Grocer magazine articles going back to 1985.

Use the Search field to find what you're looking for. Limit your search to specific topic areas, or publication date, or author, by using the drop-down lists. To sort chronologically, click on the Issue column header.

Titlesort icon Post date Issue
Americans with Disabilities Act: Reviewing Your Hiring Practices
by Carolee Colter

On July 26, 1992, businesses with at least 25 employees became subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act. On July 26, 1994, employers of at least 15 will be required to follow suit. The...

09 Jan 2004 #044 January - February - 1993
An Agreement for Disagreements
by Karen Zimbelman

I wish I could say it is a rare occurrence, but unfortunately I get these disturbing calls all too often.

"Hi KZ," the caller starts. "We've got this problem...

09 Jan 2004 #075 March - April - 1998
An Eaters’ Bill of Rights
by Mark Mulcahy

We all know about our nation’s Bill of Rights and its guarantees of individual rights as well as limitations on federal and state governments. And recently an “Air Traveler’s Bill of Rights” has...

19 Jan 2009 #131 July - August - 2007
An Evolution in the Coffee Aisle
by Catherine Dilley and Thaleon Tremain

About 20 years ago, the fair trade movement took root in consumer food cooperatives around the country, primarily through the introduction of fair trade coffee. Led by Equal Exchange, the first “...

24 Sep 2009 #144 September - October - 2009
An Exchange on Organic Fiber Standards
by

Dear Editor:

There are several statements in the article "Organics: Report from the Lone Star State" published in the July-August 2003 issue of Cooperative Grocer that are erroneous or need...

07 Jan 2004 #108 September - October - 2003
An Exchange on Price and the Mainstreaming of Natural/Organic
by

To the Editor and George Southworth,

We are the leading natural food distributor in Ontario. Our main problem has been how to restrain and shape our growth, which is proceeding at a torrid...

07 Jan 2004 #098 January - February - 2002
An Exchange on Regulation of Supplements
by Bruce SilvergladeBy Bruce Silverglade, Center for Science in the Public Interest

I would like to clear up some confusion regarding CSPI's position on dietary supplements. CSPI supports the right of consumers to...

09 Jan 2004 #047 July - August - 1993
An Italian View of "Co-op: Made in USA"
by Dave Gutknecht

A new publication presents a dossier on U.S. worker-owned and consumer co-ops in the U.S. Written by Enrico Massetti, an Italian who has lived in the United States for the last 30 years, "Co-op:...

08 Mar 2012 • Endcap Articles
An Open Letter
by Members Of The OTA

The following “open letter” was jointly written and issued in mid-November. As of December 10, over 200 organizations and individuals, including many members of the Organic Trade Association, had...

09 Mar 2006 #122 January - February - 2006
An Open Letter to the Farmer in Chief
by Staff

Highly recommended: “Dear Mr. Next Presi­dent,” an excellent review of the need to transition to local and organic ­agriculture, written by Michael Pollan, which ­appeared in the Oct. 12, 2008...

08 Dec 2008 #139 November - December - 2008
An Update from the Frontier Co-op CEO
by Andy Pauley

Following up the previous edition's report on Frontier Natural Products Co-op, interim CEO Andy Pauley wrote:

Since July 16 when I took the job of interim CEO at Frontier,...

07 Jan 2004 #103 November - December - 2002
Analyzing Your Store's Systems
by This is the third in a series of articles based on Business Planning For Cooperatives, a manual published by Cooperative Development Services that provides step by step Instructions for writing...
09 Jan 2004 #042 September - October - 1992
Anatomy of a Recovery
by

Financial problems are not uncommon among co-ops. Many have fought through severe crises that threatened their survival. Frontier Natural Products Co-op survived such a crisis recently, regaining...

16 Mar 2004 #111 March - April - 2004
Annual Conference Gives Inspiration, Advances Cooperative Associations
by Dave Gutknecht 

Over three hundred co-op directors, managers, staff and consultants gathered in Cleveland June 10-13 at the Consumer Cooperative Management Association (CCMA) conference....

09 Jan 2004 #077 July - August - 1998
Annual Meetings
by Ellen Michel

Annual meetings: you gotta love ’em. Frequently written into the bylaws and often a legal requirement for co-ops, this event is typically recognized as the primary opportunity for member-owners to...

09 Jun 2004 #112 May - June - 2004
Another Look at Member Labor
by Dave Gutknecht

"Boon or Bane?" was the title question in a section on member labor in the first issue of Cooperative Grocer (October-November 1985). And in discussing the issue, it's difficult not to try to be...

09 Jan 2004 #008 December - January - 1987
Apples to Apples:
by

download pdf of article

Successful businesses understand their customers’ needs and wants. This statement is so important as to warrant repetition: Successful businesses understand their...

27 Dec 2008 #138 September - October - 2008
Appreciating the Diversity of Member Needs and Motivations
by Marilyn Scholl

download pdf of article

In my work with food co-op boards and staff over the past 30 years, one of the questions I have often encountered is this: How can we get more people more involved at...

21 Jan 2009 #140 January - February - 2009
Arcata: Double Trouble
by Taunya Stapp

Looking through the brochure for the CCMA conference this last June, I noticed a workshop entitled "Meeting First-Year Challenges After Expansion." My first thought was, "I could...

08 Jan 2004 #096 September - October - 2001
Are Co-op Employees More Satisfied? Surveys Say So
by Carolee Colter

Ten years ago Karen Zimbelman and I conducted our first employee survey. In 1996 we shared the trends we observed in surveys we'd done (Cooperative Grocer, No. 63, March-April 1996, "What Co-op...

27 Dec 2008 #101 July - August - 2002
Are You Certifiable?
by

By Mark Mulcahy

One of the hottest topics in the retail environment is how the new Organic Rule will affect us. One of the main areas in question is the...

08 Jan 2004 #094 May - June - 2001
Are You Experienced?
by Walden Swanson

Want some good news? Co-op store productivity increased in the third quarter of 1998, when compared to the third quarter of 1997. (See Graph 1.)

Want some bad...

08 Jan 2004 #081 March - April - 1999
Are You Ready?
by Karen Zimbelman

There's not a lot of glamour in it. The "behind the scenes" work that goes into preparing for and planning board meetings may be tedious, time-consuming and very rarely acknowledged. And, to make...

09 Jan 2004 #021 February - March - 1989
Art Danforth
by Dave Gutknecht

Art Danforth died May 10, 1987, at the age of 74, after five decades of consumer cooperative activism and public service. He will be remembered, and missed, by many cooperators throughout North...

09 Jan 2004 #011 June - July - 1987
As Always, the Future Is Now
by Dave Gutknecht

Food co-ops have been key to reshaping the food economy in North America. They share credit for visible progress toward establishing sustainable production and generating public support for new...

20 Jan 2009 #123 March - April - 2006