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

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Title Post datesort icon Issue
Natural/Organic Industry Outlook
by George Southworth

Many of the market trends that have been discussed by cooperatives in this magazine and other forums are coming true, but with a stunning ferocity and speed. This article examines...

08 Jan 2004 #096 September - October - 2001
In the News
by Dave Gutknecht

Crisis, or a crisis atmosphere, can be used to advance agendas and strategies that are not necessarily directly tied to those in the headlines. Little noticed in the welter of bad news and panic...

08 Jan 2004 #097 November - December - 2001
Information Technology Team Sees Co-op Benefits
by Robynn Shrader

Imagine sitting down at your desk after your co-op's busiest sales day of the week, then pointing and clicking your way to reports that illustrate the products and departments that...

08 Jan 2004 #096 September - October - 2001
At 50, Japanese Co-ops Emphasize Education and Food Safety
by Japanese Consumers' Co-operative Union

Japan continues to experience a prolonged recession, so much so that some sectors of the economy, including grocery, are actually experiencing deflation. According to a NYT report (9/25),...

08 Jan 2004 #097 November - December - 2001
Location, Location, Location...and Site, Site, Site: Co-ops are Retailers Too
by Peter C. DavisSite and location characteristics can greatly influence customer loyalty to a co-op and the co-op's competitiveness.

The retail environment is one in which any given store holds but...

08 Jan 2004 #092 January - February - 2001
Millennial Musings on Dot Co-op and Democracy
by Dave GutknechtAcknowledgments

Writers in Cooperative Grocer, I like to think, are voices that speak from the heart of our industry and that present the best of co-op experience to date. Thanks to...

08 Jan 2004 #092 January - February - 2001
NCGA Board Envisions Big Picture
by Robynn Shrader

The National Cooperative Grocers Association board of directors met recently to build a framework and long-term vision for the organization, as we move into our second full year...

08 Jan 2004 #092 January - February - 2001
A Near Miss at Mississippi Market
by Carolee ColterWhat went wrong? What lessons can other co-ops contemplating expansion learn from Mississippi Market's experience?

By all accounts, Mississippi Market's second store expansion was...

08 Jan 2004 #092 January - February - 2001
New Pioneer Opens Coralville Site
by Dennis Maclearn

[Co-authors with Dennis Maclearn for this article were Ben Nauman and Jennifer Masada.  Dennis Maclearn was general manager, and Ben Nauman and Jennifer Masada were on staff,...

08 Jan 2004 #094 May - June - 2001
Opportunities and Obligations
by Dave Gutknecht

This edition's Retail Operations Survey provides an improved data base from which to measure co-op performance. The results? Co-ops numbers are good but are declining. Co-ops also...

08 Jan 2004 #095 July - August - 2001
Organic Rule Still Needs Comments
by Cissy Bowman

At last, the USDA Final Organic Rule -- or is it?

On December 20, 2000 USDA published CFR Part 205: the "Final Rule with request for comments."...

08 Jan 2004 #093 March - April - 2001
Panzanella: Fresh Ideas at Weaver Street Market
by Ruffin Slater

08 Jan 2004 #095 July - August - 2001
Food Co-op Triples Its Size
by Rebecca Mizhir

Store location: Port Townsend, northwest Washington. Challenged by rising local demands for natural food and organic produce as well as an ever-expanding membership, the Food Coop...

08 Jan 2004 #096 September - October - 2001
Pow-wows Not Pinballs
by Allen Seidner

As a prepared foods manager almost a decade ago, it struck me that not only did I have a lot of information that I wanted to share with staff, but they also had many suggestions...

08 Jan 2004 #095 July - August - 2001
Co-op Union Conflict Yields Problem-Solving Lessons
by Pam MehnertA manager looks at employee relationships, common interests, and a method of problem solving that builds trust and improves employee morale.

This isn't an article about unions,...

08 Jan 2004 #094 May - June - 2001
Growing Retail Resources
by Karen Zimbelman

08 Jan 2004 #097 November - December - 2001
Developing Nirvana
by Allen Seidner

These customers are driving me crazy!" Nirvana Moon exclaimed as she burst through the swinging doors into the kitchen. The lunch rush was finally winding down and I was surprised...

08 Jan 2004 #092 January - February - 2001
2000 Retail Operations Survey
by  

 

08 Jan 2004 #095 July - August - 2001
Introducing the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture
by Kai Siedenburg

Imagine that the federal government provided significant incentives and support for sustainable, family farm agriculture, rather than "agribusiness as usual." Hard to imagine?...

08 Jan 2004 #095 July - August - 2001
Diamonds in the Rough
by Mark MulcahySeek ye the diamond in the rough.

The economy slows down, and produce departments start looking for answers to boost business and gain new customers. Many times we have resources available to us...

08 Jan 2004 #097 November - December - 2001
For Today, For Our Future
by Dave Gutknecht

Education, as noted in my previous editorial, is key to sustaining a leading position in our competitive market -- education supported by example and an inspiring vision....

07 Jan 2004 #094 May - June - 2001
CoCoFiSt Tools Boost Southeast Co-ops
by Mel Braverman

Editor's note: A new wave of acronyms has been spawned in the past three years by a data sharing program for co-op managers, CoCoFiSt: Common Cooperative Financial Statements, an innovative...

07 Jan 2004 #094 May - June - 2001
UK: Aging Co-ops at a Crossroad
by Cynthia Boudreau

Not too long ago, the Oxford, Swindon & Gloucester Co-operative Society Limited (O, S & G), in the United Kingdom, faced a difficult situation. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, it twice...

07 Jan 2004 #097 November - December - 2001
Countdown To USDA Organic
by Cissy Bowman

In October of 2002 consumers will begin to see the USDA Organic logo on products in stores and farm stands. This label, over ten years in the making, has been created to offer...

07 Jan 2004 #096 September - October - 2001
Using Survey Data to Improve Co-ops
by John Eicholz

Green Fields Market follows the annual Cooperative Grocer (CG) survey closely. For me, the survey and the accompanying analysis have been textbook lessons in cooperative finance. I...

07 Jan 2004 #095 July - August - 2001