Back when I worked in distribution, the warehousers complained that marketing promised too much to the customer, while marketing grumbled that the warehouse always said no. It’s the same in retail. When conducting employee surveys I often hear comments from grocery or wellness like, “Marketing is trying to run everything but we’re the ones who actually talk with the customers,” and comments from marketing like, “We’re [...]
An Interview with Paul Feiner As a Loss Prevention Certified (LPC) professional, Paul Feiner works full time as Store Support Manager at Sacramento Natural Foods in Sacramento, CA. On the side, he and his brother Michael manage a consulting business that helps small businesses develop proactive loss prevention programs to mitigate loss and maximize safety and security. Recently I interviewed Paul about safety training [...]
Whenever people work together, conflicts will naturally arise. Here’s a framework to help leaders resolve conflicts. This article will describe three categories of conflicts and a process that can be used to resolve each. _______________________________________________________________ Allegations of management misconduct If employees believe a manager has committed unethical and/or illegal acts, (e.g. theft, harassment), they need to inform the GM, or if the GM is [...]
If you observe what you believe to be wrongful conduct, you have the right and the duty to report it without fear of retaliation. Definition of wrongful conduct Wrongful conduct includes serious improprieties that potentially impact the integrity and effective operation of Your Co-op. Examples of wrongful conduct include, but are not limited to: Violations of federal, state or municipal law Sexual harassment or [...]
The concept of emotional intelligence is now part of popular culture. Just as we each have an IQ or Intelligence Quotient that measures cognitive ability, some social scientists say we have an EQ or Emotional Quotient. Emotional intelligence (EI) can be defined as the ability to recognize your own and others’ emotions, and to manage your emotions and relationships effectively. You can see right [...]
By Jade Barker and Patricia Cumbie We believe that now is a critical time to engage our cooperative community in important conversations about racism and oppression. Everyone Welcome? Personal Narratives about Race and Food Co-ops presents a variety of perspectives on what can be done to make food co-ops more racially inclusive. Fifteen co-operators from a variety of backgrounds — class, gender, race, ethnicity, [...]
Seward Community Co-op Minneapolis, MN Year founded: 1972 Member investment: $75 Number of members: 16,000 Number of employees: 335 Business units: two retail grocery stores, restaurant, production facility In 2013, when Seward Community Co-op began the feasibility process for their second location in a historically African American neighborhood in South Minneapolis, it experienced a tremendous amount of community interest as well as sharp questions [...]
Co-op employees will at least occasionally bring complaints and concerns to the board or individual directors, yet the board itself is ill-suited for the task of handling these concerns. Employees deserve to have their concerns addressed professionally. In addition, direct board involvement can interfere with the authority already delegated to the GM, or can exacerbate already sensitive issues by inserting even more personal relationships into [...]
By Carolee Colter March-April 2017 View data by downloading attached PDF. Data from 104 co-ops with annual sales ranging from $1M to $74M In 2006 and 2011, this magazine published studies on general manager (GM) compensation. Continuing that tradition, here’s a look at the state of management compensation in food co-ops today. The 104 general managers in this study serve co-ops ranging in size [...]
Dan Arnett, Cooperator in Chief at Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, tells the story of how he's inviting all staff members to create participation and impact by way of building the best burger in town. Dan has some great ideas about how even small acts can translate to greater impact in your community.
