Grab & Go – Columinate

A Healthy Deli, Part 2: Evaluating the food service department

By Mike Houston|2024-01-24T18:08:40-05:00December 17th, 2023|

Tomlin’s on-site evaluation of the deli department and the existing conditions helps to set a baseline for what is working and what systems need to be adjusted or created. Her experience both in kitchens and as a general manager (GM) herself gives her the ability to translate what she sees to what the GM needs to learn to see. “It can be small things that tell you big things. Is silverware stocked? If not, that means the deli (staff) hasn’t come out to refresh the salad bar in a while,” Tomlin explains.

Cross-Merchandising Wine & Beer

By Samuel Vandegrift|2023-05-05T20:25:47-04:00April 26th, 2019|

Everybody loves a great dinner party, especially when we take things outdoors and make it a picnic. Deliciousness needn’t be hard. Your member-owners are looking to make great food with excellent beverage pairings, so help raise basket totals while improving engagement!

How Cooperative is Your Customer Service?

By Columinate|2023-05-05T20:05:21-04:00May 29th, 2018|

Too often, customer service and membership trainings become a quick checked box on the first day on the job, and over time, staff become disconnected from the true meaning of service and the significance of their co-op in the community. As competition in our marketplace continues to tighten, it’s imperative that we strive to create a culture of continuous improvement and enthusiasm for the [...]

Ensuring Internal and External Pay Equity

By Columinate|2023-05-05T20:05:26-04:00April 26th, 2018|

Many co-ops using policy governance have an Ends policy requiring staff compensation that is both internally and externally equitable. However without diligent attention, pay scales and what individual staff end up making can get out of whack over time. Below are a few tips to keep you in compliance. Compensation market study. Make sure you are staying up-to-date on what the external market is [...]

“Better safe, than sorry!”

By Columinate|2023-05-05T20:05:44-04:00February 23rd, 2018|

If one were asked to summarize an Emergency Preparedness philosophy in a succinct, no-nonsense maxim, "better safe, than sorry" would definitely be it. Defined simply as: "a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action," responding safely and effectively to any emergency requires thoughtful planning ahead of time, streamlined procedures, trained staff, and capable leaders. Planning. Just because you can’t plan for everything, [...]

Is An Owner Capital Campaign Right For Your Co-op?

By Columinate|2023-05-05T20:05:49-04:00January 25th, 2018|

It seems like many co-ops are either in the middle of, just finished, or are about to start a project. And all of those projects need adequate capital to be successful. Raising money from co-op owners has become a standard component of project capitalization and the amounts co-ops are raising has been growing.

Bridging the Gap. Interim General Management

By Columinate|2023-05-05T20:05:54-04:00December 14th, 2017|

Like any business, cooperatives need capable management at all times. Emergency management succession planning is essential but despite this planning, sometimes a co-op finds itself in need of a steady experienced hand to manage the co-op during a GM transition. Interim General Managers (IGMs) provide stable and competent management allowing the board of directors to focus on hiring. Here are some steps and things [...]

Pro Formas and the New Competitive Challenges

By Don Moffitt|2023-05-05T20:06:05-04:00October 26th, 2017|

In the grocery world, we live in challenging times. Costco and Wal-Mart carry organic products. Supermarket chains tout local produce and have a house brand of organics. Home delivery has everyone buzzing; even Amazon is getting into the action. Pro forma financial statements are forward-looking projections of how your co-op will perform given a specific set of assumptions. They are useful in many ways, especially for new stores and expansions where your co-op is headed into uncharted waters.

Responding to Workplace Conflicts

By Columinate|2023-05-05T20:06:06-04:00September 28th, 2017|

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 [...]

The Cooperative Advantage

By Adam Schwartz|2023-05-05T20:06:14-04:00August 24th, 2017|

Sometimes the obvious isn’t so obvious. Just because we have co-op in our name does not mean that people will really understand what that means. The formal definition of a cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise. But we need to give that meaning life. [...]

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