Food Coop, I wish I knew how to quit you

Note: this is not a complaint about the Coop. Many swear by it. And their commitment to local farms and organic specialty foods is exemplary. This is just our odd anecdotal situation.

After 13 years of living in Brooklyn (but not in Park Slope) we finally broke down and gave in to friendly suggestions to join the Food Coop.

6 months later it's gained us little more than the privilege of paying $170 to work 36 hours lifting bulk receiving items downstairs and stocking them on the floor.

In our case, for convenience, variety and prices we actually find ourselves at Trader Joes or Fairway far more often. But for folks living close by, where it's convenient to shop there a few times a week I'm sure it works out well.

Anyhow, to my point here:

I can't reach them to quit. Phone number's busy every time I've tried and there's no contact email on their site. The contact form on the site has no option for membership issues or even general questions, just things like events or problems with the web site.

So I just sent it under the option of problems with the web site.

Anyone else know of a way, via sooper seekrit email address or alternate phone line, I can reach them to cancel membership?

Thanks in advance.

And people wonder why it has a cult-reputation :-P

Mondays are super busy, but the office is open until 8:30pm M-Th. Try calling later in the day, or M-Th after 6:30 - 8:15pm. The office is busy, but not THAT busy.

From what I hear, all you need to do is stop doing your shifts. They find out about that really fast.

Thanks Swifty.

BKChickie - HAAAA. Brilliant. =DB

Beware!! If they catch wind of you wanting to quit, they'll QUIT YOU FIRST!! Sleep tight Jeffrey, pick me up some organic fruit... buuwaahahahaha! :evil:

I did a short stint in the office where such calls go. As swifty said, just call on another day or later. They will not make it hard for you to officially quit but you'l just need a few minutes for the person on the phone to fill out the paper work. Remember, those people answering the phones are mostly just other members trying to figure out what they are doing as they go

The office is open on Sat too. I have always gotten someone to pick up the phone. I think Mon is really busy, try calling after 11 AM on a weekday. Good luck. They do let people leave. I left once (but rejoined.)

Update:

I called just now and it was ringing. Sweet!

After the second ring someone picks it up and there's a second or so of silence so I say "Hi there, I'm calling to..."

At which point the Food Coop person on the other end said "Oh, I was trying to make a call." *click*

Yep, he hung up on me so he could make a call.

Redialed, and....wait for it...

Busy signal.

Grrrrreat.

I suggest writing a letter, putting it in an envelope and dropping it in the mail. The address is:

Park Slope Food Coop

782 Union Street

Brooklyn, New York 11215

And if you send it certified, they can't claim they didn't get it. I have found that the only really effective way to divorce associations you no longer want to be married to is to send a writ of divorce through the USPS. Works for a variety of organizations. There is probably some obscure federal regulation requiring them to take notice of a letter sent via USPS, I don't know what, but it works.

ouch.

Et voila. Just got through to a really nice person who was really helpful with getting it all sorted out.

Didn't get her name, but thanks!

So we're good.

So you handed over your first born?

Two-fer.

Jeffery has learned that "Freedom is never free".

jeffrey said:

Update:

I called just now and it was ringing. Sweet!

After the second ring someone picks it up and there's a second or so of silence so I say "Hi there, I'm calling to..."

At which point the Food Coop person on the other end said "Oh, I was trying to make a call." *click*

Yep, he hung up on me so he could make a call.

Redialed, and....wait for it...

Busy signal.

Grrrrreat.

It is stories like this one that make me glad I've made the easy decision to not associate with that bunch of freaks and geeks.

Go in person, quit. Done.

I have been a member for 17 years and I have never had the experience that you couldn't get through to the membership office. Yes its been busy but call another time and you get through.

With 16,000 members and a waiting list of people waiting to join it can't be all that bad.

Most of the creeps, geeks and freaks, are the ones complaining about an institution that they know little about.

There is an introductory session that explains how everything works. If you dont have the time to shop there, or live too far away why join? As for your investment of $170, that refundable if you quit. If you dont want to be a member that is fine, nobody is forcing you. There is a waiting list of people waiting to join!

The coop annoys me. I should be able to just buy in (for a higher price or a non-ownership share) and then shop there - with 15,500 members they have to make busy work just so everyone can work off their 2.75 hours per month.

By my rough estimates the Co-op is open 5200 hours per year.

There are varying numbers of members but let's say 14,000.

At 165 minutes every 4 weeks that's 2,145 minutes per member or 500,500 member hours per year.

Divide by 365 and that's 1371 hours per day, divide by 2:45 per worker and that is 500 workers per day.

ridiculous

500 workers per day and I still see a slew of squads short-handed. A lot of those squads needing serious training and leadership.

Having to depend upon a workforce that is largely there to sustain their membership is difficult.

....in response, most grocery stores depend on a workforce that is largely there to sustain themselves.

^ Ha, that is awesome ^

I finally quit after 17 years because it is just a different place tha it once was with different agendas i can't support. Right now the most obvious is I think they are alive to sustain the excessive retirement package they have awarded the hired help(themselves) who are getting on in years now. Too much packaging and single serving items as if they are in fear of losing membership to Whole Foods. good riddance.

I went to the orientation 12 years ago.
So glad I never joined.
I have to credit my wife- she told me I would have to work both our shifts.
The coop members in my building always make a comment when they see our fresh direct deliveries.
Much better than walking someone with 2 bags of groceries home 20 blocks away wearing a school crossing guard uniform in the rain at night to return a shopping cart they did not need to use.

Or do I not just "get it"?

I am interested in seeing if the new coop on Empire in PLG has a member work requirement.

http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/44835/lefforts-community-food-coop-open-house#Item_2

It says it's built on the same model as the Park Slope co-op and the website says yes to shifts.  I'll be curious if they make you lie about having roommates to be allowed to join without them. The website says you can work your PS co-op shift at the PLG location.  It would be really interesting to me if you could shop at both too, but I think that would be far too convenient to be possible.  It seems like complicating simple issues is a specialty of anything run by (too?) large groups of people.

This conversation will continue at
A new food coop for Empire and Nostrand, see it on Oct 26th