[Bang!]

How does the employee owned Price Chopper supermarket fit into your purchase decisions? Is the store regarded differently than a CO-OP? How so?

[GypsySoul22]

Well, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Bang, I am not sure what you're asking?

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

The thing is, I know of farms that don't bother to get certified organic (too much red tape) yet I'd trust them over some places that are certified...they're "organic" in all but name...

I agree. The CSA share we buy is from exactly that kind of farm. Our co-op carries that farm's produce, too. I don't know whether the WRJ co-op carries local organic produce (versus Organic, with a capital O approved by the govt). I've shopped at several co-ops in the state that do.

[GypsySoul22]

I'm sure all you people buying in bulk have cars, right? This part of WRJ is very run down and many people use the bus.

How do poor people buy in bulk and take the bus?

I don't think another co-op is practical in this area. But with 2 Price Choppers and 2 Shaws in Lebanon, I guess one of those chains would be foolish here.

I prefer to shop in Claremont, anyhow, at the Super Walmart.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

I'm sure all you people buying in bulk have cars, right? This part of WRJ is very run down and many people use the bus.

Bulk just means we package it ourselves in bags & containers we bring from home. (Our co-op, like most, has bags & containers available for those who need them.) We buy as little or as much as we need. In fact, with products like spices and herbs, we buy far less than the pre-packaged, labeled containers whose contents often go stale.

We have a car but rarely drive it for local errands. We walk to the co-op most of the time. Recently, a friend loaned me a bike indefinitely in case I have more than I can carry on foot. Sadly, not everyone is so abled. The bus goes right by our co-op.

In fact the Rutland Co-op had an opportunity to move to a bigger, better space but it was way off downtown. They chose to stay downtown precisely so Rutland people without cars could reach them. I'm not sure what people who live outside town without a car do, though. Presumably they get into town for other errands, appointments, and their jobs.

[68vette]

I trust farms as much as I trust any other company. They are not growing produce out of the kindness of their hearts. They are trying to make money. We have a farm right near the house that is very well respected in not only Colchester, But Chittenden county. They are not organic and don't claim to be, but anyone who lives near this farm knows they use chemical fertilizers (the smell is enough to make you sick). They also sell their products to many if not most co-ops in the state. On WCAX this past week there was a story on the Vermont Conservation Foundation. The story related to the amount of money spent to clean Lake Champlain and the lake is not getting clean. The majority of the problem is from chemical run off from farms.
When I had my farm in Brookfield I grew organic garlic. The process is not full of red tape or hard to do. You fill out an application every year and submit a fee (which the Fed reimburses now up to 75%). An inspector comes out and spends a few hours going through everything and the VOF reviews the application and inspection report and sends a letter to notify you. If you claim to be organic and are not certified, there is a reason and in most cases it's chemicals.
Communities need stores like Price Chopper or any other named store. The reason is cost. This was found out in Burlington a few years ago. City Market went in downtown and people did not have an affordable source of food. The market is great, but most can't afford to shop there. The sad thing is we pay through the nose for organic goods and for the small farm it is not expensive to grow produce organically. In many cases it can be cheaper to grow organic. When I grew organic garlic the cost to grow organic was just about negligible.

[GypsySoul22]

Thank you for pointing out that even 'local' farmers can be ruining the land/environment.

Like I said previously, in poor areas, they need more competition, not less. No one is expecting to turn VT into 'suburban heaven' but expecting the locals living off disability (and if you doubt this, come to Walmart the first of the month when the checks go out) to shop at the Co-op for 'organic tomatoes' and 'fresh basil' for the pesto sauce.

I saw this on Saturday. I was at Walmart and it was packed, even though it was very early. I mentioned this to someone and he said it was because disability checks in VT came out every first of the month. So people were going to spend them where they get the most bang for the bucks.

*It may not be PC but it's realistic.*

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

Thank you for pointing out that even 'local' farmers can be ruining the land/environment.

This is so true. It's what I love about buying local. We visit the farms where much of our food comes from and see their farming practices in action. We can volunteer there or trade work for food, and many do. We can see for ourselves what the farmers' practices are. A label can mean something or not, but sometimes it's all we have to go on.

[arctichomesteader]

I saw this on Saturday. I was at Walmart and it was packed, even though it was very early. I mentioned this to someone and he said it was because disability checks in VT came out every first of the month. So people were going to spend them where they get the most bang for the bucks.

*It may not be PC but it's realistic.*

Back home in the NEK a lot of people would drive once a month or so to NH to shop (tax-free) and stock up on things. I doubt most of them want to drive to NH to shop like that but it was a matter of getting by.

But another way of getting by is barter--know the right people and you can get things like maple syrup, firewood, etc., without spending money per se. VT definately has a big underground barter economy, which the IRS would love to destroy.

[GypsySoul22]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

But another way of getting by is barter--know the right people and you can get things like maple syrup, firewood, etc., without spending money per se. VT definately has a big underground barter economy, which the IRS would love to destroy.

And Ben and Jerry's ice cream! I saw this on tv. Apparently if you work there they give you 2 pints a day free as a bonus (or they did as of this program). The man on tv said people barter it for all sorts of things like having their driveways plowed.