Comment: Why do you stock Muir Glen Pasta Sauce – it has sugar in it. Can you stock more varieties maybe even the Monte Bene – which has no sugar. – Jeremy
Response: Hi Jeremy! Great question! We stock Muir Glen Pasta Sauce because it is organic, the tomatoes are field ripened and grown in the U.S. While Muir Glen (part of Small Planet Food) was purchased by General Mills in 1999 they are committed to improving soil quality, supporting organic farmers and supporting NCGA Co-ops through frequent sale support.
Many pasta sauce recipes call for adding sugar to counter the acidity of the main ingredient of tomatoes. We do have pasta sauces available that do not add sugar but do add sweet vegetables and/or San Marzano Tomatoes which are imported and have lower acidity.
We are constantly examining the “turns” of product on our shelves. The products that our costumers buy with the most frequency are what keep us in business. We do try to bring in products to try and for example have carried a few more of the Monte Bene sauces in the past but the sales were slow and we had to let the product go.
I love your question because analyzing this kind of information is what we do every day here in the packaged grocery department. We try to keep variety on the shelves, quality organic, gmo-free and local products when possible and we strive for customer satisfaction with what is represented on our shelves. We try to listen to our customer needs and match that to our Co-op mission and merchandising policy.
Special ordering in case amounts is a great option for our members when a product is not available for sale on our store shelves. The best part about special ordering is that you get the product for 15% off shelf price! – Kristin, Grocery Manager
Comment: Loved shopping, visiting, and eating here. Thanks! We’re from Sycamore, IL. – Marge
Response: You are welcome! We are seeing more visitors every day in our store and we hope you take a little bit of that Decorah magic back with you. – David, General Manager
Comment: The tunes have been great during Nordic Fest…really eases the atmosphere! – anonymous
Response: We have received many comments regarding the music that we have playing over the Co-op sound system. We currently have a Pandora business subscription. This allows us to program in a variety of stations based on a certain genre, song, artist, or simply use the suggested “stations” provided by the Pandora. We even have the capability to schedule and program music for different periods of the day, as well as select themed music for events like Nordic Fest. We programmed a Scandinavian theme over Nordic Fest weekend which played an assortment of music the company associates with Scandinavian. We do have certain limitations and are somewhat at the whim of the algorithms the company uses to determine the correct songs for that genre. However, we have been happy with their service, as has our staff, and most shoppers. If we see you dancing in the aisles, or singing along, don’t be embarrassed – we do it plenty ourselves. – Nate, Marketing Manager
Comment: You really need to be open later on Sundays. – anonymous
Response: We have also heard that we need to be open earlier on Sundays. We will certainly take this into consideration as we approach 2014 since we have also noticed a change in shopping patterns. We make changes to our store hours on the calendar year (Jan. 1st) because it affects our labor budgets and other areas of management. – David, General Manager
Comment: How about photos of McCaffrey’s and Waving Grains like the local produce and meat producer banners? – Jo
Response: You can rest assured that these two local producers are next in line for their local producer banners. We hope to continue with the creation of more of these banners in the coming year.
Comment: Is there another option for a hand soap that is not antibacterial? It is very drying and leaves behind a residue that is not easily washed off. Just imagine the stuff that’s not coming off. Not good especially for Deli staff. Good ole fashion slippery soap should do. – anonymous
Response: The CleanWell hand soap used in the Co-op restrooms derives its antibacterial qualities from the natural ingredients thyme and oregano oil. This is in stark contrast to other antibacterial soaps on the market and used in most businesses and institutions. The typical antibacterial ingredient in most soaps and sanitizers is Triclosan – which is potentially carcinogenic. We are proud to say that our hand soap does NOT include this potentially harmful chemical and the dispenser even states this right on the front. The remainder of the ingredients in CleanWell hand soaps and sanitizers are all natural and should not leave any more residue on a person’s hands than our previously used product at the Co-op – Nutribiotic Skin Cleanser. The reason that it may have a more drying affect on a person’s hands is that it may not contain as much moisturizer as the previous product. This may be considered good or bad – as the extra moisturizer winds up as residual on the person’s hands also.
The reason behind switching to this new hand soap – with the dispensers – was partly because the company offers the wall-mounted dispensers for commercial use. This new system is less time consuming for staff and still utilizes a reputable and safe product for customer and staff use.
I also encourage you to check out the story behind the product, found online at the following link: http://www.cleanwelltoday.com/who-we-are/our-story/. It is a heartwarming story of one family’s mission to find something safe for their children to use every day—all day long.
