FOOD COOP -- Extra Credit 1

Picture this: you wake up to make breakfast but realize you're out of eggs. Not to worry, you take a quick trip down to your neighborhood supermarket. You arrive to the freshest produce and ingredients straight from local farmers. As you're shopping you bump into many familiar faces from throughout the community. As you head to check out, you see many more familiar faces and communities members from all different backgrounds working behind the registers. Your cashier greats you with a smile and says, "Hey good to see you! When's your next shift?" You reply that you're working register later that morning. You head back home, make the tastiest eggs, shower, and head back down to the supermarket for your shift. 

This is Food Coop, and yes, it exists. The Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn, New York has been operating since 1973. Park Slope Food Coop works in a unique way. Members of the coop agree to work at the store just a few hours per month in order for high quality groceries at a way smaller price than a traditional grocery store. The coop avoids profit driven markups, trying to promote affordability and equity. 

The community building aspect of the food coop is another aspect that makes it so special. Everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status has the opportunity to contribute and benefit equally in this situation. Everyone puts in the same amount of work and receives the same reward. It also brings together people who normally wouldn't be in the same social circle, and creates more community engagement.

Some flaws shared in by members included democratic leadership issues and inequity in the work requirement. Some members shared that though the democratic leadership style increases equity and membership engagement, it often greatly slows down the efficiency of decision making and overall productivity. Also, some view that having a monthly work requirement is unfair to those that aren't able to make time due to work or caregiving. 

Overall, despite some of the flaws that the food coop has, the benefits greatly outweigh it. The fact the Park Slope Food Coop has survived for 51 years shows how successful it has been. The coop benefits farmers, by reducing middle man costs of wholesalers. It benefits customers by reducing prices. And finally, it brings the community together by requiring contribution and giving decision making rights. This system can grow into other economic endeavors in the future, and hopefully we all can learn something from the Park Slope Food Coop.