You, the Co-op owners, are the life blood and guiding force of the store. Your purchasing decisions, requests, and requirements are what determines the content of our shelves, the direction of our donations, and the future of our organization. An enthusiastic, engaged body of owners makes for a healthy, thriving Co-op. With all that in mind, the Co-op staff challenged itself in the month of May to succeed at an Ownership drive. We hoped that the structural and aesthetic improvements made to the store in the last six months would encourage new shoppers to invest in the store, and encourage existing owners to pay their way to the full $300 investment. We set ourselves a goal of 70 new owners/full investments for the month of May. The entire staff was encouraged to participate in educating shoppers on the benefits of ownership, so that any staff member could help us reach our goal.
May Ownership Numbers
And reach it we did. By the end of May, we had more than doubled our goal and encouraged more than one hundred more new owners than is usual for the month of May. Our tirelessly enthusiastic and impressively skilled Front End team explained the nuances and benefits of ownership all day, every day, while the stockers, buyers, and cooks of the Center Store, Produce, and Kitchen departments maintained the excellent products and customer service that brings shoppers back time and time again to our Cooperative.
To all our new owners: Welcome! You are now a part of one of Chico’s most enduring and unique community organizations. You’ve joined a group of people who, for more than forty years, have been dedicated to bringing a better way of shopping and eating to Chico.