Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Communal buying...

[Rob Sandelin (floriferous]

Sharingwood, which is a somewhat rural cohousing location has once a month
bulk food deliveries. We have a team in charge of this, they stock the
commonhouse and see that the private orders are divided up correctly. In
addition to any kind of organic food or health suppliment or beauty product,
we also get shares of organic produce. All at WHOLESALE prices. I am always
astonished when I go into the local coop and see how much they have marked
things up compared to what we, and they, actually pay for them. The Markup
at the local supermarket is sometimes staggering. The Wednesday before the
delivery we turn in order sheets from the large catalog, then the order is
called in Thursday and delivered friday. One month, just for fun, I took our
filled order sheet to the coop in town and did a savings tally. That
particular month we saved 1/3 the cost of our food and other household
products. And they deliver it to our door so I also saved the gas of driving
to the coop.

We often buy a whole months  supply of things at once, so there is a bit of
a storage issue. For example we buy 4 gallons of organic milk (and freeze
it), and a case of organic margarine. About every two months we order a case
of organic cheese, and we split a case of organic butter. Often there is
trading that goes on over the month, for those times when you bought a case
of those pintos and you are tired of beans.

Rob Sandelin
Sky Valley Environments  <http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm>
Field skills training for student naturalists
Floriferous [at] msn.com


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