Local, from Yelm, WA. This is a line of Ice Chips xylitol-sweetened mints and candies. In addition to being safe for diabetics, xylitol is also dentist-recommended for its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. Made with pure essential oils and xylitol from American birch wood, these treats are irresistable. Available in peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, cinnamon, licorice, clove, ginger, berry, and menthol-eucalyptus varieties.
$5.39 ea | Everyday Low Price
View more featured products >>
2012 CENTRAL CO-OP OWNER SURVEYHow would you prioritize expenses like owner discounts, worker pay and benefits, product affordability, educational programming, and investment in our local and regional communities? How much is Central Co-op ownership worth to you? How much do you trust your co-op?
Co-op management and the Board of Trustees want your input on these and other important questions. Please fill out this brief survey to let us know your strategic and budget priorities for your co-op.
The Board of Trustees is the body which, representing our owners, guides Central Co-op and the policies that it adopts. To do this effectively, the board as a whole needs trustees with a broad array of skills and experience. We are looking for community leaders and members with effective communication skills and a history of working with teams, who can identify the needs of the community and find ways that the co-op can meet these needs.
Central Co-op thrives with the participation of our diverse membership; If you or anyone you know would like to further engage with your co-op, check out the Candidate Application Packet for details about Board of Trustees candidacy. And if you have any questions, you can e-mail the board or call 206.329.1545.
by claudia kienholz, treasurer, board of trustees
When the City of Seattle announced a proposed ban on plastic carry-out bags in November, Central Co-op voiced our support. We remain committed to preserve the health of the earth and its inhabitants. Since March 2009 Central Co-op’s owners have responded overwhelmingly in support of our own ten-cent bag fee, and our volume of single-use bags has dropped by over two thirds.
We now face the “Paper or Plastic?” question in a new way. This time your answer will significantly affect our co-op’s financial health and well-being and our ability to strengthen the health of our community. As the board reviewed our 2012 budget, one expense line was glaringly apparent:
$228,000
This is the amount of money we have allocated in our budget to pay multi-national corporations for processing our use of debit and credit cards. Corporations that issue these cards, in the name of our banks or credit unions, rely on external networks to process and verify these transactions in real time. Retail stores like Central Co-op are therefore able to trust that when you swipe your card, your bank will pay us for the groceries you purchased. It’s all pretty amazing. And it’s also very, very expensive. Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) fees started small but have gradually increased over the years and – like the proverbial frog in slowly heating water – we have accommodated, and it’s not good.
How does $228,000 add up?
Although new federal regulations recently went into effect that limit the total amount that can be charged in fees for debit transactions, the new limits are not enough. The new fee cap is set at 21 cents per transaction plus 0.05% of the value of the transaction. That comes to 25 cents for an $80 purchase. A $20 purchase would be 22 cents and a $200 purchase would be 31 cents. Small purchases are even more costly. Twenty purchases of $5 each, made with a debit card, add up to $8.40 in fees. Additionally, many banks and credit unions responded to the new federal limits by charging additional debit use fees to individual account holders.
Debit cards are convenient, but there’s an option. Central Co-op offers pre-paid gift cards that can be used like a debit card but without the fees. Pre-paying for groceries provides the ease of making large or small purchases without carrying cash. Purchasing a pre-paid card with cash eliminates the fees altogether. But even purchasing a pre-paid card with a debit card reduces the fees substantially. A single transaction of $200 costs us $1.89 less in fees than ten transactions of $20 each and $8.09 less than 20 purchase of $5.
Wall Street or Our Street: How do YOU want to spend $228,000?
Your co-op’s money is YOUR money. Fees for processing debit and credit cards account for our third highest non-labor budget expense. During the first 3 quarters of 2011, we spent more on EFT fees than we did providing our owners with 10% discount coupons. A lot of money is leaving town to support the Wall Street economy instead of our own. As your trustees, we believe this is in conflict with our purpose and mission. As a consumer cooperative dedicated to building a local food economy, we believe we can do better.
Every cash dollar spent at Central Co-op helps us achieve our purpose and mission. Every cash dollar fosters a sustainable local economy that supports people and the planet from seed and soil to harvest, processing, distribution, sales and good eating. Every cash dollar moves us closer to the world we want to live in. We believe in the collective power of our owners and shoppers. We believe that together we can redirect a substantial portion of these funds back here where they belong. When you buy your groceries with cash or a pre-paid card, you actually make a BIG difference, especially in these tough economic times.
If we can reduce the amount we pay in EFT fees, we will have more funds available to do the work we’re here to do: maintain affordable wholesome food through Central Basics and owner discounts; stay up to date and informed about issues that are important to all of us and advocate for changes needed to create a food system that we can believe in; invest in systems that reduce our energy consumption for long-term environmental and financial sustainability; provide support to our community partners to grow a community that is well nourished by healthy food, respect and justice.
$228,000. Let’s keep it here.
Please read the follow-up report below, or click here: Wow!
