Register system and surcharge changes
We wrote a long article in the Breeze about changes that were coming to membership, but we inadvertently omitted possibly one of the biggest changes at Wheatsville. We have eliminated the 7% non-owner surcharge so that all of Austin can shop at our great regular prices. Don't worry, though, there are still many owner only special in the store and only owners can participate in our quarterly Member Appreciation 10% off days.
A little background... for years now, internally, we've been talking about getting rid of the surcharge. In fact, it's been part of our planning for the full 5 years that we've been working on this expansion project. The plan has been that we would end the surcharge when we completed the renovation, but decided to do it sooner when we started to plan the install of our new register system.
Why, you may ask are we doing this?
SImply put, the surcharge was a negative incentive to get people to join the co-op and we want a co-op that is inviting to all and where people are owners for the positive benefits of cooperation not because they feel extorted by the surcharge.
This decision was not made lightly and we hope that you will support it. A survey of cashiers, past and present, asking them what they didn't like about their job would elicit responses that would most certainly include something like, "People getting upset about the surcharge>" People have gotten angry, left without their groceries or begrudgingly bought them only to never come back and have bad stories about "that place on Guadalupe that charges a weird tax on groceries unless you're part of their club."
I know that this may upste some of you and I encourage you to e-mail or call me to talk about it. But, overall, I think that this is an EXTREMELY positive development for Wheatsville and for our future.
One really cool change from our new system that will benfit you is that if you're an owner you will automatically get our owner specials savings each time you shop without having to remember the coupon or anything! And, at the bottom of your receipt, you can see the amount you saved on deals at your co-op!
We've also heard from owners that sometimes they talk to people who think that you have to be a member to shop here or that we're too expensive because of the surcharge or whatever. Now, you can promote Wheatsville vigorously to friends and not get stung with negative surcharge stories!
We'll have a much more in depth story about this in the July Breeze, but I wanted to make sure that I started to get the word out about this change as quickly as we could once I discovered our error. Thanks so much for your understanding and your support of Wheatsville!!!
From the Deli
This week in the deli try some of our freshly made case salads.
We have fresh sliced Boarshead Honey Maple Ham and imported Swiss cheese on special.
On a budget? Don't forget that we always have our delicious, healthy and filling, all organic small Beans and Rice for only $1.99 and our giant Whole Veggie sandwiches for $3.29! We think that this might be the best sandwich deal in town.
Ask any of your friendly deli staffers for suggestions on any of your delicious selections.
Don’t forget there are Owner’s Specials on any of our espresso drinks. 25 cents off an organic espresso beverage is quite the treat. My current favorite is an iced latte with a shot of organic vanilla syrup! Yum.
From Greg, in the Land of Cheese
I have a secret that I am going to share with you. I love ∫, especially the local variety. So yesterday, while I was cutting the cheese (snicker) I thought to myself, “what can I do to take grilled peaches over the top?” . “Brie!” is what I answered myself with. So, I dropped what I was doing and ran to the produce department and grabbed a few very ripe local peaches. Ran back to the deli fired up the char grill, sliced up the peaches and threw them on the grill. Now, peaches do not take that long to grill. If you leave them on to long they turn to mush. So 1-3 minutes, depending on the heat of the fire. Once they are off the grill top with brie. I used St. Andre’s, but any brie would work. “Absolutely sinful!”
Word from Bryan, the Butcher
Hey folks! This is the last week to take advantage of this month’s Owner’s Savings. Come by and pick up Niman Ranch bratwurst and sweet Italian sausage 25 cents off the regular retail price of $5.99.
Also, be sure to check out our wild Alaskan sockeye salmon, which is 75 cents off for owners.
We're reallye excited to be making our own fresh sausage from scratch. Right now we’re producing both sweet Italian and hot Italian sausage. Both are great on the grill and fantastic in any pasta dish or pizza topping. You can also try our Chorizo, a Mexican style sausage used in breakfast dishes or by its self. All of our fresh-made sausages are made with Niman Ranch beef and pork, natural gut casings and natural spices. These sausages are $7.99 per pound and are an inexpensive dinner option with lots of flavor. You’d also be supporting certified, humane treatment of animals in the process! SO far these sausages are cooking up some real interest from our meat fans, so check it out!
Thanks folks, see ya soon.
Early in the morning
Remember to tell your early bird friends that we will begin having earlier hours on Monday June 15th! We'll be open from 7:30am to 11pm! Woo hoo! People have long been demanding that we wake up a little earlier so they could fit even more Wheatsville quality time into their life and so we are! Free small drip coffee from 7:30-8am from June 15th through the 22nd!!!
Save the date for Coffee with the Board NEXT Saturday June 6th from 10am-Noon. This month it's Iced!
Hope to see you all very soon!!!
Dan Gillotte
General Manager and E-mail guy
Austin's Community Grocery since 1976. We're a funky grocery store in one of the coolest towns in the country, Austin TX. We have all kinds of great food with a focus on local and organic!
