[BCN] Musing: these stores arent true Organic Markets or CoOps....

[Joshua Laskin]

Amatul,
  Thanks for that perspective.
  I'm a white, privileged American, and *I* get
the willies whenever I walk into a Harvest or
WholeFoods store--so I can't even imagine how
freaky an experience it must be for disprivileged
shoppers.
  It would be interesting to me, if there was a
store I *was* comfortable in, to then ask people
of different social classes how it feels to them.
  It may not be possible to create a single type
of store that everyone can love.  We may need
different styles of store in different
neighborhoods.  Some may be more challenging than
others--but that shouldn't excuse us from serving
all neighborhoods.  The Co-op Principle of 'Open
Membership' includes the sense of nonexclusivity.
  As for your challenge to us, to start talking
to people unlike ourselves, who live near the
Cental Square store:
  I feel that we need to begin, in our outreach,
with people who come from *similar* backgrounds
as ours, rather than with people from radically
different backgrounds than ourselves--because
that's the most realistic, practical way for us
to grow Member-sales, to survive.  But, I must
admit that this feeling is based on a complete
lack of information of the Others.  Therefor, I
must second your proposal, that we make the
effort to make contact with dissimilar people in
the neighborhoods of our stores, to at least
listen to what they have to say--so that we're
not guessing in a vacuum. 
  I once saw a flyer posted at the Cambridge
Public Library, for some kind of co-operative
buying-club, and I called, and the person who
answered sounded Black, and I guess I sounded
White, because he became very paranoid, and
claimed there wasn't anything like what I was
asking about, at that number.  So, I think it may
not be easy, to get someone to trust us enough to
really talk with us about Co-ops.  But then, who
ever said Economic Justice would be easy? 
  We may need to first actually DO something for
the neighborhood, to earn their trust, so they'll
talk with us.  Which raises the question: What
has Harvest Co-op ever done for its neighbors,
out in its neighborhoods?  Somehow, the answer,
"Nothing" comes to mind...  
  I guess it's never too late to stop beings
jerks?

Joshua     



--- Amatul Hannan <amatulhannan at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Musing...
>   Lower prices or higher, the bad managment and
> a lack of voice make most  of these stores
> ...well, IMHO.....very sad excuses for organic
> markets  or CoOps.
>     A CoOp is Co-Operated.

...   

>   If you want your food cooperative to be
> respectful, and sucessfully  market to the
> actual people of Cambridhe Central Square, you
> will   need to TALK TO people of other colors
> and other class strata and other  educations
> than yourselves, and make the connections
> PERSONAL. 
>   
> 



 
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