We’ll shop, you pick up

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Astoria Co+op is is offering curbside grocery pickup as a free community service during the pandemic to anyone who wants to shop from the comfort and safety of home. The service is available seven days a week with multiple options for pickup times throughout the day.

Some important tips:

  • Mercato, the platform we’re using, offers delivery in larger cities, but not in Astoria. Make sure you select the “I’ll pick it up” option, then you can choose a day/time that works for you.
  • Check the box “replace out of stock items” if you would like us to find comparable replacements on out of stock items. You can then choose whether you’d like to be contacted or not to verify whether the replacements are suitable.
  • Our store is located at 2350 Marine Drive in Astoria. We have dedicated curbside pickup parking spots near the entrance. Let the staff person stationed outside the store entrance know you’re here and we will bring your groceries out to your vehicle.
  • If you have any questions about online ordering, please call the store (503) 325-0027 or email [email protected].

Shop Mercato.com

If you need your groceries delivered, one option would be calling Downtown Taxi at (503) 791-6728 to arrange to have your order picked up at the co-op and delivered to your home. The company is charging a flat rate of $5 for delivery in Astoria-Warrenton.

Bakers Against Racism

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We’re participating in a nation-wide bake sale #BakersAgainstRacism to raise funds for organizations assisting black lives and combating racism. Buy one of our delicious strawberry-rhubarb pies and we’ll donate 100% of proceeds to Black United Fund of Oregon. We’re taking pre-orders now for pickup Saturday. Simply email our kitchen manager [email protected] to reserve your pie.

Our pies are made from scratch with organic rhubarb and local strawberries. Organic flour and butter make up the crust. These 9″ pies go for 12.99 each. Our bakers wanted to take part in this event to help spread some extra love to the black community. Thank you for considering participating!

Black Lives Matter

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Dear Community,

The Astoria Co+op management, staff, and board of directors feel sadness and pain regarding the tragic and inhumane death of George Floyd and the systemic racism that has led to many other inhumane Black deaths across the country.

As a small first step, our co-op has donated $500 to the Southern Poverty Law Center and $500 to the Equal Justice Initiative. Both organizations work to undo injustice and provide educational opportunities surrounding racial justice work.

National Co+op Grocers has spent considerable time and energy the last several years working on racial diversity, equity, and inclusion. I have been a part of this work as an NCG board member. Now, more than ever, is the time to take up this work in earnest at the local level.

For our co-op, it will start with education, making unconscious bias training part of our hiring, training, and board work. Improving diversity and inclusivity is not only the right thing to do, it will also strengthen our business and the positive impact we have on the community.

The world is in turmoil right now, but the viral, racism, and mental health pandemics are exposing many opportunities to make the world a better place. As our co-op navigates the daily challenges of operating a grocery store in this climate and continues to grow and mature as a business, we are committed to keeping the conversation going and working to find ways that a cooperative grocer can play its part in improving Black lives.

Sincerely,

Matt Stanley
Astoria Co+op General Manager

You can reach Matt at [email protected] or (503) 325-0027.

Reusable Bag Comeback

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Safe Shopping Policies Update

The health of our community is more important than ever to your co-op. During this pandemic, our goal continues to stay open, providing you with a vital grocery service, as safely as possible. Here is an update on our safe shopping policies as we ease some restrictions and maintain others.

You can once again bring reusable shopping bags to the co-op. We had been restricting their use; however, a few things have changed. Recent CDC guidelines suggest coronavirus transmission through surfaces is less of a threat than previously suspected. That coupled with the fact that paper bags are increasingly difficult to source, and the planet-friendly aspect of reusables made the decision clear. For now, we ask that you keep your reusable bags in the cart at checkout and do your own bagging.We are easing a few other restrictions:

  • You can once again bring reusable dairy bottles and other cans/bottles with deposits back in the store. Just talk to one of our friendly greeters outside if you have any of these items to redeem.
  • We are now accepting cash; however, to limit exposure, we prefer credit cards and contactless payment methods such as Apple Pay whenever possible.

While we are easing some policies, we will keep others in place for the foreseeable future. One of our most noticeable policies is a mask/face covering requirement. Most of our staff and shoppers have expressed support for this. According to the CDC and an overwhelming and growing body of scientists, SARS-CoV-2 is primarily spread from person to person via respiratory droplets and masks or face coverings help prevent the spread.

As Oregon’s phase two includes reopening of hotels and other short-term lodging in Astoria, we anticipate more visitors; however, we do not plan to relax our policy on limiting the number of customers in the store. Keeping in line with advice from public health experts, we want people to have plenty of space to safely work and shop.

If you’re not comfortable coming in the store, or you simply desire the convenience of online shopping, we’ve expanded our curbside grocery pickup program to everyone seven days per week. This is a community service that your co-op is currently offering for free. Please visit our web site for more information.

Here are some of the other measures we are taking to keep our employees and shoppers happy and healthy:

  • Requiring masks/face coverings
  • Limiting number of customers in store at one time
  • Social distancing reminders (at least six feet)
  • Asking customers to sanitize hands upon entry
  • Installation of hand washing machines and hand sanitizing dispensers throughout store
  • You touch it, you buy it policy for fresh produce
  • Reduction of certain bulk bins and restricting reusable bulk containers
  • Staff person at entrance sanitizing carts after each use and safe shopping education
  • Regular sanitation of frequent touch points
  • Installation of air scrubbers in HVAC system
  • Temporary closure of seating area, hot bar, salad bar and taqueria
  • Temporary reduction in hours to allow for crowd-free re-stocking
  • Plexiglass protection barriers at check stands
  • Daily employee wellness screens
  • Expansion of sick pay benefits
  • Additional $2/hr. “hero pay” for employees plus an additional week paid time off

If you have any questions or comments about our safe shopping policies, we ask that you do not direct those toward our staff on the sales floor but contact General Manager Matt Stanley.

 

 

 

Free Curbside Pickup

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We’ve expanded our curbside grocery pickup program to anyone who wants to shop from the comfort and safety of home, seven days a week. This is a free community service your co-op is offering during the pandemic.

Some important tips:

  • The platform we’re using, Mercato, offers delivery in larger cities, but not in Astoria. Make sure you select the “I’ll pick it up” option, then you can choose a day/time that works for you.
  • Check the box “replace out of stock items” if you would like us to find comparable replacements on out of stock items. You can then choose whether you’d like to be contacted or not to verify whether the replacements are suitable.
  • Our store is located at 2350 Marine Drive in Astoria. We have dedicated curbside pickup parking spots near the entrance. Let the staff person stationed outside the store entrance know you’re here and we will bring your groceries out to your vehicle.
  • If you have any questions about online ordering, please call the store (503) 325-0027 or email [email protected].

Shop Mercato.com

If you need your groceries delivered, one option would be calling Downtown Taxi at (503) 791-6728 to arrange to have your order picked up at the co-op and delivered to your home. The company is charging a flat rate of $5 for delivery in Astoria-Warrenton.

New Doughnuts!

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If you’d like to sink your teeth into a freshly baked co-op doughnut, you can reserve a box by emailing our prepared foods manager, Andy Catalano [email protected]. Doughnuts are only available weekends at the co-op and they’ve proven to be such a hit that we’re taking orders, with just a limited about available first come, first served. A mixed box of six costs 9.99. Email Andy and let him know if you’d like our bakers to set some aside for you, specify Saturday or Sunday and please plan on picking them up before noon (we open at 9am). Thank you and enjoy!

Mask Requirement

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The co-op will require shoppers, staff and vendors to wear masks or other face coverings beginning Monday. To continue serving our community, we must stay healthy and public health experts say wearing a covering over your nose and mouth is one way to prevent spreading Covid-19 to others.

There is a renewed sense of anxiety among our staff with a virus outbreak at a local seafood processing plant and the state easing stay at home restrictions. Our decision to require masks did not come lightly as we realize it may not be popular for some, but after seeking staff’s input and hearing from customers, we know there’s strong support.

“Nearly all staff have been voluntarily wearing masks; it’s not fun to wear them eight hours a day, but we’re doing it because we feel it is the right thing to protect co-workers and customers from potential asymptomatic spread,” General Manager Matt Stanley said.

The co-op’s mask requirement begins Monday, May 11 until further notice. The requirement does not apply to children under the age of two or individuals who are unable to wear face coverings due to a medical condition. As a courtesy, we will have paper masks available for free at the entrance and will maintain this supply as much as possible.

Of course, masks and face coverings do not replace social distancing, thorough hand washing, and staying home as much as possible. This crisis is an opportunity to come together cooperatively to protect workers who provide vital groceries and to save lives of vulnerable community members. We truly are in this together and are incredibly thankful for your support.

If you have questions or comments about the mask requirement, please contact our general manager, Matt Stanley [email protected]. We ask that you do not direct any comments toward our staff unless it’s positive feedback.

Click here to see other steps we are taking to stop the spread.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation regarding the use of cloth face coverings.

May Owner Appreciation

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For safety, we don’t want to concentrate a large amount of shoppers in the store during a one week period as we normally do for owner appreciation week, so co-op owners will have all month to choose a discount shop.

Here’s how it works: get 10% off a purchase under $100, 15% off a purchase of $100 or more or 20% off a purchase of $150 or more. Equity must be up-to-date to receive discount. Applies to items in stock and does not stack with case discounts.

Thanks so much for your support!

Not a co-op owner? You’re always welcome to shop. Learn more about becoming a co-op owner.

Owner discounts must be redeemed by shopping in the store as we don’t currently have a way to do this with online shopping.

Double Up Food Bucks Launch

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Our co-op will be the first grocery store in Oregon to launch the healthy food incentive program Double Up Food Bucks starting this May. After success at farmer’s markets, the program is extending to a small number of grocery stores.

“Double Up Food Bucks puts more healthy food on the plates of low-income families, while supporting local growers,” said Astoria Co+op General Manager Matt Stanley. “We’re supporting our customers while helping grow a healthier community.”

Double Up matches the value of SNAP spent on fresh fruits and vegetables providing shoppers with credit for future produce purchases, up to $10 per shopping trip. SNAP stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps.

The Oregon Legislature approved $1.5 million in the 2019-2021 biennium budget to continue and expand Double Up. The Oregon Food Bank is administering the Double Up grocery pilot program in cooperation with the Fair Food Network and Farmers Market Fund.

“Double Up Food Bucks is proven to be a model that supports low-income families to bring home more fruits and vegetables, local growers to sell more produce, and more food dollars to stay in the local economy, not just in Oregon, but around the country. Expanding the program to retail outlets, like Astoria Co+op will further support local businesses and growers while providing low-income community members with year-round access to quality fruits and vegetables,” said Ryan Schoonover, Oregon Food Bank’s, Double Up Grocery Coordinator.

According to program leaders, only 11% of Oregonians consume enough fruit and vegetables for a healthy life. For the one in six Oregonians experiencing food insecurity, eating the recommended servings of produce is not affordable. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables lowers the risk of many serious and chronic conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

If you have any questions about the program, contact Astoria Co+op Marketing Director Zetty Nemlowill at [email protected].

Click here for a printable Double Up Food Bucks flyer.

 

Clean Air

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We’re keeping everything in the store extra clean right now including the air you breath. We’ve installed air scrubbers on all of our HVAC systems, both for the retail sales floor and the back of house staff areas. These air scrubbers use photocatalytic oxidation and UV lights to safely sanitize and reduce particulate in the air. They do not produce ozone, a harmful gas that some air purifiers use. Our HVAC system will be on continuous cycle to keep air moving through the co-op clean. Over time the process sanitizes surfaces too.

General Manager Matt Stanley explains in this short video.

Special thanks to P&L Johnson Mechanical for helping make this happen!