The Cortes Natural Food Co-op recognises three types of relationships with potential customers:
- non-members (the general public)
- members (who have bought their initial share and can vote at AGMs and other member meetings)
- members-in-good-standing or active members (who are up to date with their operations fee and entitled to special benefits like discounts and bulk ordering, free WiFi).
Our policy at the till has traditionally been generous when customers claim active member benefits. When customers say they are relatives of co-op members in good standing, or even friends staying with members during a visit, our staff generally give them the perks of an active member, such as discounts on selected items and bulk buying options.
However, some staff and members have raised the question of what a Co-op membership really means, if so many people who are not even basic members can walk in and claim active member benefits. Does this dilute the meaning of membership? What do you think about membership? Should it be shared with others, and if so, with whom? We’ve created a members survey to help us find our your answers to these questions!
To reward you for your time and thought, respondents who fill in their names at the end will be entered in the Questionnaire Reward Draw: the lucky winner will receive two tickets to our final Dream Cuisine of the season, Chef Xuan Ly Betz’s Flavours of Southern Vietnam.
