There’s no “they” at food co-ops

Staff at Outpost Natural Foods (Milwaukee, WI)

A consumer food co-op is a grocery store owned by its customers. When speaking of a food co-op, it’s inaccurate for member-customers to refer to the store or its staff as a “they” - for example; “They’re choosing to not carry any more single-use plastic containers”. It’s far more accurate to start the sentence with “we” - as in; “We’re choosing to not carry any more single-use plastic containers”.

…or…

… upon walking into the store, rather than, “do you have any local apples in the store today?”, try out, “do we have any local apples in the store today”?

This subtle shift in language can dramatically alter the conversation and the grocery shopping experience.

When food co-ops are a grocery store option, no longer does the language of separation apply when speaking of the grocery stores we shop at.