By Brendon Smith
Willy Street Co-op

COVID-19 precautions

The COVID-19 outbreak made us change how we do a number of things at our stores. Among many other changes, we have:

• shortened our hours of operation to reduce exposure for our staff members and to give us more time to sanitize the store.
• instituted limits on the number of customers who can be in the store at one time.
• closed our salad bar, hot bar, deli counter, meat counter and bulk aisle.

By the time you read this, some or all of those things may have reverted back to the way they were in early March. For current hours of operation and up-to-date information about our stores, visit willystreet.coop.

Online shopping, delivery and pickup

We have greatly increased the number of delivery and pickup slots available through our online store. Anyone, not just Co-op Owners, can place orders online, although the fees are lower for Owners. For details, visit shop.willystreet.coop. The site is not mobile-friendly, so please use a desktop computer when ordering.

Stretching your grocery dollar

We recognize that the pandemic has strained the incomes of many people, so we want to share some ways you can stretch your grocery dollar at the Co-op:

• Discount produce bins. Check the discount bins in the Produce Department, where ripe, ready and blemished fruit and vegetables are sold at a bargain.
• Just half? Most produce is sold by the pound, but you can get a smaller quantity. Take just one stalk of celery or one bunch of grapes. A Produce Department staff member can cut a head of cabbage or cauliflower in half for you.
• Buy in bulk. Need a tablespoon of cinnamon, a cup of flour or 5 pounds of rice? You can buy as much or as little as you want in the bulk aisle. (Our bulk aisle has been closed during the pandemic. If you are making a special trip for bulk products, please call the store to confirm the Bulk Department is open before making the trip.)
• FoodShare/QUEST and WIC. All three of our stores accept FoodShare/QUEST, and Willy North accepts WIC.