Focus Groups: Making Your Voices Heard

—by Melissa Williams

The building purchase and expansion have successfully completed their initial phase, and the board wants to ensure that they’re hearing the voices of the membership on matters related to the future of the co-op. The membership committee took up this challenge and decided to set up focus groups comprised of shareholders. These groups have been small — no more than 15 — and have met for about 60–90 minutes. Our first two groups met on October 24th and 26th and were comprised of some of our most frequent shoppers. We asked five questions:

1. What do you like about the expansion (spatially, in terms of offerings, maneuverability, etc.)?
2. What would you like to see that is NOT part of the expansion yet?
3. For continued fiscal health of the co-op, what are your thoughts on a change in the share price for membership?
4. What would you think about a change in the discount structure for volunteers to ensure the fiscal health of the co-op?
5. Do you have any thoughts on providing incentives for nonvolunteering members to encourage them to shop more regularly?

Twenty-two people participated in the first two groups. We were very careful not to guide the conversation. Perception is almost as important as fact in a community organization, and so we simply listened to what volunteers had to say. We found three common sets of feedback:

1. Community is what membership values most about the co-op. People like that they know shoppers and employees when they come in, and that others know them. People have a sense of ownership with the co-op. Conversely, some were concerned that people who are not members might be intimidated by shopping at the co-op. How do new people deal with writing down produce prices, for example? Does bulk shopping confuse them? Is it uncomfortable to feel as if everyone knows everyone but you? The membership wants to be as inclusive and welcoming as possible.
2. In discussions about the fiscal health of the co-op now that we’re landlords with a large building to improve, we heard that, with caveats, people are comfortable with increasing the share price. The next lowest co-op share price in the Twin Cities is $80. Ours is $30. Many focus group participants said, “I would be happy to do this if needed, but I’m concerned about other members.” They asked if payment plans could be available or if we could find other ways to make an increase manageable for students and those with fixed incomes.
3. Dropping the discount a few percentage points was acceptable for some, not for others. The discount has made the co-op a good deal for people and/or made the co-op affordable. The volunteering aspect is what distinguishes us from all the other co-ops in the Twin Cities. Participants stated, “We are the last real co-op.”

There were also five common statements about which the board wanted to provide some points of clarification:

1. Participants wanted the store to be better organized. People can’t find some things without help, and they worry that this reduces patronage. This is a major goal for Matt Hass, our new general manager. We’re looking at aisle labels and a store map (both of which were suggested in focus groups). We also want to clearly mark who is staff and who is a volunteer.
2. There were concerns about the consistency of merchandise availability. Products are sometimes there one week and not the next. Moving to computerizing the systems to a larger degree will help us be better able to react to ordering needs, but this issue is still under discussion and will continue to be a focus.
3. Participants had ideas about how to deal with the shares, but not all of them are legal according to Minnesota state law and/or the co-op’s bylaws. All members have to buy in at the same share price. A sliding fee scale is not possible. People cannot purchase multiple shares.
4. To bring in non-volunteering shareholders (pink card holders), the groups suggested periodic discounts. We are already doing this, believe it or not! Currently it's a quarterly 10% discount on one shopping trip. There are discussions amongst management to change how that’s done; maybe increase frequency? We aren’t sure yet, but it’s nice to know management and membership are on the same page.
5. Participants were concerned about lack of information regarding all the changes. These are people who are in the store frequently, and yet they don’t always know what’s happening. This is a legitimate concern, so let us list the ways the board is trying to convey information or improve the communication process. We are trying to include updates in the newsletter (hence this article); we are working on being more up-to-date with posting monthly board meeting minutes in the entryway; we invite you to attend board meetings if you are a member; we invite non-board members to become members of committees; and we encourage you to review our website for meeting minutes, information on upcoming events, and things like the soup line. Finally, please provide the co-op with your e-mail address, as we’d like to add this to the membership information we currently collect and eventually begin sending out key updates and newsflashes once we have a critical mass of e-mails.

Finally, here is some information that group participants had asked for. If we were to change the share price to $60, $53,280 would be brought in on a one-time basis, assuming all members paid the additional $30. Assuming we continue to average 230 new members per year, an additional $6,900 would then come in annually. If discounts were to drop three percent, volunteers would end up paying $60 more per year if they spent $2000/year at the co-op. (This number would be slightly higher for some and slightly lower for others. Check the report we send to you annually regarding how much you spent at the co-op; you should have numbers from 2008.) Making this adjustment would save $25,397.90 for the co-op every year. In other words, if volunteering members are able and willing to pay $5 more per month for their purchases, the co-op would be able to bring in a substantial amount of annual income beyond what we already are doing.

It is important to understand that neither of these options is a done deal. They are ideas, and they’re a great example of why it’s so important that we hear from you. Think about ways to improve the co-op, financially, organizationally, and otherwise, and then share them with us! At the Annual Meeting, focus groups were scheduled for December 2nd and 10th. If you are reading this in early December, check the volunteer bulletin board to see if there is still space in either of these groups. Otherwise, watch for additional groups scheduled in 2010. You can also bring in written statements to share with the board or e-mail your comments to board@hampdenparkcoop.com. Once again, thank you for making your co-op the democratic and community-focused place that we are!