Hi! Thanks for reaching out! We're excited that you're interested in becoming an owner of HWFC. The more engaged we all are, the better the whole community is-- so thank you!

Here is some preliminary information about the Co-op to get you started.

Click below for the current schedule of live Zoom orientation classes:

If you need a personal appointment for any reason, including scheduling the orientation, please respond to this email and we will connect you with someone who does individual orientations. You may also email Yevette at memberservices@honestweight.coop for assistance with scheduling orientations or other membership questions.

After the orientation, you will need to show picture ID plus proof that you’re a NYS resident (license, ID, lease, electricity or utility bill, bank statement with amounts redacted if your ID is not from NY) You will also need to purchase an ownership for $100, or start payments and agree to pay the rest. You will need to come in person to join at the customer service desk after the orientation.

Each person who wants to be an owner joins individually. So $100 per person, and everyone who owns a portion of the co-op owns one portion just like all the other owners.

Owners can choose to become Member-Owners by investing time (often called "doing hours"). Investing time is not required to be an owner of HWFC.

Owner = someone who has purchased an ownership interest but does not invest time, Member-owner = an owner who does invest time at HWFC.

Owners receive 2% discount on purchases and 5% on select Local products, plus other special announcements throughout the year. A member-Owner who does one three-hour shift per month is called a “monthly member-owner” and they receive the 8% discount on their purchases plus the 5% select Local and extra announcements. A Member-Owner who does a three-hour shift per week is called a “weekly member-owner” and they receive the 24% discount on their purchases plus the extras. HWFC self-governs, and voting rights are earned by investing time in the store. The discount and voting rights apply in the month following the shifts, because we tally up the hours at the end of each month and give voting rights and discount if commitment is met. So member-owners invest time in November to get discount and voting rights in December, then they invest time in December to get discount and voting rights in January, and so forth. Again, owners do not have to invest time, but can if they want to in order to receive higher discounts and voting rights.

If you are anticipating investing time in the store, you may want to think about different departments that you would enjoy investing time in. Check out our website blurbs and needs: https://www.honestweight.coop/page/departments-3.html and https://www.honestweight.coop/page/member-owner-opportunities-101.html. You do not have to invest time every month, as an owner you will have the opportunity to invest time but you will not have to. We have some departments where you can drop in and invest time and some departments that need the member-owners to have a set schedule and show up consistently at the committed times. Some positions are easy to do as a monthly commitment (like grocery or courtesy clerk) and some need to be weekly scheduled shifts (like cashiers). We appreciate all the efforts of our owners and we encourage all of our owners to step up as much as they can, understanding that everyone's circumstances are different.

Thanks for reaching out! We look forward to serving the needs of our community together.