How to Shop the Co-op, pt 2: Bulk Loves You

With so many grocery stores and so few bulk aisles, those bins can be a little intimidating to some of us. It’s time for a quick tour. Bulk’s two aces: prices and treasures.

Agave Nectar, Olive Oil, Aminos and more!

Let’s tune those expectations. While you won’t find enormous discounts, you will see a difference, from about $.06/oz. to $.15/oz. Consider the savings by the pound and that’s an anytime coupon. And as Bulk deals in mostly staple items, the odds are good you’ll save more than a few bucks per month for your trouble. But there’s no trouble. Bag, weigh, tag, and move on.

Bulk’s more environmentally conscious. When you buy a product, you’re paying for all parts of it: the package design, printing, boxing, bagging, shipping. Bulk nearly eliminates those costs, for the supplier and you. Bring bags or purchase reusable ones and reduce even more!

Consider quantity control. Maybe you only need a half-cup of a special flour for a one-time cake, or you want to load up on beans for the next few months. Buying only what you need saves tons! No other department in the store can scale to your needs so precisely.

Gimme that sweet, sweet variety

So what about variety? Did you know you can drain honey, agave nectar and olive oil (among others)? Fair traded coffees, pastas, cereals, beans, oats, candies, oats, atole, even sea salt all abound. Fix yourself a custom granola,  fill up on wheat gluten for homemade seitan or fresh-ground almond butter. And then there’s spices! The spices! From mustard seeds to licorice root to milk thistle, purchase just what you need.

…and what’s that? Most of it’s organic? Some even local?

There’s no better time to get in and take advantage than next month, during Volume Discount Month. Reward yourself doubly by filling up on essentials, for less.