Co-Opportunity COVID-19 Updates

Co-Opportunity Community Support: Members Helping Members

We've created a community support list to connect community member-owners in need with volunteers who can provide help in the form of grocery shopping, food delivery and more. If you'd like to be included on our list, or if you need assistance and would like to be connected with a volunteer, please fill out a form.

Need Help? Click here

Want to Help? Click here

Trustworthy Resources

One of the best things you can do is stay informed with accurate information. We suggest the following, recommended by Harvard Medical School:

• CDC
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• World Health Organization Mythbusters Page
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)

May 12, 2020

Member Discount Days Update
Because we are still experiencing supply instability and operational challenges related to COVID-19, we are cancelling this weekend's Big 10 Member Discount Days. We are looking ahead to brighter days and preparing for an extended Big 10 in June. Mark your calendars for June 17 - 21 (5 days) where all Co-Opportunity members will save 10% storewide.

April 10, 2020

April 17-19 Big 10 Owner Discount Weekend Cancelled
This decision was based on our goal of maintaining a safe environment for both staff and customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In short, our popular discount weekend just makes it that more challenging for us to keep our store free of crowds, clean, and well-stocked. Thanks again for your patience and understanding as we navigate what is best for all.

April 8, 2020

Effective immediately, we are requiring all staff members and customers to wear facial coverings at all times while inside the co-op. Facial coverings need not be medical-grade masks or N95 respirators, but can be fabric coverings, such as scarves and bandanas.

Also, Beginning Friday, April 10th, as detailed in Mayor Garcetti's April 7th Worker Protection Order, customers who are not willing to wear a face covering over their nose and mouths will be asked to leave the store.

Here's a brief review of other safety procedures and tips already in place:

• Do not enter the store if you feel sick.
• Reusable bags, mugs, or containers of any kind should NOT be brought inside the store.
• Keep 6 feet of distance between yourself, other shoppers and staff.
• Only touch items that you intend to buy.
• Limit your frequency of shopping trips and shop alone if possible.
• Come prepared with a shopping list and limit your time inside the store.
• Use credit/debit cards or Apple or Google Pay to reduce the number of times cashiers must touch cash. We understand that it isn’t always possible but we appreciate the effort if you can.
• Consider ordering groceries for delivery through Instacart.

All posted policies and practices are subject to change in response to this health crisis. Please check this page for the latest. 

We sincerely appreciate the cooperation that our community has shown as we've implemented so many new procedures.

April 2, 2020

Updated Store Hours: 7am - 9pm
In consideration of social distancing, and to help out the many essential workers that need to eat too, we've decided to close at 9pm beginning this Saturday, April 4th. Opening hours, including our High Risk hour remain unchanged - 7am - 8am. We're hoping this will be a big help for our community.

March 30, 2020

No More Reusable Bags and Containers
Starting tomorrow, we will not be allowing customers to bring in their own bags, mugs, and bulk containers. This is just another temporary practice we're putting into place to prevent the spread of the virus.

Special Orders
We are unable to take special orders at this time. 

Bulk Sale
Unfortunately, our monthly 10% off bulk scale is cancelled for this weekend - and going forward until further notice. The love we have for our bulk department runs deep and we look forward to bringing the sale back when we emerge from the this crisis.

March 19, 2020

High Risk Shopping Hour
Beginning Thursday, March 19th, we will be opening both stores from 7am - 8am exclusively to serve members of our community who are over 65 or are part of our more vulnerable higher risk populations. We request customers not at high risk to wait until after 8am to shop.

Updated Store Hours
Also beginning Monday, March 23rd, we will be adjusting our store hours. We will be open from 7am - 8pm to restock, clean, and provide staff with a break. Store hours from now until Sunday will remain 7am - 10pm

Community Support
We're creating a community support spreadsheet to connect community members in need with volunteers who can provide help in the form of grocery shopping/ delivery and more! If you'd like to be included on this list, or if you need assistance and would like to be connected with a volunteer, please email Lena at lena@coopportunity.com.

March 16, 2020

Dear Co-Opportunity Owners and Customers, 

So much has changed over the weekend and will continue to evolve over the coming days. In consideration of CDC and city guidelines that were recently announced, I want to share an update on the additional actions we took today to help keep our community safe amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.

• Co-op salad bars are closed at both locations until further notice. Look for expanded grab and go selections available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Our hot bar remains open in Culver City with staff available to serve customers. The hot bar in Santa Monica is closed until further notice.
• In bulk, we removed all scoops and closed access to many of the bins. Several options are still available from the gravity bulk bins and we're working on packaging options for the rest.
• To err on the side of caution, bulk herb jars and scoops have been removed. Bulk herbs can be purchased by the 1 lb. bag.
• Product testers have been removed from the wellness department.

Beginning tomorrow, March 17th:

• The in-store dining area in Culver City will be closed.
• Hot soup bars at both locations will be closed while we work to relocate the wells. A large variety of in-house soups are available in glass jars at both locations.
• We will no longer offer fresh greens and mushrooms in bulk from our produce department.

It is our sincere hope that taking these more aggressive measures now will result in the quickest possible return to normalcy. We will keep our community informed of further updates by email and on our website here.

As always, thank you for your kindness and support. We will all get through this together.

Stay safe and be well,
Mike Bowen
General Manager
Co-Opportunity Market

March 12, 2020

Dear Co-Opportunity Owners and Customers, 

At Co-Opportunity Market, the safety and well-being of our owners, customers and staff is our top priority. Each time you shop at the co-op, you place your trust in our standards at every level. To further ensure your confidence in visiting our stores as Coronavirus (COVID-19) spreads, we want to communicate what we’re doing to help protect the health of our community.

What We’re Doing:

• We continue our rigorous cleaning and disinfecting at high touch areas such as carts, registers, credit card keypads, elevators, bulk bins, kitchens, prep and break rooms. 
• We are reinforcing proper handwashing techniques with staff through multiple channels - reminding them verbally and through additional signage. We will soon be installing hand sanitizing machines in-store as an extra precaution. 
• Staff has been advised to stay home and promptly receive medical treatment if they are feeling ill. Our co-op has a generous paid time off policy and we will work with staff members impacted by COVID-19 on a case-by-case basis. 
• With the increased demand nationwide for sanitizers and sanitized wipes, we have been having difficulty obtaining them for our stores. We are working hard to source these necessities from a wide variety of suppliers.
• We have built up inventory on cleaning products, hand soaps, water, paper goods (toilet paper and paper towels), pantry staples, immunity builders and wellness items.  
• In Prepared Foods, our food safety standards remain at a high level. All team members have completed food safety training and wear gloves and hats while serving customers. 
• We cancelled all in-store demos, including our wine and beer tastings in Culver City, until further notice. What You Can Do:

What You Can Do:

• When paying, we encourage you to use Apple Pay or Google Pay for contactless payment - available at all of our registers.
• We encourage those who are not able to visit us in person to utilize delivery services - Instacart, Postmates, and Grubhub. 
• As our staff works tirelessly around the clock, please remember to show your gratitude through your kindness and patience.

As you know, the Coronavirus situation in our community is moving rapidly. We are following the developments closely and as we receive new information from public health officials and organizations, we will adjust quickly in order to protect our community. Our thoughts are with everyone around the world who has been impacted by COVID-19.Please take care of yourselves and each other. 

Peace, 

Mike Bowen
General Manager

Co-Opportunity Market