Olympia Food Co-Op

shows that the organization has joined a boycott of Israeli goods. By so doing, it supports (by necessity) the following well-​documented Palestinian behaviors:
(1) Terroristic violence against civilians (e.g. Ma’alot school shooting, murder of Fogel family and, most recently, stabbings of Israeli civilians on the streets)
(2) Domestic violence up to and including murder of Arab women («honor killings»)
(3) Discrimination and violence against gay people (versus gay pride events held openly in Israel)
(4) Animal abuse worse than a Spanish bullfight, specifically torture of Australian beef cattle.
Note that the images are apparently the selfies the Palestinians took of themselves sticking knives into the eyes of cattle, and so on.
On a side note, if you believe that display of the Confederate Flag equals advocacy of slavery and/​or Jim Crow, the same reasoning applies even more strongly to any business that joins the BDS Movement (aka BDSM), The truth is that not all Confederates supported slavery (most could not even afford slaves) while a couple of Union states (WV, MD) had slavery while Baltimore clipper ships were complicit in the slave trade. On the other hand, about ²⁄₃ of Palestinians say they support Hamas, and therefore terroristic violence and militant «Islamic» extremism that includes not only violence against Jews, but also violence against fellow Arabs (such as gay people and women) as well as animal abuse. This is the side that Olympia Food Co-​Op has chosen to support.
In addition, Olympia Food Co-Op’s blog page cites, «Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.» which is a formula for the destruction of Israel through pure demographics. The Jews did not displace the Palestinians, the invading Arab armies that planned to destroy Israel but lost the war instead were the ones who encouraged them to flee their homes. Since Olympia Food Co-​Op has joined the side that advocates the actual destruction of the only Free (as rated by Freedom House) country in the Middle East, it must be deemed the enemy of every decent human being who believes in the basic values of the United States and every other civilized nation on earth. I would no more patronize Olympia Food Co-​Op than I would a business that advocated for ISIS, Al Qaida, or Boko Haram.

I really want to say that I wanted to like this place so much. I read these other posts and tried to ignore them as often I feel like negative postings are personality issues and rarely touch me. But in this case, everyone was RIGHT!!! I wanted this to be a friendly place where I could find great organic, local products, but the people who work here are not remotely friendly and by and large I would say any dealings with them are difficult unnecessarily. They seem to even make my children feel bad and they are little, which is heartbreaking. Who does that? You would like them to have that neighborhood grocer sort of experience and this would be the perfect sort of place for it to be. You would think this sort of place that has an ethical work environment would also breed a good will environment, but no such luck! As far as the excuse of being a volunteer as to the reason for persons to be not only unfriendly but downright rude at times, I would say that that really insults just about a million other people out there who have been in volunteer positions without one day of being awful to their fellow human beings. The fact is that this place has a reputation of it. Shame on those people for having those «volunteers» and perhaps they should no longer volunteer there anymore. This is Olympia, you can find organic, local foods grown anywhere. I highly encourage you to shop just about anywhere else. Farm Fresh is a fantastic store and the people who work there are great.

I want to like this place, I really do. But there are a lot of unwritten rules for shopping here and a lot of passive aggressive stinkeye when you violate them. And you will violate them, because no one will tell you what they are.
Except for me. Here they are, as far as I can surmise:
1. «Staff» are volunteers. You need to unload your groceries and bag/​box them yourself. Don’t expect the cashier to say hello to you or make eye contact.
2. Grab a clipboard when you get there and write down the numbers for your produce. This way when the cashier glares at you and asks, «What is this, a GRAPEFRUIT,» you are prepared with an answer that will actually get you through the process and out the door.
3. Oh yeah, bring a pen. All the pencils in the bulk food aisle won’t be sharp, assuming you can find them at all.
4. Bulk foods: you can avoid the passive-​aggressive sign by the plastic bags («Co-​op members used eleventy zillions plastic bags last year!!!») if you bring your own container and write down the tare weight of it first. But make sure the tare is in ounces. Grams will just confuse the cashier (see rule #1).
5. Shopping carts are a symptom of our society’s over-​consumption. Therefore they are relegated to the outside, are filthy, and weird. But if you must use one — because apparently you had the bad manners to have a kid and need to shop for more than one person — you will find the doors challenging. They’re not automatic, and no other customers will help you by holding it open. Push the button with the wheelchair on it, and the doors will open. Be prepared for stinkeye, because you’re not actually in a wheelchair and therefore don’t deserve to use the special button.
6. Don’t comment on the nice weather to anyone, unless you’re prepared for, «Yeah, thanks to global warming,» as a reply.
See ya there! I’ll be the grim-​faced one with the shopping cart, dutifully avoiding eye contact.

only for the fact that they have a «free box» with clothes gets 5 stars … they all organized :) Lots of bulk at this location and no food bar so if you looking for that try the east location :)

Signed up for a membership in December. My theory on the friendly /​unfriendly factor… Anytime you join a group, community org, or political /​apolitical group (co-​op), you will always have people who are friendly and inclusive and welcoming. They want you to have a great experience and they are happy and willing to share information. Then there are people who are a bit pretentious and above everything and basically give everyone the hairy eyeball. Whatever.
Its not something I take personally because mine and snarky cashiers (volunteers) money go towards supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs and that is a good thing and really the only thing I care about. Also, there are a lot of nice accommodating people (volunteers) that work here and work hard to assist customers who shouldn’t be overlooked.
Bottom line — if you seek the negative you’ll always find it. Look at the bigger picture.

Good variety of organics. Can be a bit pricy, but sometimes have great sales on produce etc. worth the $ 20 lifetime membership!

Im not the biggest fan of the Co-​op. Its over priced and has a limited selection. Its small and crowded and unless you fit a certain bill people will judge you. The cashiers are snooty. If I didnt live so close I would avoid it.

This co-​op is a great store, they had tons of organic veggies & fruits, and all kinds of natural products as well as locally made items. The prices are great, despite that face that I didn’t have a co-​op card since I was just visiting on vacation!
The employees aren’t the friendliest, or most social, but whatever… I still love it because of what they carry, the good prices for organic/​vegan items, and the selection!

Best place I’ve ever shopped at. Prices are great, and I love how they make intentional decisions when it comes to brand/​marketing, fair-​trade, labeling food, and sourcing as local and organic as possible.

Let me just say that I love both the eastside and the westside co-​ops. As someone who has very close ties to organic vegetable farms in the area I definitely appreciate all they do to support local goods!
It’s fantastic to be able to support an awesome local grocery store run by awesome people! And the people that I do know that are employed by the co-​op are fantastic and love working there (which, I think, says a lot!).
I love their variety of local meats, cheeses, kombuchas, raw milk, etc.
I can definitely say that, being from Chicago, this place is my favorite place to shop for foodgoods!!!
However, I am only giving them four stars because my partner and I (amongst other pals) have had regrets about the customer service. I really like that people volunteer for the co-​op! I think its awesome! BUT. Please give your employees or volunteers some lessons in kindness to customers. It says a lot about a store that I can go there at least once a week to shop because I believe in their cause and their products while still getting weird and rude treatment by people at the checkout at both locations. I hate that nearly everytime I leave, I am in a sour mood because of the checkout people giving me the stink eye/​being sassy (in a bad way)/being downright rude.
I just wish that the customer service at the Olympia Food Co-​op was more in line with their mission to bring positive change in the world.
Is it so much to ask to just be nice to the person trying to buy some wholesome food for their family?

I’d give this place 3 ½ stars if I could. It’s better than okay, but I’m not quite a fan.
My biggest issue is the fact that it’s extremely pricey! I understand charging more for local items/​ingredients, but to up the price on common goods you can get just about anywhere is ridiculous.
Some people complain about the lack of space, and yes, I did get quite cozy with some of my fellow patrons as I walked through out the store… but that’s how most coops are, and really, who cares?! Unless the people invading your space bubble stinks, which is a possibility here (on a side note, if you’re not going to bathe regularly or use some sort of deodorant, you have NO business going around your fellow human beings anyway!!)
I was excited to see their bulk items in the dry goods aisle! Especially some of the harder to find items, like the various types of gluten-​free flours and grains! I’ve never seen so many types of rice in one place! Very cool.
My favorite thing, by far, is the fact that they carry my favorite type of kombucha (High Country)!! This is the only place I can find it without having to go to Portland or Seattle! Yay!
When it comes down to it, this is the place to come when you’re looking for a rare or hard-​to-​find ingredient or item. However, it’s NOT the place to buy commonly-​found goods, as you’ll end up paying about twice as much for the same product. And for someone on a budget, that makes a difference!

I could have gone to the co-​op and done without the hipster/​hippie family reunion that was taking place right in front of the refrigerated section I was trying to get at.
I could have done without the rich hippie using food stamps in front of me for her goddamn purple carrots.
And I definitely could have done without the clerk giving me a surcharge because I spent $ 15.03 on their $ 15 limit without being a co-​op member, even though I live in OR.
Good food, just didn’t need the pretentious BS of it all…

Love everything about the place, and miss it like crazy when I’m away for long stretches. The produce, the bulk goods — the fresh peanut butter!

I felt like I walked into California. For this I love you Olympia Co-​Op. If I go to Evergreen I will definitely hit up this co-​op daily. Thank you for having delicious cheese selection, big and interesting and functional bulk section, tons and tons of medicinal and hygiene products and so much more… also the Free Store was a pleasant surprise… it is a free store… shoppers kept on comin’ to browse, find, and donate. awesome. 5 stars.

I recently moved to Washington and was told about the co-​op. I visited this location only to find that I had been mislead. The staff were a little too pre-​occupied to help someone in need, the food prices were far more expensive than other health food stores I have visited, and their vegetable selection was poor. I had never been to a co-​op before, and believe me, this will be the last for this one. As I have come to understand it, they don’t have any personnel cost as they are a volunteer group, they have membership fees, and their product cost is way higher than other health food stores here in Tacoma. I’m sorry, but this seems like an engineered scam. Oh by the way, don’t expect anyone to bag your groceries… apparently they’re way too concerned about being cool and «green» then helping their fellow human being.

Whenever I’m away from Olympia this is immediately one of the first places I miss.
Reasons why I love the coop:
–The prices are amazing. Compared to the co-​op in Boston this place is dirt cheap. And you can feel good about buying your groceries here!
–The majority of the produce is local and organic and everything is well labeled.
–I love the cheese niblet basket and samples. If they only have extra large blocks of a certain kind of cheese if you ask nicely they’ll cut you a smaller one.
–Every month the coop has amazing specials too, so it’s nice to go in on the first of the month and see what’s on special. That usually indicates what I’ll be eating a lot for the next month.
–The bulk section! Particularly the pixie honey which is so cheap and delicious. And often you can special order things in bulk for a 10% discount.
–If you can devote a few hours every week to volunteering they give you 25% off $ 100 of groceries.
I will say that some off the staff aren’t the friendliest but as someone who works in retail I appreciate that they aren’t forced to be fake and nice. But I do avoid asking for help during the busy times. Oh and as other people have mentioned this place is small! Go before 11 or after 8 for a more pleasant shopping experience.

I am not sure if I am really «qualified» to write a review, as I have only browsed through a few times. An experience on my second visit has inspired this review. A kind volunteer was explaining membership to me, when a woman interrupted our conversation by squawking about a bunch of bananas, and then shoved said bananas in his face. The gentleman excused himself to me and handed the bananas back to her and pretty much pulled a Bön Qui Qui (YouTube it) on her. I will forever love him for that. You gotta love a business that lets employees put rude people in their place.

The Co-​Op finally allows debit and credit cards! They do make a point to show how much it costs the Co-​Op to process cards but I’m hoping that the revenue that expanding the ways in which one can purchase food here will outweigh the costs!
It also sounds like a downtown store will be built within the next year or so! Hizzah!
Still, why the hell isn’t there a beer and wine section? I asked once and they said it was to make sure that people with substance abuse issues wouldn’t be tempted but frankly that is a ridiculous excuse. I would rather support the Co-​Op with buying alcohol through them than through Thriftway or Top Foods.

When you look at the Olympia Co-​Op you’re dead-​eying the home of the region’s largest taffey pull. Simply stated: this thing is fucking huge. If you’re not a complete idiot you’ll know to ask for crushed up Oreo cookies and Nutter Butters to add to it for a super-​special treat you won’t soon forget.
Speaking of Nutter Butters: did you know that they make their own brand of Nutter Butters, in house? They’re called Peanut Palz and are to die for. Three flavors (Original, Southwest Spicy Chicken, and German Chocolate) to choose from for all of your cookie consuming needs. Whenever I have a bad day at work I like to get a box, a pint of ice cream, and watch re-​runs of Picket Fences and Pray To God.

How can you not love the co-​op, west-​side or east-​side?
Ok so it is a bit expensive and they don’t take cards, but seriously, who cares? The bulk selection is great (although not as good as the east-​side). They have local/​organic stuff. If they had beer and wine and were within walking distance they would be the only place besides Grocery Outlet I would shop.
The East-​side co-​op is slightly nicer, slightly better stocked, and has a better bulk selection, but the West side co-​op is still pretty great.