Frequently Asked Questions

Not at all, but you may choose to become a member-worker to earn discounts at the co-op. Many members consider this to be one of the best benefits of being a member!

Yes, we accept food stamps, Master Card, and Visa. We do not have a minimum purchase for using credit cards but the co-op does pay thousands of dollars a year in fees to processing companies due to credit card use. If you'd like to help offset this cost you can:

• pay by cash (no fees and all your money stays with the co-op)
• write a check (much lower fees for the co-op)
• make a donation in the jar at the checkout to help offset the processing costs of credit card purchases

Membership meetings are held twice annually, once in May and once in September. Membership meetings will be announced at least a month in advance on in-store announcement boards, in the newsletter, and in the Bytes, our weekly e-mail newsletter. All members are strongly encouraged to attend, as membership meetings are the most important and direct way you can be involved in the democratic process of your co-op.

We are always happy to hear product suggestions!

It's easy to join! Next time you're in the store, tell your cashier you want to become a member. Then fill out the short information form and make your member investment--that's it! Becoming a member-owner doesn't really cost anything; you simply make a $60 investment, which is fully refundable for any reason. There are no annual fees.

The first step is to fill out a working member application (available at the register), which helps staff know where members' skills can be most helpful. Then, the Outreach Coordinator offers available positions to applicants based on the member's availability. Department managers provide in depth training for each position.

At first glance, shopping at the co-op may not seem all that different from shopping at a regular grocery store, but there are several important differences.

Locally Produced Food: The co-op is dedicated to offering locally produced foods henever possible. We work with over a dozen local producers to stock locally grown/created produce, cheeses, meat, flour, breads, honey, body care products, pottery, sweets and more.

Common Ground is proud to be a part of and support the cooperative movement. Your membership card from any other food co-op in the world will allow you, as a guest at our store, to take advantage of any discounts or sales offered to our members during your visit. If you earn a working member discount at your co-op, we will extend our 5% basic working member discount to you on your purchase.

We buy as much of our produce locally as possible. The amount of local produce available at any given time is entirely dependent on the growing season, which is entirely dependent on the Illinois climate. What this typically means is that you'll start seeing a few locally-grown items in May, and the selection will expand gradually until the peak season in August, when half to three quarters of our produce tends to be local. This bounty continues through October, when we usually see the first frost and production falls off.

With a very few exceptions, all of our produce is grown using organic practices, and most is certified organic. We buy as much produce as possible from local farmers, and certification is a lengthy and expensive process which is prohibitive for many of these folks, despite the fact that their farming practices may meet or exceed current USDA organic standards. We do sell a great deal of local produce which is also certified organic, such as the vegetables from Blue Moon Farm, which make up about half our stock during the local growing season.