Fraser Valley Co-opJoin the waitlist

The plan

How a buying cycle would work

Buying together works in short cycles. Here is each step in plain words, from the first request to pickup. None of this is running yet.

Step by step

One cycle, start to finish

Each cycle would take a few weeks, from opening to pickup.
  1. 1. A cycle opens

    We

    We announce a buying cycle for a community, with the list of staples on offer this time.

  2. 2. You make requests

    You

    You say what you would like and how much. A request is not an order, and you pay nothing at this point.

  3. 3. Demand is pooled

    Together

    Requests from every household are added up, so we can see which products reach a full case or pallet.

  4. 4. Suppliers quote

    We

    We ask suppliers for wholesale quotes on the pooled amounts, and compare them.

  1. 5. Final price is set

    We

    We work out the final price per item with every cost included: the product, tax, handling and any delivery.

  2. 6. You confirm

    You

    You see the final price and choose to confirm, change or drop each item. Nothing is bought for you without your yes.

  3. 7. Payment

    You

    Only confirmed items are paid for, and only after you confirm. How payment works will be published before the first cycle.

  4. 8. Pickup or delivery

    Together

    You collect your order at the community pickup point at a set time. Delivery is planned later, where it pays for itself.

Case by case

How to read an order bar

Suppliers sell by the case and often have a minimum order. Each product in a cycle shows its cases filling one after another, and a line where the supplier's minimum is. Only full cases are ordered.

Preview of a future buying cycle. Example product, numbers and dates.

Illustration

Oats

Rolled oats, 2 kg bag

BudgetShelf-stableCase of 6 bagsCloses Fri 4 Dec, 8 pm

16of 24 bags requested

Case 3 is filling. 2 more bags fill it. Only full cases are ordered.

Member price and retail comparison

Shown here once a supplier quote is confirmed: the price per bag and per kg, and a dated, sourced comparison with the same product at retail. You approve the final price before paying.

Request bags

Not available yet. Buying cycles have not started.

  • Full case
  • Case that is filling
  • Supplier's minimum order

If there isn't enough demand

Nobody is charged for an order that does not happen

Some cycles won't reach a full case. That is fine, and nobody pays for it.

Cancelled or deferred, never charged

If a product misses the supplier's minimum, it is left out of the cycle or carried to the next one. If too little reaches the minimum overall, the cycle is cancelled or deferred, everyone is told why, and nobody is charged.

Getting it home

Pickup first, delivery later

  • Pickup first

    Planned first

    A set time and place in each community where you collect your order. Places are chosen once we see where waitlist households are.

  • Delivery later

    Planned later

    Only on routes with enough orders to cover the cost of the trip, added area by area. The cost is in your final price, before you pay.

Want this in your community?

Join the waitlist with your postal code. It is how we decide where the first cycle runs.

Join the waitlist

Free. No payment details. Leave any time.