3 ms·

The article mentions no open food coops in central or eastern Massachusetts but there are quite a few here in western Mass. Not sure why the difference but may

• tacostakohashi 4y ago
  It tends to work in places where a for-profit supermarket would be marginal (at best), but people still need their groceries, fuel, etc.
  • bombcar 4y ago
    And look how much the land sold for - $36 million! In rural areas the land is basically free, and even then many of the "for-profit" grocery stores are just family owned businesses that have more in common with a coop than you might expect.
  • M2Ys4U 4y ago
    The vast majority of co-ops are for-profit enterprises, so I'm not sure why you'd phrase it like that.
    • tacostakohashi 4y ago
      Because their primary goal is to provide goods and services to their shareholders, rather than profits and dividends.
  • bbradley406 4y ago
    I'm not certain that's the biggest reason, I think it's more about the number of local farms, butchers, etc. Middle / upper-middle class health-conscious customers who are passionate about high quality food are a big part of it too, and there's plenty of them in Western MA and close-by NY towns. In GB (Western MA) the co-op competes with two other cheaper supermarkets. What sets them apart is 2 day old (max) Atlantic seafood and local produce that hasn't been subjected to long distance transit (and the flavorless ripening process). Not having the "beige tiles and fluorescent lights" atmosphere is a huge plus as well.