>>>>>Just look around these threads: newspapers vanishing, this consolidating, that merging... and the assortment dwindling. Every week or two I notice an item vanish from the shelves. Question for East-coasters: was the last time you saw knackwurst at Kroger? IIRC, October or even earlier. They're just gone. How many other suppliers of chocolate are there, besides Hershey? When was the last time you saw them on the shelves? How many cell phone providers are there? Who bought whom in the last two years?
>>>>
>>>>We don't have Kroger around here, but I visit a couple of different supermarkets. Never bought or looked for knackwurst, so I can't speak to that.
>>>>
>>>>In the baking chocolate (which is what I'm interested in), depending what I want, I have a choice between Nestle, Hershey, Ghirardelli, Baker's, and the store brand. And that's without looking in the kosher or organic sections.
>>>>
>>>>Sounds like you need to choose a better market.
>>>>
>>>>Tamar
>>>>
>>>>P.S. I'm looking forward to the new co-op that's opening in my neighborhood, probably in the fall. We've already paid our membership in full.
>>>
>>>How does a co-op work in the states ?
>>
>>It varies. When I was a teen, my family belonged to a co-op that had produce and cheese one day a week. We were required to put in a certain number of hours a year.
>>
>>This new co-op will be more like a regular grocery store, open lots of hours. It has no work requirement. But members will get discounts. It's essentially being spun off from this place: http://www.weaversway.coop/
>>
>>Tamar
>
>Like over here. Nowadays the Co-op is just a store name but they used to give "divi" stamps, a bit like Green Shield, and you'd fill up your stamp book then redeem them. They orig. were co-operative societies.

Sounds like Piggly Wiggly S&H green stamps (very popular when I was young in the 60s and I think they continued on til around 2003).