246263 Mon Jun 06 15:27:20 -0700 2005 18 19 Outer Boroughs 0 1308385 There have been innumerable postings on the pros and cons to the Park Slope food coop. I am interested in hearing from people who have visited or been members of the Flatbush food coop on Corteylou Road in Brooklyn. Mon Jun 06 15:27:20 -0700 2005 0 Sarah 1 1308387 You don't have to be member of the Flatbush food coop in order to shop there. It is small but has a lot of basics at good prices. There hours are very good open until 10:00pm most nights and open early on Sunday morning. Mon Jun 06 15:31:34 -0700 2005 1308385 0 DeeDee 2 1308388 Beware of some of the non-member prices, especially with organic meats. For example an organic whole chicken there costs about twice what it does for the same at the Key Food on Flatbush. Mon Jun 06 15:34:41 -0700 2005 1308387 0 Louise 2 1308790 I think it's open 'til 11:00. I remember hearing a former employee complaining when they extended the hours last year. Sun Jun 12 23:09:45 -0700 2005 1308387 0 Westminstress 1 1308393 I was recently charged $4.95 for a bunch of (organic) celery at the FFC, that would have been a mere $4.80 with my non-working member's discount. Non-produce prices are much better though. What did you want to know about it? Mon Jun 06 16:30:34 -0700 2005 1308385 0 efdee 2 1308411 Thanks for the info. I mostly wanted to know if the coop was worth the trip. We live in Prospect Heights, but often get frustrated with the Met and Key Foods in our neighborhood. We are not interested in joining the Park Slope coop (we can't shop on off days; don't have much time to work the required shifts). The greenmarket is great during the summer season, but there's not much meat to be had, or other nonperishable items. And we want to support local farmers, community coops, avoid the chains, and EAT BETTER FOOD. Mon Jun 06 19:21:42 -0700 2005 1308393 0 Sarah 3 1308423 The produce is way too expensive to be practical for me but I buy rice/grains/nuts in bulk, organic free-range eggs, goat milk yogurt, vitamins, etc. They don't have much meat or chicken but there are plenty of alternatives to supermarket food. Like one of the other posters mentioned, it's open long hours 7 days a week so you can check it out and decide whether it's worth the trip. Mon Jun 06 21:46:02 -0700 2005 1308411 0 efdee 4 1308425 FFC, to its credit, carries REED'S GINGER ICE CREAM (Both traditional vanilla-base and Green Tea flavored). A phenomenal product. Mon Jun 06 22:55:23 -0700 2005 1308423 0 Mike R. 5 1308435 I never tried any of the coop's ice creams and never heard of Reed's Ginger but it sounds delicious. Thanks for the rec. Tue Jun 07 09:34:14 -0700 2005 1308425 0 efdee 6 1308456 Careful not to down the entire pint in a single sitting...one lovin' spoonful at a time. Tue Jun 07 11:35:33 -0700 2005 1308435 0 Mike R. 6 1308459 Reed's Ginger Ice cream is pretty widely available. Perelandra's has it as do some upscale Korean grocers. Tue Jun 07 11:37:29 -0700 2005 1308435 0 DeeDee 7 1308486 Who's got REED'S at the best price? Tue Jun 07 17:24:37 -0700 2005 1308459 0 Mike R. 7 1308493 Where is Perelandra's? Tue Jun 07 19:18:16 -0700 2005 1308459 0 Sarah 8 1308501 Perelandra's is a health food store on Remsen Street (and Court Street) in Brooklyn Heights large selection of items and some prepared food also. Wed Jun 08 09:22:36 -0700 2005 1308493 0 DeeDee 3 1308439 Sarah, I, too, live in Prospect Heights, which is why I sometimes shop at FFC. If you take the Q train, it's only about a 15 minute ride, and the co-op is a short walk from the Cortelyou Road stop. Tue Jun 07 10:06:03 -0700 2005 1308411 0 Brooklyn Boy 1 1308399 I sometimes shop at the FFC as an alternative to Perelandra's. They have a decent selection of items, though some of the prices are a tad higher than Perelandra's. All in all, though, I've had nothing but good experiences there. Mon Jun 06 16:43:33 -0700 2005 1308385 0 Brooklyn Boy 1 1308421 Has the ownership (yes, there is an owner tho there are members, at least that's what I'm told) changed recently? Last time I went in a couple of weeks ago the store looked set up differently and none of the workers (also members) I recognized were there. It seemed that all of the workers were Indian or Pakistani. It's possible that they were just different members than I'm used to. The surrounding area does have a lot of Indians and Pakistanis but it seemed strange that everyone was! Mon Jun 06 21:19:18 -0700 2005 1308385 0 Joyce Goldstein 2 1308445 I don't know who owns it, but I wind up there four or five times a week, and I haven't seen a change in staff, attitude, etc. One of the things I love about the coop is that the customers and staff really reflect the neighborhood's amazing diversity. I agree, though, that the produce can be ridiculously priced. (But they also have decent sales sometimes.) It's actually kind of funny. I've noticed that they seem to have a procedure in place in which they ask you if you REALLY want something when the price is wildly high.(So they won't have to bother with lots of cash-register voids.) I once grabbed a canteloupe without thinking about the price, and before ringing it up, the woman behind the cash register said, "This is $7.50. Do you want it?" No. I did not! Tue Jun 07 10:53:41 -0700 2005 1308421 0 Denise R. 2 1308789 I know that they've had a couple of Bangladeshi managers (including Masud, who's one of the coolest people at the FFC) for quite some time now. But yes, I have noticed more Bangladeshi employees there in recent months. There are still a lot of the same employees there, but as is the case with any store, there has been some turn-over. My old roommate was a manager there, but she moved to Cali. A few months later, another manager moved to the west coast as well. One employee left to work at Vox Pop. My favorite cashier was fired for playing hookie to spend the day with her honey. C'est la vie. FFC's produce is waaaaay over-priced and really nothing special. I try to take advantage of the Argyle Rd Green Market on Sat during summer months. Their packaged foods are priced normally though. They stock some nice skin and hair products which are on sale periodically. I'm really thankful to have it so close-by, expensive produce and all! Sun Jun 12 23:04:48 -0700 2005 1308421 0 Westminstress