Never been to a Health Food Store? This video can help.

How to Shop at a Health Food Store Quicktime Video

The following are a few guidelines for members and other shoppers, to help you get the most out of Co-op shopping and help out your Co-op staffers.

Checkout Line Considerations

To make your checkout go as smoothly as possible, and to avoid delays, the staff has asked that you keep the following points in mind at the checkout counter.

• We are open to the public. You are not required to become a member to shop.
• If you are a member, please pull your card from the file before you get in line and give it to the cashier when it is your turn. Remember to re-file your card before you leave the store.
• Be nice to the cashier -- put your selections on the conveyor belt with the bar-code down. (You'll spend less time in line!)
• We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover).
• We accept Food Stamps EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) cards.
• We accept checks when presented with a valid ID. Make checks payable to Newark Co-op or Newark Natural Foods. Please write your phone number on the check, if it is not preprinted.
• We accept manufacturers' coupons.
• Please bag your own groceries. You will find recycled paper and plastic bags next to the registers, or bring your own.
• Put your basket or cart back after you have bagged your groceries. Thank you!

Bulk Ordering

Buying by case lot -- with additional savings -- is a benefit of Co-op membership. The bulk order markup is 31% above wholesale, less member or working member discounts, as opposed to our standard retail markup of 50% above wholesale, less appropriate discounts. A maximum of $25 worth of work credit will be marked off your member card when you order in case quantity.

• For grocery items, the minimum order is one case (or one 25- or 50-pound bag, in the case of grains, dry beans, etc.). We ask that members PLEASE FILL OUT A SPECIAL ORDER FORM to order Grocery Items by the case. This keeps products on our shelves for our customers. Special Order Forms are available in the store at the customer service desk; they can also be placed by phone, or completed online here.
• For personal care items the minimum order is three units of the same item.
• For vitamins and supplements, members may mix and match any three items from the Vitamin/Supplement Department to constitute a case.
• For bulk herbs, the minimum bulk order is one pound. Additional discounts on herbs are available on bulk orders of five pounds or more.
• It is also possible to special order smaller quantities of any item stocked by our suppliers, even though it may be stocked in the store. To do so, use a special order form. You will, however, be charged retail price, less appropriate discounts. Use the same procedure to order books.

Recycling

Members return egg cartons, paper and plastic shopping bags, clean glass widemouth jars with lids (quart size and smaller only, please), so that other members can reuse them. This helps keep supply costs down for the store and lessens our environmental impact. Please return these items as clean as you would hope to find them for your own use.

We have bins in the back warehouse for recycling cans and bottles whose contents have been consumed in-store. Note: Please do not bring in your household recycling; we are not set up to handle it.