Happy New Year!
Olive Reynolds, VFC Board of Directors
With kindness in our hearts and hope for the days to come, we can expect a wonderful 2023.
On behalf of the board, I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year!
As excited as I am for the coming year, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the previous year and what the VFC Board has accomplished on behalf of our Co-op.
In 2022, we reviewed and revised the Policy Governance Register which defines how our Co-op is governed. The updated version is posted on the Board of Directors page of our website. Next, we will review and update our Ends Policies which states the purpose of the Co-op and sets standards for gauging success. Ends Policies are a clear and meaningful expression of our mission and are meant to provide long-term direction for VFC management to plan and work towards. By reviewing and updating our Policy Register and Ends Policies, we define goals that help our organization stay on track and pave the way for future decision-making.
As we look ahead to the new year, we celebrate an exciting new addition at the Viroqua Food Co-op. Along with our regular registers, you will soon see self-checkouts. This much needed and highly anticipated resource will help support our staff in the checkout area and provide more convenience for customers. Through our research, we learned that self-checkouts are used most often by customers who are in a hurry (think lunchtime), or customers that only have a few items. The intent of self-checkouts is not to replace staff, but to free up the staff we have to attend to other important work in the store. It is important to note that we will always have someone there to assist with self-checkouts as well as regular staffed checkout lanes. This addition keeps us relevant in the marketplace and provides the right tools to support our staff and keep our grocery running efficiently. As these installations go in, we ask for your patience and understanding of the time needed to work out all the kinks and fully implement the equipment.
I am so proud of our Co-op, staff, board, and community for continuing to thrive through these tough times. With kindness in our hearts and hope for the days to come, we can expect a wonderful 2023.