General Manager's Report                                                                       8/23/07

● The final draft of the return policy has been written, the in-store credit slips have been created, and an implementation date of Oct. 1^st has been set to bring the new policy into effect.  Here are the distilled bullets: 

� The Belfast Co-op will honor returns made within two weeks of purchase.

� Returns with no receipt may be eligible to be issued store credit.

� Receipts required for returns or exchanges of all HABA items. 

� Spoiled or damaged products welcomed when all other return criteria are met. 

� Exchanges only (no refunds) for perishable items.

� Items returned for problems according to personal preferences are not returnable.

● A chance to attend a Co-op friendly training seminar has come up for this fall in San Fran. HR and GM, Erica, will be attending this three-day event, called the Rising Stars Seminar and facilitated by Co-op notables Carolee Colter, Mark Mulcahy, and Alan Seidner.  This seminar covers literally every gamut of Co-op enterprise, focusing on staff development, motivation and coaching.  For more info about the seminar, you can check out their website: http://web.mac.com/aseidner/iWeb/risingstars/home.html.

● Other training opportunities are coming up for all staff members as well.  Our new staff training library is up and running, where staff members can check out training materials to review during their time off and earn training hours for exhibiting the initiative to take responsibility for their own development as a Co-op employee.  Many of the materials focus on team-building, but also include fun reads about the gastro-industrial complex like Omnivore's Dilemma, and Barbara Kingsolver's new one Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  I am pleased with the response to this new element of our educational mission.

● Sadly, we have received notice of one of our Deli Co-Manager's leaving us for other opportunities.  Chuck will end his employ with us during the first week of September in order to pursue learning opportunities in the building trade.  He's given us the very best of himself, and cites a “running out of energy” as his main reason for moving on.  We have been soliciting applications for a Deli Manager for the past couple of weeks and have received some excellent applications from individuals with lots of experience and diverse skills, some even with previous experience in managing Co-op delis.  We're looking forward to more interviewing.  Having a business plan to offer our prospective candidates has been a real boon in clearly communicating to them what our expectations are and what the problems and plans are that they will be expected to work with.

● Other promotions:  Kate, currently a friendly face in the Produce Department, is in the process of training as a Floor Manager.  It's great to have the opportunity to bestow on her more responsibilities.  We have also promoted another excellent staff member, Tom, to the position of Assistant Produce Manager.  He brings a lot of experience in ordering and managing staff to his new position, along with a detail-oriented aesthetic eye.  The GM's are also considering creating a position for an Assistant Grocery Manager, per request of our Grocery Manager, but plans are not yet firm on this front.

● The new living wage statistics for the State of Maine are in, courtesy of the Maine Center for Economic Policy.  Statistics for Waldo County reveal that $10.50 is the current hourly living wage requirement for a single person, $16.40 the hourly wage requirement for a single parent with 1 child, and $12.80 the hourly wage requirement for a person in a 2-income household.   We are doing well with raising wages, but there is more work to be done before we get to brag about paying a truly livable wage.

● Membership update:  since out last meeting, we have welcomed 29 new Co-op owners, which brings our membership total to 2,569 member/owners.  Woo-hoo!