Anything related to the co-op

1. How do we fill up the shift rota?

      The co-op maintenance co-ordinator emails the list asking which shifts people want to do, and makes a first copy if the rota. This is put up outside the co-op and we encourage people to sign up to it when they come down.

2. What happens on someone's first shift?

      An experienced volunteer will do their shift with them, and explain how everything works. To make this easier there is a volunteer's manual in the co-op, on the document shelf, which all volunteers should read.

3. What if I can't make my co-op shift?

      Send an email on the volunteers' mailing list (foodcooplists [dot] riseup [dot] net) informing people that you can't make your shift and ask someone to email back, offering to cover for you, or just get a friend to cover your shift. It's nice to have the co-op open when we say it will be, so try not to abandon your shift!

4. Who cleans the co-op?

      Everyone! If you spill anything please clear it up. If you have a few minutes spare then please do a full sweep. At the very least please don't leave the co-op in a worse state than you found it.

5. Why is it important to store things off the floor, and re-seal them?

      To make sure that the food is away from any possible sources of contamination and will remain fresh so it can be sold to other co-op members. The coop can't afford to loose sacks of food due to everything being sold on a non-profit basis.

6. What about the greetings cards we sell?

      We sell hand-made cards made by mental health patients in Antarra (a hospital in Kolkatta, India) to raise money for their treatment. The big printed ones cost £1.20. The big painted ones, and the smaller ones made from homemade paper, cost £1.50. Money goes into the tin labelled 'money for cards'. We get given the cards by a Union society called Friends of Antarra. Laura emails them when we are running low, and they come to the co-op to collect the money and give us more cards. They record which cards they give us each time so they know which ones sell best and how much money they should be collecting (if there's not enough, use money from the till as its likely that this is where the money will have been put by mistake).

7. What about the magazines?

   Whatever magazine is there there will be a labelled glass jar nearby for dosh, this will be collected by whoever put the magazibnes there.  There are also lots of free magazines (if they dont have a price on..)

8. What about departmental coffee orders, and who deals with this?

      The dept orders (currently geography and environment) are dealt with (currently) by Amanda. They email her and say what they want and she adds it to the lembas order and writes it in the order book. When the items are delivered she will pick them up and take them to the depts. They are given an invoice, and then make out a cash form which Amanda takes to the uni cash office and gets exchanged for cash. This is then put in the co-op account.

9. How do I re-stock bulk items properly?

      Once a sack of food has been used up the jar needs to be cleaned out and then the next sack of the same product should be opened to re-fill the jar. The new best before date needs to be added to the label. If people are aware of best before dates, we know when food is about to go out of date and so can put up a sign encouraging more people to buy it. This is important for health and safety reasons, and because the coop cannot afford to lose money from stock going bad. It is important to wait until the jar is empty before you re-stock as bits of food continually left in the bottom will eventually go off.

10. What do I do if mine is the first shift of the day (or if the co-op is closed when you turn up for a shift)?

       If it's the first shift of the day then you'll have to get the Green Action key (key 32) from reception. You'll need your key tag or your student card. When you go down to the Coop:
    • Turn on the fan using the switch just to the right of the door as you go in, it's under the shelves containing loose stock.
    • Put the keys on the hook on the right hand side of the stock cupboard door above the fridge.
    • The light switch is on the left hand side of the stock cupboard door, under the chocolate shelf!
    • Carefully open the shutters, you don't want to smack someone in the face with them!
    • Put the Library shelf in the alcove that the hatch opens out to. It should fit at a 90 degree angle to the hatch against the stairs
    • Hopefully the last person in kept the place clean, however if they haven't please give the floor a sweep, tidy up the leaflets etc.

11. What do I do at the end of my shift?

       Get a student card or key tag from the next volunteer and swap it for your own student card or key tag at reception.

12. What do I do if mine is the last shift of the day (or if you have to leave and nobody has turned up for the next shift)?

    • Turn off the fan using the switch just to the right of the door as you go in, it's under the shelves containing loose stock.
    • Put the Library shelf inside the co-op
    • Turn off the light, the switch is on the left hand side of the stock cupboard door, under the chocolate shelf
    • Please leave the co-op in a state that you'd like to see it at the start of your shift, i.e. clean and tidy.
    • Close the shutters and Lock up using keys on the hook on the right hand side of the stock cupboard door above the fridge.
    • You'll then need to sign the key back in with reception and get your key tag back.

13. Do we still collect tetrapaks?

       No, as the recycling plant that dealt with them has closed down.

14. What about the Notice Boards and leaflets?

       Please check the notice board and leaflet rack for leaflets not related to green action or ethical or environmental issues and throw them in the recycling bin. People often ask to leave leaflets on the front desk. It's up to the discretion of the individual volunteer but they should either relate to the issues above or be a fundraiser for a good cause of some kind.