Episode 151: Cooperation Now More Than Ever: Grocery Co-ops in the Age of Crisis - Part 1

Is a cooperative economy possible?The Checkout dives into how capitalism creates the problems that make cooperation and cooperativism such an appealing alternative.

Cooperatives have a long history. They hearken back to both our evolutionary heritage as well as the struggles of humble people to build better lives together. Cooperativism continues to be a viable alternative to the American version of neoliberal capitalism, gangster capitalism such as in Russia or autocratic command economies like China. Cooperatives thrive in the current circumstances: vast wealth gaps, resource hoarding by a small elite and adverse quality of life and cost of living trends. For the grocery industry, cooperatives are ever more essential in an era of price inflation, consolidation and workers rethinking their relationships with employers. Cooperation now more than ever is not a slogan, it is a platform for surviving and thriving in the food industry.

Sources available for all citations upon request.

Thank you to National Cooperative Grocers, Consumer Cooperative Management Association and Puget Consumers Cooperative for providing the platform to share these ideas. And Big thanks to Esther West for the referrals!

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