The Moscow Food Co-op and the Principle Six Movement:
Personal Identity in Conflict with the Workplace Readymade
I started working at the Moscow Food Co-op in the summer of 2015. Principle Six (P6) is a marketing tool that was implemented at the Co-op this August. It is named after the Sixth Cooperative Principle: Cooperation Between Cooperatives. Certain items throughout the store are labeled P6 to indicate they were either locally grown, small and independently owned, Cooperative (as opposed to a coalition), or some combination of the three. In theory, the label makes it easier for customers to see where their dollars are going.
WHAT IS A READYMADE BIEEASH?
With the new tool came new signage, new stickers, new shirts, and a readymade (or …show more content…
What P6 advertises is true – it does highlight local foods – but what is left out is that each Co-op independently decides which products can be labeled P6. For example, the Moscow Co-op bakes all its items from scratch, then each item is marked P6 because they are made on-site, locally. However, the ingredients might meet none of the P6 criteria and still be turned into a P6 product. Additionally, the creators of the P6 idea and logo also profit – not just the farmers or the local Co-op. While the campaign serves the interests of local and fair trade farmers, and consumers, it also serves the interests of the managers of the P6 brand. P6 is a brand that’s run out of an office. Someone manages the website, keeps the news updated, and does outreach to bring more co-ops into the program. As such, it keeps at least a few people …show more content…
I hate to burst their bubble – the Co-op is a good company with admirable goals. Even so, my answer has to be that it’s just a job, just a paycheck. A good job, but just a job. It’s ridiculous to assume that someone loves working in a retail or foodservice position simply because the company has been successful in making consumers love shopping there. I let them keep their rose-colored idea of the Co-op by telling them about the free food I get to take home (crusty leftovers we were unable to sell), or the free produce (dropped, dinged, or spoiled veggies), or the free lunch (a pot of heartburn inducing soup that runs out before my lunch break
Personal Identity in Conflict with the Workplace Readymade
I started working at the Moscow Food Co-op in the summer of 2015. Principle Six (P6) is a marketing tool that was implemented at the Co-op this August. It is named after the Sixth Cooperative Principle: Cooperation Between Cooperatives. Certain items throughout the store are labeled P6 to indicate they were either locally grown, small and independently owned, Cooperative (as opposed to a coalition), or some combination of the three. In theory, the label makes it easier for customers to see where their dollars are going.
WHAT IS A READYMADE BIEEASH?
With the new tool came new signage, new stickers, new shirts, and a readymade (or …show more content…
What P6 advertises is true – it does highlight local foods – but what is left out is that each Co-op independently decides which products can be labeled P6. For example, the Moscow Co-op bakes all its items from scratch, then each item is marked P6 because they are made on-site, locally. However, the ingredients might meet none of the P6 criteria and still be turned into a P6 product. Additionally, the creators of the P6 idea and logo also profit – not just the farmers or the local Co-op. While the campaign serves the interests of local and fair trade farmers, and consumers, it also serves the interests of the managers of the P6 brand. P6 is a brand that’s run out of an office. Someone manages the website, keeps the news updated, and does outreach to bring more co-ops into the program. As such, it keeps at least a few people …show more content…
I hate to burst their bubble – the Co-op is a good company with admirable goals. Even so, my answer has to be that it’s just a job, just a paycheck. A good job, but just a job. It’s ridiculous to assume that someone loves working in a retail or foodservice position simply because the company has been successful in making consumers love shopping there. I let them keep their rose-colored idea of the Co-op by telling them about the free food I get to take home (crusty leftovers we were unable to sell), or the free produce (dropped, dinged, or spoiled veggies), or the free lunch (a pot of heartburn inducing soup that runs out before my lunch break