Bulk Bins
The best and cheapest source for
organic grains and flour is the bulk section of
your health food store or co-op. I am eternally
grateful to my home town health food store,
Everybody’s, for their enormous bulk section.
They even have oils, sweeteners, nut butters, and
laundry soap in bulk! That’s the benefit of
shopping locally, the owners care about the
community because they live there too.
If you don’t live near enough to a place that has
bulk bins, talk with the manager of your local
supermarket and let her know that you want a bulk
aisle with a good selection of organic and local
grains, beans, and baking supplies. Many
supermarkets are reluctant to provide bulk bins
because they claim they’re not sanitary enough.
That’s really not a legitimate concern unless the
store is overrun with rodents, in which case I’d
advise not shopping there anyway. The real
concern on the part of management is profit
margin; bulk bins don’t contain too many “value
added” products. Mostly you’ll find whole foods
that need to be processed, cooked, and seasoned
at home, which makes them much more affordable.
If there are value added products such as cereal
and candy, they are usually cheaper than the
packaged varieties and people will choose them,
cutting into the supermarket’s profit margin even
more.
So, I understand the reluctance on the part of
many companies to incorporate bulk sections into
their stores. They are there to make money, that
is their true bottom line. The thing is,
supermarkets and grocery stores are profiting off
of junk food that winds up making people sick,
even killing them, and all the while harming the
environment and the local economy. They can say:
“we don’t make people buy and eat this stuff” and
that’s true, but if they refuse to provide a
healthful, affordable option then it is their
fault. They are leaving people with no choices
but bad ones. Saying: “we sell healthy food here”
and pointing people towards more expensive canned
and bagged options doesn’t cut it. The extra
packaging is bad for the environment and costs
extra to produce, a markup which is passed on to
the consumer.
Bulk Bin Tips and Etiquette
To ensure freshness, smell the
contents of the bin; if you detect a rancid
smell, don’t buy from that bin and tell the
manager.
Bring your own bags; you can re-use plastic bags
over and over, just make sure there are no holes
or you will create a huge mess. If you do spill,
tell someone so it can be cleaned up before
there’s an accident.
You can re-use the twist ties, just cross off the
old number and write in the new one.
Better yet, bring your own glass jars; if you
shop on a day that is not too busy, you can even
have the cashier zero out the scale for you with
your container on it, fill it up, and bring it
back to be weighed. I like to use glass mason
jars for all my dry goods, they stay nice and
fresh. For things like oil I buy bottled to start
with, then wash and re-use the same bottle over
and over, refilling from the bulk section.
Don’t ever stick your hands or allow your child
to stick their hands into the bulk bins, this
prevents contamination of the food in the bins.
Don’t “sample” the products in the bins or allow
your kids to either, explain to them that they
can’t have any of the product until it is paid
for and that to do anything else would be
shoplifting. If your children can’t keep their
hands out of the bins, put them in the cart or
make them stand away from the bins as you get
what you came for. If you really want to try
something before you buy, ask the manager for a
sample, he or she will appreciate your restraint.
The thing is, if every customer who comes down
the bulk aisle takes just one or two tastes of
something, it adds up to a big loss for the
market. If the management feels they are losing
too much money, they’ll take away the bulk
bins.
Green on a Shoestring:
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