Competitive pricing is among the many benefits of shopping at Karma Co-op

Author: Sondra VanderVaart, on behalf of Karma’s Board of Directors (2022-23)

We recently compared the list price of some typical Karma products to two neighbourhood grocery stores, Fiesta Farms (FF) and Farm Boy (FB).  Taken together, and for many items individually, Karma Coop is cheaper than our neighbouring stores (see comparison images).  

Beyond Karma being cheaper than other stores, what was surprising was the extent to which both FF and FB carried organic offerings. In past comparisons we have often found it hard to find comparable products with which to compare our prices. Both FF and FB offered a wide range of comparable products, though often at a higher price than Karma. For this comparison both FB and FF carried the majority of the food and grocery items that were being compared.

While comparing prices we noted that both FF and FB posted their produce prices in $/lb while Karma displays produce prices in $/kg. On initial glance it appears as if Karma is more expensive, due to the display in kg. In order to assist shoppers in their comparative analysis, Karma management plans to begin displaying its produce in both $/lb and $/kg.

In addition to knowing that Karma remains competitive in our product offerings, this survey will also inform our approach to restructuring the membership. Currently Karma sticker prices are paid by working members. Non-working members or non-members have a surplus levied at the cash on top of their purchases. Since we would like to reduce barriers to shopping at Karma, the Board is considering increasing sticker prices and then providing a discount to all members and an additional discount to working members (off the sticker price). The Board will be hosting Karma Conversations to discuss this topic in more detail.

In the meantime, enjoy the competitive pricing afforded to you at Karma!