Summary of Survey Results

6/7/24 –  Summary of Survey Results

City Center Market Owners and Shoppers,

As you may be aware, we are planning to expand City Center Market to better serve our community.  Through the “Bigger Dreams, Brighter Future: Growing Together” surveys that were at the bottom of receipts a few weeks back, we received invaluable input from over 400 of our owners and shoppers. We sincerely thank those who took time to fill them out and share their views and opinions with us. It is always a pleasure to hear directly from you.

We enjoyed reading about all the reasons why you shop at City Center Market, and we also appreciated your criticisms and suggestions on how we can enhance our services and products. Your feedback is very important to us and will help us shape the future of your co-op. We’ve provided a summary of your comments which you can view below.

“Your feedback is very important to us and will help us shape the future of your co-op.”

We are also thrilled to invite you all to attend our Big Reveal Party on July 20th! This will be a fun and informative event where we will review the new store layout, explain our expansion plans in greater detail, and provide you with an opportunity to interact with our team, share your concerns, and ask questions. It will also be a celebration of our shared vision and values!

Please look out for more information to come regarding the Big Reveal Party and SAVE THE DATE! We hope to see you all there and share this exciting project with you!

Cooperatively yours,

John Kenny

General Manager

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Summary of Results

How Many Responses? 439 responses (369 electronic, 70 paper) | 339 owners (77.2%) | 100 non-owners (22.8%)

  1. What are your general thoughts on the possibility of City Center Market expanding?

Yes! Great! Awesome! Exciting! Amazing! Groovy! Positive! Yee haw! Fantastic! I love it! Please do so soon! (404)

  • Great opportunity to offer more to the community
  • It’s so crowded right now!
  • I think it’ll add more value to the co-op
  • Love the idea of more food options
  • Very smart move with the light rail coming in
  • It will create more job opportunities for local residents
  • It would be great to have more of a possibility to do all of my grocery shopping in one location!

Cautions (22)

  • . . . don’t want it to make the prices go up
  • As long as we keep the store organic and natural
  • Don’t make it too big so that it loses that wonderful small market feel
  • I just hope it stays as cute as it is right now!
  • I like the possibility as long as it is a sustainable and good decision for the co-op
  • Good idea, if financially feasible.
  • I’m concerned that the financial risk associated with expansion would outweigh the benefits.
  • Please don’t expand just to get more “gimmick/trendy” things
  • A grand idea, as long as it doesn’t lose its cooperative ideals
  • I’m excited & skeptical at the same time. I do not like the increase of conventional produce and am concerned it will be wasted on similar products instead of organic, well-sourced produce/products.
  1. Please rate your feelings of the possibility of expansion by choosing where you land on this ranking.

Dislike (1) | Not fully onboard (11) | Indifferent (11) | Wouldn’t mind it (71) | Love it! (326)

  1. What would make you the happiest about your co-op expanding?

These are the changes mentioned most often:

  • More food and product options (84)
  • More space, wider aisles, more room to move around (53)
  • More healthy, sustainable, organic, non-GMO, clean options (40)
  • Additional deli offerings (40)
  • More fresh produce items and variation (34)
  • More local products (27)
  • Bigger bulk department (27)
  • More seating/better layout in the coffee shop area (23)
  • More meat options (20)
  • I’m glad we can serve the community better! (8)
  • More personal care and supplements (7)
  • Additional cashier lane(s) (3)

Concerns:

  • Keep the prices down! (16)
  • Don’t lose the small-town, personal feel! (23)
  • Be sure new products are healthy, organic, clean – some newer products don’t fit this model. (11)
  1. If we were to expand the store, what changes would you like to see?

Responses to this question are very similar to responses to question 3. However, we listed them here so we could all understand how important these issues are to our owners and customers. Many specific recommendations were made here (as well as in question 6) – too many to list, though we’ll certainly address suggestions that are made repeatedly!

  • More space/wider aisles (188)
  • More products/options/selections (142)
  • Expand the deli offerings (135)
  • Additional seating and space in the café area (145)
  • More parking (55)
  • More affordable prices (45)
  • Offer classes (28)
  • More gifts/local artisan items (18)
  • More outside seating (3)

Concerns:

  • Make sure new products are healthy/organic/clean! (81)
  • Eliminate products that contain GMOs or other unhealthy ingredients (13)
  1. What role do you see City Center Market playing in driving positive change and growth in the community?

Respondents almost unanimously agreed that City Center Market already offers our community healthier food and product options, adds vitality to the Cambridge downtown area, and actively supports local farmers and vendors. “Do more of that and do it better than ever” is the general message! Some specific comments are:

  • I would like it to be a positive change towards quality, but maintaining the small town friendly intimate atmosphere.
  • Bring in more local vendors, encourage local partnerships, have more special events.
  • CCM truly welcomes all and it’s a breath of fresh air!
  • Be a leader for promoting a healthy lifestyle – healthier eating for all.
  • Continue with the current mission.
  • Continue with the voluntary donations to different groups.
  • Offer more sustainable products, continue leaning into less plastic and less unnecessary waste.
  • It’s a great place offering a relaxed atmosphere, healthier food and food choices without absurd prices.
  • Growth attracts people and more people will want to be a part of what’s new and exciting!
  • Focus on health and fitness, environmental responsibility, lead by example. Offer nutrition and health classes.
  • Good food at a good price.
  • It is encouraging to hear about the possible expansion of the co-op. That means the co-op will be here in the future.
  • Being a resource and testament to what supporting local, regenerative and organic resources looks like and making it available.
  1. What products would you like to see City Center Market offer? Anything that you would like to see that you are able to get somewhere else?

 As you can imagine, this is a very long list, too long to include here. The themes echo the above comments:

  • More local, organic, sustainable, clean products in all departments
  • More foods for dietary needs and preferences (eg gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, low or no sugar, etc.)

Based on the frequency and fervor of comments, it seems that respondents would most appreciate departmental changes and additions in this order:

  • Deli
  • Meat and seafood
  • Bulk
  • Dairy and cheese
  • Specialty foods
  • Produce
  • Wellness
  • General merchandise

In addition to the many, many helpful ideas and comments, there was dissatisfaction expressed regarding several matters. Regarding the produce department, respondents criticized produce quality, lack of variety, and the inclusion of conventional produce. Respondents also commented that the wellness department now includes items that contain undesirable ingredients, and that favorite specific (and some fairly common) products had been discontinued. It was also noted that there are products in our store, including the deli, which include GMOs and other undesirable ingredients.