June 3, 2025
Photos and interviews by Caroline Mardok
”How does the Coop help you with the rising cost of food? Do you shop differently? Do you reduce some purchases? Do you try different choices in your cooking that are less costly?”
Lisa Ruskin
It is not a huge change on how I used to shop, but I am more price-sensitive now. I am focused on buying more of the seasonal products at the Coop and changing how I eat to avoid certain high-priced options.
Jennifer Goldberg
I’ve been a member for two months. I don’t shop or cook differently. But I don’t go out to eat, period—at all. I cook every meal: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Lucy McNair
I have been a member for 19 years. I definitely shop more carefully. I do go out less for dinner and shop less at the Coop. I am trying to buy food where it is on sale, like at vegetable stores in my neighborhood of Flatbush. Or I buy from people who have stands on the street of fruits and vegetables that are going to go bad soon but are still edible.
David St Germain
I’ve been working at the Coop for 11 years. We are a family of four at home—two adults and two kids—and we do all our shopping at the Coop. I have not changed what I buy, but I do not buy food anywhere else.
Robert Adkins
I rejoined the Coop two years ago because I had a kid and moved closer, from Flatbush to South Slope. Having a child was a big factor to rejoin the Coop, to manage the rising cost of food.
Katie McDonough
We are a family of three, and I joined the Coop two years ago to find the freshest produce I could not find anywhere else at a better price. To manage costs, I only buy certain items at the Coop, since if I try to buy them somewhere else, they would be $1 to $3 more. But price fluctuates at the Coop, too. Recently strawberries were cheaper at the Coop, so I bought a bunch and froze them. I shop for 80 percent of food at the Coop, especially cheese and organic produce, which are way more expensive elsewhere.
Sebastian Grouard
We have just endured the price hikes, as my kids only like certain things. We try to keep our diet varied and healthy. Maybe we buy a few less eggs, but that is about it. We’re still cooking the same recipes. I only know about five recipes anyway—my wife knows way more.