Berkshire Food Co-op 34 Bridge Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230

"A great little store for the most part - a bit overpriced, but not egregiously so. They have a good selection of dry goods, frozen dinners, produce, etc. and the staff are always quite friendly and helpful. They also host some great community events. It loses some points because it's not actually a co-op in the traditional sense - it's owned by anyone in the community who can pay enough to become an "owner," not by the employees. Also, the cafe and hot bar are ludicrously overpriced and chronically understaffed, and lately the hours have been unpredictable. From what I understand the "owners" have decided that the cafe should be run by one or two people max, leading to long wait times and poor service. The staff are fantastic, but these days I mostly stick to their great selection of premade foods in the cooler."

"I love the Co-op and have been a daily shopper since it first moved to Bridge St. So, maybe it’s my familiarity that allows these criticisms. The hot bar and salad bar need big improvements. The salad bar is boring and repetitious, sometimes even lacking a suitable protein. The hot bar is what needs serious improvements. Vegetables that are too it hard to cut with the side of a fork, soups that are unappetizing and often way too salty. I know that you’re understaffed and appreciate how difficult finding good creative's help must be but perhaps some professional retraining of the current cooks would do the trick. Lastly, along with everyone else, the overuse of plastic containers for prepared foods has to change. Thank you for listening."

"The Co-op is the BEST! It's my neighborhood meeting place, and the daily prepared food is great! And on top of it, I can also buy healthy groceries--no negotiating super markets with their rows of plastic containers and impersonal checkout. Everyone has a smile."

"I have to share that I miss the old store. The service remains stellar and there are lots of new items, but I'm now missing items that I used regularly, and prices have gone up, which is difficult for a person on an elderly, locked income. Nevertheless, I keep coming back because I value our purpose. I do hope the very best for all of you."

"Our hometown food shopping place. Excellent fresh organic produce, lots of good, healthy, packaged foods, nut milks, plant-based refrigerated and frozen foods, what’s not to like? And then there is the staff, friendly, hard-working, I feel like they’re my friends. I always look forward to going to the co-op, having a cup of coffee, and perhaps a scone or a cookie, I always see a friend or neighbor. So a fun place to hang out too."