About/Frequently Asked Questions
About Good Groceries
There is more information about Good Groceries LLC on our information site: GoodGroceriesNW.com
Registration and Ordering
Do I have to order every week?
Only order when you want to.
What's in the weekly box?
There is no weekly box — Order what you want, when you want.
Do I have to be a Member to order?
No, but there are important differences for Member status. For example, if you buy food as a Guest, there is a $10 delivery fee. If you are a Member, you enjoy free delivery as well as the other perks listed on the Good Groceries Membership page (Membership is a paid subscription).
I want to order, but I live outside your delivery area.
Do you have a friend who lives inside our delivery area? Ask if you can leave a cooler on their porch, or share an order with them.
Money Matters
Do you accept SNAP (food stamps/Oregon Trail card) or FDNP vouchers?
Yes! Please register as "SNAP/FDNP Customer" and click here for more information.
What payment methods do you acccept?
Credit card, Venmo (@goodgroceries), SNAP, FDNP, Buckskin Bucks, check or cash (no change given)
Does the Membership fee go toward my food purchase?
There are two aspects of Good Groceries: buying the food and getting the food. Because as much as 80% of the price of a food item goes directly to its producer, membership mostly has to do with delivery (plus extra treats!).
Why is there an order minimum and delivery/shipping fee?
We are not Am*z*n or Az*re Stand*rd (a $93M company, did you know?), and we find it unethical to follow their lead and ask our farmers/ranchers/makers to subsidize big discounts. Thank you for supporting rural small businesses!
Should I tip the delivery person?
Tipping is not necessary, but thanks for thinking of it!
I don't think I can afford to shop here.
Try shopping the Clearance/Bundles section of the store, or sharing an order with a friend and splitting the delivery or membership cost. And remember: You are never required to order, so one savings strategy is to place a larger order once a month, rather than weekly smaller orders. Whatever works best for you.
What is your return policy?
We do our best to deliver the freshest, most beautiful products possible! If you receive something that is not up to snuff, get in touch — we will do our best to make things right, whether that's a replacement, substitution, or store credit. But because of the perishable nature of many of our products, they are not returnable.
Logistics
Once I confirm an order, may I make changes to it?
You may change or add to an order until the cutoff, Monday at 3 p.m. Shipping orders may be changed until your credit card is processed.
What if I'm not home when you deliver?
Most people leave a (large, please) cooler out if they will not be home. If they are paying with a check, they leave the check in the cooler. Note: SNAP customers must be present upon delivery.
Do you have gift certificates?
Yes! Click here to put one of any denomination in your cart.
Products
Are you licensed?
Of course! Good Groceries carries both a Food Storage Warehouse and Prepackaged Meat Sellers license from the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture. It's not required but we also carry an Oregon Food Handler's Card. Food safety is extremely important to us.
Do you have anything for vegetarian and vegan diets?
Yes! Shop the Fruits & Vegetables, Dairy & Alternative-Dairy, and Grain & Plant-Based Proteins sections of the store, in addition to select items in other sections.
Are your products organic?
Certified organic products are labeled as such.
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service regulates the "organic" label you're familiar with. In order to use that label, or even the term "organic," a farm or ranch must undergo an arduous and expensive third-party certification process. Good Groceries doesn't focus much on organic* because so many of our growers use sustainable practices even if they don't go through the channels to become certified. Sustainable farming involves a spectrum of strategies!
Certification is impossible for producers like Jacobsen Salt Co. (salt is a mineral and isn't "grown"). Some producers chose a different certification: For example, Palouse Brand and Durant Oregon Olive Mill are Food Alliance-certified, which is actually a more rigorous certification as it includes workers' rights and other considerations. Other producers are somewhere in the middle; they don't use inputs unless they are necessary, but they will if they have a big problem. You can click on the producer in every product listing (or the listing itself) to see what they have said about their practices.
*Note: "Organic" does NOT mean "no chemicals whatsoever," "family farm," or "small business." Watch Good Groceries founder Kristy Athens' TEDx talk to learn more about the misconceptions around and valorizing of certified organic.
Could you make meal kits?
Meal kits are certainly convenient, but we can't support the concept until someone comes up with a way to do them that doesn't involve a dozen single-use ramekins with every kit. We know some packaging is unavoidable but meal kits are the worst.
Community
Do you donate product?
We don't have the margins to purchase product from our farmers/ranchers/makers at their full asking price and then donate it (and asking them to discount or donate it is anathema to our mission). But — we do offer a 10% discount on orders from nonprofit organizations, plus free delivery if the order is delivered on the regular route. If you'd like to learn more please get in touch.
What type of community giving do you do?
Good Groceries donates $1 of every order to Community Connection of NE Oregon, which manages our area's food pantries. Because Good Groceries operates on the ancestral territory of the Joseph Band of Nimiipuu (Nez Perce), we make an annual donation to the nonprofit Wallowa Nez Perce Homeland. We also accept SNAP, which tends to be a net loss but is important to our mission.
What is your Zero Food Waste pledge?
All food businesses—grocery stores, restaurants, farmers markets—have to deal with the perishability of their products. Good Groceries avoids sending any food into a landfill the following ways:
- Food that is nearing a pull date but still sound is offered at a discount
- Food that is beyond human consumption goes to neighboring livestock
- Food left over is composted
I'd like to sell food I grow or process via Good Groceries; how do I do that?
Fabulous! Please check out our GoodGroceriesNW.com info about becoming a vendor, and fill out the application.
Other comments or questions? Use our feedback form!
