Join Honest Weight

When you join Honest Weight Food Co-op, you become an Owner of the Capital Region's most successful food cooperative. 

Get more information about Membership here!

As an Owner, you'll be pooling resources with over 11,000 others who believe in healthy food and healthy living, so that you can provide natural foods, healthy products, and supportive services to your family and your local community.

Benefits of Ownership

♦ Discounts on all in-store purchases, including wholesome, local, and nutritious foods, wellness products, garden products, and more.

♦ Receive exclusive discounts from local businesses from our Co-op Connections program.

♦ Learn about sustainable living with newsletter, articles, classes, and mutual exchanges with your fellow owners.

♦ Support your local small-scale farms, organizations, businesses, and the individuals that make our community thrive.

♦ Become a Member-Owner and invest time in our various departments, administration offices or Co-op Governance and increase your discount to 8% for investing 3 hours each month up to 24% for investing 12 hours each month.

♦ Additionally, Member-Owners have the right to vote at Membership Meetings and run for the Board.

Orientation

New Owner Orientations are typically held three times each month, and are around 90 minutes long. At this time the Co-op only offers two options; virtually through Zoom OR in-person at our Albany store location.

Please choose from the Orientation dates below. If you cannot make any of the available times or require a private session, please email us (MemberServices@honestweight.coop). 

Register for an orientation class and get access to download/view/print the required ownership forms.

Complete Paperwork & Purchase Ownership

To join, you must provide ID (valid State ID, Driver's License or Passport), complete the “Purchase an Ownership Interest” form and buy an Ownership Investment at the Service Desk in the front-end of our store (adjacent to Produce) and become an official owner of the Honest Weight Food Co-op.

In addition, we would like you to complete several other documents (e.g. Owner Email Authorization / Unsubscribe notice, Parking Lot Agreement etc.)

Ownership Interests cost $100.00, and your purchase is a one-time cost. You may choose to pay the $100 in full the day you join (in which case you’ll never have another payment), or you may select one of the following flexible payment plans - with only $10 down:

• $10 deposit & $8.45/month for 11 months (totals $102.95)
• $15 deposit & $15.69 every 6 months for 3 years (totals $109.14)
• $10 deposit & $10.55 every 6 months for 5 years (totals $115.50)

Your 2% discount takes effect immediately, regardless of which payment option you choose.

Payments can be made at any time by mail, over the phone, or at the Service Desk, and there is no penalty for making your ownership payments ahead of schedule. Your owner payment status information is available whenever you check in for your time investment, or simply by calling the store and asking when your next ownership payment is due. Remember that only you are responsible to make the payment(s) on time, you will receive no warning or notification. Your discount will stop until your account is up-to-date.

If you choose to end your Honest Weight ownership, you may request a refund for the ownership interest you purchased (an Ownership Interest after February 2018, or a Share if you purchased before March of 2016).

As an Owner you are expected to:

• Make timely ownership payments (Note: if you are paying on your $100 (we don't have yearly dues), the only payment due is the purchase of the “Ownership Interest” form).
• Each member of your household who is 18 years of age or older and who eats food or uses products purchased at a discount should attend orientation and purchase an ownership investment if possible.

Start Enjoying Your In-Store Discounts

• 2% - All Owners who are up to date with owner payments (base).
• 5% - Any Senior Owner (65 years old and over) who is up to date with owner payments, with an 8% discount on Wednesdays.
• "Extra 5%" - All Owners receive an additional 5% discount (in addition to their regular discount) on select local "Owner Deals" found throughout the store (marked with a green “LOCAL: Owners save an extra 5%” sign).
• All Owners can also take advantage of additional discounts at other businesses through our Co-op Community Connections.

Start Investing Hours In-Store

Owners have the option to invest hours each week within the various departments that are in need of Member-Owner help. This also includes administrative and data entry tasks! See our Member-Owner Opportunities page for more information about our time investment needs.

Earn 8% - Monthly Member-Owners invest 3 hours of time per month.

Earn 24% - Weekly Member-Owners invest 3 hours of time per week.

AND YOU CAN BANK YOUR HOURS! So, if you have more free time in part of the year, you can build up hours to cover times when you may not be able to invest time each month/week.

Get More Involved

Actively participate in the Co-op’s governance structure! Member-Owners who are up to date on time investment hours may vote at quarterly Membership Meetings. Our Bylaws give most of the decision-making power to our Membership!

Owners and Member-Owners are represented by an elected Board of Directors. Directors serve three-year terms and are elected at a Membership Meeting each April. Any Member-Owner who is current with Owner payments and time investment hours may vote for elected positions and may be nominated or self-nominate to run the Board or GRC. 

The support and involvement of our Owners make the Co-op a strong, participatory, and responsive community. As Owners of a cooperative, we collectively make a demonstrable impact on our local community and the sustainability of our local economy.