Great idea, you only get the free drink if you visit five other independent local coffee shops. #disloyalty
@Matt_Noyes
Is it though? The unexpected failure of csas is that people didn't come back year after year they "shopped around" so the farmers had to waste time and energy on self promotion every year and didn't have the stability csa was supposed to bring them. Why is variety in this situation good?
My guess is that this is affects a tiny fraction of their sales while it generates a lot of positive feeling. It also reflects the reality -- we go to various coffeeshops -- and the fact that all the independent coffeeshops need to cultivate and preserve a culture of independent coffee. This is a great way to set yourself off from Starbucks.
CSAs are another story, but I am sceptical of the argument that they fail because of other CSAs. @emi is my CSA expert witness...
@Matt_Noyes @emi the question was rhetorical. Variety in this situation isn't good. People don't get informed that what feels good and normal (trying a different csa every year, because everywhere else they're presented with the illusion of choice from three megagorps) is counterproductive. """Consumers"""" aren't being brought into the alternative economy as intelligent community members and participants, they're being brought in as """"consumers""" and treated/marketed to as idiots, exacerbating the problem
@nerdsorrow @Matt_Noyes
I think you're on to something about the alternative economy not addressing the fundamental shift in attitude necessary to really address change/paradigm shift.
I feel this is the same issue that plagues larger co-ops as well- so large that consumer-members forget that they are also member-owners, and what that means.
I don't think that choice/diversity in CSAs is a bad thing. In fact areas where CSAs work together to market the concept usually are successful?