I can’t find a link to the KC Grocery Service letter on their site, so I figured I’d copy and paste it here.

Help Us Stay Open!

We have some tough yet important news to share with you.
 
We’ve come to a very difficult crossroads at KCgroceryService.com.  After 7 months and 15 deliveries, we may soon be faced with the difficult decision to close the business which means we would no longer be bringing groceries from Trader Joe’s to Kansas City. For those of you who may have just joined us in the past few weeks, we certainly don’t want this to be our way of welcoming you; however, our situation dictates that we communicate this to all of you now.
 
There was plenty of debate about how we would communicate this, if at all. In the end, it was decided that many of our customers would want us to share honestly, because our customers are, after all, much more than that … you are new and old friends, family, and all of you are part of what feels more like a co-op of neighbors we gathered together to get groceries from Trader Joe’s.
 
We find ourselves amazed and humbled by all of your enthusiasm and support. KCGS has been talked about all around the city and, for a 7-month-old business, that is remarkable.  It’s one of the reasons we don’t want to give up. Regardless of what we decide, however, we want to assure you that we will give you advanced notice before we take any concrete steps. Rest assured that we will always complete our pick-ups if one is scheduled.  The next delivery is Saturday, 6/19/10.

The reason KCGS is at this crossroads is simply because of low participation. We always knew the business would succeed only if there were enough people participating. Prior to opening, we asked for people to sign up and indicate how much they planned to spend. Once we reached twice the number we needed to sustain the service, the business was opened.

Here are some interesting statistics:  we have more than 500 customer accounts; there have been just under 9,000 unique visitors to our site since opening; 200-300 people visit the site around the time of each delivery; there has been news coverage from three different TV stations; and we’ve had write-ups in the KC Star, Spaces, KCfreepress.com, Ink, Pitch, About.com, and various blogs. It appears that the desire and support definitely exist.  The challenge has been that this desire and support has not translated into enough people ordering. Even with all this enthusiasm, 40-45 people place an order each time.  But 80 orders are needed … something we think is very achievable.

This low volume has prevented us from being able to hire anyone to work in this business, including ourselves.  We’ve been relying upon volunteer help from family and friends. While this is a remarkable testimony to the kindness and generosity of these people (to whom we are incredibly grateful), it’s not sustainable. The good news is that, if enough participation can be generated, KCGS can remain open and continue bringing groceries from Trader Joe’s to KC.
 
We feel we have tried to do all in our power to increase participation before coming to you with this news, but it simply hasn’t been enough. And, this news is definitely not meant to come off as an ultimatum. We believe you would want to know and have the opportunity to see if you are able to help before a decision has to be made.

Here are some ideas:

• The most practical thing to help may be for you to think about what types of groceries you purchase at regular grocery stores that you haven’t yet started buying from Trader Joe’s.  Chances are, most of us will be buying more from Trader Joe’s when there is a store here in Kansas City. So, why not start now? This change, aside from helping to increase the amount of groceries we deliver, can save you money and give you better quality food as well.
  
  We don’t mean to suggest that you buy more just to buy more. We wouldn’t do that ourselves. Experience has shown us that most of our customers limit their purchases to specialty items and leave out everyday groceries. And then there are those who buy everyday items like: bread, milk, sugar, rice, pasta, cereal, cheese, deli meat, fruits and vegetables (frozen, fresh, and canned), natural peanut butter, chips, salsa, olive oil, tuna fish, apple sauce, yogurt, dried fruits and nuts, all natural soda pop, and household items - well, you get the idea. As you consider this idea, it may prove to be something that could work well for your own situation.

• Here is another possible way to help:  even though we see incredible enthusiasm with thousands of people visiting the site, many are simply not getting around to submitting a grocery list. Some have never submitted, and some just aren’t getting back to it as often as they would like. It isn’t for lack of desire or enthusiasm. So if this is you, we ask that you seriously look at joining those who order regularly. You’ll be glad you took that step.

• If having enough time is the challenge, keep this in mind:  one way to save time is to go to a previous order and click on the Order This Again button at the bottom of the order. This will put all the items on that order into your current grocery list. Just go in and edit the list before submitting it.

• If a scheduling conflict is the challenge, we are glad to arrange for other times to pick-up your groceries. Currently, we know we can accommodate time before we open for pick-up on Saturdays (7a - 9a) and Friday evenings (6p - 9p) when we are pre-sorting the cold groceries. Just send us an email by clicking Contact Us in the Information Box on the website.

• If remembering is a challenge, be sure you are signed up as a customer so you get the 6-, 3-, and 1-day reminders.  If you find they are going into your spam folder, please add us to your recognized email addresses. You may also join our Facebook page, as well as follow us on Twitter to get updates. Links for both of these are in the Information Box on the website.

• Finally, we ask you to consider spreading the word and help someone new convert their excitement into action.  The people most likely to use this service are those who are already Trader Joe’s fans. Some of our customers sit down with family and friends while placing orders, some are carpooling to the pick-up, and others have formed groups of people who all order and rotate picking up groceries for one another. (Remember - we offer home delivery for an additional fee.)  

Well, this has been a long read; thanks so much for sticking with it! You all have been so supportive with your feedback and ideas as well as your gratefulness for KCGS, and we heartily thank you!

We’ll keep you posted on our progress and how things are going.
 
Happy Eating!


David, Matthew, and Louise
Co-owners of KCgroceryService.com LL

The next grocery pick-up is Saturday 6/19, 9am - 4pm. Deadline to Submit Grocery List:Thursday 6/17, 12pm. Please help support this business!

Yesterday at the market, one of our new volunteers (Linda) talked to me for an hour about being on a gluten-free diet. Her husband has been on a very strict gluten-free diet for two years. His energy has increased so much and the headaches and stomachaches he was so used to are just gone. He lost nine pounds in the first two weeks.

I’m seriously considering switching to a gluten-free diet. I have been so low energy for my whole life and it has gotten worse in the past few years. I have regular headaches and my stomach is always hurting. I don’t think I have celiac disease (my friend/roommate in college had it and I know that whatever I have is not as serious as celiac disease) but I do think that switching to a gluten-free diet would be worth a shot.

Most of the foods I already eat are gluten-free. I eat wheat pasta and wheat bread so I’d have to get rid of that. Linda suggested switching to rice noodles but didn’t have a good bread substitute. I wouldn’t be able to drink beer and I’d have to be careful about the types of liquor I consume— the good news is that Seagram’s 7 is gluten free. Many candies are not gluten free as they’re often dusted with flour. I’d have to be extra careful while going out to eat, which I think is the biggest factor. I’d also have to be careful about preparing my lunch in the mornings before I leave for work.

I’m thinking that I may switch on February 1st. I want to make sure I have a grasp of all of the gluten-free safe foods and what foods/ingredients to avoid. I also want to make sure I have an arsenal of recipes, etc. before I switch over. But I’m strongly considering it. Has anyone had an experience or any knowledge of a gluten-free diet?

Today I made my grandma’s spaghetti and totally. Effed. It. Up. A waste of an hour and a half and $10-15. Last time I made it, I messed up the pasta which was an easy fix. This time the biggest part was burned and just tasted like crap.

I thought I was getting better (now that I’m more attentive when I cook) but the last few things I’ve made have been bad and this was a complete disaster. It’s just discouraging. That’s all I have to say about it.

Anyway, spaghetti try #2— D+.

December 21 Project. What did you start this year that you’re proud of?

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As I’ve stated many times this year, I’m a packrat. I get it from my parents who have a three car garage filled with boxes of junk and old furniture instead of cars. This year I made an effort to get rid of my junk and become less attached to objects. I think I’ve made a fairly good attempt to do so. I got rid of seven trashbags in my move from one apartment to another. I have four bags of clothes in my car (they just need to be dumped in a donation dumpster, but I’m halfway there). I’d say I’ve been fairly successful at that project.

Another project I’ve started is the project in which I stop being a terrible cook. My mom says that I’m nesting but I maintain that I’m just trying to become an adult. I’ve now made stir fry on my own, spaghetti sauce on my own, egg nog on my own and I’ve become a successful egg poacher. Next on the agenda is cooking Christmas dinner with my mom. Eep! I give myself an A for effort and a B for cooking success. (Pictures below)

I’ve already posted this photo once on here:

That’s from my grandma’s after funeral party (because she was big into parties). Anyway, Sandra Bullock was on Jay Leno last week and spent a large segment talking about MeeMaw (her Aunt Luddy) and White Trash. Here’s the clip.