East End Food Co-op

Joseph Cabrera Fletcher

Broooo one of the best grocery stores in the city and there is still a mask mandate here why??! The pandemic is over. I will never come to this grocery store again. There is far better grocery stores out there with similar or exactly the same products, I don’t appreciate my breath being restricted in any shape or form for whatever reason. Change the policy.

Apo llo

To summarize, I would give the EEFC overall a 9 out of 10 for very high quality, excellent selection of organic and local items in general, and the certain atmosphere one can only find at such small-scale natural foods cooperatives. I've been going here for over 10 years, and visited dozens of others cooperative/mom and pop "natural foods" markets around the United States. This CO-OP was the very first store of its kind that I was aware of, and was a great introduction to the world of healthy, wholesome eating and sustainable living. I still honestly can say that it has as good of a selection as most though one will obviously encounter different items than if you went to a co-op in California. That's part of the fun of eating seasonal and local though, but most staples are available year round so don't fret. Kudos to this Co-op for striving to maintain both a good selection and a human work environment during all of the issues encountered with pandemic 'supply chain' disruption. Great place to go if you are looking to explore more mindful options for food and household products, meet some interesting people with unique perspectives, and expand your own perspective. When shopping here, the ways that I have found to furthest stretch my dollar, health, and peace of mind are: -Buying Bulk! The quality, range, and often the price of the organic bulk section is unparalleled by anywhere remotely close to Pittsburgh. Whole Foods bulk is a joke in comparison (stale and very limited... plus it involves kissing Amazon's a**). The bulk section employees like Jim are also extremely knowledgeable and friendly. -Grab a few mason jars, weigh and reuse them when you need to refill to cut down on unnecessary plastic waste. Might feel cumbersome to some at first, but is genuinely rewarding when you realize you're consciously doing something to mitigate the destruction of our planet. -Bring your own bags, and bask in the glory of a 10 cents discount off your bill per each personal bag used. -Watch closely for sales and clearance section. I've paid as much at $7 for a cauliflower, and as little as $3. That's the reality of buying from a small purveyor, prices indeed fluctuate. -Using EBT (aka food stamps). Not only does one receive a 10% discount off their entire bill which makes the higher prices feel reasonable, the CO-OP recently started offering "Food Bucks"... For every 5 dollars of stamps spent on produce you get 2 dollars in foodbucks on each purchase! (Up to $6 total, for instance if you spent 10 on produce you'd get 4, but if you spent 15, 20, or 25 you would still get a maximum of 6 total) Some of the rarer produce and bulk goods you will not find anywhere else in Pittsburgh, which further adds to the allure of shopping here for folks looking to expand their culinary/nutritional experience. I get all of the issues people have after reading a lot of the negative 1 and 2 star reviews. This store is not created to be accessible to everyone in a super mainstream way, and many will find the prices on certain items prohibitive. I totally will go to Trader Joe's for the lower prices on some organic items, sure (if you need to save or are simply a mindless consumer looking for instant gratification in a plastic bag this might not be the place for you to do all your shopping.) Like any business, it has it's share of problems and shortcomings. It was truly a heartbreak to see the volunteer program just disappear, and back when all of the controversy with the board was happening..... Hopefully y'all learned as much from that as I did, and continue working towards a more resilient food system.

Amanda Barry

Great bulk selection. Items from bulk are usually cheaper than buying elsewhere. Some produce can be expensive so I usually look for what is in season and on sale. Spice selection is also amazing and cheap because you just get the amount you need. Buying from the coop is very affordable if you choose to eat a whole foods, plant based diet but probably less affordable if you're getting lots of animal products, out of season produce, or processed foods. We also choose to spend a little more to get our eggs from local farms. Wish they would bring back bulk mushrooms like in pre covid times.

Ioana

I feel lucky to live near a place like the co op. It's definitely pricey so I usually just get most my dairy and meat here and produce elsewhere to save some money. It is a bit pretentious in there and I find that the atmosphere can be a little overwhelming. People don't really say excuse me when passing by and they don't greet you when walking in. The cashiers can also be a little unfriendly. But if you ignore that aspect it's really a great place to go.