— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |
Outrage! Mission Local reports that come the first of 2012, Rainbow is getting rid of the 10% discount afforded to SFBC members. Which, you know, is probably going to cost SFBC a third of their members and a few thousand people a couple hundred extra bucks on produce, vitamins, and adorable ferret calendars.
Why ditch the discount?:
“Our goal with the discount was to help broaden the membership of the SFBC,” says Mason, who handles public relations for the cooperative. The thing that ultimately drove the decision to eliminate the discount, he says, was when the SFBC realized how much money Rainbow was giving away through the discount in relation to how much the SFBC was getting through signing up new members. “They said, ‘Wow. If you just gave that to us, just think of how much more we could do for cycling in the city,’” recalls Mason. [..]
Another rationale behind the discount, Mason says, was to alleviate Rainbow’s parking crunch. The store did wind up having to double the number of bike racks in its space, but it’s still a struggle to find a spot. And while the SFBC and occasional Rainbow cashiers did maintain that people needed to ride their bikes to the store to use the discount, Mason says that biking to the store — or even biking, period — was never a requirement. “It was never about having to show your U-lock or your helmet or whatever. It was really just about broadening their membership.”
I understand their reason (“we can better finacially support SFBC by donating a percent of sales directly”), but I struggle to see how ending this discount will do the Bike Coalition any good. Most of my friends who were on the fence about joining the org inevitably joined because of the discount. But hey, between this and ending coupon day, I'm sure this was less about SFBC and more about earning more off your everyday bulk flax purchases.
Comments (14)
“Go burn some fossil fuels, you lousy bikers!”
As a frequent Rainbow Grocery shopper and SFBC member, I am very disappointed to be losing the 10% discount. I frequently bike well out of my way to shop at Rainbow (I live in North Beach) - and the SFBC discount was a highly visible show of support for bicycling the the city. I hope that the folks at Rainbow reconsider their decision - I fully agree that customers should not receive a discount when they drive to the store.
SFBC has been cooperating with SFPD to set up bait bikes with GPS trackers. SFBC seems to think the supposedly low-level offenders who steal bikes will take the bikes to fencing operations, which will then get busted by the SFPD. Somehow, this will improve lives because putting people in jail or prison improves lives and everyone knows jails and prisons are full of big time drug kingpins, not street level dealers.
That the supposedly low-level offenders will get arrested and incarcerated is of no consequence to the SFBC. That the supposedly low-level offenders will be offered some kind of deal in exchange for ratting out the fence, thus risking their physical safety, is of no consequence to the SFBC.
Why is a supposedly progressive organization cooperating with the SFPD to put poor folks behind bars?
Because bike theft is illegal?
“Illegal” is immaterial. Lots of things that are illegal are not actually wrong. Whereas Bike Theft? It is wrong.
I agree though the SFBC shouldn’t work with law enforcement - they need a cycle goon squad. A pack of burly mad-eyed cyclo-crossers perhaps, who set up bait bikes. When thieves are caught, instead of turning them over to be charged with petty theft, they could chain whip them bloody, break their noses/teeth with bike locks and then tie them behind pedicabs to be dragged through the streets to be mocked and beaten by every passerby. I think this would be very progressive, you know ‘community involving justice’, not to mention reflecting ‘traditional and indigenous legal practices of many pagan, pre-industrial and tribal peoples’.
I jest, but seriously, ummm. I take it your proposal is to simply do nothing about jackasses who would steal my sole means of transportation, chop it up and then sell it for pennies on the dollar? Perhaps you will give me piggy back rides to Caltrain everyday when that happens? I want a piggyback ride “progressive” Mike!
Chances are a significant portion of bike theft victims, and the ones who are hurt most, are themselves poor.
Mike: Good for Rainbow! Glad that they’re helping bust bike thieving scum.
Sorry, misread it as RAINBOW was helping bust bike thieves. Good for the SFBC, I guess.
Progressive doesn’t mean sucker. Screw bike thieves.
the cost of food went up recently. this issue is probably much more complex that it seems on the surface. it’s not attack on bicycles and it’s not rewarding those who drive
Thank you for posting this little morsel of reason & common sense. Seriously.
I bet Rainbow’s decision to discontinue the discount is one that was taken lightly. It was made in the best interest of the organization (it’s why any business exists, non or for profit!) and the best interests of the customers (for without the customers, the business would not exist). It was NOT done to punish anyone or to make a political statement.
Complainers: get off the cross, we need the wood.
Also: if you don’t like this decision, don’t shop at Rainbow anymore. Nobody is forcing you to do anything. The beauty of a “free” market.
The fact that you could recoup your entire SFBC membership cost in just a few shopping trips always made me think of it as a little too good to be true. I can imagine the cost of running the discount being a pretty big question mark on Rainbow’s balance sheets at the end of the month, and times are tough. They seem like they’re doing fine business-wise, but I can’t blame them for wanting to write a more predictable check to the SFBC.
Kudos to Rainbow for some creative thinking about their discount offerings and their ongoing commitment to other causes - like scrip for schools, the co-op discount, etc. Ending the phone book discounts was welcome. Hopefully all these changes are made collectively with an eye towards effectiveness. If SFBC discounts were going to folks driving their cars to the store, then I fully support the idea that direct grants from Rainbow to SFBC are a much more effective approach.
I am a SFBC member, and when I rode my bike to Rainbow, I enjoyed the discount. But truthfully, that was infrequent. I mostly drive to Rainbow since my weekday routine requires a car. I’ll continue to keep my membership and memberships for my kids for no other reason than my support for the cause. The discount at Sports Basement is (assuming it still exists) pretty sweet and likely to recoup the membership costs. But the bottom line is that I support their work and I’m proud of the changes made in SF and the explosion of riding in the city.