I don't have problems with the stock or service but the meat went from prime to choice and the quality of everything else went down as well. The market was supposed to be about local and fresh. Why in the world the weekly sales include soda and frozen meals shows we have gotten way off message.

It seems like we should gather constructive feedback for them and deliver it to management. If all of the residential properties that are slated to go up in Downtown and East Rock stay on track the market should have a bright future.

I agree about the empty shelves, but I have always had great response from all the staff when I went to them with my questions.

I agree about the empty shelves, but I have always had great response from all the staff when I went to them with my questions.

I also agree that in general it has declined. Inventory, staff, cleanliness,

I heard they were looking for board candidates in advance of the next election. Perhaps that is a way to step in and help?

As one of the first families to join, we had high hopes of reducing visits to multiple stores and keeping our food dollars in New Haven. Neither of those things has happened, and we gave it a full year hoping things would get better. Produce is often sad and the quality of the meat declined since ECM opened. None of the emails sent to ECM have ever been answered. The staff, however, has always been courteous and helpful. Hardly shop there anymore and certainly do not recommend ECM to anyone.

I agree with all of the above. I have also been disappointed with the quality, fresshness, cleanliness of the hot and cold food bars. And I have seen things, mainly produce, left out too long and rotting. Another issue is that cashiers should always ask if you are a member; some do and some don't. Condidering how expensive everything is (two bags of groveries = 100, at Tader Joe's I get four bags for the same price), quality and service needs to improve.

Another ECM founding member here. I've always had positive interactions with staff, but I've also observed there seem to be more open shelves than usual on my last visit. This might just be the 'summer slump', as I suspect a lot of the market business comes from undergrads? I still buy my chicken there, as it's the best I can find in town.

Thank you for your feedback. As a young cooperative food market, Elm City Market is still growing and developing. Your comments have provided valuable feedback on how our market can better fulfill its mission of providing a diverse selection of the highest quality of affordable, natural, organic and conventional products.

By being aware of the concerns of our member-owners and shoppers alike, it helps Elm City Market to grow into a stronger sustainable and thriving food coop that meets the needs of the New Haven community.

We will share your comments with our management and staff, and together, we will continue to work on improving our performance, including those opportunities for improvement mentioned here:
- customer service;
- more dependable and consistent shelf stock;
- store cleanliness;
in order to improve your shopping experience and keep you engaged as member-owners and shoppers.

This is the response from the Elm City Market Board of Directors:

"We appreciate the constructive comments of those who care about the importance of a community based community owned grocery store. As a start-up, ECM faces many challenges, but we believe that with the commitment of the community, ECM can be a great engine for the revitalization of New Haven and provide much-needed jobs.

Clearly there is room for improvement. We ask all those who care about a vibrant New Haven to help us improve ECM through your support and suggestions. As a cooperative owned by its members, profits stay in the community rather than go to corporate owners out-of-state or overseas.

While the Market has taken longer to reach profitability than we would have liked, we are extremely proud of all that the market has accomplished in its two and a half years of existence:

•ECM has created jobs for 80 employees, 80% of whom are full-time with excellent benefits;
•Through partnerships with community programs, ECM has provided gainful employment and valuable skills to long-term unemployed people and ex-offenders;
•$2.5 million spent at ECM on products and produce from local vendors and growers has resulted in more good jobs in our community;
•ECM’s downtown location means access to healthful foods by bike, public transportation and walking, contributing to a growing vitality in downtown New Haven;
•ECM’s member-owners and staff offer nutritional education classes and other health-oriented workshops;
•For children--The Healthy Food Explorer Club, in which over 500 children participate in learning about good nutrition

Representing the Board of Directors, I can tell you that we are discussing plans for raising additional capital over the next several months as well as taking a close look at how operations can be improved. Please keep the comments and suggestions coming, and we will certainly be helping Doug and the rest of the team at Elm City Market reach the potential we all know it has."

We are trying to delineate issues that are current and need the city's attention to resolve. If your issue remains and needs to be addressed by the city, please either re-open or open as a new See Click Fix issue. Thank you.