Goodwill has been helping folks purchase good-looking apparel (not to mention supplying Halloween costumes for thousands of us) as a nonprofit for many, many years.

What if that concept were applied to other retail models? Like grocery?

Well in Chester, Del., that very thing is about to be tested out. This spring, Philabundance—a hunger relief organization located in Delaware Valley—will open the first nonprofit grocery store in the nation.  It will also be the first grocery store in the city of Chester in 11 years!

The store, Fare & Square, will offer a free annual membership with two levels of participation. Continue reading →

In “what will they think of next” news, we just had to tell you about Walmart’s latest retail foray. And we’re not kidding. What will these guys think up next?

Right now, the folks at Walmart are in full-swing with Goodies Co., a monthly food subscription service. Want to know more? We thought so.

For only $7 a month, participants receive a gift box—shipped right to their home—featuring five to eight taster samples. Samples can be healthy (like a dark chocolate-infused quinoa bar), organic, artisan (like white cheddar popcorn) or ethnic. Basically, you just never know what you’re going to get when you open up your Goodies gift box. Continue reading →

We love a win-win. Like when your man gets to watch a football game on HD TV while you also get to eat your favorite gluten and dairy-free pizza, which you haven’t had in what seems like forever (and is more like two months) at your favorite pizza place.

Or even better when consumers get to save money at their favorite store while the environment also wins with additional trees being planted—which in turn serves consumers who get to breathe cleaner air.

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, Unilever and the Arbor Day Foundation have joined forces to create a trifecta of wins just like the one above (no, not the pizza-football win). Continue reading →

I’m a reuse freak. I wash out plastic bags and food containers, use shopping bags to contain my garbage and take my own mugs to any coffee shop or café (including Starbucks, where they looked at me as though I had three-heads as I stood there, mug in hand).  There’s something about knowing I’m not creating more waste in the world that just feels good.

You know what I mean?

The folks at Goat Throat Pumps do (although really, we’ve got to talk to them about changing their name).

That’s why they’re working with retailers to install “Refill Bars,” so that customers can conveniently access food products from larger, transparent containers—hopefully with their smaller, transparent container—for an even more eco-friendly lifestyle. Continue reading →

So, I’m on this date. And for all intents and purposes, it’s going pretty well. When he asks me if I would like to go somewhere for dessert, I’m in. When he asks me where I want to go (how kind and thoughtful!), I’m even more excited.

“Let’s get FroYo!” I say.

His response?

“What’s FroYo?”

And that, my friends, is how our date ended. How can a man not know what FroYo is? Wait – how can anyone not know what Fro-Yo is?? It just happens to be the most delicious, low-calorie (if you get tart flavor and add a dash of chocolate peanut butter like I do) dessert you could ask for. Continue reading →