Partners

The Rural Grocery Store Initiative is made possible by the following partners:

• Center for Engagement and Community Development (CECD)
• U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
• Kansas Sampler Foundation
• K-State Department of Agricultural Economics
• K-State Department of Human Nutrition
• K-State Department of Marketing
• Kansas Small Business Development Center
• Kansas Department of Commerce

Rural Grocery Store Sustainability
202 Ahearn
Kansas State University
Manhattan , KS 66506
785-532-6868
785-532-6808 (fax)
cecd@k-state.edu

Rural Grocery Challenges and Best Practices

 

Rural Grocery Challenge One - Competition with Chain Grocery Stores

Challenge One discusses competition with "big box" chain grocery stores. If you are a grocer and have any additional "best practices" that we do not address, please post them using our rural grocers' forum.

Rural Grocery Challenge Two - Coping with the High Costs of Energy

Challenge Two discusses dealing with the high costs of energy. If you are a grocer and have any additional "best practices" that we do not address, please post them using our rural grocers' forum.

Rural Grocery Challenge Three - Meeting Minimum Buying Requirements

Challenge Three discusses the issue of the minumum buying requirments that food distributors are placing on rural grocery stores. If you are a grocer and have any additional "best practices" that we do not address, please post them using our rural grocers' forum.

Rural Grocery Challenge Four - Dealing with Labor Issues

Challege Four discusses the challege of finding quality labor in a rural community. If you are a grocer and have any additional "best practices" that we do not address, please post them using our rural grocers' forum.

• Customer Service Training Information (Microsoft Word Document)

Rural Grocery Challenge Five - Dealing with Community Support

Challenge Five discusses the lack of community support that rural grocery stores face. For studies about the value of shopping locally, please see the following articles:

• "Why Buy Local First?"
• "Why Support Locally Owned Businesses?"
• "Economics of Buying Local"
• "The 3/50 Project: Saving the Brick and Mortars our Nation is Built On."

Rural Grocery Challenge Six - Models of Ownership

Challenge Six discusses different models of ownership for rural grocery stores. For related articles and different types of store ownership, please see the following:

• "Thinking Outside the Big Box: Community-Owned Stores" (PDF)
• "Why Go Coop?"
• The Community Mercantile
• PolicyLink
• Food Co-op 500
• "Keys to Success for Food Co-op Start Ups in Rural Areas" (USDA) (PDF)
• "High School Opens Community Grocery Store" (Columbia Missourian)