OK, the time has come to start working through this, work out what we can do now and how we would like it to work ideally in the future. It will definitely link to the line of conversation at product/variant management wishlist
I am transferring below an email from a FC buying group that is keen to use OFN asap, and interested in being actively engaged to set-up and improve the process etc. Then I will respond with some options for next steps
Our process:
Set-Up
- Each week we load up the FC spreadsheet (into google sheets).
- We then choose which items we want to offer members. Not all items are offered.
1. What people originally order
- We then ‘open’ the ordering cycle and people place orders.
- Ordering cycle closes.
2. What they agree to take including excess produce
- I then go and do my admin process, deciding which boxes of produce to order with FC. There is also lots of adjustment that takes place: for example, if 4 people order green apples and 8 people order red, we will choose a box of red apples and those that ordered green apples will get red instead. This is done manually as some people do not want substitutions and others do.
- I then create a list of all the produce that we are ordering that has not yet been allocated to members (e.g. we ordered an 8kg box of broccoli but people only ordered 6kg). Members then choose which excesses they’d like to add to their order, and I update the spreadsheet with this information.
3. What they actually end up taking
depending on what FC deliver (e.g. if Food Connect’s box is underweight, they get half of what they wanted)
- On coop day, we weigh and distribute the produce as per people’s final orders. We write down on paper the exact amounts people receive, and then later I update this in the spreadsheet. People pay for what they receive e.g. they may have ordered 1kg pumpkin but if they received a 1.2kg pumpkin, this is what they pay for.
- I then send out invoices, wait for payment, and reconcile.
I hope that makes sense, we’re happy to walk through this with you in more detail!