Member Owners, the beacon is lit! Tom’s Calls for Aid!
Dear Member-Owners,
Friends, we've come a long way since opening in December! We recently held our Annual Meeting, and a summary from that meeting will be forthcoming next week, as soon as it's been proofread.
In the meantime, one of the most major topics of discussion (both from members shopping in the store and at the Annual Meeting) has been: How can member-owners help??
So far this year, board members and a few precocious member-owners have been dedicating a significant amount of time to get the store up and running. However, ongoing volunteer support from members will be essential going forward to maintain store hours and ensure Tom’s financial success!
Tom's does not require member-owners to work any hours as part of their membership -- and we have no plans to change that. However, we do rely on member-owner hours. The time burden on member-owners should not be onerous, as we have 100+ members. Four to six hours per year from each member, along with a core of more regular volunteers, would go a long way toward keeping the store running!
To that end, we are trying signup.com to coordinate member-work hours in the store -- this is a website based signup, not an app, so it should be accessible to all members -- but I will note that the site's formatting works better on a computer!
FAQ:
Do I need to commit to hours every week/etc? No! We love and rely heavily on member-owners who can commit to regular (weekly/bi-weekly/monthly) shifts, but we have plenty of one-time tasks that need to be done, as well! Members who cannot commit to regular shifts are encouraged to sign-up for one-offs two or three times a year.
What if the available shifts are too long? The available shifts are just suggestions -- if you can't stay the whole time, just let us know!
I thought we were going to hire someone to work at Tom's? We still plan to hire someone to work 20 - 30 hrs/week, eventually. However, we're not there yet! And even once we have a paid store employee, we'll still need our member-owners to keep Tom's running -- as you can imagine, it takes quite a lot more than 20-30 hrs/week to keep Tom's going!
What if I can't volunteer any hours? If you can't, then don't worry! We understand that not everyone will be able to do so. Here are a few other ways you can help (other than shopping here, of course!), if you're so inclined:
Leave Google reviews and photos of the new Tom’s (most reviews and photos are from the old Tom's!)
Create social media (Facebook/Instagram/etc) posts about products or events you enjoy at Tom’s and tag Tom’s on the post
Buy gift certificates for friends, family, colleagues to spread the word and encourage them to visit for the first time
There are four main roles we are looking to fill:
Trainees for Front Desk/Shop Lead: This is probably our highest priority need, as currently we only have three members fully trained on the register -- which creates a crunch when anyone is unavailable! If you are available for a consistent shift (perhaps one shift every other week, or even weekly if I'm dreaming big) or if you are willing to fill-in when one of our Leads is out, please consider training for the front desk! We're looking for members to take 2 - 3 hour training shifts on W/F, and ideally to be able to take some shifts as Shop Lead. Rest assured, YOU DETERMINE when you are ready to man the register on your own!
Shop Assistant: Long-term, we would like to have one Lead and one Assistant in the store during all regular hours. Help greet and assist customers, share information about products, and maintain the store. We're looking for members to take 2-3 hour shifts during any regular store hours.
Pack Grab-and-Go: Help pack grab and go bags and containers - dried and candied fruits, oats, etc. One-hour shifts suggested, available W/F.
Create Educational Product/Vendor Cards: Help out from home! Tom's carries many products, from many vendors, which are not familiar to everyone. Pick a few products or vendors, research, and create a short paragraph describing the product/vendor for us to post in the store. Sharing (accurate information) is caring!
Member-owner shifts are currently available through the end of July -- please consult your schedules and sign up!
Tom's Member-Owner Shift Sign-Ups
(If there are any problems with - or questions about - the signup form, please don't hesitate to let me know!)
Best,
Jes & the Tom's Board
PS: Our Grand Opening Week has officially been set for Wednesday June 4th - Saturday June 7th! The ribbon cutting with the Clinton Chamber of Commerce will be the 4th at noon!
