Submitted
As a local Swift Current area business and a member of a cooperative, Carpet One Floor and Home helps explain how cooperatives can be beneficial to business owners and consumers alike. The year 2012 has been named the International Year of the Cooperative by the United Nations to draw attention and raise awareness around cooperative enterprises.
Carpet One Floor & Home is a part of the largest cooperative of flooring retailers in North America. As a member of the Carpet One Floor & Home cooperative, they are able to benefit from economies of scale when making purchases, advertising, merchandising their stores and even training their employees — all while maintaining their autonomy as a local business.
Because Carpet One Floor & Home benefits from their membership in a cooperative, they are able to provide their customers the value they’re looking for without losing the personal touch of a local business.
“Our membership in the Carpet One Floor & Home cooperative has helped us remain competitive with big-box stores and survive through a rough economy,” said Rick Slusar, of Carpet One Floor & Home. “We don’t have to give up our independence, but we still have someone to lean on when we need advice or support.”
There are several types of cooperatives. Carpet One Floor & Home is a Purchasing & Shared Services cooperative, but another familiar type of cooperative is a consumer cooperative. Many people are familiar with local food co-ops. There are also producer co-ops like those formed by growers and worker co-ops where the workers actually own the business.
Participating in or purchasing from cooperative businesses helps to keep more money in the local community. Local business owners are more likely to reinvest in the community and donate time to local causes.
Carpet One Floor & Home would like to help spread the word about the International Year of the Cooperative and help educate consumers on the benefits of participating in and purchasing from cooperatives. “Customers aren’t surprised to find that we offer better service than big-boxes, but they are often surprised that we can give them the same value,” says Rick Slusar.
To learn more about the International Year of the Cooperative visit their website at http://social.un.org/coopsyear/index.html and join Carpet One Floor & Home in spreading the word about cooperatives at Facebook.com/ChooseACoop.
