Exactly How to Order

 

  • Before you send in your first order, please complete and send in this membership form.
  • Click HERE to view the catalogue.
  • New catalogues go up from 1st January, 1st March, 1st May, 1st July, 1st September, 1st November. If the 1st is a public holiday or weekend it may be a day or so after. Alternatively use the edited catalogue, a link to which we send out in the newsletter, shortly after the latest catalogue becomes available.

  • Make a note of the stock number (code) and a brief description of the items you want from the catalogue and the number of cases you want. For shares, you must indicate your minimum quantity, ideal quantity and maximum quantity. You can also search the edited catalogue for items. Particularly if you are unfamiliar with spreadsheet searching, watch this video for detailed instructions. (To watch the video, click the big DOWNLOAD button not the OPEN button. Once downloaded, use your media player to open and play the video.)

  • Download and save the order template from the link in the newsletter sent at the beginning of each month, then open the order template in a spreadsheet application, e.g. Microsoft Excel. Note that the edited catalogue, which matches the order template, is on the second tab at the bottom of the order template.
  • Enter YOUR NAME top left next to 'Name:'; your email and location will then come up automatically.
  • For WHOLE CASES: enter the stock number of each item you require and check that the details that come up do relate to your item. If not, check your stock number. Enter the number of cases you require for each item in column M, then tap in the comments box column P and the price will then come up.
  • For SHARES: again enter the stock number of each item you require and check that the details that come up do relate to your item. Enter your min / ideal / max number of units you wish to take in column P, in the format 1 / 3 / 6 for instance. Enter your ideal number of units in column M and the price will come up.
  • SAVE AS with the file name '<Your Name> <Month> Draft Order', in .xls format, and email your order form 'FAO Richard' to owbg@protonmail.com. PLEASE DO NOT USE THE APPLE '.NUMBERS' FORMAT AS WE CANNOT READ FILES IN THIS FORMAT.
  • Your list will be transcribed on to a single document showing all orders currently received and will be automatically updated as new orders come in and share offers are taken up.
  • The link in the newsletter will allow you to view and check this information at any time during that month.

NB!

 

1) If you are making an order of ANY kind, even a single share, you will need to send OWBG the details so we can raise an order form for you.

2) Make sure you email owbg@protonmail.com with 'FAO MARY' in the subject/title about any extra, non-supplier items you may be ordering, e.g. OWBG stock items such as vegetable brushes, sea vegetables, OWBG special offers and also any items offered from members' cupboards etc. Your final order becomes our picking list and we don't want to miss anything :)

 

Draft Orders

 

Include ANYTHING you may be interested in sharing with other people – there is no commitment at this stage, the purpose is to see who else may be interested in sharing. To arrange to participate in other people's shares, email owbg@protonmail.com clearly stating JUST the stock number and brief description of the item you wish to share, with your minimum, ideal and maximum quantities for each item.

  • Your shares will be allocated using this information and you’ll always be able to see the current share status using the link to everybody's orders that we send you each month.

  • It is your responsibility to check your order status using this link.

Your Final Order

 

As the final order deadline approaches, the instigators of shares must either complete or drop any remaining part-filled cases. Feel free to email fellow sharers direct to negotiate completing a case, being sure to copy the final outcome, i.e. share dropped or new details of sharers’ amounts, to owbg@protonmail.com.

  • You will be sent an email notifying you when the spreadsheet for the month has been updated with final bill totals. This will be in the afternoon / evening of delivery day, after collection.

  • An administration charge of 5% is added towards Buying Group running costs – printing, publicity, events, overheads, volunteer out-of-pocket expenses etc. Concessions are available for those receiving State benefits so no one in real need is prevented from ordering. For concessions please email owbg@protonmail.com 'FAO MARY'.  Core group members are not expected to pay 5% as well as doing all the work :)

Supplementary Items

 

In addition to the Infinity Foods order, in most months in the past we have placed an order with another company for supplementary items, by rotation. Here is the current list of companies that we use:

  • Essentially Yours - personal care and grooming products
  • Microbz - microbe-enriched products for health, cosmetics, household, garden and animals
  • Elephant Box - storage containers for food and drink
  • Greenscents - household cleaning products

Unfortunately, because of a change in personal circumstances, Supplementary Items orders are currently unavailable. We hope to be able to restore this service at some time during 2025.

Collection & Payment

  • Collection dates are published in advance and you must book a collection time slot for that day; a link to do this is included in each month's newsletter. See 'How to Edit the Collection Sheet' below.
  • Your order awaits you at Torrington Rugby Club, EX38 7BT.
  • Please DO NOT PAY IN ADVANCE - wait for your final bill as there may be out-of-stock items or occasional dispatch errors from the supplier.
  • In the evening of collection day you'll receive an email notifying you that your final bill is ready to view - that is the time to pay by BACS - within 48 hrs of your final bill, using the details that appear beneath your total.

 

 

How to Edit the Collection Sheet

 

Clicking the 'Collection Sheet Here' button in the monthly newsletter will show you an editable spreadsheet in the Google Sheets application.

(If you are using an Android phone/tablet or an Apple iPhone/iPad, you will need to download and install the Google Sheets app.)

 

In Google Sheets, simply choose your preferred order collection time, then type your first name (and surname initial if you have the same first name as someone else!) in a blank cell in column B – Name – beside your chosen collection time.

 

When you have typed in your name, either press the Enter key on the keyboard or click in another cell on the spreadsheet. There is no need to 'Save' the file.

 

If you are collecting for anyone else, please put a + sign next to your name and then enter the other person's name on the line below and repeat this for any others you're collecting for.

 

If you are able to help with order packing etc. on the day, please indicate this on the spreadsheet under “Helpers & Their Buddy Ups”.

 

If anyone else is editing the sheet at the same time, they will then see your new entry (and you will see theirs); there is no danger of you overwriting one another. Also, you will see a coloured border around the cell that they have selected; this will not affect your selection.

 
If you have ordered extra items such as ferments, sea veg, MicroBz, Elephant Box, Essentially Yours etc., please enter these under “Extra Items” to help those packing your order.

 

As soon as you have entered your data, your job is done! There is no Save button to click. You can now close the browser tab or window. It really is quite easy!

 

Please bear in mind that it's not practical for us to have everyone coming at once, so although happily social distancing is over, collections do need to be spaced out to a degree, otherwise people leave things behind and mistakes can happen. Of course you're very welcome to stay and chat once you've loaded your order into your car. The number of slots and collection time span depends on the number of orders - if more slots are needed, we will add them once we know how many orders we have.

 

Suggestions / Requests / Comments welcome – happy ordering :)

 

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https://mailchi.mp/…/subscribe-to-the-organic-wholefood-buy…

Website owbg.jimdofree.com

 

WE'LL ALL BENEFIT FROM A LARGER GROUP :)