Most items sold by distributors are sold in full case quantities (usually 6, 12, 18 or 24 pieces per case). This is one way in which buying from a distributor different than buying from a store. A good system for sharing cases is essential for satisfying the needs of the members of your buying club.

Setting up a good system for sharing cases makes your buying club more fun, and gives members access to many items that they otherwise might not be able to buy. Here are a few ideas for case sharing systems that you can adapt for your particular situation.

Use FoodLink
FoodLink Software for Buying Clubs has many features to make splitting cases easy.

• FoodLink can email a list of selected products to split to all members
• FoodLink can collate the ordered amounts and email out an unfilled case report for members to review.
• FoodLink can isolate the unfilled cases on the group order for the final edits.
• Detailed instructions are included in the FoodLink Manual in the Splitting Cases section.

The Splits Order Form
Each month, have members hand in their suggestions for items to split the following month. Take these suggestions and create an order form listing all the produce and grocery items to be split. This order form can be quickly compiled and emailed using FoodLink, or manually created and then mailed or posted on a community bulletin board. Be sure to put an order deadline on the form to keep the process timely!

Members order the number of units they want and the collator compiles this into full cases. Have the members give a range rather than a fixed amount – i.e. 4-6 pieces, so the collator can adjust quantities up or down to get complete cases. This is especially easy if you are using FoodLink.

Some groups now have web sites with their splits list and order form posted. Members can download the form right off the web! Combining this with email is an easy and efficient way to communicate.

Surplus Table
Here’s a system to use when all the units in a split case aren’t ordered by members. Buy the full case and put the extra units on a surplus table at breakdown. Members can pick up these additional items when they pick up their regular orders. This can be a lot of fun, because members get to see items they’re not familiar with, or had forgotten to order.

On the table with the surplus items place a sheet with the price of each item, and a sheet for members to record what they’ve taken. This is added to their order before invoicing.

Some co-ops carry a small inventory of staples on their surplus table. Items such as vanilla extract, cooking oil and rice can be bought inexpensively in large quantities and then broken down into small quantities for the surplus table. Be careful about putting perishables into surplus, and be sure your co-op has enough financial cushion to support a small inventory.

Use FoodLink to help with these ideas. See the Using the Surplus Feature in the FoodLink Manual.

The Splits Meeting
There are several variants of this method. One way is to have members get together before their orders are submitted, and see if anyone else at the meeting is interested in sharing items they’re interested in. Another way of handling this is to have the members submit their orders to the collator before the meeting. The collator puts the orders together and comes up with a list of “open items” to bring to the meeting. Folks can meet to go over the “open items” list as well as add additional items to their orders. Bring a laptop and enter the orders directly into FoodLink!

Does your group have a great system in place for splitting cases? Let us know at bcservices@unfi.com and we’ll pass the info on to others!