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Transition Highlights

Your Account: New account numbers, New volume discounts, How volume discounts are applied
Pricelists: Monthly selection; Sequence; New product numbers & descriptions; Price effective dates
Pricing, Discounts and Fees
FoodLink: Switching to FoodLink 6.0; Features of FoodLink 6
Ordering: Minimum order for delivery; Minimum order for pick up
Accounting, Credits, Terms: Frozen & refrigerated items; Where to call; COD terms
Delivery Procedures: Frozen & refrigerated items; Invoices, Credit memos; Warehouse pick labels
Buying Club Website

Your Account

New UNFI Account Numbers

Your buying club will be assigned a new account number, to use when ordering for delivery on or after August 3.  New account numbers will be mailed to buying club coordinators in mid-July. 

New Volume Discounts & Procedures

Beginning with orders shipped on August 3, volume discounts will be based on your purchase history with UNFI, not on the size of the order being shipped. 

Your account will be assigned a volume discount based on your average order from December 2003 to May 2004.  Your new discount will apply to orders shipped on or after August 3.  New volume discount information will be mailed to buying club coordinators in mid-July.

Click here to see an example of how new volume discounts will be determined, and how they will be applied to future orders.

Volume discounts apply only to regularly priced items; they do not apply to items already on sale.

Pricelists

Selection

Beginning in August, the Prairie News will include the COMPLETE selection of available products.  Items that are on special will appear with the discount percentage and the discounted price.  Price Guides will no longer be published.

Pricelist Sequence

The arrangement of products in the Prairie News will change slightly.  There are 6 main sections: Bulk, Frozen, Refrigerated, Grocery, Personal Care and Supplements, and products are listed by category (such as Crackers) within each section, except for Supplements which are listed by brand.

Product Numbers and Descriptions

All products will have a new item number!  Use all 6 digits of the new numbers when ordering. Product descriptions will be shorter and more abbreviated.

Price Effective Dates

Price effective dates will run from a Saturday to a Friday, and pricing is based on the day your order is shipped.  For example: September pricing and specials apply to orders shipped August 28-Sept 24. Price effective dates will be printed on the cover of the Prairie News. Prices are subject to change without notice, but you can expect a minimum of unpublished price changes.

Due to the transition, July and August 2004 will not follow this pattern. July prices and specials are in effect for orders shipped through August 2.  Price effective dates for August 2004 are for orders shipped August 3 -August 27.

See Using the New Pricelist for details.

Pricing, Discounts and Fees

Pricing, Discounts and Other Charges

A number of changes to pricing, discounts, and other charges will take effect with August orders:

• freight charges will be discontinued (applies to groups currently paying per lb. freight charges)

• the 1% COD and .5% FoodLink discounts will be discontinued

• pick up order discounts and surcharges will be discontinued

• base pricing will increase to be consistent with prices throughout the region

• generous volume discounts are available, starting with 6% for buying clubs with a $1000 average order

• volume discounts will be based on your purchase history (not on the size of the order being shipped)

Ordering

Minimum orders for delivery

The minimum order for delivery is $750, unless transportation assigns a higher minimum based on your distance from the warehouse.

Pick up orders

The minimum for orders picked up at our warehouses is $350. Pick up order surcharges and discounts are discontinued. 

FoodLink

A greatly enhanced version of FoodLink (version 6) is now available.  FoodLink 6 can be used for ordering before August 2, but certain features will work only after our transition to the UNFI computer system.  Our FoodLink Support Team is working to convert all FoodLink users to the new version for August orders, if not before! 

FoodLink 6 benefits include:

• FoodLink member IDs print on the warehouse pick label and the truck invoice – makes distribution of your order much quicker! (effective in August)

• A FoodLink compatible online order form that members can use to send orders to their FoodLink coordinator without having FoodLink installed on their own computer (ready for use after August 1)

• A more user-friendly look and feel

• Accurate accounting features

• Easier sending of orders for AOL, SBC and other users who have trouble emailing orders

• Easier sharing of the FoodLink job between 2 or more members

Like FoodLink 2.2, FoodLink 6 offers these benefits

• Easily collates the group order from individual member orders.

• Electronically invoices each member with accurate pricing and taxes.

• Searchable electronic pricelist

• Maintains all members and groups accounting data

• Numerous features to help groups ‘split’ cases.

 Contact foodlinksupport@unfi.com for more info.

Accounting, Credits, Terms, Paperwork

New Procedure for Credits on Frozen & Refrigerated Products

There will be a new procedure for credits on frozen and refrigerated products – see the Delivery Procedures section for important information.

Where to Call for Credits

For orders shipped after August 3, credits (for items other than frozen and refrigerated products) can be requested by contacting the Claims Department in our Chesterfield NH facility.  Claims may be made by email, fax, phone or our website claims form. See your August Prairie News for details.

Please note that order numbers are different than invoice numbers; use your invoice number when calling for a credit.

Payment Terms

Terms for all orders will be COD.  We will no longer offer the COD 1% discount.  The driver will be expecting payment in full at the time of delivery.

Delivery Procedures

New Procedure for Credits on Frozen & Refrigerated Products

Frozen and refrigerated products require storage at specific and consistent temperatures, which are difficult to achieve in the home.  For this reason credits and returns of frozen and refrigerated products can only be done with the driver at the time of delivery.  This allows us to be confident of the quality of product we ship to you.

Before the delivery paperwork is completed, inspect frozen and refrigerated products for mispicks, damages, products billed but not shipped, short dates and mis-orders.  The driver will write a credit memo for you and take the product back in the truck.  Check for mis-picks by comparing the warehouse pick label to the manufacturer’s label on the box (do not open cases).

Invoices, Credit Memos, Return Authorization and Warehouse Pick Labels

Invoices, credit memos and warehouse pick labels from the UNFI system will look a little different from what you are used to, but they are easy to read and all the information you need is there.  See the samples.

A Website Just for Buying Clubs!

United Natural Foods has created this website just for buying clubs.  Information about this transition will be posted here.  After August 2 you will be able to access familiar services such as product information, a Claims Form and Pricelist Subscriptions Form, as well as many new features, such as the FoodLink compatible order form, vendor stories, FoodLink help and an extensive library of helpful information about operating a buying club.