patronage tracking

The Workers’ Assembly is excited to announce the roll out of a program which will allow us to track patronage for our member-owners. If you visited the Co-op in the past few months, you’ll notice that we no longer ask for your member number. Patronage tracking is a capability gained from switching to a new point of sale (POS) system; we have been working to implement a new patronage tracking program. 

We began tracking member numbers with tabs on the old POS because we wanted our member-owners to know that their patronage is important to our business and that we’re working to eventually issue a patronage refund. However, the back end reporting that was necessary to track patronage on that old system was too burdensome for our small business. So we set a plan to invest in a new POS that would allow us to track patronage without slowing us down with tedious administrative work. 

Here’s some of the important details about patronage tracking:

You can get a new card with a magnetic swipe. Come in Tuesdays in June from 4-7pm and get your new membership card set up. Additionally, we’ll have card request forms available at the counter if you come in outside of those times.  We’ll print a card for you and let you know when you can pick it up. You can also e-mail us at membership@blackstar.coop with your full name and/or member number. We’ll print your card and mail it to you. 

We’ll know who you are even if you forget your membership card. The patronage system includes member lookup with your information, so just give us your name, member number, or phone number to track your patronage at the pub.

The program that we use to track your patronage will also administer membership benefits. Discounts on Member-Owner Pint Nights, your Co-op birthday, Member Appreciation Days, and holiday weekends will be automatically applied to your tab when you use your member card. 

You can track your patronage online. You can access the link to Track Patronage through the Get Involved page at www.blackstar.coop/get-involved. You’ll be able to track how much patronage you’ve earned at the Co-op and get reminders about eligible discounts and rewards.

We are excited to roll out this new program and provide the best membership administration to you. The Workers’ Assembly looks forward to asking for your member number every time you visit the brewpub.