About our Sliding Scale Program

What is this program?

We are proud to announce Ethikli’s Sliding-Scale Membership program. This option is intended to reduce financial barriers for people who would like to shop here often but would need a small discount to do it. The membership provides a 5-10% discount on all purchases.

We don’t know your financial situation and you don’t need to provide proof of anything to us. We invite you to apply for Sliding Scale Membership if any of the following apply to you:

•         My annual income is below $32,000.
•         I am a Person of Color.
•         I am LGBTQ+.
•         I have a disability.
•         I am an immigrant.
•         I am a single parent.
•         My income supports an adult who cannot work.
•         I am on strike.
•         I am trying to change my diet due to a medical condition, such as high blood pressure.

How does this work?

We use an honor system for this program, and we trust that only people who need this discount will sign up for it. When you sign up, select whether you would like a 5% or 10% discount. When you do, we give you a card. You will simply show the card at checkout and we'll apply the discount. All signups are in person. If there are multiple discounts on a single purchase, we go with the biggest one - the discounts don't stack.

What if this is not enough of a discount for me to shop here?

In addition to our Slide Scale Membership, we also have a Pay-It-Forward wall where other customers post small gift certificates that anyone can use. These certificates can help you make up the $5 or $10 difference if you can't complete your order.

Why do we do this?

Our store is worker-owned and all of us care about our local community. We want as many people as possible to be able to shop sustainably with us, even if we don't make the maximum amount of money that we possibly could. We would rather you shop with us than get stuck buying food that isn't as good for you or that comes from an unethical supply chain.

How can I support this?

If you like the idea of a grocery store with a sliding-scale discount, you can make a one-time donation to our ongoing fundraiser or sign up for our Supporter Program. If you don't have any funds to spare, please consider sharing info about us and our Support Program on social media. We want to get the word out to everyone who might want to participate!