STEP 1 View the infosheet and application form here.

STEP 2 Read the first four pages of the infosheet and If you like what you read, print and complete the application form (page 5 of the PDF). Please remember to sign and date the form and to write CLEARLY, preferably in block letters, and NO PENCILS please. The infosheet covers much of the information on this website but also includes how you shop and where things are in the shop.

STEP 3 You can join when you're next in or you can post the form. It's just $20, which buys you twenty (20) $1 shares. If you're dropping the form in in person, the payment must be either cash, money order (payable to Alfalfa House Community Food Co-op Ltd) or EFTPOS/credit card. No personal cheques please. If posting, payment must be as a money order only.

Your membership usually takes a few days to process, after which a laminated membership card and a receipt for the shares will be ready for you to collect from the person on the till. You will be asked to sign for the card. The card will have your name and a number on it, which you use each time you shop. Once the application is processed, your details will be entered in the database and you can start shopping using your membership number. If you join in person, you can shop at the Basic Discount on that day. (Every member is entitled to receive the Basic Discount (10%) every time they shop.) Shop and office coordinators are happy to answer any queries you might have.

What if I want to go away for a while? If you are going away for between 12 months and five years you can let the Management Committee know in writing (click here to email) and your membership can be suspended until you return.

A legal point. To continue to be a member of the co-op, members must either shop at least once a year or pay an annual fee of $10 plus GST, currently $11 in total. If you shop at least once a year you don't have to pay the annual fee. If you don't shop for two years and don't pay the fee in lieu of not shopping, then the value of fees owing ($22) exceeds the value of the shares, and there's a legal requirement for the Management Committee to absorb the shares and cancel the membership. Also if you don't keep the co-op up-to-date with your postal address, after 18 months the Management Committee is also required to absorb the shares and cancel your membership.

If you move house, change phone numbers or your email address, leave the details with the person on the till or an office coordinator or email the changes.

If you lose your card, leave a note with the person on the till or an office coordinator, with your name and membership number, and we'll issue a new one for you to collect at the till.

What if I want to resign? If you leave the co-op, say you move and think it's unlikely you'll continue to shop at the co-op, simply write a short letter addressed to the Management Committee c/o the co-op or leave it, along with your membership card with the person on the till. Shares are refundable, but only by direct debit to the account of the person whose name appears first on the membership application form. (Shares can't be refunded over the counter.) However, even if you move away from the area, but think you would more than likely shop in the co-op at least once a year, you may as well hold onto your membership and use it each time you shop at the co-op.

1. to shop and receive discounts at Alfalfa House, Thoughtful Foods (Uni of NSW), Sydney Uni food co-op, UTS food co-op, Manly Food Co-op, Green Tucker at Forestville, and at the Blue Mountains food co-op in Katoomba – discounts are also available at a number of other food co-ops around Australia (just ask);
2. to attend committee meetings and general meetings and take part in decisions about the co-op;
3. to take an active role in running the co-op by joining sub-committees or by undertaking day-to-day tasks in the co-op – talk to an office coordinator or the person on the till;
4. to order food in bulk (in the minimum weight or quantity the co-op buys the product in) and receive a 5% discount on top of any other discount you’re entitled to (If it’s not a regular co-op product, we may still be able to get it for you; bulk ordering is only available to members);
5. to receive the co-op's monthly eNews plus any other information regarding special general meetings and the Annual General Meeting.

1. to shop at least once a year or pay an annual fee ($11, including $1 GST);
2. to remember to show your card to the person staffing the till;
3. to clean up any mess you make while shopping and remember any spillages you make cost the co-op money;
4. to refrain from grazing as you shop, because every little nibble adds up – it’s also a health hazard;
5. to be considerate of the person working on the till;
6. to provide your own jars, bottles and bags;
7. to criticise constructively any aspect of the co-op you feel is a problem and be prepared to take part in resolving it.