Q. How big is the product selection of the Co-op? A. The Co-op product catalog contains thousands of items, generally many more than you could possibly find locally. We tried to design this website with intuitive product categories and an excellent search feature to make identifying products simple. [back to top]

Q. Are all the items on the Co-op website kosher? A. All the items carry kosher certification, though some may or may not be acceptable to you, depending on your level of kashrut. Unless marked otherwise, all meat is Glatt Kosher. If you have a question about a specific product, please contact your local Va'ad or Kashrut Authority. [back to top]

Q. How can these products be so cheap? A. You are buying in bulk which yields lower prices. Additionally, our overhead is dramatically lower than a grocery store. [back to top]

Q. Are these the same prices that a store would pay for these items? A. Not quite. We still have a certain amount of overhead--delivery charges, fuel surcharges, freezer rental space, website development, check cashing fees, labor hired on delivery date, etc. To cover this, we add a small mark up. [back to top]

Q. Is the cheese in blocks, shredded, sliced, or individually wrapped? A. We have tried to mark all shredded, sliced, or individually wrapped cheeses. Generally if it is not marked otherwise, the cheese is in blocks--but to be sure please contact us if you have a specific question. [back to top]

Q. What do the products marked with an mean? A. The indicates that the weight and number of packages listed for this product is approximate. You will be responsible for paying for the actual weight shipped, whether it is less or more than the weight listed on the website. In general, the weight listed is within 25% accuracy, often much more accurate than even that. You only pay for the actual weight shipped. If you paid online, your payment will automatically be adjusted before your account is debited. If you paid with a physical check, we will ask that you mail us a check for the difference or if we owe you money, we will give you a choice of a credit on your account or a check that we mail to you. We are sorry for this complication, but this is the nature of this type of product and is necessary if you would like to purchase our variable weight products. [back to top]

Q. Are products that are Chalav Yisrael marked as such? A. We have put in the product description "Chalav Yisrael" for some products. However, there are products that are Chalav Yisrael that are not yet marked as such. If you have a question about a specific product, please contact us. [back to top]

Q. I want a specific product, can you get it? A. Please contact us and we can see if we can obtain the product you are looking for. [back to top]

Q. Where can I find hechsher, nutrition, and ingredient information that is not available on the Co-op website? A. Usually putting the brand and product description into a search engine (like Google or Calorie King) will bring up information about that specific product. As effort allows we add photos of ingredient and nutrition information. [back to top]

Q. Are prices guaranteed? A. Prices constantly fluctuate, especially with the rising energy costs. We absorb real-time price changes unless it is significant in which case the Co-op member will have to pay the difference. As of the writing of this question we have never had to ask a Co-op member to pay the difference. [back to top]

Q. Are products shipped fresh or frozen? A. Products are generally shipped fresh unless marked otherwise. But in order to maintain fulfillment, KC Kosher must maintain backstock of key items in our freezer (which is about 40 deg F below freezing!) so we may ship an item frozen if the supplier did not send enough fresh. Product quality always follows our guarantee. [back to top]

Q. How does paying online work and is it secure?

A. The Co-op has purchased a secure SSL certificate for payments - this is evident because (1) the http in the browser changes to https and (2) a padlock will appear in the lower right of your browser window (this will vary depending on the browser). This is 128 bit or 256 bit encryption (also browser dependent)--either of which is computationally unfeasible to crack. We also have an additional layer of security that most websites do not by encrypting financial information in our database.

Online Credit Card - Visa and MasterCard are accepted and there is a 3% surcharge added to cover the fees associated with taking credit cards. We do not store credit card information in any fashion in our database. Credit card payments are immediately submitted to the Payment Gateway and we receive a unique Transaction ID that we can use to reference that payment in the future. At the point the order is within 20 days of delivery, we will put a hold on your credit card account for the cost of the order (this is where you'd see "pending transaction" in your online statement) and then after delivery we will do a final charge for what is actually delivered. If you owe more than your original order (such as if you added a product or received an item at a higher weight than what was estimated), we'll do a second charge of how much over the original amount you owe. If you owe less than your original order, the pending charge will be changed to reflect the new, lower, order total.

Online Check Payment - Online Check Payments are very similar to handing us a check except that the amount we debit your account will be the amount of what is actually delivered. We submit your check information to our bank shortly after delivery and it goes through the 7-10 day clearing process before it posts to your account. After the check is cleared, you will have an image of your check available just like any physical check (assuming your bank makes images of your checks available to you). After you submit your check information, you should document it in your register and then rip up that check.

Mailed Check - We will deposit the check and then settle up any differences with you after delivery (such as a credit or amount due). Physically mailed checks may be deposited immediately upon receipt by the Co-op or may be held until after the delivery. Our mailing address can be found here.

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Q. Can I split my order with someone else?

A. Absolutely! You can arrange a split on your own or you can use the Product Splitting Page. Remember that the person who places the order is responsible for paying for and picking up that order.

Please make it a habit when you are shopping to also check the Product Splitting Page—arranging splits with other members benefits everyone.

A) If you are on the Product Splitting Page and see a product you want to split, just click “Ask to Split” and you will be guided through the split process.

B) If you are shopping and you see a product that you would like to split…

1. Click on that product’s link.
2. Click the “Split with Someone” button. Doing so will add that product to a list on the Product Splitting Page that all Co-op members can view.
3. If someone else decides they would like to split that product with you, they can contact you by clicking the link on the Product Splitting Page – an email will be sent to notify you that that person is interested.

Please note that putting a split product request on the Product Splitting Page does not add that item to your cart. If you want to insure that a specific product is in your order, you will need to add it to your cart and proceed with the checkout process.

After a split is arranged, please remember to go to your personal Products You Would Like to Split page and remove those items. [back to top]

Q. How much is delivery? A. There is no added cost for delivery. Delivery and fuel surcharge fees are built in to the small mark-up we add to the products. [back to top]

Q. Can I place multiple orders for the same Co-op delivery? A. Yes, you can place as many orders as you like as long as it is before the order deadline. [back to top]

Q. Once I place an order, can I change it? A. You cannot cancel or change an order once you have sent in your payment, but if you have not yet sent payment, you can cancel an order by contacting us. [back to top]

Q. I received my items and something is wrong or damaged, what do I do? A. Contact us immediately with the problem so we can work it out. [back to top]

Q. How do I get my money back if certain items from my order do not arrive (an item is out of stock)? A. For those who pay online, we debit your account for the actual items that ship, so there is no refund required. For those who mail in a check, you will get a credit on your account. You can request at any time for that credit to be mailed to you as a check. [back to top]

Q. I need a lot of food soon, is there some way I can get a special delivery? A. We have a minimum required order from our distributor. If you happen to require a particularly large quantity (well over a thousand pounds), we will try to arrange for a special delivery. [back to top]

Q. How many food deliveries are there per year? A. Delivery frequency varies by location. Some cities only have four deliveries per year while other cities have a delivery each month. Deliveries will be as frequent in your city as the order quantity can support. [back to top]

Q. When is the next food delivery? A. The next food delivery date is listed on the top of our website. If for some reason we do not gather the order minimum by that date (not expected to be an issue), we will contact everyone to let them know there will be a delay. [back to top]

Q. How do I pay?

A. After ensuring you've placed an order, simply click the Pay Link at the top of the page. This gives the options for check, credit card, or mailed payments.

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Q. Can I see my order history? A. Yes, if you have placed orders previously you can see those orders by selecting the Past Orders link at the top of the website. [back to top]

Q. I received meat with a date stamped on it that has already passed. A. There is a date stamped on the meat is a "use or freeze by" date. Any frozen meat the warehouse put in their deep freezer well before the freeze date--red meat should be good for at least 10 months after that date and poultry should be good for at least 8 months. It is rare that we ship poultry with a freeze date that has passed, so if you have received frozen poultry with a passed date, please contact us so we can verify the product is acceptable. [back to top]

Q. I received a bunch of poultry frozen together, what do I do? A. Unlike red meat, poultry can not be safely thawed and refrozen. If you purchased an institutional item that has several birds frozen together, it is safe to allow the mass to thaw just enough to break the birds apart and then immediately freeze. Please note that if you forget about the thawing birds and have let them go to the point there are no more ice crystals, than it is too late to refreeze and the birds will need to be cooked or thrown away. [back to top]

Q. How will I be notified of the delivery? A. There will be a reminder email a few days before the delivery reminding everyone of the pick-up time and location. As circumstances may arise that we cannot control (eg: delivery truck breaks down), we have a hotline with up-to-the-minute status on the delivery time. To get the hotline number please log in to the website and you can see it on the homepage. After you login, delivery status will be on the homepage as well.

The Co-op Hotline number is: (913) 712-9205. [back to top]

Q. My order contains refrigerated and/or frozen food. Will it thaw before I pick it up? A. All food is delivered in a refrigerated truck with a separate freezer compartment. We recommend arriving as early as possible during the pick-up window so your food is exposed to heat as little as possible. The food is fine if picked up within a couple hours of unloading from the refrigerated truck. Keep in mind that the food will also be in boxes that help provide insulation. For those ordering ice cream, you should coordinate with your local "Co-op Director" to meet the truck as soon as it arrives (which will be before the general pick-up window). [back to top]

Q. Where do I pick up my order? A. Log in to the website and your deliver location will be listed in the upper right of the webpage. [back to top]

Q. Something came up and I will not be able to pick up the items. Can I arrange a different time? A. Unfortunately for now we must request that you find an alternate person to pick up your items. You will need to email us that alternate person’s name or be available on the phone for us to call to verify the person is authorized to pick up the items for you.

If there is an absolute emergency, contact us and we will do our best to work with you. We will actively monitor our email the day before and the day of deliveries in case someone contacts us with an emergency situation. [back to top]

Q. It is difficult for me to load/unload the items, can you bring them to my house? A. We would like to work with you. Contact us and we will work with local agencies to attempt to provide this service. If this does not work out, we can arrange for a car service to bring the food to your house, but you will need to cover the fee of the car service. [back to top]

Q. Do you accept returns? A. Each Co-op Member is responsible to check the quality of the delivered product. We can be contacted within the first two weeks after delivery to resolve quality issues. We are unable to resolve quality issues raised later than two weeks after delivery. [back to top]

Q. How do I know what products on the website are Kosher for Passover? A. During the Passover Order Cycle, we show only Kosher for Passover products. We also show a notice across the top of the website to remind our Members that the listed products are Kosher for Passover. [back to top]

Q. I see noodles and bagels in the Passover listing, I thought everything was Kosher for Passover? A. Even the noodles and bagels are Kosher for Passover. Though if you have a question about a specific product, you can always contact us. [back to top]

Q. Is there any way for me to order a non-Kosher for Passover product? A. If you contact us, we can try, but the warehouse turns Kosher for Passover as well, so it is difficult to get any non-KFP products. [back to top]

Q. I got a gefilte fish I liked last order, can I order it again for Passover? A. Be careful!! If you add an item to your cart from your order history, you are not adding a Passover product! Only products active on the site (browsing and searching) are Kosher for Passover. [back to top]

Q. Why are there two deliveries? A. We take an extra effort to get all products ordered and for Passover this means two deliveries to some of our cities. [back to top]

Q. When do you process my payment? A. If you pay online, we process payment shortly after delivery. If your city has two deliveries for Passover, we process the payment after the *second* delivery. [back to top]

Q. How do I contact you? A. Please use the “Contact Us” form which will send your question to us via email. We check email frequently. [back to top]

Q. What is your mailing address? A. Our mailing address is:

KC Kosher Co-op
8212 W 97th Terrace
Overland Park, KS, 66212 [back to top]

Q. Is this your full time job? A. No, the co-op was originally created as a service to the community with no intention to make a profit. Now it does provide some supplemental income, but it is limited due to our minimal mark-up from the prices we receive. [back to top]

Q. Now that I'm buying kosher food in bulk, I need a freezer, any recommendations? A. There are great freezers out there that have very low annual electricity costs (under $45/year). To view freezer ratings by a major consumer products rating magazine, please click here. [back to top]

Q. How do I remove my membership? A. Please use our contact form to email us and we will remove your registration information. [back to top]

Q. You don't deliver to my city, can you start? A. Getting a delivery is quite simple, but there are certain criteria that must be met before we add your city. Please Contact Us and we will try to work with you. [back to top]

Q. What is the substitution feature?

A. The substitution feature is something you will see in your shopping cart. It allows you to select up to five alternates for each product, thus increasing our ability to fulfill your order. If the product you originally ordered is not available, but one of your substitutes is, we will automatically send the substitute.

Unlike a typical store that can keep an inventory, much of our product arrives fresh weekly so the warehouse is at the mercy of product suppliers. One of the reasons we try to have the order deadline two weeks before delivery is to give the warehouse two weeks to obtain products.

To select substitutes, you first need to add an item to your shopping cart. For each product, click on the "Select" button on the "Choose Substitutes" column on the righthand side of the shopping cart. A window with options for substitutes will come up - you can select up to five. Click on the OK button to save your selections. The substitutions will automatically be included when you submit your order.

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