Membership in Vermont Grocers' Association is an investment in the future strength of your business and the Vermont Food Industry. Your involvement and participation put you in the good company of others in the industry, combining forces to reach common goals.
Click
here for a copy
of the VGA membership brochure.
Mission Statement
The Vermont Grocers Association is a group of merchants, retailers and suppliers organized to serve the needs of its members for the betterment of the food industry.
Retail Membership
Open to all retailers of food products and beverages. Current
members include supermarkets, food coops, beverage stores,
convenience stores, general and country stores, as well as drug
stores that sell food products. Annual dues for retail members
start at $87.50 (increases are based on initial store volume and number of locations in Vermont)
Spring Special
for new members at $89 for all categories- Limited time offer!
Associate Membership
Open to manufacturers, wholesalers, brokers, service providers and
others connected with the food industry. Annual dues for associate
members is $235 (reduced rate of $180 for
those firms with less than $500,000 in sales).
Easily pay your Membership Dues Online
New to our web site, you can now easily pay your membership dues ONLINE with our secure automated system.
For more information and/or an application to join the Vermont Grocers' Association, please contact our organization's office. You can also get more information via email through our VGA Membership Benefit Programs.
Legislative Representation
Full-time VGA representation promotes your best interests to state government and our elected officials in Washington. VGA makes sure representatives hear "our side" of any issues relative to legislation being considered that concerns the Food Industry of Vermont.
Credit-Debit Card Processing
VGA members have access to one of the industry's most competitively priced processing services for your customer credit and debit card transactions.
Check Collection and Processing
VGA has teamed up with Northstar Technologies to offer members a streamlined check collection service that returns the face value of the collected return checks to the merchant. Northstar also offers check authorization services and will soon be offering paperless check processing.
Payroll Processing
PayData is a Vermont company offering a easy and economical payroll service to VGA member companies. Services include payroll checks, tax filings, reports, new hire reporting and more. PayData offers VGA members a discount on their regular fees .
Insurance
Group plans are available for health and dental insurance.
Members of the Vermont Grocers' Association are now eligible for health insurance through the
Vermont Health Services
Group effective January 1, 2005 as a subsection of
VHSG.
VHSG is a significantly larger pool of BCBSVT subscribers and consists of small businesses, much like VGA members. If you have questions or you would like to enroll in the VGA/VHSG
group, Thomas Insurance at 1-800-639-5130
or email. Be
sure to mention you are a member of the Vermont Grocers'
Association when enrolling in the plan. Thomas
Insurance is VGA's exclusive broker for group health insurance
offerings.
BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont
Delta Dental Insurance Program
VGA has teamed up with Northeast Delta Dental to offer two
competitively priced dental plans. Both are offered on a voluntary
basis and do not have minimum enrollments.
Acadia Business Insurance Program
Vt. Grocers' Association and Acadia Insurance Company provide an all lines of insurance program including but not limited to: Property, General Liability, Business Owners, Auto, Umbrella Liability and Workers Compensation. Participating members have earned dividends for the past four
out of five years
including 20% last year.
Coupon Redemption
This VGA service allows retailers to obtain reimbursement for manufacturers coupons by submitting them to our affiliate, Grocers Coupon Service without the necessity of sorting.
Newsletter
VGA's publication "The Grocery Slip" keeps members abreast of regulatory and legislative issues as well as news about the food industry. Retail members may use the classified ad section at no charge.
Phone Savings
The association has a discounted phone program for your long distance calls through BCN Telecom. For more information, please call Valerie at the association office, 1-800-842-8503.
Education and Training
VGA brings professional seminars and workshops to Vermont each year on topics like merchandising, theft control, employee relations and more - "meeting the needs of both retail and associate members." In addition, we offer free loan of video training tapes to members.
Online Training
The association also
offers a full array of online courses through Learn Something,
including loss prevention, food safety, combat meth, business
skills, computer courses and more.
VGA Annual Directory
The annual yearbooks, published each spring, lists all retail and associate members, includes buying information on suppliers serving Vermont and important regulatory information, serving as a valuable reference guide. Copies are complimentary to all VGA members.
Convention and Expo
Vermont's largest food industry event is VGA's Annual Convention & Merchandising Exp. The program, held each fall, includes exhibits, educational seminars, contests, entertainment and more. A great networking opportunity for all members.
Credit Union
The Green Mountain Credit Union is open to all members, their employees and immediate families. Each deposit account is federally insured by NCUA up to $100,000. Offering savings and loan options, checking, direct deposit, money orders and payroll deduction programs.
Scholarships
Each year, VGA awards scholarships to help members' employees and/or their children further their education.
Other Services
VGA offers a number of other programs and services, including answers to your questions. The association is constantly evaluating new programs to better serve its members!
Many More Benefits Await You as a Member!
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