Bad customer service rant.

[FagAshLill]

I've had to run to the local co-op because I needed some fridge bits. Didnt fancy paying out for delivery fees and taxis so that's why I chose there.

After asking 1 of 3 members of staff where certain stuff was, I noticed I was not the only one trying to catch her attention, she looked harrassed, stress and down right tired from having to run into the stores all of the time.

After finally getting my way to the checkpoint we stood there for 1/2 an hour. I could understand that if it was busy, but no. "OK" I thought, it's probably a new starter on the checkout and indeed it was. ON HIS OWN, no other members of staff to help him, he was staff number 2 of the three in the entire shop looking stressed until I looked over another counter to the 3rd member of staff in near tears as she was getting shouted at by customers who were waiting to be served (seen her a few times so she's not new).

3/4 of an hour into a 10 minutes pop to the shop, my stuff finally goes through the checkout (after, and I kid you not, picking up random loose vegetables and asking me what they were so he could put in the code!), and asking for home delivery and showing him the card and the time recepit, another 10 minutes had passed before he finally managed to shout for someone to help him.

I'd had enough at this point, so I told him to leave it and I will go somewhere else and walked out leaving £159 of shopping behind still waiting to be paid for.

If this was a one off I could understand it or around christmas or even snow, but it's beyond a joke. Its a complaint I hear about the place all of the time and not just limited to that particular store.


I'm now home, with a cup of coffee with an online asda shop done and cheaper by a long shot too.

Whats your tales?

[kumquatsareaposhfruit]

The co-op is often a bit crap, well our local is anyway. I'm more stunned that you can fit £159 of 'fridge bits' into your fridge and am now having hungry fantasies about what you got. Champagne, caviar, sour cream and blinis perchance?

[FagAshLill]

lol..it started out as a fridge shop but there was a few bits that were a fiver that bumped it up a bit, it cheese, sweet tins for halloween, washing powder, a couple of things that the kids picked up etc that I thought Id get as I was there.

[FagAshLill]

Funnily enough sour cream was on the list. It was part a stock up as there were 2 for 1 deals or 2 for a fiver deals too for the freezer.

Basically it was a fridge shop that turned into a weekly shop with stock up included.

[FagAshLill]

and twice I've looked at your responses and not realised that I'd put £159 in stead of £59.

(Found my glasses now..sorry.)

[kumquatsareaposhfruit]

So no champers then? Aww [hsad]

[FagAshLill]

No.

As well as stopping smoking I've stopped drinking too as that was a big smoking trigger for me.

[stubbornstains]

It makes me really sad that they're so crap because I admire their ethics. Really sad that I much prefer shopping in evil capitalist bastard ASDA....

[Lifeissweet]

I really want to like the Co-op. i have my mortgage through them and my bank account because I like what they stand for. However, the shop round the corner (dubbed a co-op 'superstore') is dismal. It is understaffed, under-stocked and just a bit...well...depressing. It gives off the air of a budget supermarket, but is too expensive to actually be one.

It is, however, slightly better than the branch near where I used to live in Wales, which, at times, was like trying to shop in Communist Eastern Europe. Just empty shelves and a feeling of doom (not that I ever shopped in Communist Eastern Europe, but it is how I imagine it would have been).

Such a shame.

[Andrewofgg]

I believe that part of the problem is that they promote staff on the donkey-ladder: seniority not merit.

[kumquatsareaposhfruit]

Yes, our local co-op frequently has NO fruit or veg!

[KatieMortician]

Euphemia. That made chuckle out loud.

[KatieMortician]

I don't blame the staff you can see though, poor buggers. It's whoever is supposed to be running the show should get a bollocking.

[stubbornstains]

Lifeissweet Yes, I used to refer to our local store as "Romania".

[zoe88]

i work in my local co-op and im very embarrased to hear about this! The shop i work in is very small and we dont have enough checkouts or space to cater for all the customers and it can be very hard, but our customer service more than makes up for it. we work hard in our shop to help our customers as best we can and hearing this story just lets everyone else who does the same down. Im sorry you had such a bad expierence

[PootlePosyPumpkin]

Lifeissweet - the Communist Co-Op comment made me laugh . I live in a village where we only have a Co-Op, although expensive it's fairly good stock wise & staff wise. We must be the lucky ones!

[McPie]

Ours is a reasonable size and always has plenty stock and staff, though some are of them much nicer to be served by than others.

[KatieMortician]

There is a special kind of dusty grime in Coop supermarkets that you don't really get anywhere else. Except perhaps Budgens and Mace shops.

[mamas12]

Well I'd like to go against the grain here and say that both my very local store and bigger one further afield are absolutely FAB.
One time after just having my dd I went through the checkout and found I had no purse with me. The beautiful, gorgeious woman at the checkout just told me to go home and phone the number of my card in.
So I did, I love them

[Lifeissweet]

Aw. Zoe - don't feel bad. It's not the staff members' fault. I think it's a management problem - if you are understaffed that's not the fault of the staff who are there and, I have to say, do always seem to be doing their very best.

Also, the understocking in the two shops I have mentioned (there is another one locally that has neither of these issues, btw) is not the fault of the staff either. I am sure you do a very good job.

[Mandy2003]

My Tory mum thought the co-op was a nest of communists and would never go there!

The only time in living memory that my local one has been clean and fully stocked was recently when they were having a visit from head office!

I know that store managers place orders through the computerised system and then head office veto those orders. Did you know that you will never find any kind of washing up sponge, scourer or brush in any Co-op? They're not on the system!

My local branch has the things I eat when they are on special offer - specifically packs of 4 soft bread rolls and mozzarella cheese to name but two - but will not stock them otherwise? I have to go to the next village. Oh, and they've just given up selling Colmans cheese sauce mix and (worse still) bread sauce!

And yes, reducing the number of staff so much that people leave baskets of shopping rather than queue any longer is common,

[Trills]

My local co-op is generally clean and well-stocked. Usually a long queue for the tills though.

[NeilsBoar]

All the Co-Ops round here are pretty good; rarely any queues, decent level of stock of the 'basics' (in fact often better than the Tesco local). However, they are expensive and don't have a massive range.

They do however do the best fresh croissants I've had outside of France (in the branches with in store bakeries).

I am however, in Greater Manchester, which is home of the Co-Op so maybe the one's nearer head office are the best?