You don't choose to go to co-op

I don't drive and live in a small village. I'd be lost without my local Co op. Having a Co op card will get you some money off and nice deals. Their knock down products are worth going in for.

Near BiL there's a medium sized co-op they get their rolls and fresh bread from a local independent bakery, they're excellent. They have an in-house butcher for fresh meat and pies, a little dearer than the nearby big supermarket but so much better quality. When we go OH insists on stopping there for fresh rolls and bringing back their meat.

Ooo this looks good. Is it good?

I like their olive loaf

It's not where I do my big shop, but I'm very fond of our local Co-op. It has saved the day many times, and was a godsend during the pandemic when the staff were unfailingly polite under enormous pressure. We've all forgotten about retail (and the other key workers ...) now we don't have to be "grateful" to them anymore.

I also like the business model, the fact they support community projects and the membership benefits (you can donate these rather than taking them). So I do consciously spend money there.

The fresh croissants are the absolute best in my view!

God yes. Sea salt and charddonnay vinegar. Guaranteed to strip the lining from your cheeks, it's like munching on plutonium.

My tiny Co-Op is great.
Mine does a really nice sourdough with olives in it Love this bread, and the local section with cheeses I can only get by going to the farm gate otherwise.

Ours is so close it would be rude not to. I like my bananas slightly green and on that front they deliver 🙌.
Agreed it’s not the Waitrose experience though - shoplifting is rife in our one 🙄

Is that before or after the fruit flies from the bananas hit you?

It IS expensive but super friendly! My local one is, anyway.

There does seem to be a bit of a postcode lottery as far as the Co-op is concerned. Both Co-ops near me are excellent.

@SleepToad however, I agree that the Co-op bank is shite. DH changed his business account to them because they made an offer too good to refuse, but their onlne banking is unbelievably awful.

I can confirm that the coop do the best pistachios. Much better than supermarkets and other brands I've tried.

We only have two supermarkets in my town, Asda or Co Op. I have to pay to park at Asda if you can find a space and its the worlds most badly laid out store, so unless I drive 7 miles to the next nearest supermarket, the Co Op it is even if the stock levels are a bit random

We've got one close by, it's awful. I only go because they have free parking unlike the other two supermarkets nearby so it's handy for popping in on the way back home.

Expensive, fruit always looks past it's best, crap choice of veggie offerings, always having stock issues. But, it's main crime is that the staff constantly chat to each other on those little headsets even if they're serving you and it's so rude.

Could apply to any supermarket. I mean the products and the way they treat people. Rather deal with them than other organizations.

Absolutely hate the coop. The stores for many years held towns to ransom where they were the only supermarket in town. I know of 3 towns where when another supermarket, in one case Waitrose opened, they closed down. They were expensive, never had any own brand goods, only over priced premium brands....and this was at a time when the co-op were the biggest farmers in the uk.

I worked for the co-op bank. Colleagues were lovely, direct line manager was eventually sacked well after I left. Lent money to ridiculous business ideas that were "right on" (it was the 1980s) like a bicycle courier firm, in Bristol, which is built on 7 hills!
The funeral service stores bodies in centralised warehouses (so I understand) so your loved one is carted miles away and if you want to visit, they are carted back and forth!

I love co-op! I go out of my way to go to our nearest big one.

great reductions super offers on the card if you join good staff

His story is that they were going to Weatherspoons for a meal, drink and then they would eat the cake. He arrived home around midnight in a taxi with the cake box in a bag. I have not asked how much is left. He’s 18.

Coop prices aren't standard. Ours is a suburban one and has typical convenience store pricing, mostly competitive with the Sainsbury's local which has an average 5% markup on the big store a mile or so away (a d is sometimes cheaper as they do on the shelf special offers, rather than nectar pricing). Those in more rural areas, particularly remote ones often have a mark up to reflect the higher cost of delivering to them off the beaten track. I think they still have regional variations, too.

Have to say I don’t find all the chat about Co-Op being really expensive accurate. I have a Co-Op and a Tesco Express near me and the Co-Op is significantly cheaper and also has better range and availability.

I wouldn’t necessarily do a full shop there (prefer M&S for that) but it’s fine for break, milk or a few quick bits for dinner.

I am not a fan but we have better and cheaper supermarkets closer. DS and his mates often go on their way home from school and he really likes it - says he knows where everything is

I like it. A lot of their own brand and Fair Trade stuff is great.

Co op for me isn’t cheap though it’s the nearest to me. In the past for convenience I’ve had Linda McCartney sausages from there along with co op own chips and peas, all very nice. Have also bought the odd tinned item or cat food from there and houmous. It’s the crisps I like too and chocolate plus SIL likes the sea salt and Chardonnay crisps.