Are Co -op stores any good ?

[chattyness]

There's a new one opening down the road from me, but it's only a small store. I haven't had the opportunity to shop in one for over 20 years so have no idea what to expect. What are the prices like these days, are they usually well stocked with fresh produce etc? The trouble with small shops like this is they're often stocked with booze, cigs sweets, rubbishy pre packed sandwiches & not much else. Really hoping this won't be the case with co-op.

It's always the case with the Co-ops around here I'm afraid.

I find them overpriced and understocked.

I could never get a whole week's shopping even in the bigger ones.

I wouldn’t do my weekly shop there (smaller range than bigger supermarkets, obs), but it’s handy to pick up bits in the week and you can certainly get fresh produce.

Yes I was thinking handy for tops ups only probably, I do my main shop online at Tesco.

I love my local co-op. Obviously too pricey to do big shop but has lots of fresh stuff, nice staff and a members card makes it well worth it

we have a few around here. Yes, definitely pricier - like any convenience store (even the small tescos are more expensive than the big ones) - but the quality is usually excellent. DS had pizza from there just tonight in fact and their pizzas are great (but priced like M&S so should be!)! The wine selection is usually excellent (and well priced actually) and their own brand frozen food is surprisingly good - their frozen croissants are our second favourite after the Waitrose ones! Many also have decent bakery items and if you do need meat, it's good quality.

Fresh food availability can be a bit hit and miss in ours, but not disastrously so.

This might be something about our area, but the other thing is that the staff tend to stay forever. the one in the high street is a co-op partner and is family run. The one nearest us isn't but the core staff have worked there for years and we know them well now. I like that.

Agreed they are over-priced and under-stocked but handy for a top-up shop and the bread, for some reason, seems to be better than the normal supermarket stuff.

Interesting, None of the Co-Ops near us sell fresh meat.

I live rurally and the village co-op is our nearest shop. It’s near to DDs school and we pop in most Fridays for a weekend top up shop. Their bakery bread and pastries are nice and I can generally get anything else I’ve forgotten in the Tesco shop at the beginning of the week. Good selection of fruit and veg, though most over packaged. It is more expensive, but some good deals with a membership card.

The staff in ours are lovely, there was a tub of sweets out for kids on Halloween, they recognised a lost glove as belonging to DD and gave it to me next time I was in, gave her a meal deal for free when xh had sent her in by herself to buy her ‘packed lunch’ and her card wouldn’t work (just asked her to send him to pay later) and gave the village scout and guides advent calendars last year when they had overstocked.

Some are good. Some are terrible.
Aren't they franchises?
So they'll all be a bit different?

I agree with PPs that Coop is fine as a local shop for a top up or emergency, but too expensive for the main shop.
It has alcohol, sweets and cigarettes but also has a lot of fresh stuff.
It’s cheaper with their membership card.
It’s opened longer hours so really good if you run out of milk very early or very late.

I agree, wouldn't do a whole shop there, but it's very handy to have one nearby. They're usually open late and well stocked for their size. If you run out of anything or suddenly need something, you can get it. Or send the DC if they're old enough. They're clean, have fresh veg, a range of bread products, meat, fish and dairy.

I like them. The only thing that annoys me is they used to so some lovely own brand steak crisps, which have stopped, so if there's anyone who works in their supply department, have a word please.
Seriously, I find if you use their app you get some decent deals and the fruit's good for a convenience shop.

This might be something about our area, but the other thing is that the staff tend to stay forever.

Yes, some of the staff in my local one have been there a long time. One of them always says hallo and asks how I am if she's on the checkout, and if there's no queue behind me we have a little chat.

They're pricing structure is ridiculous. All in all it's an expensive corner shop ime.

I think it depends on where you live. I use mine occasionally ( small town in Cornwall) it's good for baking supplies, bit pricey for staples.
The one in Hay on Wye gets noticeably fancier when the festival is on, though I do know people who have used it as their regular shop for years.
The one in Devonport is quite big, but full of crap. Slight nicer in Stoke Village, just around the corner.

We have a decent sized Coop in the nearest village. They stock 100% British fresh meat along with fresh fruit and vegetable and a good fresh bakery/ pastry section.

I don’t drive and my nearest supermarket is a good half hour walk away. So I tend to use co-op a lot more than I’d like. (We do a big shop in a supermarket but top ups in coop). Co op is expensive, so expensive. It’s cheaper to shop at m&s. The quality of the fresh fruit/veg/meat is rubbish.

im in Cornwall

only good bit is the staff; mostly they have been there forever and are just wonderful. My kids love going in to say hello and have a hug.

Ours is always well stocked.
The pastries are especially nice, I pop in at the end of my early morning run for one.
Their fruit is good, particularly big blueberries.
There's a cash machine inside too.
Things are expensive so I wouldnt do a full shop.

They seem to be springing up everywhere in the area we recently moved from.

There was one which opened in the village we lived in and it was next door to a McColls shop which included a single Post Office counter.
It took a lot of trade from McColls and as a consequence it closed along with the post office. Co op were offered the opportunity of taking the PO counter but declined saying they didn’t have room (they did) so our village lost it’s post office.

I always found it ridiculously expensive, and the staff weren’t particularly friendly.

They went down in my estimations with their recent TV adverts, just awful. Yes the rap ones.

I just use mine for milk / bread / odd forgotten bit. It is pretty expensive but member deals can be good. There isn’t a lot of choice so popping in for some fruit for school snack and it’s £3 for six apples whereas bigger dhops would have a cheaper option.

Agree with PPs that they're expensive and sometimes a bit random with the range they stock.
Their cheese and chilli bread is very nice toasted, as is the olive bread in the same range.
The reduced stuff is often good value and one branch near us does To Good To Go bags that are usually pretty good.
The wine and beer in our closest branch is now behind locked glass due to so many thefts (it isn't even the one in the rough area!), so you have to hunt down a member of staff to get it out. It's understandable but a PITA as the wine is at the furthest possible distance from the tills, where the staff usually are.

We actually have a decent sized Co-op here, about the size of a small supermarket and I'm able to get much of what I need (with the possible exception of some fresh meat and fish) with only a 2 minute walk required to get there. The higher prices are somewhat offset by not needing to travel.

I recently discovered they are planning to close off part of the shop and sell/let it to another business which will reduce the range of products they carry. Chatting to my local councillor it seem Co-op have a strategy of closing/down-sizing their larger outlets and focusing on small convenience stores. Very annoying for me personally but their business decision I guess.

Yes, good quality ethical produce.

We are half way between two, probably 250m each way, one is on the edge of a very deprived estate, the other somewhere quite middle class. One has no self checkout, the range feels a bit different, they are both over priced but are great for a quick top up, or if the kids need a last minute pack lunch, but their margins on that sort of food (and meat) seems particularly high.