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.

Mega buck prices,last time I was in one the manager was going head to head with a male staff member accusing him of theft
The manager squared up to him and put his head right in his face..I thought he was going to nut him.
Wish I'd saw the outcome.

I live next door to a small Coop. Their Fair Trade coffee is excellent - otherwise I just buy emergency milk, bread and the odd pizza

Expensive yes, good selection of fresh meat, bakery and fruit and veg? Yes.

Sticking their heels in with their trans policy of “using whichever facilities you feel safest in” despite the 2025 SCR. Also yes.

The crappy one closest to me has security on the door - for a tiny shop full of student snacks! The one that’s a lovely walk up the hill and through the park stocks a miraculously excellent organic Malbec, for less than £10.

The bigger ones are good. Not sure about the smaller ones.

We have a large-ish one which stocks fruit and fresh meat and fish. It has a small bakery section and a cook frozen section. The selection of alcohol is also good. The prices can be higher but it balances out having to drive to our nearest large supermarket which is some distance. You could get a weekly shop there but you would pay more.

We have them in every little market town. Lots of decent food. Not really anymore expensive than Morrisons. Yes you can get a weeks worth of groceries even in the small ones locally.

My local co-ops have been the best corner type shops. They have ingredients for cooking, meat, fish veg etc. I love their own brand products and they were one of the earliest companies not to animal test household products. Yes they do booze and snacks but so much more besides.

too expensive, you pay for convenience if it’s local. So if it’s round the corner and your desperate for something you don’t want to go to a large supermarket for that’s when it comes into play and probably what their business model is based on, that and people who need to shop who don’t own transport or don’t have supermarkets near.

Just remembered the one in Wadebridge, which is a decent size, a bit spendy, but well stocked. Just goes to show it's definitely where you live. It's right at the end of the Camel Trail, so good for a top up shop after walking the dog while the children go cycling.

Ours is a convenience store size wise so open late even on Sundays. Food is pretty limited, Cook ready meals, very basic ordinary frozen like fish fingers, peas and chips, limited fresh veg and meat but lots of sandwiches, snack items, booze, chocolate, mini fresh bakery and actually the best bacon, so much better than Sainsburys or Lidl. Wine selection is particularly good and 1/4 of the shop. They vary however by area, my branch is quite different to the one 1.5 miles away

Near me they are rubbish not much in them and very expensive. I went glamping in Leicestershire and they recommended the co-op as the best local supermarket. We went thinking this will be crap but it was great the bouji-ist co-op ever!

it is ok for a top up
get a loyalty card

Our local one is brilliant. It’s fairly large, maybe about 5 aisles? It’s more expensive to buy things like for like in there compared to main big supermarket, but it’s got loads of fresh stuff and what it has is great quality. Plenty of fresh fruit and veg, really good bakery section. Plenty of good cheese, ham, meats etc, and some fresh meat and fish. Their fancy pizzas are really good.

It’s head and shoulders above eg the local Premier, which is mostly crisps, snacks, booze, sad looking small fridge section, and disturbingly long life bread and cake products.

I have one down the road. It seems to be a posher one than most but we live in a coastal tourist town.

the meat is really good quality and we buy large whole chicken and pack of mince for about £2 each. (Yellow sticker) Veg always reduced too and fresher than what you get elsewhere. Always has lots of fresh asparagus weirdly

I work in one of the largest coops in the country. It's rural, 18 miles to any other supermarket, so plenty do their weekly shop there. Good selection, meat and fruit and veg good quality. Members card worth it too. Great staff discount, so I shop there a lot. It's a small community and for many of the old people the only time they venture out. We are all friendly.

The one I walk past on way home from work is so useful that I often end up doing all my shopping there over the week just to avoid going to tescos to do a big shop. It’s pricier though. Their chicken soup in a carton is very good as are the pizzas. The veg seems to last as well.

I agree on the bakery bread, we have 2 nearby, one does bread delivered from a bakery and both loaves and baguettes are lovely. Everything else is pretty standard local shop fayre.

thanks everyone, I was also wondering how much of their own brands were on the shelves these days and if they were any good. We also have a morrisons daily here and it's rubbish, very cramped ,very expensive and hardly any own brands on sale.

Go in, buy what you want, pay & go home so paying a little more for the convenience is not a big deal.
Don't use them for impulse buys or big shops.

Not been to one for a while but they used to do good family meal deals.

My Coop is a thing of wonder - staff, baked goods and flowers in particular. Expensive but good quality, I’m willing to pay the price not to set foot in Tesco!

I use mine now and again as well. And the quality of their own brand is really excellent.

It'll depend on who is running the franchise - my two local ones are fine, a bit corner shop like and have some really random sections, but the core Coop products are good and the fresh bread can be great!

If I need to grab something in the week, I'll go in if I am passing, but wouldn't make a special trip.

Do you live in a city OP?

I live semi rurally and it seems strange to me that you've never come across a coop, pretty much all villages and small towns have them of one size or another and they are just shops, not unusual in anyway apart from being expensive but if you have to factor in the cost of driving to a cheaper shop then actually it works out cheaper.

it works out cheaper. as it does if you are really strict with what you buy.