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.

Our closest shop (1.5 miles away) is a little co-op. I think it’s very good. We tend only to pop there for bits, not a big food shop, but they have a good selection and great wines. Not expensive imo. I’ve noticed they always have a desperate display of half-dead flowers 🤷‍♀️

The clientele is, frankly, bloody awful. But it’s on a very ropey council estate and I’m a frightful snob.

Love our Co-op, ours is always well stocked and a good range including own brand, decent deals with the app and there are always yellow sticker bargains late afternoon onwards. Ours is only a 3 aisle store so no bakery or deli but great for bits and bobs during the week

The staffing ours are so lovely, helpful and friendly. Unlike our local Tesco, they are often rude and stand around in huddles chatting together.

Prices are high but the yellow sticker deals are good, and they have lots of locally sourced fresh produce. Couldn’t do a big shop at ours but great for popping in for fresh top up shop.

if you have to factor in the cost of driving to a cheaper shop then actually it works out cheaper.

And time saved.

I’ve noticed they always have a desperate display of half-dead flowers

When lockdown started, a co-op near me had lots of flowers they'd got in for Mother's Day and hadn't sold. They were giving them away - literally giving them, not selling them cheap - and urging customers to take them. I came home with two bunches of daffs and could have had more if I'd wanted them.

Keep an eye for the pizza deal which pops up a couple of times a year... 2 pizzas and a tub of Ben and Jerry's for a fiver. Or sometimes pizza and beer (or coke)

They’re very variable. We’ve got one in the next village (no shop in ours any more alas) - it’s got quite good stock, decent fresh fruit and veg but of course it’s typically quite expensive. Having a co-op card helps a bit with that.

I only use it for top up shops. The reduced section is usually pretty good though

Bloody rip off nowadays. Over £2 for a bottle of ketchup/jar of pickle you'd get for a quid at Aldi.

We have several nearby, although on different membership schemes which is really irritating. Mostly pretty good aside from the queue, I’ve never known a shop with a queue so long no matter which one I go to.

They have regional variations, so ours has regional bread along with the mainstream bakery. Meat is actually pretty decent, their sausages and bacon are good. Expensive compared to a main supermarket, however the membership scheme does save you quite a bit, the sourcing is ethical and the reduced to clear section is usually pretty good price wise.

As a place you go to get odd bits - Sunday morning pastries, milk, butter, bread or a treat it’s absolutely fine. I wouldn’t do my main shop there I’d be broke.

Isn’t all their meat British

No I live in very small village that we don't leave very often these days. I didn't say I'd never come across one. I said have shopped in them before but over 20 years ago when we used to travel more & then it was Scottish co-op or a Scotmid, not the English one that's being built now.

My understanding is that the blue branded Co-ops are run by the Co-op but the green ones are franchises. We have one of each in my village. The main (blue) Co-op is a large well stocked store, with fresh bakery, fruit and vegetables. They stock things like coconut milk, and have a good range. A bit pricier but then so is a trip into town to other supermarkets. The smaller ( green ) Co-op is attached to a petrol station and is more somewhere to pick up bread and milk.

I tend to look for the nearest co-op when I take DD camping, gives me a strange sense of security to know I’ll always be able to get the essentials, sandwiches/meal deal for days out and some nice treats for not too ridiculous prices.

Thanks for that, this is a blue one so being run by them then

My local shop - about 5 minutes walk - is a small co-op. It’s great. Good range and decent fresh produce. I do top up shops, etc at least once or twice a week. Staff are lovely, and they do deliveries if you can’t leave the house too. Ok, a bit more expensive than the supermarket but that’s to be expected.

Have one a couple of streets away. Fresh vegetables and baskets are low in supply, and it is expensive. Have a members card so pop in for bread and milk. I've also noticed the signs with the offers on are getting smaller....or am I just getting older .....👓🔍

My local one is well stocked and a bit pricey. Our nearest big supermarkets are c. 10 miles away though, and CoOp is great for top ups. They have very good markdowns at about 7pm, and, like everywhere else, they have loyalty card member prices.

Edited to add: they are also very reliable for a good supply of fresh fruit and veg.

Ours is on the way to school which is otherwise in a shop desert so I tend to go most days. I find ours quite handy, they do a good curry deal with the members card. And for French stick and pastries. I find their ready meals generally awful and the meat is often low in stock and is expensive, but they have a small frozen section and an extensive wine selection! Their self service tills though are horrendous. I can't use them without having about ten errors, they're either not sensitive at all or get an error if you breathe on them.

the small branch near me has its own brands, unlike tesco express

a chef friend says the quality of their meat is very good. I also will pay almost anything not to shop in tescos.

My local is is quite big, well stocked, lots of Co-op own brands. Probably not that more expensive than the other supermarkets these days.
I'm in a few times a week for milk etc. My family say their own brand brown bread is the best as are the white wraps. Their salt and chardonnay vinegar crisps are the best S&V crisps. Ever.
It's round the corner from the secondary school so I avoid it at break and lunchtime as it's so, so busy.

Generally very overpriced and as they don't shift stock particularly quickly, the best before dates are very short (or in the case of my local one, 6 months past!).

Good if you've run out of something you really need or, if you're elderly and can't get to a large supermarket but generally best avoided if possible.

Ours is pretty good small supermarket about 5 aisles. Their salmon is about the best as is their breaded ham. Funnily enough the staff have been there for ages. I remember it as a child as a tiny department store with an upstairs. Like the ethics of the cooperative movement. I remember as a child sitting on a high chair whilst my Mum did her shopping at a counter and being given a broken biscuit. They are also good for a good delivery if you need anything as the minimum spend is about £10. There is a downer by some people on the coop because of its links with the Labour Party.

Yes