You don't choose to go to co-op

[yourdelilah]

My hubby tells me he loves it but I just think it's expensive and never has what I want, except wine 😂 Am I missing something!?

We have an excellent Coop. When they were refurbishing it a year or so ago the nearest branch was a further 15 mins walk away. Nowhere near as good and I had to actually start going for more frequent trips to a larger supermarket.

Regarding cost - we are lucky enough to have a fishmonger, butcher, cheese monger, green grocer etc. locally so Coop just supplements these places for shopping. Nine times out of 10 I can get what I need. We are 10 mins walk from the Coop and 20 from a big Sainsburys. On the rare occasions I go to the latter, I always end up spending more than I need to and more than I would if I just popped to the Coop

The shop in my village changed a while ago from Co-Op to another company and I wish Co-Op would come back! The chilled section is nowhere near as good now they've gradually replaced the Co-Op branded produce.

Sometimes I'll drive a 10 mile round trip to the next village to go to their Co-Op instead.

Ours are all nice ( there's a couple near us) and the sourdough bread is a favourite especially for marmite on toast.

Ooof, I’m biased as I’m from its founding town!! But they do some amazing little things!!! Dirty fries etc. but I bet everyone could pick something amazing from every single supermarket out there!!! I shop by going to more or less each one and getting the things I like best from each one! I love Tesco, partner hates it, loves Asda…. It’s each to their own I guess

I like mine and it's literally on my street corner so very handy but I often walk past it for the Sainsbury's local that's a few doors down.

The veg is hit and miss and the sainsbury's much better for that as well as cheaper but the coop meat is better. Bread about equal. Coop pizzas straight out of the 80s but they have a better free from section... Swings and roundabouts, really.

Mine does a really nice sourdough with olives in it. Which given DP doesn't like olives is a win for me.

Like most people, I go as it convenient walking distance. I quite like ours, but it does have its limitations. I'd say most of the meat isn't great, bakery selection is quite good, wine fine, mostly it is mid range for quality I would say. The sandwiches are second best after Morrisons.

It was the Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut wasn’t it?

Co op has the best lasagne

In my local area the co-op is often the only shop in the village (ex-pit villages so not exactly swimming in wealth), public transport is patchy, many don't drive and depravation rates are high. People often have very little options.

However they do stock a local bakery's products and the cheese scones are fabulous, though the one I pass the closest going to work doesn't have them in stock that often. (The delivery must be a bit later and they don't get that many)

Hah, not quite, Weetabix chocolate minis.

Someone will argue that the overcharging is to make you reconsider and buy something grim like bran flakes instead.

@NannyR My Dad likes to tell me exactly what he’s bought on yellow sticker reduction. 😂

His local Co-Op is a larger, centre of town shop and has quite a wide range of products. They’re usually busy so have fresh stock due to the high turnover.

Hahaha! My DH commented on the price of those the other day, but it’s the Crunchy Nut that always stick in my mind. It was the first box of cereals I’d seen that wouldn’t give you much change from a fiver 😭

Our Coop have the best fresh fruit and vegetables. They also have good reductions in the evening. Ds3 got a Charlie the caterpillar cake for £2 earlier. Unfortunately he took it with when he went out tonight.

I used to live in London where the Co-ops were dire. Now I’m in the southwest and they’re rather good. I’m happy to shop in my local one.

Ours often completely runs out of veg, bread and milk.

They have an excellent gluten free section.

I don't know what the West Country tastes like 🤔.

Is the too good to go price really a 3rd of the reduced price or the original price?

It can fuck off purely for changing from a member dividend scheme to yet another two tier pricing abomination. Plus it is overpriced even with that.

We live in a village and it’s the only shop here so I use it quite a lot , things are expensive but I don’t mind for the convenience

I do because the bakery section is the best smell in the world- better than all others, I may be odd I am aware but I never turn down a co op trip 🤣

only for the reduced section / yellow labels or milk and bread

This is possibly the only sensible post in this thread.

Professional shopper here (mystery shopping, auditing, price checking). I used to audit the Co op every week. I am ashamed to admit I don't know how they're run, but suspect they may be franchises as they are SO different from each other. Most where I live are over-priced nightmares with a few good buys. Others (few and far between) are small superstores with the delight of having stuff you don't find in the main places. And if you go out of London, you can find some truly wonderful Co ops!

moral - you can't generalise about them.....

I don't shop at my local coop as you need a small mortgage to afford the mcvities digestive biscuits. They aren't even posh biccies.

We have a Coop, a Sainsburys local and a small Waitrose at the end of our street and I will always choose the Coop first

Never had any issues with the freshness of food, they have good meal deals and also an Amazon locker which can be handy when you know you are going to be out at work

Dont have an issue with member prices as it’s just the same as having a Clubcard