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!?

No, not just for me, in many locations.

Food quality in ours is very good. Use it regularly for 'top up' shopping.

The Dodworth Coop is AMAZING. It has a bulk refill section! Tonnes of local products (fancy cheeses, etc) that you can't get anywhere else. A toilet (!) with a chair(!) for you to put your bag on.

Our local co-op is merely ok in comparison. Big wine and beer selection, many of which are fair trade, organic, etc. Inconsistent when it comes to stocking red pepper Tyrrell's - sometimes they are present, often they are not. 😤

I had to look these up - I'm jealous! I want them here!
https://www.co-operative.coop/media/news-releases/co-op-and-starship-technologies-expand-robot-delivery-service-across-leeds

actually yesterday i chose coop over a small sainsburys a tesco express and a small waitrose
purely for their bread and milk
nothing else was reasonably priced

Interesting the comparisons between Waitrose and the Co. I no longer shop at Waitrose because their customer service is now shite, and (like other supermarkets), they have run down or removed their fresh fish/meat/deli counters. Local (large) Waitrose is still pricer than our local Co and although offering a wider choice of goods is really now no better in quality.
Oh for a Booths down South 🤣

We live rurally. It’s a ten minute drive and part of a small square of shops. Lovely staff and good quality foods. Yes more expensive but I expect that but also has a great post office.

but, it’s been the target of local youths causing trouble, initially in the evening, wandering in and stealing openly, staff told not to get involved

I heard recently they’ve moved into daylight hours now, I’ve stopped going there, particularly that shop, and actually now the other shops too as I don’t want to be caught up in anything.

im more mindful of my shopping needs and I now travel further on to a main supermarket than go there.

so CO-Op - IR needs sorting out because as more and more of us shop elsewhere it will end up not being viable and then all the elderly who really rely on it will lose it.

I don't mind it but I am on my own and don't buy the same things regularly so perhaps don't notice the prices though they seem ok to me. However I am not a regular Co Op shopper as I only seem to go there when I am going to or from the doctors as there is one nearby. I did like their wine though I don't often buy alcohol.

They do really good value meal deals - not the sandwich kind, the fishcakes chips and peas kind. They also do a chocolate ice-cream with chocolate ripple through it... So much nicer than little hard suggests of chocolate that don't actually taste of anything because they're too cold!

Our Co-op is actually very good. I wouldn't do a bit shop in there but it is excellent for a pop-up shop (and chocolate ice-cream).

The co-op by me is small and expensive, I go there for only bread and milk, lol it effectively works out cheaper than going to Tesco because I’d end up getting a lot more than only bread and milk in Tesco even if I didn’t need to get anything else!

It's weird how they seem to vary - DSis is always going on about how expensive and awful her local Co op is (north) whereas there are four in my smallish Midlands town and they're all really good: clean, well-stocked, not noticeably more expensive, excellent end of day bargains, lots of British suppliers.

Only shop for me within walking distance and I use it at least 4 or 5 times a week for bread, milk, snacks usually, and often for other things we've forgotten and the reduced to clear in the evening...

The staff are lovely, the store is clean and welcoming. Not long after they opened we were hit by the beast from the east snow and they were just amazing, delivering to old people who couldn't get out and posting regular udates on social media about deliveries and stock. They very much support the local community too, they were brilliant when I was on the PTA. Love the co-op.

I like the Co-Op it's literally opposite my road, i can be there and back and have done my shopping in 10 minutes(it's great when I need a break during the day and need bread for lunch). We have a fairly decent one.

The loyalty scheme gives me money off things I actually buy regularly, like cat treats and the bakery. I'll occasionally pick up something for dinner, i think their meat is good quality too.

Our Coop is amazing. The chicken pakora are THE BEST, just like you'd get in an Indian restaurant. It also has a huge selection of hot pies and pasties and a cake counter. And the best bread rolls from the local bakers. The wine selection is good too.

I've lived in several remote towns where Co-op was the only supermarket and have never had an issue with anything.

I work near a Co-op that has the robots. Once I saw one that was stuck on the edge of a kerb after it was trying to go around some fallen leaves.

I also had a stand off with one when it was half way across a zebra crossing and I turned out of an adjacent side street. It stopped right in the middle of my lane (because that's what they do - when they were introduced they sent leaflets round telling people not to stop at zebra crossings for them as they wouldn't cross while a car was there). I waited for it to move but it didn't and I had to drive around it nearly onto the pavement, otherwise I'd still be there now.

But I don't understand when people say that X Co-op is good but Y one is bad. Don't they sell all the same stuff at the same price?

We just use it for bread and milk, the odd other thing and see if there's any good reductions - they often have the sourdough in ours for about 50 p. If we need more than that there's an Asda, M&S, Morrisons and Aldi about 2 miles away so we'll drive to one of those.

Weetabix minis by any chance?!

I always bulk buy when 2 for £5.

I was desperate for some for ds (swimmer so needs the cereal!) and it was £4.40 in co op.

I often refuse to buy it when it's £3.80 in Tesco unless we are out and I can't get to Iceland or b and m that day!

Although there is one we occasionally use where the service is so bad we call it the 'Unco-operative.

They're surprisingly bad for bacon though. I've given up looking but last time I wanted some, they didn't have any dry cured. It was all that water filled crap Danish stuff.

Our Waitrose does still have all of those things. I guess it’s different in different places.

I like some co-op products but it is expensive and I really miss the little cash dividend customers used to get . I used to let it build up until Christmas but now it’s just member offers😟

Insanely expensive, would never choose to go there

Our local co-op is pretty grim. The cakes and pastries are on a shelf at waist level, with no covers over them, so anyone can cough or sneeze over them, plus just the right height for the kiddies to have a prod 😟 .
i wrote to their local headquarters about it a couple of years ago, and despite getting a reply, still nothing has changed.
i don't buy things like that in there anymore. Definitely only a shop for when things are desperate!

We've a new one in our village which has caused the village Spar to close as everyone shops at the co op instead now. Such a shame that it's caused the closure as they always go on about their ethics, but nothing ethical about pushing in and closing down a local genuine independent shop!

Heaven knows why people prefer it? The old Spar was far better - greater product range, prices better and far better staff. The Co Op just has a bigger/easier car park, so I presume that's the draw for the lazy sods who just have to drive even though everyone in the village lives within a mile of it!

Luckily, at the far edge of the village, where I live, we have a One Stop which is also the village petrol station, so I use that most of the time, they have better ranges of stuff too, not the same "identikit" goods that every co op sells, i.e, fresh meat, veg, bread and pies, ice cream, etc all from local independents, not some big nameless factory nor imports. It's also independently owned by a local, so that's another plus. It's also been badly affected by competition from the Co Op but seems to be hanging on.

Have to say their bakery is really good. I'll often by their sour dough bloomer or their white cob or a fresh roll to go with my soup at lunch time, and their pastries are the best (and are always freshly baked that day). I much prefer their bakery to say Sainsbury's or Tesco. The only other that comes close is Morrisons