Why is the Co-op so expensive?
Discussion
I did once ask an assistant where the Anchovies were (they’d had a move around) - she told me they didn’t sell them. When I said I’d bought them many times and just a few weeks before she admitted she didn’t actually know what they were...
I don’t think it was assistant Chardonn’e’y though (sic).
I don’t think it was assistant Chardonn’e’y though (sic).
Many years ago my Dad was a director of the Denaby Co-operative society and when it was being run for the people it worked just fine. Good quality and helpful for poor people who needed to have good food but with out the companies making huge profit.
One by one the merged and to my mind lost their way and are no longer cheap in any department as I can see.
We have just had then do the funeral for my FIL, his choice, the cost was almost £5k. My Father died last year his funeral with a locally owned funeral director was just over £3k for exactly the same service.
They had the scandal with the previous drug taking chairman and his excesses which led to them selling their banking arm when they found a £1.5 billion black hole. They are now owned by a hedge fund who has just appointed another CEO.
And yet they are still "ethical" cutting themselves off lucrative opportunities and can find bags of cash to fund political aims.
They lost their way too many times and as people change they will have to change or they will fail they made £17 million profit which was half the year before but say they are confident they will turn it around. Perhaps that is why everything is now expensive in their stores
One by one the merged and to my mind lost their way and are no longer cheap in any department as I can see.
We have just had then do the funeral for my FIL, his choice, the cost was almost £5k. My Father died last year his funeral with a locally owned funeral director was just over £3k for exactly the same service.
They had the scandal with the previous drug taking chairman and his excesses which led to them selling their banking arm when they found a £1.5 billion black hole. They are now owned by a hedge fund who has just appointed another CEO.
And yet they are still "ethical" cutting themselves off lucrative opportunities and can find bags of cash to fund political aims.
They lost their way too many times and as people change they will have to change or they will fail they made £17 million profit which was half the year before but say they are confident they will turn it around. Perhaps that is why everything is now expensive in their stores
There was a Co-op near where I lived. It was never the cheapest shop but it was handy for a few bits and pieces on the way home from work.
They then refitted the shop (this was before the rebrand back to their original logo), the prices rose further, and there seemed to be less stock and internal space in the shop. After the rebrand, the shop got another makeover barely months after the first, and the majority of their stock was pricey own brand stuff.
Although they never had their own bakery, the bread section had less prepackaged loaves, and more rustic looking loose rolls and bread in nice baskets. Which look very nice in the shop, but sod all use when you tried to slice them at home, and realise they were that hard you could break a window with them! So unless you were in the position to be in the shop first thing, the chances of getting fresh bread was slim.
Also I'm not sure how hygenic it is to have unwrapped bread in store, not knowing who has been prodding, poking and touching it.
I'm very rarely passing that way these days, but if I need milk I'll pop in but wouldn't be buying my main food shop there.
As a convenience store they aren't the worst out there. My nearest shop here is a Spar. It looks like it needs a decent makeover and is well overpriced on many items.
They then refitted the shop (this was before the rebrand back to their original logo), the prices rose further, and there seemed to be less stock and internal space in the shop. After the rebrand, the shop got another makeover barely months after the first, and the majority of their stock was pricey own brand stuff.
Although they never had their own bakery, the bread section had less prepackaged loaves, and more rustic looking loose rolls and bread in nice baskets. Which look very nice in the shop, but sod all use when you tried to slice them at home, and realise they were that hard you could break a window with them! So unless you were in the position to be in the shop first thing, the chances of getting fresh bread was slim.
Also I'm not sure how hygenic it is to have unwrapped bread in store, not knowing who has been prodding, poking and touching it.
I'm very rarely passing that way these days, but if I need milk I'll pop in but wouldn't be buying my main food shop there.
As a convenience store they aren't the worst out there. My nearest shop here is a Spar. It looks like it needs a decent makeover and is well overpriced on many items.
nonsequitur said:
Monkeylegend said:
westberks said:
our village is served by a co-op and its the main shop apart from a very poor corner shop (makes the co-op look like Harrods food hall!)
its one of the franchised ones; I found this out when complaining about the personal hygiene of the staff. these are all locals from the stump variety family tree; I think they share one set of teeth and have a weird religious aversion to showering. Seriously the whole queue were muttering about the smell & this is a village full of horsey types that walk around smelling of dung; which is far nicer! That and the appalling stock levels where most days it looks like something from the USSR in the 70s, with one cabbage in the veg section and bugger all else!
when I eventually managed to find who to make my complaint to they wanted to know which member of staff and were surprised to hear my response of 'most of them, and if your manager doesn't realise then you need to get him tested for a sense of smell'! they also couldn't really explain the stock issue and a year later its hardly improved.
had that level of complaint been levied against any other reputable chain I'd have probably received an apology and vouchers or the suchlike; the co-op barely acknowledged the issue and thanked me for getting in touch.
its one of the franchised ones; I found this out when complaining about the personal hygiene of the staff. these are all locals from the stump variety family tree; I think they share one set of teeth and have a weird religious aversion to showering. Seriously the whole queue were muttering about the smell & this is a village full of horsey types that walk around smelling of dung; which is far nicer! That and the appalling stock levels where most days it looks like something from the USSR in the 70s, with one cabbage in the veg section and bugger all else!
when I eventually managed to find who to make my complaint to they wanted to know which member of staff and were surprised to hear my response of 'most of them, and if your manager doesn't realise then you need to get him tested for a sense of smell'! they also couldn't really explain the stock issue and a year later its hardly improved.
had that level of complaint been levied against any other reputable chain I'd have probably received an apology and vouchers or the suchlike; the co-op barely acknowledged the issue and thanked me for getting in touch.
On the day in question the guy serving me had such severe BO that I couldn't imagine when the last time was that he'd bathed. I mentioned it to my PA the following day and she knew exactly who I meant as she'd nearly gagged at his smell the same day.
It really is bloody awful and the manager is to blame for letting it go unchallenged. This had been going on for months and was several staff, not just 1 individual; these people are dealing with fresh food goods!
spaximus said:
Many years ago my Dad was a director of the Denaby Co-operative society and when it was being run for the people it worked just fine. Good quality and helpful for poor people who needed to have good food but with out the companies making huge profit.
One by one the merged and to my mind lost their way and are no longer cheap in any department as I can see.
We have just had then do the funeral for my FIL, his choice, the cost was almost £5k. My Father died last year his funeral with a locally owned funeral director was just over £3k for exactly the same service.
They had the scandal with the previous drug taking chairman and his excesses which led to them selling their banking arm when they found a £1.5 billion black hole. They are now owned by a hedge fund who has just appointed another CEO.
And yet they are still "ethical" cutting themselves off lucrative opportunities and can find bags of cash to fund political aims.
They lost their way too many times and as people change they will have to change or they will fail they made £17 million profit which was half the year before but say they are confident they will turn it around. Perhaps that is why everything is now expensive in their stores
Just purchased our funeral plans (wife and me) with the Co-op East of England. Complete service with hearse and one limo cost £3700 each. Of course checked out against other local funeral directors and they were all much a muchness in costs. We also purchased our grave space for a woodland burial which costs £1k. All bought now we can forget about it, One by one the merged and to my mind lost their way and are no longer cheap in any department as I can see.
We have just had then do the funeral for my FIL, his choice, the cost was almost £5k. My Father died last year his funeral with a locally owned funeral director was just over £3k for exactly the same service.
They had the scandal with the previous drug taking chairman and his excesses which led to them selling their banking arm when they found a £1.5 billion black hole. They are now owned by a hedge fund who has just appointed another CEO.
And yet they are still "ethical" cutting themselves off lucrative opportunities and can find bags of cash to fund political aims.
They lost their way too many times and as people change they will have to change or they will fail they made £17 million profit which was half the year before but say they are confident they will turn it around. Perhaps that is why everything is now expensive in their stores
Hope not to take up the services for a decade or two yet,
Our local slow-op in Chinnor is a 50/50 place.
I use it for hermes drop-off, and it's always funny watching the staff decide between themselves who is going to walk over and serve me... Then one of them draws the short straw and comes over, then immediatly 3 people from the MASSIVE queue from the one open till come and stand behind me and the staff member then has to serve them. The rest just look busy and pretend there isnt a MASSIVE queue...
Expensive has been mentioned so I won't go over that again
Ours is a fuel station too, and although reasonably priced, again a complete pain to use, bad layout etc. If you use Pump 3 you block pumps 2, 4 and 5, and look like an idiot if someone was using pump 2, you pull behind them to use 3 and 2 leaves... I class them as 'emergency grade B' on my commute... Then you have to queue to pay for ages as again, because of the MASSIVE queues in the main shop everyone uses the fuel kiosk to pay for normal shopping!
Their card readers (in our local) are always terrible too. A few times it's 'not read' my card, the person serving has cheerily asked me if I have enough money etc... So out I trudge to the cash point, get the cash out, trudge back in, make them re-scan my items and pay...
Apparently though (We have a few good friends who work there) they don't bother chasing after fuel drive-offs. Have been tempted a few times!
But, as said we do know alot of the staff. If I'm on my own, in and out, cheery hello etc. If I'm with SWMBO it's a 20 minute chat-fest, partly what causes the MASSIVE queues at tills etc, because everyone bloody chatting to each other!
I use it for hermes drop-off, and it's always funny watching the staff decide between themselves who is going to walk over and serve me... Then one of them draws the short straw and comes over, then immediatly 3 people from the MASSIVE queue from the one open till come and stand behind me and the staff member then has to serve them. The rest just look busy and pretend there isnt a MASSIVE queue...
Expensive has been mentioned so I won't go over that again
Ours is a fuel station too, and although reasonably priced, again a complete pain to use, bad layout etc. If you use Pump 3 you block pumps 2, 4 and 5, and look like an idiot if someone was using pump 2, you pull behind them to use 3 and 2 leaves... I class them as 'emergency grade B' on my commute... Then you have to queue to pay for ages as again, because of the MASSIVE queues in the main shop everyone uses the fuel kiosk to pay for normal shopping!
Their card readers (in our local) are always terrible too. A few times it's 'not read' my card, the person serving has cheerily asked me if I have enough money etc... So out I trudge to the cash point, get the cash out, trudge back in, make them re-scan my items and pay...
Apparently though (We have a few good friends who work there) they don't bother chasing after fuel drive-offs. Have been tempted a few times!
But, as said we do know alot of the staff. If I'm on my own, in and out, cheery hello etc. If I'm with SWMBO it's a 20 minute chat-fest, partly what causes the MASSIVE queues at tills etc, because everyone bloody chatting to each other!
Monkeylegend said:
How dare the Co-op have stores in isolated communities when no other supermarket is prepared to open one, and provide a lifeline for the local community.
There's two near me. Poor quality and high prices and yes half their store (medium/big) is dedicated to alcohol. In local communities they have no competition. No one will open a store within miles as the recoup costs of new store etc aren't there so they make a killing out of the people who have go come down from miles around to use their store. They kill off local small competition then can charge whatever they want.
In addition...
The 'ethical' marketing is the same as Asdas use of the word 'value'. Use it enough and people subliminally believe you. Even when the opposite is true.
Seen M&S's green marketing? Plan as there is no plan b? Etc. Most of their store is packaged and plastic wrapped foods.
There's no reason to be hideously overpriced. So why does co op do it?
pomodori said:
Is this for real ?
Other and cheaper food outlets are available.
There are only two supermarkets in my town. Both of them are Co-op but run by different branches.Other and cheaper food outlets are available.
Since Co-op took over both stores in the town they seem to have started an unwritten price war.
A price war to see who can put their prices up the highest.
do you all know that "the co-op" isn't one thing, and that different areas of the country are entirely different groups? They tend to have their own mix of products too. For example the one where I live has an excellent selection of wine, but the one near Mrs 2CV's family has only bottled vinegar none of which is more expensive than a fiver.
Blown2CV said:
do you all know that "the co-op" isn't one thing, and that different areas of the country are entirely different groups? They tend to have their own mix of products too. For example the one where I live has an excellent selection of wine, but the one near Mrs 2CV's family has only bottled vinegar none of which is more expensive than a fiver.
Whilst they may be in different groups, I thought part of the co-ops appeal was that it catered to local markets? If I go up to the village my dad was born in, it's full of €3 big bottles of cider and a big frozen area full of s
te. Go to one in Earl's Court and it's got a selection of top shelf champagne and a variety of fresh goods.Blown2CV said:
do you all know that "the co-op" isn't one thing, and that different areas of the country are entirely different groups? They tend to have their own mix of products too. For example the one where I live has an excellent selection of wine, but the one near Mrs 2CV's family has only bottled vinegar none of which is more expensive than a fiver.
Their wine and the vinegar are pretty much the same. 
only M&S is worse. BrabusMog said:
Blown2CV said:
do you all know that "the co-op" isn't one thing, and that different areas of the country are entirely different groups? They tend to have their own mix of products too. For example the one where I live has an excellent selection of wine, but the one near Mrs 2CV's family has only bottled vinegar none of which is more expensive than a fiver.
Whilst they may be in different groups, I thought part of the co-ops appeal was that it catered to local markets? If I go up to the village my dad was born in, it's full of €3 big bottles of cider and a big frozen area full of ste. Go to one in Earl's Court and it's got a selection of top shelf champagne and a variety of fresh goods.Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff