New co-op food shop open - very expensive

fionajbanana

There is a new small Co-op store opened on the same road as Iceland and around the corner from Aldi (3-5 min walk depending how lucky you are with crossing the road).

Milk, not organic is £1.59 for four pints. Aldi and Iceland charge 99p and £1 respectively. Bananas are £1.15/kg and are 68p in Aldi.

Me friend said the Co-op will be closed within a year.

Anyone pays 59% more for milk must be bonkers.

HappyMJ

Excellent yellow stickers (reduced stock) though. It's not really a place for a full monthly shop it's more of a midweek shop for a handful of items where paying a little more is OK as driving to the bigger shops costs more and outweighs the savings.

bcl999

In my town, the Co-op took over the Somerfield store which was right next door to Iceland and they did nothing about their prices. They closed down last year.

maman

HappyMJ wrote: »

Excellent yellow stickers (reduced stock) though. It's not really a place for a full monthly shop it's more of a midweek shop for a handful of items where paying a little more is OK as driving to the bigger shops costs more and outweighs the savings.

bcl999 wrote: »

In my town, the Co-op took over the Somerfield store which was right next door to Iceland and they did nothing about their prices. They closed down last year.

That's true about the YS stuff but that's because they don't sell enough stock full price as it's too expensive! I go to a small local one occasionally just to look for bargains.

We had a large one in a local suburb, bought from Somerfield. It closed down last week.

It's all right for me as I can shop anywhere. I feel sorry for the elderly and others who rely on a local shop.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

I find the co-op has some good offers, just be a tart..:D I do mean a savvy shopping tart, and use the 3 shops for their offers....

A._Badger

I find the Co-Op baffling. It makes preposterous claims to be consumer friendly and has its roots (not to say its tentacles) deep in the British Labour movement, stretching right back into the 19th century.

Yet it places its branches in locations where it attracts the elderly and those without access to private transport and charges the sort of prices that 'feelthy capitalists' (like Tesco) wouldn't dare charge.In other words, it exploits the needy that it claims to champion.

And yes, its takeover of Somerfield has been a disaster. Frankly, the sooner we are rid of the Co-Op, the better.

Coopdivi

So why don't the Big 4 supermarkets place their stores in locations to attract the elderly and those without access to private transport? Using your argument they'd make a bomb surely?

maman

Coopdivi wrote: »

So why don't the Big 4 supermarkets place their stores in locations to attract the elderly and those without access to private transport? Using your argument they'd make a bomb surely?

But they do! Hence the small Tesco and Sainsbury shops cropping up all over the place. I don't use them personally but I've heard that few offers are available in them and prices higher than large, out-of-town store. But maybe that's a myth.

And I don't think it's just the elderly that suffer. It seems that vulnerable people who can't seem to organise their lives and live from hand to mouth patronise them. They come in all ages.

ThemeOne

I've never found the Co-op has been competitive on price. In general, it's one of those businesses that looks good on paper (all the ethical policies) but the reality is a different matter.

I've heard Co-op Funeral Services are good - the comment was they're one of the few which don't try and rip you off in your time of grief - but fortunately not had to put that to the test as yet!

surfsister

maman wrote: »

But they do! Hence the small Tesco and Sainsbury shops cropping up all over the place. I don't use them personally but I've heard that few offers are available in them and prices higher than large, out-of-town store. But maybe that's a myth.

And I don't think it's just the elderly that suffer. It seems that vulnerable people who can't seem to organise their lives and live from hand to mouth patronise them. They come in all ages.

the small tescos are as dear at the co-op dearer in some cases! I only have a Co-op in the village and a small tescos on the way I go and the prices are much the same!! both ridiculous

Norma_Desmond

We're really unlucky - the Co-op is our nearest supermarket at 2 miles away - otherwise it's a 35 mile round trip to the other 'big' stores.

We do a massive shop at Aldi once a month or so, but time and distance force us into the Co-op more often than not; overpriced, poor selection, use-by dates within hours not days, awful stock control......I hate it and feel ripped off when we go.