When is the Co-op not the Co-op (food stores)?

wiltsguy_2

all supermarkets need to up their game and compete with the likes of Aldi, or go belly up-just look at Tesco's problems.

My weekly shop in sainsburys waas £170, in Aldi it is £95!!

I couldnt care less about supporting these big chains a, i look after my own wallet.

Morrisons seem to be the only one trying to compete!

as for co-op-supermarket of yesteryear!

Doc_N

Aldi's now overtaken Waitrose to become the 6th largest supermarket chain.

And it's for precisely the reasons outlined in this thread that it will soon overtake the poor old Co-op (or rather Co-ops) to become 5th largest.

Aldi is bang up-to-date, competitive and efficient. The Co-op is none of those things and sadly, it will eventually just fade away because of the appalling management its had for many years. Staff first, customers second - the Co-op way.

Stuart_W

booter wrote: »

I have a Midcounties membership, which again, is branded the same as the main Co-operative group, but is not part of that group. So no reciprocal divi (afaik).

A common misconception, but not quite right.

As a member of Midcounties, with a Midcounties membership card, your card WILL work in other societies that are part of the reciprocal divi arrangement - that's Southern, Chelmsford Star, Central England (the recently merged Midlands and Anglia societies) and The Co-operative Group.

Sections 2.2 and 3.1 of The Midcounties terms and conditions don't really explain it very clearly

http://www.midcounties.coop/Membership/Terms-and-Conditions/

There will be a section headed up "dividend from other societies" somewhere on your dividend statement. As the co-operative group declared a loss in their last results they decalred no divi, but I received £16.72 from them as "dividend from other societies" (only because my Anglia card stopped swiping and it took me ages to get round to calling up for a new one!)

Which card you use makes a difference to when you get paid, but not how much you get paid - that's decided by the society you're shopping in, not the one you're a member of.

The old divi stamp books were easier to understand!

[Deleted User]

There is a smaller co-op society near me, although it uses all the same branding and POS instore as the Co-operative, the actual fascia above the door is different. It's not some special case, all it means is that it have never merged with other co-ops to eventually become part of the biggest remaining Co-operative that we all know today.

antrobus

Doc_N wrote: »

Aldi's now overtaken Waitrose to become the 6th largest supermarket chain.

And it's for precisely the reasons outlined in this thread that it will soon overtake the poor old Co-op (or rather Co-ops) to become 5th largest....

It's only a matter of time. Perhaps a year, on current trends. And it's probably only a matter of time, as in a few years, before Waitrose overtakes the Co-Op.

Doc_N wrote: »

...Aldi is bang up-to-date, competitive and efficient. The Co-op is none of those things and sadly, it will eventually just fade away because of the appalling management its had for many years. Staff first, customers second - the Co-op way. ....

I would have to say, that on basis of recent performance, the Co-Op must qualify as one of the worst run businesses in the country.

Evangelion

I'm not sure turning around over a billion pound loss to a almost 300 million profit in a year could be classed as a badly run business. It isn't perfect by any means but I'd say it's on the rebound.

antrobus

Evangelion wrote: »

I'm not sure turning around over a billion pound loss to a almost 300 million profit in a year could be classed as a badly run business. It isn't perfect by any means but I'd say it's on the rebound.

You are talking about a business that once had a supermarket chain that had 30% of the UK grocery market, a food manufacturing business, a farming business, a chain of chemists, a bank, and an investment business. Not to mention Homeworld.

Now that is left of that lot is a chain of convenience stores which owns a bit of a bank. All the rest have gone.

It's the incredibly shrinking business.:)

wiltsguy_2

Evangelion wrote: »

I'm not sure turning around over a billion pound loss to a almost 300 million profit in a year could be classed as a badly run business. It isn't perfect by any means but I'd say it's on the rebound.

partially agree, let's see how the co op fair in the aldi led supermarket battle! same way as their fellow rip off chain Tesco's...

MysteryMe

I think there is a place for all types of supermarket. I don't want every supermarket to be another Aldi, in fact I am shopping there less and less. Not always going in for the super 6 fruit and veg offers now that other chains are doing similar deals. It's not all about price. My local co op is a proper sized supermarket, it has produce from local suppliers. Lovely bakery items, meats, condiments, ice cream. I'd rather buy those items than the equivalent in Aldi and the co operative business model is something I am interested in. Others are not, each to their own.

booter

Petula wrote: »

Very confusing, yes :mad: More than once in the past I've seen one of their adverts and stopped in specially for advertised items only to find that it didn't apply to my local store.

Only use them for quick bread, milk etc... pick-ups now and come away with the (very) occasional in store deal

Actually, that's what started my confusion/annoyance - the TV ads. They obviously didn't specify which Co-op, just "The Co-op". So off I trotted to fetch milk which was apparently on offer (can't even remember what the offer was now ) - but it wasn't on offer at my Co-op.

Feral_Moon wrote: »

We have a decent sized Co-op here which stocks a wide range of their goods (bigger than the one in the next village) and I use it frequently to top up between Aldi shops. I don't find it to be much more expensive than the larger supermarkets but I'm compensated for that with frequent money off till vouchers plus 10% discount off everything, including alcohol, using an NUS card.

Never have money off till vouchers so I'm wondering if your larger store is The Co-op rather than a regional.

MysteryMe wrote: »

I think there is a place for all types of supermarket. I don't want every supermarket to be another Aldi, in fact I am shopping there less and less. Not always going in for the super 6 fruit and veg offers now that other chains are doing similar deals. It's not all about price. My local co op is a proper sized supermarket, it has produce from local suppliers. Lovely bakery items, meats, condiments, ice cream. I'd rather buy those items than the equivalent in Aldi and the co operative business model is something I am interested in. Others are not, each to their own.

I agree, there is a place for all. I actually both like and appreciate my local store and I have been known to bag a bargain or two
My store is always clean, tidy (unlike my nearest Aldi) and the staff are friendly. I'm also impressed with the range they carry (as a convenience store) especially since if the items aren't sold, they get reduced so I do quite well on YS items:T. During particularly bad weather, (esp. the last heavy snows - a while ago now, I know!), I relied quite heavily on my local store for basics. I'm not having "a pop" at the Co-op per se - it's just the branding confusion that irritates

Oh, and thanks Stuart_W - I didn't know about the reciprocal divi And thanks for the trip down memory lane (the pic of the stamp book!) - ah, I remember when they introduced the "40" stamp - parents breathed a sigh of relief and the kids all went "awww" - less stamps to lick :rotfl:And yes, much easier to understand