Co-op membership cards

MrSaverM

There is a reference to this problem here else where from 2015.
But it is now a greater problem...
There are Co-op group and Mid Counties Co-op (MC) stores in our area.
(And in other areas apparently there are things like Lincs co-op, East Midlands Co-op etc, all different)
I have a Co-op group card.
At the till of a MC Co-op, I presented my card which was scanned with no rejection or warning.
My shopping was then scanned and it included 'members only' offers.
Luckily, I asked for a receipt, to find that I had not been given the special price.
I was then told that I needed a MC membership and card to qualify.
So, I now need 2 different cards for what I thought was the Co-op, AND I need to remember which one I am shopping in to make sure I present the correct card otherwise I will not receive the lower price.
Oh, and of course, I also need cards for , Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Lidl, Boots and many others.
Yes, I can have an app on my phone, but this is already 7 apps, without all the other store groups as well.
I have not checked the others, but Sainsburys keeps asking me to sign in every time I use it. It doesn't allow fingerprint or biometric so I have to type it in.
GRRRRRR!
Rant over, but surely this loyalty card nonsense should be stopped NOW?
The Competition and Markets Authority are apparently going to look into it in early 2024, so perhaps by 2030 it might be stopped?

Bradden

You should be able to scan the card into your phones wallet without needing separate apps for each one.

la531983

Or, take a picture of each barcode and use the pictures. Works perfectly.

jon81uk

I've got most of them in my Apple Wallet, no need to open the app except to activate offers and vouchers.

la531983

Also my Co-Op card is a little tag on my bunch of keys. Same with Clubcard. Probably get one for Nectar too if I bothered to ask.

Jaybee_16

My Co-op card which was issued when I lived in England has never worked at any Wales Co-op. As I am not a frequent shopper in their stores I've never bothered to look into it. 

MrSaverM

Thanks la and Jon. Picture idea is good and I will use it, but as you say, often need to open the app concerned for special offers etc. Also the small keyring cards are good, I have one. However, do I really want six or seven of them? My main beef is with the principle of needing them, especially needing several Co-Op ones.

MrSaverM

Jaybee_16 said:

My Co-op card which was issued when I lived in England has never worked at any Wales Co-op. As I am not a frequent shopper in their stores I've never bothered to look into it. 

Yes, it didn't matter when it was 2p per pound, but now it makes a big difference with special offers.

Albermarle

Jaybee_16 said:

My Co-op card which was issued when I lived in England has never worked at any Wales Co-op. As I am not a frequent shopper in their stores I've never bothered to look into it. 

I was a customer of CO-OP energy, which meant I became a member of one of the Midland co-op's, although I do not live there. To begin with I could use the card locally, build up points, and redeem offers. Then it stopped working. I looked into it and like the OP got pretty confused with all the different Co-ops and gave up using it.

Stuart_W

The confusing thing with  Co-op loyalty cards in particular is that there is to some extent a reciprocal arrangement for dividend between certain (not all) societies. This makes is much more confusing than just being able to understand a Tesco clubcard works in Tesco and a Nectar card works in Sainsburys etc. That's easy.

The confusing this is that a Central or Midcounties card will work in a Co-op group store and vice versa, but you do not get any of the member prices.

It's also the case that the reciprocal dividend sharing doesn't work in the way it was originally intended when - ironically - the Co-op Group themselves launched it in 2006. Various societies like Anglia, Midlands (who both merged and became Central), Midcounties, Chelmsford Star and Southern joined the Co-op group's "beehive" membership card scheme adopting the same logo, and dividend could be collected and shared across societies. Some societies like Lincolnshire, East of England and ScotMid all had their own identieis, own membership cards and never joined the reciprocal scheme.

Southern left the scheme, but technically the others are still part of it. However, Co-op Group have not paid a customer dividend for years so they pay nothing. Instead they introduced member rewards which used to be 5p in the £, now 2p in the £ on certain products but this required a Co-op Group card. Midcounties have now decided the first 1000 dividend points earned goes to charity so the odd shop there won't generate anything. Central still pay a genuine dividend every 6 months but there is such a huge time lag as society payout dates are all different the recent Central trading period of January to July paid out to Central members in November, and any Co-op Group cards scanned in store would have also received this dividend, but it missed the Co-op Group payout date so even though Central have passed this cash on to Co-op Group to pass on to their members, it will be received by Co-op Group members in May next year. 

The only Co-op group members to get dividend payout statements in May and November each year are those that earn that dividend from other societies or the Co-op Members' Credit Card from the Co-op Bank. 

Confused? The system is bonkers and needs to be amended. Plenty of Co-op staff don't fully understand how the difference co-op societies do and don't interact with each other - and it's hardly surprising!

But the introduction of society-specific member prices puts missing out of dividend into insignificance. You need a membership card of every society you ever shop in. I have Co-op Group, Central Co-op and East of England Co-op all locally, and my energy and broadband come from Midcounties Co-op. It's an utter shambles, and above all else comes across as anything but co-operative.

Bring back the sticky dividend stamps to stick in books. They worked well across co-ops. (possibly showing may age here!!)

MrSaverM

Thanks Stuart_W, it certainly is mad. The UK Government needs the proposed 2024 review to urgently report and do something about all the member pricing schemes. Co-op themselves need to sort their anomalies out.