Somerfield into Coop

[NickT]

Looks like Somerfield is out and Coop is in, the signs are changing today, is that a good or bad thing? I always thought of Coop as a bit, well, cheap and s**t but I do bank with Coop and that seems to be good.

[Domitianus]

As opposed to SOmerfield which was EXTREMELY cheap and s**t.

[Sporthuntor]

I never thought it was cheap

[Saila]

No.. i always thought it was expensive and s**t

[bil]

Saila Wrote:

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> No.. i always thought it was expensive and s**t

Totally agree...

But now their own brand stuff is much better quality and actually quite tasty with nice packaging. Not M&S; but an improvement on somerfield.

[Sue]

The Co-op is great.

Ethical, good value, care about their customers.

Decent products.

Were into Fair Trade for all the right reasons, long before the other supermarkets jumped on the bandwagon because they thought they would lose customers if they didn't.

I think this is a really good thing for East Dulwich.

We can't all afford M&S and Waitrose, and I'm pretty sure the Co-Op will be a lot better than Somerfield was. Though Somerfield had already begun to improve considerably of late, with Co-op brands appearing on the shelves.

[hpsaucey]

Well said Sue. More than happy to support the Co-op. SOmerfield were CR*P!

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The Co-op is great.

>

> Ethical, good value, care about their customers.

>

> Decent products.

>

> Were into Fair Trade for all the right reasons,

> long before the other supermarkets jumped on the

> bandwagon because they thought they would lose

> customers if they didn't.

>

> I think this is a really good thing for East

> Dulwich.

>

> We can't all afford M&S and Waitrose, and I'm

> pretty sure the Co-Op will be a lot better than

> Somerfield was. Though Somerfield had already

> begun to improve considerably of late, with Co-op

> brands appearing on the shelves.

[sweetgirl]

yep i agree.... somerfield was expensive & crap...

[TheAllSeeingEye]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The Co-op is great.

>

> Ethical, good value, care about their customers.

>

> Decent products.

>

> Were into Fair Trade for all the right reasons,

> long before the other supermarkets jumped on the

> bandwagon because they thought they would lose

> customers if they didn't.

>

> I think this is a really good thing for East

> Dulwich.

>

> We can't all afford M&S and Waitrose, and I'm

> pretty sure the Co-Op will be a lot better than

> Somerfield was. Though Somerfield had already

> begun to improve considerably of late, with Co-op

> brands appearing on the shelves.

It'll be the same people working there so cant see it making much difference from that side, but the products and where they source them might alter.

[eric007]

I guess that none of you have thought about the fact that Somerfield is OWNED by the Co-Operative company....?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7508982.stm

[SeanMacGabhann]

eric - it has been discussed on here many a time

[thexwinglessxbird]

The co-op IS awful there's really no point in responding to my post because it's a matter of opinion & I'll stick to it.

If you like s*** meat, good for you. Prices have gone up & you get less for what you pay for. If you're looking for offers? Sainsburys, Morrisons or Iceland.

[Sue]

thexwinglessxbird Wrote:

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> The co-op IS awful there's really no point in

> responding to my post because it's a matter of

> opinion & I'll stick to it.

>

> If you like s*** meat, good for you. Prices have

> gone up & you get less for what you pay for.

xxxxx

If you want good meat you go to a butcher.

If you want offers on things like bog rolls and hot chocolate you go to places like Somerfield/the Co-op.

If you think the Co-op is "awful" fair enough, but what do you mean? The Lordship Lane Co-Op (which hasn't actually opened yet), some other Co-Op you know of, the organisation in general, their ethical stance? The quality of their food? The price of their food? The service? Some other reason?

Edited to say: And I'm amazed you think Sainsbury's is better value, I've more or less stopped shopping there. Even their cut flowers, which used to last longer than those I bought elsewhere locally, have deteriorated in quality lately.

And I agree Iceland is great for things like three for a fiver spare ribs, but if you think that's good meat, words fail me! It's certainly cheap, I grant you!

[Ann]

I've liked what I've seen from the Co-op brand so far. To be honest I grew up with the Co-op when mum used to get dividend stamps. I can't complain at the prices I've seen so far.

Neither do I have an allergic reaction to Iceland. To me it's a shop where it does what it says on the tin. If you look around many of their offers are on branded items.

?1 for 4 pints milk is damn good value in my book and I feel no shame feeding my son and his growth-spurting teenage friends Iceland's Pizzas at ?1.50 each.

Let's hope the Co-op is a success locally, it looks like they've kept the same staff. Contrary to others' (EDF) comments in the past, I've always found the staff friendly and helpful and I wish them all well for the future.

[karter]

Whilst Somerfield is having a re-fit so is HSBC on LL too. Hopefully it will be a major improvement.

[neilson99]

If anyone wants evidence that Co-op is expensive and sh*t then just head to the shop at the bottom of Dunstans Road; its rare that they have fully stocked shelves, if you buy any fruit and veg you better eat it on the way home as it will have turned into some mush by the time you open your front door! We recently had half the shop closed off as the ceiling had fallen in and the prices put it on a par with London Bridge M&S! There is generally stock strewn all over the floor and the staff are about as customer focused as a house brick! (Bar the Freddy Mercury look a like and the small bald guy who goes the extra mile) This pains me as a proud Mancunian but the sooner the Co-Op shapes up or ships out the better!

[Sue]

That's one small branch which sounds like it's very poorly managed.

I could give you examples of Co-ops which are absolutely excellent and well managed, eg several in Oxford which are the only ones I have recent experience of.

[Sue]

Ann Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> > Let's hope the Co-op is a success locally, it

> looks like they've kept the same staff. Contrary

> to others' (EDF) comments in the past, I've always

> found the staff friendly and helpful and I wish

> them all well for the future.

xxxxxxx

Yes so have I and so do I, and they seemed very pleased to be becoming the Co-Op.

Edited to say:

Please don't misunderstand me re Iceland, I shop there a lot, it's very good value. But obviously at those prices it's not usually going to be top quality produce if that's what you are after.

[Ann]

I agree Sue. I was just making the point that Iceland is Ok and in my opinion unpretentious. It doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't. There was a time when I would have gladly swapped for for a local M&S foodstore.

Oddly enough it's what first got me interested in this forum; will Iceland be taken over by M&S? Quite honestly I've formed a bit of an attachment for Iceland. You can get a bargain there but organic meat, probably not. That doesn't mean the shop's all bad.

[Sue]

We've probably crossed paths in there without realising!

They don't have frozen broad beans though and the Co-Op do. Hurrah!

[katie1997]

NickT Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Looks like Somerfield is out and Coop is in, the

> signs are changing today, is that a good or bad

> thing? I always thought of Coop as a bit, well,

> cheap and s**t but I do bank with Coop and that

> seems to be good.

Okay....before I moved to ED, I lived in a lovely little 'market' town where the only supermarket was a Co-op.

I truly hate to say this (as I believe in their values and ethics) but..... that particular branch was awful in terms of variety, quality and freshness. We only shopped there as a last resort for the occasional thing despite its handy location.

Then....the Co-op let the space out to M&S and it went from one extreme to the other. The M&S was really pricey and they always ran out of 'basics'. However, it was always busy (unlike when it was a Co-Op) and whatever they did to the interior/layout, it became a much nicer place to shop.

Despite this, I hope that the Co-op here is an improvement on Somerfeild and so NickT, I am hoping its a good thing. Lets see.

[Judy2]

I won't join the debate on whether it is any good or not - I just want to know if it's open so I can go and my loo rolls and potatoes there today. Anybody know if it has re-opened or not?

[SeanMacGabhann]

Are you really saying you can't/won't buy spuds and loo rolls anywhere else?

[karter]

i think it will re-open on Thursday.

[Judy2]

Just didn't want to have to go to Sainsbury which takes half an hour to get from one side of the shop to the other. (It really is too big now). Iceland will have to do for today.