New Co-op Store - Better or Worse?

[PeckhamRose]

Thanks for giving folks the address and email.

People power, that's what's needed.

[littleianstar]

The staff are friendly and helpful but that doesn't mean much when i popped in for tomatoes, eggs and spinach and they didn't have any of them!

[Sue]

They didn't have any eggs? They usually have at least some, but they have moved their location, they are not in a very intuitive place, I couldn't find them first time I looked for them.

Tomatoes possibly affected by lack of flights?

Not that I'm defending them.

[ironjawcannon]

I noticed the fresh pastries seemed to have been sold before I got there. I am hoping it is just teething troubles as I want to support the co-op. I was annoyed that the chemist went, I went there on principle too.

[Sue]

I really want to support the Co-op too, but sadly I have now made out a shopping list for Sainsbury's to get all the things the Co-op didn't have.

They really are shooting themselves in the foot, it's much easier and more environmentally friendly for me to walk to the Co-op than drive to Sainsbury's, plus I agree with their ethics, but I'm not going to keep going there on the off-chance that this time they might actually have, for example, packets of stir-fry veg or free range chicken pieces or tissues - basic stuff, you would think.

[Ann]

Well put Sue. Let's all hope it will improve in time. Personally I quite like the new layout but supply can be quite dire at times; I popped in before work last Saturday to find there were no fresh sandwiches at all!

Some of the special offerds are quite good though.

[ClareC]

Supply is awful! It runs out of basics and has empty shelves! Somerfield was the same though....

[Amysdad]

Stir fry veg in a packet is not an essential item. Buy veg and a knife instead. Chicken pieces? Buy chicken and chop it up. It's neither hard nor time-consuming. And enough negativity everyone. Why not focus more on what's better? What are the ethical policies for example?

[Sue]

I live by myself. If I buy a load of veg it goes off.

I work full time and run gigs as well. I don't have time to mess about chopping up chicken and then dealing with all the separate bits.

I'm over sixty, I work in Islington, I have a long commute and I'm knackered when I get home.

Don't be so patronising.

Edited to say: If you bothered to read my posts you would see that I support the Co-op's ethical stance, which is why I would prefer to shop there. However you would also see why I probably won't continue to shop there.

[Amysdad]

Sorry Sue, didn't mean to be horrible; me English is bad... Forgive pls.

[Sue]

Your English is perfectly good, it's your patronising attitude which is bad (6)

[chap]

still pitiful service and an ardous experience everytime i go in. i try and avoid it at all times

[Panda]

Lots of empty shelves and I wouldn't touch the meat in there, it looks dreadful.

[NewtoED]

Lets hope they get their act together...they are in a very convenient location for most of us to walk to which is better than driving to Sainsburys. Would be a shame if people who wanted to support them were forced to go elsewhere. The management needs to take responsibility on that one. I know it may be a bit soon, but has anyone who emailed/wrote letters heard anything back yet?

[Sue]

No response to my letter as yet.

I'm giving the manager a couple of weeks to respond before I email their head office.

I spent a load of money in Sainsbury's yesterday which the Co-Op could have had if they sorted themselves out, it seems a real shame.

[Hare]

How can it be possible that the co-op are apparently so unaware that their words are at odds with the reality?

Here we all are, really willing the revamped shop to be clean and well stocked so that we can do our shopping somewhere that also has the ethical policies we want to support. Is there no-one reading this who, like the Station Manager in another place, is willing to take responsibility?

We're on your side, you know!

[TimGuitar]

Booze is cheaper!

[Sue]

May be cheaper, but they've run out of my must-have wine of the moment - which admittedly they had at a good price - and don't appear to be getting any more in :-S

They do have Fairtrade wine though, which is good (the fair trade bit, not necessarily the wine!)

[HonaloochieB]

katie1997 Wrote:

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> Don't go in there that much but have noticed :

>

> Quicker service - check.

> Marmite rice cakes - check.

>

> So (tu) from me, so far anyway.

Sorry to counter you Katie, but the Marmite rice cakes were were a huge disappointment. They were rice cakes which had possibly been waved over a pot of Marmite and I'm not even sure that that pot was open.

However the Marmite breadsticks were a fine snack. I got snacky all over them, let me tell you.

[Sue]

Oh come on, Marmite rice cakes are yummy!!!!

But back to the point, I called in at the Co-op on my way home from work tonight.

Good: Bags of veggie stuff reduced to 25p (11p in the case of beansprouts). Sadly I was so knackered when I got in at 8pm I couldn't be bothered to cook them :)) so probably they'll be a soggy mess by tomorrow.

Good and Bad: Organic free range chicken pieces, but only thighs and drumsticks, who the hell eats those unless they're having a barbie??

Bad: Still loads of empty shelves, and still my vin de choix (?) has not reappeared :-S

[Nero]

Green and Black choc - plain, white, creamy milk, dark milk - ?1 a bar! Bargain.

[Curmudgeon]

I'd suggest you all carefully check dates on packs you buy - I've only been in twice but each time have reached for a packet of meat or fish to find that it's use by is the same day. They don't seem to have their stock control in order.

[davidh]

neither did somerfield. nothing has changed, same crap in different packets.

[????]

or as i'd prefer to say "different toilet same shite"

[katie1997]

HonaloochieB Wrote:

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

> Sorry to counter you Katie, but the Marmite rice

> cakes were were a huge disappointment. They were

> rice cakes which had possibly been waved over a

> pot of Marmite and I'm not even sure that that pot

> was open.

> However the Marmite breadsticks were a fine snack.

> I got snacky all over them, let me tell you.

So funny HonaloochieB (tu)

We'll have to agree that I say tomato, you say tomatoe (where rice cakes vs breadsticks). Sounds like you need the elusive XO version anyway - is it in stock in the new Co-op? Seems like nothing else is judging from the comments on here.