Co-op

The Co-Operative Supermarket [or Co-op as it is more commonly known] originated in the mid 1800s in the UK and is one of the most common supermarket chains in the country today.


We have a small co-op round the corner and a much larger one a few miles away that stocks a lot of electrical goods and such. I used to visit the Co-op with my mum or on the way to school when I was younger and it seemed to me to be a bit like Aldi is nowadays with boxes everywhere and the such, though in the past few years I've noticed they've really snazzed it up and it has a very modernised and professional look with most things being easy enough to find and lots of friendly staff that are helpful not only around the store but also at the checkout, where they help you pack your bags.


If I can help it I tend to avoid shopping in the Co-Op unless I really can't be bothered to go any further than round the block. Not because I don't like it - but because one thing I've found is that there isn't really a lot of variety there. I like to see lots of different products so I can compare the prices and the content etc but with the Co-op it is hard to do this and also a lot more difficult to find some of the usual brands that I would normally buy. Another thing is that they very rarely have a lot of offers on like the larger supermarkets Asda and Tesco and therefore things are a lot more expensive from my point of view, although in the past I have found them much cheaper for buying the Muller yoghurts than anywhere else with the 5 for £1.50 deal.


However when I have purchased things from there it is normally the essentials like bread or milk though I have bought fruit a number of times and found most of it to be some of the nicest fruit I've ever purchased in particular the grapes. I also like the fact that they have their own bakery on site and have fresh bread and other bakery products everyday. In particular things like the sausage rolls and doughnuts are firm favourites of mine and I'm unable to find them anywhere else and unlike most things in the store they are relatively cheap.
Apparently most of the meat stocked in the Co-op comes from their own farms which is always good in my opinion though I have to say like most other products there isn't a lot of variety I tend to like a lot of their fresh meat better than some stuff I've bought from a butcher's in the past.


The co-op caters for all your usual supermarket needs, not just food, there are toiletries anc such and depending on the size of the branch you visit things like magazine and CDs, Dvds and other electrical goods and ornaments for the home or garden. I've never really purchased anything in this vein from the store as things such as CDs and DVDs can be found a lot cheaper in music retailers or online, though the prices they have on things such as refridgerators and the such, I have noticed are very good.


So there you go, a short overview of my expericnes of the Co-op and a brief outline of what you can expect from the store.