Questions Of The Day (Politics)

[Mick Harper]

[Grant]

My youngest works in the Co-Op at weekends. They are a very good employer, but they are easily the most expensive store in the town. Their business model appears to be to set up in areas where people don't have cars and over-charge them.

Their motto should be: If you're poor, you pay more

[Mick Harper]

[Wile E. Coyote]

Wiley has two cars, but seriously do you really think I want to spend a coupla hours in a bog standard retail park that are part shops, part ugly warehouses.

I have no desire to wear Primark, Next, and having a franchise restaurant meal in ugly surroundings.

Convenient stores are convenient, many are costly, many are in great historic locations that you can walk around. Co-Op, lucky buggers, has 25% of the total market.

If I want cheapness, clearly internet/warehouses are the way.

Still, takes all sorts.

[Mick Harper]

Are you sure? NISA, Spar et al are co-operatives but not the Co-op.

[Wile E. Coyote]

NISA is owned by the Co-op, but is not a co-operative. Am I missing something? Do they not count?

[Mick Harper]

There's a big difference. NISA, Spar and suchlike are corner shops owned and operated by individuals. They are no better (and no worse) than your standard Asian. The Co-op is simply their wholesale supplier (and maybe franchiser, I don't know). It's a bit like the old Milk Marketing Board's relationship to dairy farmers.

At one remove from the market place, a co-operative can be quite a good thing. It's only when they have to compete mano a mano with capitalist enterprise they come unstuck. On the other hand, in AE terms, one would have to concede that the Co-op has lasted since 1844, unlike their capitalist rivals (I've got the oldest as Sainsbury c 1900) so it may be my prejudices showing.

[Wile E. Coyote]

Co-op are also cornering (ha!) the local delivery market, they have already forced Gorillas out of business around here. No wonder they, the Co-op, can charge a bit more if those hard nosed joint equity capitalists that are trying to buy and set up these pop-up delivery grocer networks are so easily beaten away.

Still, can't complain, I don't have to go to a retail park.......

[Mick Harper]

Ah yes, Gorillas. Use 'em all the time. But I can't see the Co-op lasting much longer. Presumably they can't use zero hour contracts. This is just the sort of real time, all the time, failure is not an option that co-ops, especially the Co-op, are so bad at. Order something once a week, at random times, using your AEL gold card and report back.

Where does your wife stand on the retail park question? Or is she a lefty apologist too?