The Co-op has never really been somewhere you'd go for a big shop.
A few years back, when it still had some larger supermarkets maybe, but these days its focus is on convenience stores, mostly on people's doorsteps.
Attracted by recent adverts for its Honest Value range I decided to give it a try.
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Now I know supermarket budget ranges have become popular during the cost of living crisis, at one point Asda was having to ration its Just Essentials range because of demand.
But when I went my local Co-op store in Wigan there was very little available. I managed to pick up a tin of kidney beans, some carrots and a loaf of white bread.
None of it was particularly impressive on the price front. The 50p price tag on the beans wasn't too bad compared with usual prices, but still around 20p dearer than you can get them elsewhere.
And the quality of the bread wasn't up to much. Unlike some other budget ranges, it seemed the very cheapest of thin white bread for the 68p price and at 720g is smaller than your typical 800g loaf. It was hard within a couple of days too.
By comparison, when we looked at Marks and Spencer's Remarksable budget range, its 80p loaf was thick and soft - not too different from a Toastie Warburtons in fact.
Trips to two other Co-op stores - one attached to a petrol station in Wigan and another in Walkden, Salford - proved pretty fruitless too, the only additions being some coffee, tuna flakes, spaghetti and curry sauce.
Again the prices were OK, but not amazing. 55p is cheap for a tin of tuna, but it's the cheapest kind you can get, tuna flakes in brine.
The curry sauce was actually quite reasonable for 90p, but the spaghetti is hardly a budget buy at 75p for a 500g pack. Pasta has gone up in all supermarkets, but you can the same size pack for 28p at Aldi, or Sainsbury's has a larger 1kg pack for 56p.
What annoyed me most though was the cost of the other products that were available - some of which were quite extortionate. Like £3.70 for a 350g pack of wafer thin ham, £4.75 for a 500g tub of Anchor spreadable and £3.50 for a 900ml Tropicana.
One bag of Maris Piper potatoes is £1.25 for 1.5kg when you can get 2.5kg bags for not much more elsewhere and a 500g box of Kellogg's Frosties is £3.55.
For me, the Co-op is somewhere that people rely on day-in, day-out. Either older or vulnerable people who can't travel elsewhere and have to shop on their doorstep. Or busy families who need to nip in for things like forgotten vegetables for Sunday dinner, or last minute ingredients for packed lunches.
It no doubt had more customers than ever during the pandemic when everyone was restricted to how far they could go and I'm sure I wasn't the only one grateful for its stores and staff.
But now it does feel as though it's taking advantage of those communities who turned to it in their droves.
There's nothing honest in paying lip service to the cost of living crisis with a poorly stocked limited range that customers struggle to get hold of. And when other items are, in my opinion, so overpriced, there's very little value for shoppers at all.
My Honest Value buys (from three stores)
- HV kidney beans 50p
- HV carrots 58p
- HV white bread 68p
- HV Fair Trade instant coffee £1.50
- HV tuna flakes 55p
- HV spaghetti 75p
- HV curry sauce 90p
The Co-op says that at the end of last year it invested nearly £40m to lower prices and 'will continue to hold down the prices of many of the products locked in at the end of 2022'.
It says that around 1,000 of its 2,500 convenience stores 'have around 18 Honest Value lines available for customers to purchase in store' and it has 'prioritised the range in communities that have been greatly impacted by the cost of living crisis'.
A spokesperson for Co-op said: “Our Honest Value range provides the same Co-op ethical standards at a lower price, offering value with values. Due to the size of our smaller convenience stores, we’re unable to stock the range in all our shops.
“We provide convenience, great quality products alongside value for money to our members and customers, and we are overall competitive, leading the way in Fairtrade, 100% British meat in all our products, cruelty free and many other ethical and sourcing policies. However, we're a convenience store, not a big supermarket which means we have higher running costs, especially due to the urban and residential locations of most of our stores, where delivery costs can be higher.
“We regularly invest to help cut the cost of everyday food, run market leading promotions throughout the year and create extra value through exclusive member deals and personalised offers throughout the year.”
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