Pardon me for being so thick when faced with such a detailed and cogent argument ... but still I have to ask ... why?

According to just about every ethical consumer site I have looked at, the Coop is streets ahead of Tesco.

rlhttps://makewealthhistory.org/2009/03/10/which-is-the-most-ethical-supermarket/rl

rlhttps://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/food_and_drink/902446/greener_grocers_six_great_ethical_supermarkets.htmlrl

Some time ago I saw a program, it might have been a North West Tonight based one, about how supermarkets effectively expect dairy farmers to produce milk at a loss to supply to them. The worst offender of the lot was the Co-op. Tesco's have I believe since then taken a somewhat more fair attitude to buying milk. Don't know of the Co-op has followed suit.

The program makers went round to Co op Hq and tried to confront an organisation that is supposed to be founded on the cooperative principles as to how this could be. The Co-op staff were extremely embarrassed not to say shocked at being exposed.

Have you been in one lately? If you have then you'll know.

I'm not talking ethics here I'm talking shopping.

Rather more worryingly, supermarkets now take a whopping 58% of all UK retail sales.

What, specifically, about the shopping experience don't you enjoy compared to Tesco?

The East Europe c. 1975 feel. The miserable, more dopey staff. The lack of choice. Apart from that it's lovely.

Supermarkets, in general, are not remotely interested in the 'shopping experience'. They want you in and out as quickly as possible, leaving them with your cash.

Sucker.

What, you mean, the Coop is yet another place in which you've received poor service? Why does this keep happening to you?

I can't disagree on the lack of choice issue, but then, most Coop stores are much smaller and can't possibly carry the same number of lines. On the staffing front, my experience couldn't be more different (at least at my local store). The staff there are, almost to a man, polite, friendly and courteous.

I think it's unfair to tar them all with the same brush. I can't say I've ever had a particularly bad experience in either Waitrose or Cooperative Food. Except when I saw some red wine in the fridge at my local Coop. That upset me a bit.

He's either a very unlucky human being, alternatively, and more likely, he's a ****!
Take your pick?

Please don't over-step the acceptable boundaries - W

Many of the customers at our local co-op know the people who work there.
It's a small town.
Yes, a local town for local people.

Two butchers, two bakers (one all organic), two greengrocers (one all organic), Delis, Off licence, hardware shop, etc etc ... that sort of thing ... it's a bit of a time warp.

Supermarkets, we don't do.
But there's a Lidl four miles away and a Morrison's five miles away ... for those who really need all that "choice".

You could fit our town centre into one of those big Asdas AND walk less distance doing your shopping.

A candlestick maker?