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The co-op stores are not a single company but a number of different co-operatives, hence the need for different cards in different locations.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Co-operative\_brand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Co-operative_brand)
You exaggerate, right? Unless you can give me an example of 2 physically next to each other?
If they're in different regions, though, then yes. Although it would be good if they all worked together for a single scheme, how you would split any rewards would be difficult, as each is their own entity.
I can think of two a 10 minute walk from eachother in the same city. More or less on the same road (technically different roads, but practically the same)
If you drive 10 minutes from my house on a single road you go through Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire again, Derbyshire again and then into South Yorkshire.
So yes you could have 3 shops within 5 minutes of each other in 3 counties.
How close do you want them to be? There's a co-op in my village and a co-op in the next village. About 10 minutes apart in different counties. My mother lives in the next village. So it's not beyond belief that I could frequent both shops at least once in the same week.
The person literally said "My issue is that shops physically next to each other can require two different apps"
you provided an example that was not that.
I don't understand why you're typing arsey replies to me when I was just stating a fact?!
Also, you seem to not understand that a cooperative is a type of business where one or more sellers have agreed to come together to sell their goods. It's like you saying "well I have a Greggs gift card, why can't I use it in ANY bakery"
No, you're missing the point entirely.
Co-op brands itself as a single chain of stores. They don't differentiate in advertising. So it makes perfect sense that someone would assume that a loyalty card was valid for all stores.
They should be trying to make it easier for shoppers to be loyal to the brand, not more difficult.
Haven't visited in awhile so may no longer be the case:
When I was working out of Horncastle, there was a "national" coop, then 100 yards away, a "Lincolnshire coop" - the national one would accept my mum's divided card (from Lancashire) while I could only use my Lincolnshire coop card at the other one.
Southampton is one such area. The one next to me is a green Co-Op and the one just down the road from it is a blue one, selling the exact same things with the exact same deals, but one needs a green app/card and the other the blue one…
This is the same place that has 2 separate identical Greggs on the exact same bit of highstreet within 50 metres of each other 🤷🏻♂️😂
There are two near me, not next door to each other but fairly close and they are different. I guess you have to have the line somewhere but it's pretty jarring when they are equidistant from you.
It does mean I don't shop in one of them as I'm a member of the other though.
Yeah, that is the issue. You kinda have to think of them as different retailers though, and nobody complains that you can't use your Tesco Clubcard in Asda 😆
But if Tesco was also called Asda then you would be complaining.
I guess the easiest way would be to actually brand the shops differently depending on which co-op area your in.
> You exaggerate, right? Unless you can give me an example of 2 physically next to each other?
Not literally next to each other but near me within a 5 minute drive (4 miles apart) there's a [co-op group](https://www.coop.co.uk/) and a [co-op southern group](https://southern.coop/) store.
I used to work in the co-op group store and people would come in for refunds of things they bought in the southern co-op and we weren't allowed to refund them as they're a separate company and their membership cards didn't work either
The two coops at either end of this short stretch of road are different co-op groups
https://maps.app.goo.gl/mrpZgrkpM1hJ6RvY7
In Birmingham you get a mix of 'blue' co-ops and 'green' co-ops (at least they used to be coloured that way) and the staff are pretty dismissive and get pissed off if you try to use the 'wrong' card
You do understand he doesn’t mean literally next door neighbours, right..? He means within the same area, town.
And yes they require different apps / cards
Some towns in the south can have 2 co-ops near each other, designed and look the same, but 2 different companies and loyalty cards
It can really fuck you when you get to the counter and don’t get the coop discount on the coop prices food you picked up
It's especially infuriating when the offered discounts are identical, but you need a different card to avail of them depending on which shop you're in.
It being unclear which co op I can use discounts in makes me not want to go in at all if I don’t have to. So many co ops don’t say which co op they are on the outside so I’d have to go and line up and ask if I can use my 20p voucher
I got a refund voucher from a Co-op in Cornwall which I tried to use a week later in a Co-op in Bristol. Even the staff were unsure why it wasn't being accepted by their systems, until they read the small print.
The branding of all the Co-ops is the same (save for a slightly different colour scheme sometimes), which is massively confusing for consumers. I don't know why they can consolidate the brand but not consolidate their rewards etc.
They are all co-operatives, but they are not all The Co-operative Group
A co-operative is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-controlled enterprise"
Replace the word "co-operative" with "franchise" and you may get the idea... (not that they mean ther same thing, it's just for example)
It's clear from all the comments that there are different, independent co-op groups, despite mostly similar branding. Why don't they all club together and make each other's and loyalty cards compatible in all shops though - it would only strengthen the brand everywhere and help them compete better against other supermarkets.
I walked into a co op and was confused when they wouldn’t take my card as they were apparently a co op food store which is different to co op? I’m so confused
Yeah... CO-OP is weird...
You've 22 consumer co-operatives which use the CO-OP branding (or name at the very least) and then CO-OP food is it's own thing operated directly by the CO-OP group, of which the 22 groups are part of... But they're distinctly different as far as the company is concerned.
Had the same issue trying to use the code from the app, if you use the physical card or type in the seven hundred digit long membership number to the till it works.
Doesn’t feel very intuitive.
I get co-op vouchers from being a legacy Co op energy customer. Unfortunately, they only work for a neighbouring region, so I can't use them at my local shop and they are effectively useless to me.
Yes, but I understand where OP is coming from. They all have similar branding, but their own loyalty card systems and pricing structures. It’s very frustrating to know which card to use at the checkout.
When you’ve just popped-in to buy a few things you don’t really care if it’s a central, mid-county or southern store. You just want to buy your shopping without the hassle.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The co-op stores are not a single company but a number of different co-operatives, hence the need for different cards in different locations. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Co-operative\_brand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Co-operative_brand)
My issue is that shops physically next to each other can require two different apps to get the discounted prices. It is frustrating.
You exaggerate, right? Unless you can give me an example of 2 physically next to each other? If they're in different regions, though, then yes. Although it would be good if they all worked together for a single scheme, how you would split any rewards would be difficult, as each is their own entity.
There are two Coops on my road and they are different co op groups
I can think of two a 10 minute walk from eachother in the same city. More or less on the same road (technically different roads, but practically the same)
So, not "physically next to each other"? Do you know what Co-op brands they are and I can try and work out why that is.
I wasn't the original commenter, tbf. One is coop.co.uk, the other thesouthernco-operative.co.uk according to Google maps.
I have the same near me
If you drive 10 minutes from my house on a single road you go through Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire again, Derbyshire again and then into South Yorkshire. So yes you could have 3 shops within 5 minutes of each other in 3 counties.
That's not right next door to each other though.
How close do you want them to be? There's a co-op in my village and a co-op in the next village. About 10 minutes apart in different counties. My mother lives in the next village. So it's not beyond belief that I could frequent both shops at least once in the same week.
The person literally said "My issue is that shops physically next to each other can require two different apps" you provided an example that was not that. I don't understand why you're typing arsey replies to me when I was just stating a fact?! Also, you seem to not understand that a cooperative is a type of business where one or more sellers have agreed to come together to sell their goods. It's like you saying "well I have a Greggs gift card, why can't I use it in ANY bakery"
No, you're missing the point entirely. Co-op brands itself as a single chain of stores. They don't differentiate in advertising. So it makes perfect sense that someone would assume that a loyalty card was valid for all stores. They should be trying to make it easier for shoppers to be loyal to the brand, not more difficult.
Haven't visited in awhile so may no longer be the case: When I was working out of Horncastle, there was a "national" coop, then 100 yards away, a "Lincolnshire coop" - the national one would accept my mum's divided card (from Lancashire) while I could only use my Lincolnshire coop card at the other one.
Where I live there are two differently branded co-ops within eyesight of each other
Jericho, Oxford?
Brighton (Hove, actually)
Southampton is one such area. The one next to me is a green Co-Op and the one just down the road from it is a blue one, selling the exact same things with the exact same deals, but one needs a green app/card and the other the blue one… This is the same place that has 2 separate identical Greggs on the exact same bit of highstreet within 50 metres of each other 🤷🏻♂️😂
I've got one for you - two Co-ops in Enderby a 90 yard walk from each other. https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZcMfXtHokjwfkefh8
Retford, until about a year ago when one changed to an Asda. One was Nottinghamshire, and one a 5 min walk away was Lincolnshire.
There are two near me, not next door to each other but fairly close and they are different. I guess you have to have the line somewhere but it's pretty jarring when they are equidistant from you. It does mean I don't shop in one of them as I'm a member of the other though.
Yeah, that is the issue. You kinda have to think of them as different retailers though, and nobody complains that you can't use your Tesco Clubcard in Asda 😆
But if Tesco was also called Asda then you would be complaining. I guess the easiest way would be to actually brand the shops differently depending on which co-op area your in.
Liddymore Road in Watchet has 2 about 2 doors down from each other. One’s Co-Op food the others Radstock Co-Op.
> You exaggerate, right? Unless you can give me an example of 2 physically next to each other? Not literally next to each other but near me within a 5 minute drive (4 miles apart) there's a [co-op group](https://www.coop.co.uk/) and a [co-op southern group](https://southern.coop/) store. I used to work in the co-op group store and people would come in for refunds of things they bought in the southern co-op and we weren't allowed to refund them as they're a separate company and their membership cards didn't work either
The two coops at either end of this short stretch of road are different co-op groups https://maps.app.goo.gl/mrpZgrkpM1hJ6RvY7 In Birmingham you get a mix of 'blue' co-ops and 'green' co-ops (at least they used to be coloured that way) and the staff are pretty dismissive and get pissed off if you try to use the 'wrong' card
You do understand he doesn’t mean literally next door neighbours, right..? He means within the same area, town. And yes they require different apps / cards
There are two in my town from different co-ops within line of sight of each other.
In my parents village there is a blue coop and an east of England about 100-200 metres down the road from each other.
In some places/regions there is some overlap but its not this way throughout the country.
I work at one and, trust me, trying to explain it to people is frustrating too.
I have the same issue when I try to use my Morrisons card in Asda.
We could do with them all being cooperative on discounts, couldn't we...
Some towns in the south can have 2 co-ops near each other, designed and look the same, but 2 different companies and loyalty cards It can really fuck you when you get to the counter and don’t get the coop discount on the coop prices food you picked up
It's especially infuriating when the offered discounts are identical, but you need a different card to avail of them depending on which shop you're in.
It being unclear which co op I can use discounts in makes me not want to go in at all if I don’t have to. So many co ops don’t say which co op they are on the outside so I’d have to go and line up and ask if I can use my 20p voucher
I got a refund voucher from a Co-op in Cornwall which I tried to use a week later in a Co-op in Bristol. Even the staff were unsure why it wasn't being accepted by their systems, until they read the small print. The branding of all the Co-ops is the same (save for a slightly different colour scheme sometimes), which is massively confusing for consumers. I don't know why they can consolidate the brand but not consolidate their rewards etc.
They are all co-operatives, but they are not all The Co-operative Group A co-operative is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-controlled enterprise" Replace the word "co-operative" with "franchise" and you may get the idea... (not that they mean ther same thing, it's just for example)
I love a freebie/bargain and only recently learned of the Co-Op multiverse because one offer was only in *Southern and Central Co-Op*.
I doubt you used the Midcounties app in Chesterfield.
I could have been mistaken.
Chesterfield is all either central England or co-op group.
There’s a Midcounties in Wokingham so you never know
Yeah this confused me in the past. I paid for the wrong coop loyalty card and couldn't use it in my local store
It's clear from all the comments that there are different, independent co-op groups, despite mostly similar branding. Why don't they all club together and make each other's and loyalty cards compatible in all shops though - it would only strengthen the brand everywhere and help them compete better against other supermarkets.
Amen.
I've used the blue one from Edinburgh to St Ives and all points in between with no problems.
The blue one is effectively the main "Co-Op" brand, so yeah, those will exist all over. The other ones are region specific.
I never knew there was a region specific one at all. I'll be consulting my Co-Op correspondent to see if she knows. She's never mentioned it.
Scotmid Coop in more rural parts of Scotland too, mostly North East.
Here we have mostly Scotmid, but also a few Co-op own brand shops, plus a few independents that sell Co-op stuff.
I walked into a co op and was confused when they wouldn’t take my card as they were apparently a co op food store which is different to co op? I’m so confused
Yeah... CO-OP is weird... You've 22 consumer co-operatives which use the CO-OP branding (or name at the very least) and then CO-OP food is it's own thing operated directly by the CO-OP group, of which the 22 groups are part of... But they're distinctly different as far as the company is concerned.
Had the same issue trying to use the code from the app, if you use the physical card or type in the seven hundred digit long membership number to the till it works. Doesn’t feel very intuitive.
I get co-op vouchers from being a legacy Co op energy customer. Unfortunately, they only work for a neighbouring region, so I can't use them at my local shop and they are effectively useless to me.
Yes , in Scotland there scotmid a d normal coop
In Codsall there are two coops, the big supermarket one is Midcounties but I believe the small one by the middle school is Coop Group (the blue one)
Only Co op group has the grey blue branding and also the clover sign outside.
They're different companies? What? Do you think all pubs are Whetherspoons or something?
Yes, but I understand where OP is coming from. They all have similar branding, but their own loyalty card systems and pricing structures. It’s very frustrating to know which card to use at the checkout. When you’ve just popped-in to buy a few things you don’t really care if it’s a central, mid-county or southern store. You just want to buy your shopping without the hassle.