The Co-operative Group, Brighton

It has improved over the years and the new look frontage is a great impovement on the dark and dingy exterior that used to scream “Don’t Buy From Here”. The asiles though are still very narrow and lead customers to become very well versed in the Co-op shuffle a dance unique to this store where by one has to duck and dive weave up and under in order to traverse the goods sections without mowing down an unsuspecting browser.
I do have a serious word of warning just past the fruit and veg , meat section on entry to your right is a stairwell that leads to the basement area-staff only. As you politely move out of the way to let past another customer in the congested aisle don’t loose your footing or they’ll be taking you out of the place in an ambulance and no you don’t get extra co=op loyalty points if you break a leg. Its good for asmall top up shop, reasonably priced, msch fairer than the Tesco Express rip off up the road. Good bakery section with fresh croissants and french baguettes. The queues though are still a problem and as you wait you are locked into the frozen food aisle so nothing much to look at though it gets more interesting though slightly more bad for your health as you snail like crawl closer to the tills because you end up opposite the wines and spirits. You could always open up a bottle whilst you are waiting to be served and have a party!!!

I am a regular shopper at the Co Op as I agree with their ethical policies and am thankful that their products are not tested on animals. Their own brand products are of a good standard and the shop is well stocked, with lots of current offers taking place. The shop also features a Post Office counter and sells magazines and alcohol as well as the standard food items. If you sign up for a Co Op membership card on their website (it is free) you are given points everytime you buy something in store. At the end of each year your points are converted to money back, which is a far better deal than most of the supermarket loyalty schemes are offering.

Not the best co-op by far, but is good for the essentials. The store is a bit small for what theyre trying to offer, but you get a decent range and lots of offers which is always good. Its in a great location, even though its near another co-op, and serves the local college and workers in the area. It has nice staff and is pretty much the usual co-op clone. Nice if you want some fruit for lunch!

This is one of the Co-op's local food stores, and where we do most of our food shopping in Brighton (it's the only supermarket which doesn't involve a long walk up a hill).

It's been refurbished after they recently acquired another store in the Seven Dials area, and is now better organised and has quicker service (it used to be a by-word for frustratingly slow check-outs), although we've still experienced the odd hiccough from time to time (more consistency would gain that extra star). The aisles are also a bit narrow, so you can end up doing some interesting contortions to get past other customers. They have tiny trolleys - short and narrow - which helps a bit. Staff are friendly and willing, though.

It's fairly small, so the range is a bit limiting, but it has most of the basics, and a good off-licence range of wines and beers, including a lot of fairly-traded and organic items (which is part of the reason for shopping here - in ethical terms, it's a leader in reducing the environmental footprint of food, animal welfare, community retailing etc ).

It's part of the larger Co-operative group, so if you are a member, you can get collect towards your dividend.