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| - So in high school and university, I paid my way through by working for a grocery chain for several years, both in store and corporate.
I came to realize that there are so many tactics being employed on customers, that often the focus is on the game, and what you can get away with, rather than really focusing on DELIVERING IT ALL to the customer to make them happy.
Whether it's upping customers' grocery bills and nothing more, and thinking it'll be overlooked because you thanked them by name at the checkout ("they'll see it as higher-end service, so they'll be back!"), or making the common items they came in for (ketchup) harder to find, so that in their search, they'll throw many more impulse items into their basket:
"Why the hell can't I find 'X'? It should be right here!"
By design! What you want isn't going to be eye level, right in front of you -- you'll never see the other obscure impulse stuff if it was that easy!!
Or my favorite: selling things customers buy regularly at a loss (big sale!), because they are familiar enough with them that they recognize a "good deal." Everything they AREN'T familiar with, they are getting ripped off on (like, say, those impulse items above). Nonetheless, they don't know it without a reference point, and leave the store with a cart full of groceries thinking they scored all sorts of deals... but ultimately, paid 20% more than they should have.
Co-op has some elements like these going on, but their primary tactic seems to be to just charge a fair bit more on everything, and hope customers are comforted enough with knowing the annual rebate cheque will be coming their way.
In the interim, it is clear they want to deliver everything they possibly can in their retail space.
If you are ok with paying more FOR more, then this Co-op certainly aims to deliver everything you want, and more, out of a grocery store.
Again, this location is not far from my office, so anything within walking distance has the opportunity to feed me lunch.
And I do love the lunch varieties here: the hot self serve counter that is never usually the same; pizzas by the slice, or whole pizza that they'll build to your specifications. Calzones; sandwiches prepared to order; a large deli counter; a sushi bar that prepares on site; a soup/salad bar, etc. etc.
Plus, they also have Spolumbo's sandwiches/cooked stuffed peppers/cannelloni in the deli area, wrapped and ready for take out (uncooked Spolumbo's selections like the peppers and sausages are in the butcher's section).
All in all, if you need to grab a quick something for lunch or dinner, to take back to work, home, or the office, you can't go wrong.
Also, it should be noted the large upstairs seating area, so you CAN actually eat your meal in the store as well.
Beyond that, from a grocery store perspective (and industry experience): I'm very impressed.
The produce is fresh, rotated, and piled high; the meat counter / butcher section is the nicest of any chain I've seen Calgary. A huge array of meat and seafood cuts is presented, as well as partially prepared/seasoned/marinated items to cut your cook time as well.
In all areas of the hot lunch counter, the deli, and meat and seafood, staff is plentiful. This is something you DEFINITELY don't see with other chains (like how often have I been to the Safeway butcher counter, and they needed to page a guy off of his smoke break to get my steak out and weighed).
Price really is the main consideration at Co-op if you search for a negative; but you do get what you pay for. I've gone to my neighborhood Real Canadian Superstore many times, and even at 6-6:30, the produce department is absolutely PUMMELED. I always wonder: the things I came here for, that AREN'T here because the bins are completely empty, probably would have paid the $12/hr wage of the guy to KEEP them full.
And forget about going to the RCS on a weekend looking for produce ingredients for a dinner recipe that evening. I've almost never succeeded in buying everything I need.
But every company has their strategy.
I recognize I am saving a lot at RCS, even though the produce department usually makes me promise to never come back (though sometimes I do). Co-op won't leave me hanging like that. And sometimes having everything you want, and a lot of things you didn't expect, fresh, stocked, and lots of service to boot, is worth it.
The alternative is driving to multiple stops just to complete your list.
That being said, I think this location is near perfect as a grocery store. 1 star deduction for holding my money back only to return it as a cheque. It seems to me it would be possible to do away with the rebate for an alternative, bring prices closer in line, and still deliver the same level of excellence.
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