Co-Op Report

I went to Co-op after work yesterday as I needed some GROCERIES.

I saw steak on offer for only twelve PAIND, and I thought to myself "my GOSH". This is because this was APPARENTLY an offer. And it was twelve PAIND. My word. I might have to go VEGAN.

Then I got to the reduced shelf and saw some marked-DAIN salmon and sauce type thing. It was going OFF but it was CHEAP. It went in the BASKET.

I then proceeded to buy some onions (NOT red ones), a couple of packets of Digestive biscuits (plain) and some deodorant (Lynx Africa of course).

I also picked up some bin-bags. They only had those well THIN ones which will no doubt see my refuse spread across the street on bin night as the foxes (NOT Leicester fans LOL) go mental on my LEFTOVER fish.

The queue was MINDBLOWING. NOT in a good way. They had some dorky GUY trying to help SOME girl (6/10) on the only open checkout (out of 5 fFs), and there must have been at least SEVEN people waiting. The other Co-op staff members must have been BUSY out back because they did not respond to 6/10's tannoy PLEA for help. By the time they sorted whatever the feck their issue was, the man in FRONT of me had dropped his BASKET and left. There was an entire FAMILY who were playing I-SPY (eye-spy?!) and they were doing my HEAD in too.

It was OK on the whole. Actually it was QUITE shit. The Fish was NICE. 3/10.

Geddon Mocko.

I'm convinced the staff at my local kwop do a price check on what Morrisons down the road are charging, and then whatever the Morrisons price is, Kwop just double it.

This one is a slightly bigger Kwop than normal, and is the only shop on my way home from work bar a very mini-Sainsburys which is even more dear.

We have a Co-op round the corner from us. It used to be a Somerfields. I liked it when it was a Somerfields.

There was a Somerfields in Ventnor, the Isle of Wight. I liked that one as well.
It changed to Co-op which made me sad.

Somerfields used to be known as Gateways.
Gateways started life as J H Mills in Bristol.

I prefer Waitrose over all of them but go to Sainsburys.

I'm tired. I think I may go to bed soon.

mouldyoldgoat wrote:

Somerfields used to be known as Gateways.
Gateways started life as J H Mills in Bristol.

Did the International become Gateways too?

There was an International in Budo (Victoria Road) when I was a nipper. My mum hardly ever used it though - we were Co-op through and through. Stamps, innit.

(And I can still remember our divvy number from when I was old enough to be sent to get stuff. And that.)

Not sure Peggy but at one point the parent company owned Kwik save as well.

Yep International definitely became gateway, maybe not immediately but at some point. I used to steal pernod from international as a young scally. Pernod and blackcurrant, tasted the same coming back up as it did going down.

I also remember Liptons in Truro.

Ford and Lock was International before International was International although as far as I know it was never an international business. There used to be one, Ford and Lock that is, on Mutley Plain, I think. But it might have been Mannamead Road. On the right hand side as you go up.

As young 'uns we used to go to a back street offie in town and buy exhibition cider, then drink it on the way home. Quite often had to ditch it when the old bill stopped to talk to us.

A friend of my mums worked in internationals and she had a wonky eye. Could never tell if she was watching me or not. She told my mum once that I always bought blackcurrant cordial and my mum asked me about it because it wasn't something I drank at home.

I was only about 14 and told my mum it was refreshing after we'd been breakdancing.

The wonky eye woman was married to a bus driver who got knocked down and killed by a bus! I remember it happening and thinking how incredible it was but if you think about it bus drivers are always around buses when they start and finish work so it's probably quite common.

Around about the same time I bought a little pellet gun from the indoor market and was messing around on the top deck of a bus and shot the window. The action of the gun smashed the window and I thought I was in big shit but I hid the gun down my waistband and told the driver there were kids throwing stones up at the windows.

I swapped the crappy gun for a personal stereo with Benny, plus his Dexys Midnight Runners tape.

Bennys dad went apeshit about him swapping his walkman because it was a Christmas present and there was a huge family row which led to Alfie leaving Janet and they got divorced. Janet married slow old Ginger haired Rob Clemow years later, he's only a year older than Benny lol. Kevin and Deborah Bennett's fell out with Janet over it all and they still don't speak to this day.

All true is that.

There used to be a shop/offy just up from the Clifton pub on North Hill. When we were about 14 we used to get off the bus there and go in and get a bottle of Merrydown Cider and a can of Tennants Super (8%abv), drink half the bottle, then pour the Lager in to make a snakebite. Then we'd walk down to under18's Fiesta on Mayflower St. If the evening was successful this would result in a shag in the car park out the back.

We'd then go down to the Spanish Bar (above the Noah's Ark which was called something else but I can't remember the name) and if my mates brother was on the door he'd let us in to get a beer before getting the last bus home.

I used to go up Fiestas for the U-18s. I think it was on Sunday afternoons, at least for a while. I should stress that I don't think I've ever been in the Mayflower St car park, and certainly not back then.

Going back to the International, I think my mum always used to call it Ford & Locks. I might have to look this up soon.

Ford & Locks was a westcountry chain, Brian Ford was a director of Argyle and used to discuss matters with my Dad. They may well have sold out to International Stores for which I was an errand boy at one time.

The father of the first love of my life was the manager of the International on Mutley Plain. Both her parents were lovely people. And so was she. Good job I didn't read this last night or I might have spent all night dreaming of her.  

I went to Fiesta as a kid but it was for roller skating (powerhouse side, ritzy was for ice skating on a shiney floor- no fake ice shit). When I was 16 it had become a nightclub and was used as czarcky describes.

I remember Gateway on mutley plain and down broadway but not the other shops mentioned. Peverell Kwop (Outland road end) is a lot bigger than when I was a kid, and farley's rusks is now morrisons. I used to mainly shop at Pinwells (my Dad would have 2 quarters of sweets- usually bon bons and chocolate limes- every sunday) when I was a kid though and reached a life long dream of being a paperboy for said shop as a teenager.

Also one of the companies I worked for supplied fish to Brian Ford shops in North Devon- don't know if its the same Brian Ford?

There was a Ford and Locks in Barnstaple.

Chemical Ali wrote:

Also one of the companies I worked for supplied fish to Brian Ford shops in North Devon- don't know if its the same Brian Ford?

Ford & Locks started in North Devon. Their main shop in Plymouth was where Comet has just closed down. Brian Ford sold up in the seventies unsure who to.

Done a little research, Ford & Lock merged with Gateway in the mid seventies, Gateway became Somerfield, which was acquired by the Kwop.

Talking of old Plymouth shops.... Does anyone know where this was?


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Or what this pub became?

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It was where I had my first pint at the age of 14. "Pint of beer please, mister."

knecht wrote:

Talking of old Plymouth shops.... Does anyone know where this was?


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That's Occleshaws in Budo Square - it was still there as recently as when I was a small person. And I think one of the Occleshaw children was in my class at primary school; if not, she was deffo there at the same time as me.

knecht wrote:

Or what this pub became?

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It was where I had my first pint at the age of 14. "Pint of beer please, mister."

The Blue Monkey?

There ain't half some clever bastards on here.

A house-point to both of you.

knecht wrote:

Talking of old Plymouth shops.... Does anyone know where this was?


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Yeoman's Terrace ?