retail supervisor

store manager

funeral director

warehouse worker

customer assistant

Co-op Group

Where do I even start? 

The job ITSELF I cannot have many complaints about. It is an absolute honour to do this line of work - not many people can say that they have the opportunity to have such a positive effect on people at their most terrible of times but here you do. For that I couldn't rate the industry highly enough. For every one of the families that I have met I sincerely hope that I eased your pain, even if just a little. 

Then there's the co-op. 

First of all you might think that you have some kind of job security, what with it being the largest funeral company in the country (and still growing). Technically this MAY be true, but my oh my you're going to have to do some soul searching for that to be the case.

Take this for example: In my line of work it is expected of us to bring deceased into our care, clean them, perform minor surgery on them to make them presentable, dress them, place them in coffins, transport them (regardless of their weight) and carry them on funerals in all seasons. This is fine, this is what I wanted to do. However we were on just over £25,000 annual salary, only to be told in June that 'due to company restructuring' we would have to reapply for our jobs or other jobs that may be available, served with a side salad of 'there will be redundancies' . Oh, and the reward for keeping our job? A £7,000 pay cut to our annual salary. For less work? No, the same work.

So let me ask you this, what value do you think a company puts on us to expect us to do this line of work on the same money that a shelf stacker gets? What motivation do we gain to help families when we have been essentially kicked in the nuts? We were asked to voice our opinions on the move, only to have someone reprimanded for having the 'wrong attitude'. All those who work for the coop are probably now nodding their heads in harmonious understanding. We share that pain. 

Not once were we told "sorry".

The kicker? I would understand this business action if the company was struggling. After all, a business is a business and so when the going gets tough then the purse strings need to be tightened. This may be true, were it not for the fact that year on year coop Funeralcare makes a significant profit. No, I don't understand either. 

Surely this is just a one off though? Oh how I wish. 

As echoed by other people on these reviews, management haven't got a clue. For a start they either seem to come from coop food, coop bank or another field that bears no resemblance to funerals. I am no good at repairing cars, therefore I wouldn't feel comfortable taking a management position in a car repair shop and tell people what to do. Where is my experience? Where is my understanding of what happens at ground level on a day to day basis? Exactly.... Yet we seem to be inundated with not only unsuitable managers who don't have the slightest clue about funerals, but managers who say that they don't NEED funeral experience! This level of arrogance is not only normal at coop, it is lauded. 

Staffing has always been an issue too. For the length of time I've worked for the coop we have permanently been in some degree of under staffed state. Not that management would agree, according to some spreadsheet in head office it says we have the correct amount. Sometimes it has even said we have TOO MANY people. I always found this somewhat odd as there have been countless, countless times we have not had enough staff to man a single funeral (aka four people). Just think about that. I certainly have thought about it when I have been doing the work of two or three people and being paid the same... Oh sorry, I mean £7000 less soon....

The company apparently prides itself on being one with the community yet treats its ground staff like dirt. Staff are reprimanded and given a disciplinary when a 'word' would have been better suited to the occasion. But hey, why crack an egg with a small knife when you can use a sledgehammer? The result is the same, isn't it... Isn't it?! 

Furthermore from the lack of staff, it also means the staff that ARE there have to make up the shortfall not only in their own area but others too. It is a common occurrence to have to travel significant amounts of miles to help on a funeral for ten minutes to then drive all the way back again. I have known this to happen to two people who had to drive over two hours to a venue for ten minutes work before returning. Pointless, expensive, unnecessary. 

Did i mention about lack of training? Not only are you thrust into a difficult scenario of facing families at their most volatile, but if you could do it without any training that would be great - we're too busy looking for potential new funeral homes in inadequate places unsuitable for it's purpose. 

So let me put this into some kind of perspective: there you are, having to do what could be considered minor surgery on a deceased with only the good will of others at ground level to show you what to do. No official training. If it were not for these people willing to show good will (despite it not being in their job description) I believe that these new starters would never know what to do. How do you feel about entrusting your loved one with us now? 

Funeral directors are now soon to be expected to be available 7 days a week, which in its own right is disgusting. There's one thing wanting a career, it's entirely another for someone wanting to live at work. Where is the work life balance I hear you ask? Coop doesn't want you to have one I'm afraid. That meal out you planned to have with your wife? Forget about it. You planned to see a film with your husband and children? Well sorry, we are the coop and we in turn own you. 

Surely your pay would be correct though. At least you've got that. Afraid not, as it seems a monthly parade of "they've messed up my wages again", "they still haven't paid me my overtime from three months ago!" and "I don't know how I'm going to pay my mortgage this month now they've messed this up again" echoes through the halls. You didn't want paying properly, did you? Surely the fact that you work for the coop is reward enough! Don't be phoning in sick now... 

Oh and by the way, I'd think twice about calling in sick anyways. Why? Well, duh, obviously you're not genuinely sick and just wanting to skive off work, people don't get ill do they?! That's the mentality of the coop, having to speak to a manager to say that you're ill only to be met with sighs, groans and numerous huffs. How could you this to your employers? Don't worry, when you get back you'll regret ever calling in, we've got some particularly soul destroying jobs for you to do to pay your penance. 

Caring. Caring, loving coop. 

So caring in fact that I have lost count the number of people who have legitimately had to have enforced time off due to stress. Well you see when you are continuously asked to do unreasonable things in an unreasonably short period of time continuously over an unreasonably long stretch of time it does tend to weigh heavily on the sanity. Funny that. Who would have known? 

Since the news of the 'restructuring' and salary decrease it is pleasing to know that staff are jumping ship faster than the rats on the titanic. Years and years of valuable experience just willingly allowed to wave goodbye. After all, who needs experience and dedication when you can spend week after week trying to find some semblance of employee who would want to join a conniving, gutless, immoral, self centred sham of a company such as the coop? 

I still work for the company but my time there is almost very nearly over. I will miss seeing my colleagues who have bled, sweated, torn muscles, bruised limbs, strained backs and knees for the families. The same people who have missed crucial times with their own families in order to help those in need. Those people who have had to deal with traumatic sights without a care in the world from their employers. They are the real valuable assets of the company, not the fake management who get confused between coffins and bags of frozen peas...

Sorry, I forgot, you don't need funeral experience, do you?


I start my shift at 6 AM, after a long walk from the car park. As I enter, I'm greeted by friendly security staff and see photos of managers and employees in various roles with encouraging comments. 
After heading upstairs or taking the lift, I walk through a long corridor to the locker room, which, while adequate, barely has enough space for both my kit and personal belongings. The locker room is often cluttered with abandoned equipment, and tumble dryers are provided.

Next, I head to the canteen for free water and hot chocolate. There are also fridges and microwaves available for employee use, and other areas provide sinks for washing personal items. After that, I go downstairs to clock in using my employee number and queue up to receive my device for the day—usually a talkman. My designated role is in ambient, where I check in the talkman and confirm my ID with the server.

At around 6 AM, it’s common for a manager to give a quick pep talk, covering safety and any relevant updates for the day. While most managers are engaging and effective, some, unfortunately, are disengaged, and it’s hard not to notice.  Managers rotate between sections, so you don't always know who you'll be working with until the day before.

After the pep talk, I head to the llop, log into my headset, and start my tasks. The headsets are hit or miss—they sometimes disconnect, and the batteries often die unexpectedly. However, with experience, these issues become more manageable. I perform safety checks on my equipment, either taking a partial load or gathering new cages for an order. Cages can get stuck together, causing delays, but again, experience helps mitigate the frustrations. 

The work itself is physically demanding but becomes more manageable as your fitness improves. For instance, carrying multiple 5-litre bottles becomes tiring, but learning how to stack and move them efficiently reduces strain. The tannoy system frequently broadcasts messages, which can be a bit alarming at times—sometimes they're hard to understand. The llops, which travel at 4mph, are generally comfortable to operate, and the working environment temperature can vary significantly. I recommend staying hydrated and dressing appropriately, as temperatures fluctuate between very cold and extremely hot.

The job’s pace can be intense, with performance metrics like LM (Lines Per Minute) expectations. If you’re struggling to meet these targets, it’s important to engage with management. They are understanding and will help you if you're facing genuine issues. While I’m 57 and enjoy the challenge, there are times when I feel frustrated, especially if I don't meet my goals for the day. It's frustrating to drop from 80% productivity at lunch to 58% by the end of the shift, but management understands that life happens, and you're not penalised for things outside of your control.

Despite challenges, I have to say this is one of the best places I’ve worked at in terms of support. They’ve been very accommodating of my Asperger's and have never made me feel uncomfortable or out of place. The day passes quickly, broken up by an unpaid 30 minute break in the subsidised canteen. There's also a radio system overhead, and safety is taken very seriously. Incidents are investigated thoroughly, and their CCTV system is the best I've seen. 

In terms of pay, it's decent, but there is a downside: as you progress and learn new skills, there’s little financial reward. After several years, you're not really compensated more, except for a different color Hi-Vis vest, which makes it feel like new starters and experienced employees are on the same level pay-wise. Staff turnover is high, with many employees coming and going, though managers seem to stay longer. I appreciate that the company is quick to remove bad employees, which keeps the work environment positive.

The company also offers a twice-weekly shop with heavily discounted food and flowers, but it’s cash-only, which can be inconvenient if you don’t carry cash. There’s also a focus on mental health, with support available, but you need to take the initiative to seek help. While I understand the company isn't my personal caregiver, having someone to chat with during tough days would be beneficial.

Regarding illness, there are clear rules about sick leave and return-to-work procedures, which I see as a positive rather than a negative. I’ve been allowed extra breaks and reduced hours due to an injury, and the company has regularly checked in on me. The shift patterns can be tough if you’re used to a regular routine, but they work for me.

In conclusion, this is a great job for those who want to stay fit, motivated, and feel a sense of belonging, as long as you're willing to put in the effort. If you're lazy, entitled, or uninterested in working hard, this job isn’t for you. However, if you're driven, willing to push through challenges, and enjoy the sense of accomplishment, you'll thrive here. Most importantly, the company listens to its employees, which helps make it a positive place to work.

I started work experience at the Co-operative Food in Rosyth on 11/04/16 and appeared 20 minutes earlier than my 9am start in order to give them the opportunity to get me prepared to begin my work experience. I was happy to have finally got work experience in the type of workplace I was hoping to get a job in. 

So the work at a food retail store is pretty simplistic and easy and involves replenishing stock on the shelves, freezers and more. I found this pretty simple to do and when stock wasn't available I would move them to the front so the products are more easily accessible. 

I'm quite a shy person initially and had colleagues comment on how quiet I am and realised how judging the staff at this Co-op can be about customers, making rude comments about their appearance or smell if it wasn't up to their own hygiene standards. Overall the rest of the staff seemed friendly though and I got the hang of it quite fast. 

The only problem that started to surface is that I was told by a colleague that she needed to move the Aunt Bessie's frozen foods to near the checkouts freezer with the clearance label tag, but she tells me not to stuff it completely full. So I do this and try fit as much as possible in this little freezer which usually consists of ice lollies. I got less than half of them in due to the lack of space and go back with the rest into the stock room as there is nowhere else to put it. To my surprise later that day the manager working at that time claims to the colleague who asked me to do it that she couldn't see it and I hadn't done the task I was given, even though I had! 


So my experience had been what I would've expected and I was pretty disappointed I wasn't going to be trained at the checkouts at all, but it's understandable being on work experience (mine consisting of 6 weeks). The third day when I woke up I felt too unwell to go in due to having a stomach bug so found their number online and called in and the woman on the phone said it was fine and to tell them when I'd be back, which of course would have been the next day. So later that day I get a phone call from the job centre, to my surprise the Co-op had ended my work experience with them! So I want to find out more from the Co-op themselves so I attempt to call them, but of course the line is busy no matter when I call. So I use someone elses phone as I'd presume my number may be blocked and to my surprise it went straight through to them. I told them I was confused about the situation and they told me I was inadequate and wasn't fast enough in a fast paced environment, telling me a guy who's doing work experience there and had only gotten into the first 2 days of it, clearly I ain't going to be perfect at the job initially, 

The idea of work experience is to experience first hand what it's like to work in a food retail store, though from what it sounds like from what they had said they expected me to already know what it's like to work in the store and due to the feedback of the colleagues I had left tasks uncomplete, which isn't true I always finished every task I was given unless told otherwise. I admit that I may have been considered slow as I didn't know where most of the stock in the store was located when replenishing it and I found quite a lot of the time most of the stock was already fully allocated on the shelves. Nobody can be expected to know the full store layout and know exactly where all the stock is within a few days of working there, especially on work experience not having much experience within a retail environment. It is quite contradicting that they're telling me I was too slow yet told me I was finishing tasks too quickly leaving them left uncomplete, which is definitely not true.

Overall my experience was bad as I've been let go so quickly just due to being unwell on the third day, I know this isn't acceptable in a working environment but I can't help it if I'm not feeling well enough to go in to work. From my experience at the Co-operative Food I've been left under the impression they only take people on for 6 weeks work experience as it is entirely cost free, they do not pay you anything at all if you're on work experience and you continue to recieve your benefits while working there. They benefit from people working for free and clearly were unhappy with me just because I wasn't well enough to work for one day. I really wish these companies werent allowed to exploit people taking them on for work experience to make them do work for absolutely nothing as slave labour. 

I would have liked to continue my work experience at the Co-operative but they've clearly taken the step to terminate my work experience and try justify themselves for why they've gotten rid of me, when I worked just as hard as anyone would when just starting out new work experience. It just goes to show how easily disposable people on work experience are considered.

Work at Co-op for 5 years. Please think carefully before working here.

Granted most branches differ probably from one end of the country to another and it’s mostly the staff that cause problems, but majority that I dealt with in my time at Coop, all had similar complaints which makes me question Coop’s policies and integrity.

Very small hour contracts even though majority of the time you will work well over but don’t get use to it because when work is slow they won’t think twice about dropping you back down to bare minimum. Don’t bother asking for more hours on your contract because you will hit every excuse going and often get “well you knew this when you signed your contract at X hours”. I worked between 25- 50 hours every week for almost all my time there so when I requested every few months for my 10 hour contract to be put up e.g 20 hours (not unreasonable, right?) as it gave me a little financial security, still nothing.

I was proven member who picked up on call shifts when others were ill, simply wanted the night off or no staff etc. At one point I was on call every night weeks and still came into work the next day when staff were ill/annual leave/or kept leaving the business otherwise I truly believe funerals would of suffered. Surely a valued member such as myself could get some little reward for being there in times of strife? No.

You will get shipped all over your region to help branches, which I beg to understand how funeral homes can be so disorganised that they require staff driving 2/3 hours to help out. Covering branches as admin when you’re not trained to do so, which ultimately affects families. 

Management, can be touch and go. I have witnessed both first hand and personally bullying. If your face fits. If you can make friends with the right people, you can do anything. Certain people seem to be untouchable with countless complaints/grievances or managers pulling them to a side and nothing gets done and often they get rewarded by rising the ranks. Others have been kicked or forced out for less. They certainly don’t standby their anti bullying policy that they like promoting so much. But then again, I question if Manchester get to hear half of what happens in all the branches across the country from us little people. Only from managers, area managers etc. Which no doubt water any problems/issues down to look better than what it is to avoid anything happening. 

The corporate triangle always seems to get changed every few months, new area managers etc. And new CEO or higher management come in from big non funeral companies with their “I can save the company so much money”, slice and dice things up and then leave with big cheques without consideration for families that these changes will affect whether directly or indirectly.  Also the money that is wasted on some ideas is questionable but then they want to find ways of saving cash, staff taking pay cuts, getting told to stop using too much this or that when it’s essential. It’s baffling. 

Promotions are few and far between. Very rarely do externals get picked for some roles, FD seems to be one. So if you keep applying to coop and never get anywhere, don’t take it personally. Chances are an internal got it which saves coop money and time instead vetting and interviewing externals. If you want in, best to go for FSO/FSC or admin which are always available then TRY and work upwards. But ask yourself this, why are they always available? High turnover. Why’s that? No smoke without fire. 

I eventually left because it eventually dawned on me that putting all your effort in the job, being 100% reliable. Never saying no, gets took for granted. They don’t appreciate the good staff and eventually everyone leaves. You think it will put you in good stead for justification of job promotion, pay rise, new contract etc. It doesn’t. You will wear yourself mentally, emotionally and physically out for a company who will and can replace you instantly without a second thought and care when you’re past your best. 

I just miss being there for families. I have some
Amazing memories. Some funny and some very sad which has taught me a lot and view life differently
Now. 

If your like me who has worked in retail a long time and happens to be very intelligent then the CO-OP probably won't be any good for you. My manager is lazy, my assistant manager is lazy and worse still slow but the best part is that he gets paid 50% more than me for doing A LOT less work.

Don't expect to get any training whatsoever but do expect to be nagged at, threatened with disiplinary action and advised to step down from your team leader role due to THEIR inability to train staff as well as their inability to do any work themselves.

What they enforce that you do is work deliveries and pile excess on top of excess. The company keeps about £80k worth of stock in their warehouses even though deliveries are almost every other day. Working excess and keeping things tidy and organised are impossible but expect to get nagged at about that too because lifting a finger themselves might be too much work.

Delivery days are stupid also. Sunday the busiest day due to large stores closing at 4pm causes us to be busy constantly but they also think you should be able to deal with a 8-12 cage ambient delivery. Every Tuesday is some sort of promotional change over, chilled one week, ambient another week and beer, wine and spirits another but expect to work delivery as well.

On top of this they want you to do pointless gap scans to ensure stock is not off sale. They don't understand that by having minimal excess would make gap scans obsolete because working all the excess would be a breeze thus meaning what gaps are on the shop floor are gaps until next delivery which is usually the following day.

Now picture doing tons of delivery, having to do your gap scans at least twice each night along with the chiller not being worked by the lazy manager in the morning on top of being 1 on 1 on the late shift with that someone being stuck to the tills all night and also the excess stock piling up out of control everywhere.

Now get this, on my induction training we were told that, and I quote, "I know we run our stores like we're short staffed, but you can't use being short staffed as an excuse". I think it's a perfectly valid excuse. This was then surpassed by the understanding that the only reason people prefer to shop at Aldi and Tesco etc is solely 100% down to the CO-OPs recent poor performance in a customer service survey. It apparently has nothing to do with other shops being cheaper, more convenient or bigger variety of products. It is customer service and customer service only that separates the CO-OP from everyone else apparently according to the very deluded business.

All the CO-OP want is for you to obey orders regardless whether you think they are wrong or not and operate like a robot. They will try their very best to get you to come to work regardless of whether your on your deathbed or busy trying to have a life outside of the wretched place. Your days off are high risk. Your treatment as a human being doesn't exist, instead you are treated as a tool. This company or business as they prefer are a shame to the world for the way they treat their staff. The CO-OP are living in the past, blind and naive to change, they are literally scared of change, if I had a pound for the times I've heard "it's just the way the CO-OP do things" there wouldn't be any money left in the world for anyone else. They blame the staff for the failures of the management and should appalled by their own existence.

They do stuff for the community apparently, this is what is to supposed to separate them from tesco etc but none of it is ever seen or heard about and yet they have recently started to undergo a transformation as they are going BACK to being the CO-OP because forwards has never been something the CO-OP have been good at. This company should do the world a favour and close their doors for good.

My typical day at work includes opening the shop, categorising the newspapers into correct sections to enter the inserts. Then I would take the temperatures on each fridge/chiller and take note of it on an audit sheet with the time taken. I would then file the news pro ( A recycling of the old newspapers/ Magazines) making sure we have received each supplement and that what is being sent back is correct. Only when this is done will I then start to take out of date stock off the shelves(if it hasn't been done already)  and begin to put the fresh stock out. This means that we are then ready to open the doors for customers where I can greet customers at the door, help them with there precise and particular shopping needs, answering any and all questions within my knowledge, all the meanwhile serving them what they require in a timely manner. After 4 hours i would go on a 15 minute break, which can be disturbed if the shops bell goes off. I would have to go out to the shop floor and help out in anyway i can using my knowledge of the store.On the occasion i didn't know myself then telling them where they could get the answers they need. At mid day i would begin to date check the stock and lower any stock needed via the date on the item in question (today's date being 50% and tomorrows being 10%). In some cases stock which we do not send back i would put on the till and usually manage to sell all of it by the end of the day by telling customers about the product and selling it to them by telling them what or how it could be used (bread- Can be frozen and used at a later date).Towards the end of the day I would write about 7 lists of items we need on certain sections of the shop and either give them to the manager to collect the items from the warehouse or pop shed or gather the items needed myself providing a colleague would be on the till. At the final hour of the business day i would check the stock is fronted up and filled. Having done that i would put the shutters down and begin to make a list of the scratch cards. At the last 15 minutes i would print off a report from the paystation machine and write down the amount of scratch cards left and calculate the worth of each product. Finally i would take the newspapers down writing down how many are left that we didn't sell that need to go back. After tieing them up with the counterpart of my list attached i would put it in a safety box located outside the shop and taking the temperatures again. 
    I would say I have learned that attention to small detail is key whilst working in retail. For instance we don't have a gluton free isle in the co- op i work at. Knowing which products are free from gluton allows me to take business from a larger customer base. Understanding and appreciating the customers views also allows me to come up with solutions that otherwise would not be known via common sense.
   The Management where I'm currently employed is very good I get on very well with both of them personally which is great because working in a team to accomplish tasks and hitting targets is alot easier with people you can trust to get the job done. I only have one negative point about the management and that is that i've been told that i'm too good at the position i fill to move up in the ranks and actually make a career instead of just a job, which is something i'm trying to pursue. 
The most enjoyable part of my job is talking to the customers and having a sense of accomplishment no matter how small that my assistance has helped there day or made a positive impact.

So far my experience has been meh, alot of issues need addressing. For one, after only two weeks ( I work part time, so about 6-7 shifts) I was expected to be able to run the shift, do my own work and delagate jobs. Having trained others in a few previous roles, realisticly this just isn't possible . After a few months with proper 1-1 training for a supervisor/management role yes, but not weeks. There's ALOT to digest and to manage so I feel like their time scale of new team leaders being able to just slot in so quickly is unrealistic. Best thing would be to focus on 1 area until that is well understood then move on to the next. For example I struggle with using the lottery machine at the tills as I've not been shown properly how to use it. I've only been shown how to do dates/reductions/gap scans a few times 1-1 with another team member, and that was in my first week. after that I was left to it on my own. I'm still unsure of things as it can get confusing when you have different people telling you different things. I have ADD so I sometimes struggle with my concentration/memory and that effects my confidence. Ideally I need consistency with my training. 
The job itself is easy enough, however constantly checking into 'my work app' is very tedious if and when it works properly. The apps are a good idea but aren't very streamlined so sometimes jobs can be missed as the tech is somewhat combersome and slow . Online orders also slow the day down if you have a lot, especially if they come in at once. I feel it would be beneficial if all staff knew how to pick orders, and often the drivers either don't turn up or get confused with orders. So far they have been pretty flexible with my shifts and I hope this will continue however mess ups with rotas and having too many people off at the same time seem to be an issue. Often we are short staffed. This doesn't help when the self service tills constantly break down. I think it would be an advantage to train team members how to shut/open shop if managers are unavailable to give more flexibility and if an emergency happens or are off sick. Shutting up is easy enough. 
When I had my 1 month review I was quite intimidated as it wasn't just with my general manager but with two other staff members. This made me feel like anything I wanted to say wouldn't be confidential so I didn't feel like I could be honest and explain my situation or other things that I wanted to say. Something that I will be bringing up with HR. The freezer is completely unorganised so when it comes to doing the morning bake it is very irritating and stressful having to find everything as nothing is properly dated and front facing so it slows the whole thing down. Everything is everywhere and squeezed together as it is hugely overstocked. Having worked in a busy kitchen and managed my own in a previous job this is basic stuff that isn't being done. 
shoplifters are a constant nuisance too, definitely need to be addressed by higher up, even if it was temporary security just to put the thieves off. I feel the pay is good but the job is hard work and stressful so be prepared. 
I will more than likely be moving on as it comes across as quite a toxic environment where they preach team but will leave you behind as they can't be bothered to make the effort to properly train staff then start point fingers at you and eachother . 
All in all not a great experience so far, deffo areas for improvement. 

I regret to share my disappointing observations and experiences during my time working at Coop Shops in the UK. While I had hoped for a valuable learning experience and a chance to contribute positively, the reality fell far short of these expectations. Here's an overview of the issues I encountered:

Lack of Training and Support: My onboarding experience left much to be desired. I was provided with minimal training and left to navigate my responsibilities largely on my own. This lack of support hindered my ability to perform tasks effectively and contribute to the team.

Inadequate Communication: Communication within the team and from management was consistently poor. Important updates, changes in procedures, and team meetings were often relayed at the last minute or not at all, leading to confusion and inefficiency.

Unorganized Work Environment: The overall organization of tasks and responsibilities was chaotic. Clear guidelines and procedures were lacking, making it difficult to prioritize tasks and meet expectations. This disarray hampered my productivity and hindered the team's overall performance.

Limited Growth Opportunities: The promise of growth and development within the company appeared to be nothing more than a hollow phrase. Opportunities for advancement were scarce, and there was little effort made to recognize or nurture the skills and potential of employees.

Inadequate Compensation: The compensation provided for the level of responsibility and workload was below industry standards. Given the demanding nature of the work and the expectations placed on employees, this was a significant demotivator.

Unsupportive Work Culture: The work culture at Coop Shops was marked by a lack of camaraderie and support among colleagues. Collaboration and teamwork were undermined by an atmosphere of competition and minimal recognition for contributions.

Health and Safety Concerns: The store's approach to health and safety was subpar. Basic safety measures were overlooked, and this raised concerns about the well-being of both employees and customers.

Overburdened Staff: The workload was often unreasonably high, and the staff was frequently understaffed. This resulted in long working hours, fatigue, and a negative impact on work-life balance.

Management Disconnection: The management team appeared disconnected from the daily operations of the store and the challenges faced by employees. Their lack of involvement and understanding contributed to a sense of detachment and frustration.

Employee Morale Issues: The combination of the above factors led to low morale among employees. Many colleagues expressed dissatisfaction and disillusionment with their roles and the overall work environment.

In conclusion, my experience working at Coop Shops in the UK was far from ideal. The numerous challenges I encountered highlighted systemic issues within the organization, affecting various aspects of employee satisfaction and performance. I hope that the management takes these concerns seriously and implements necessary changes to create a more positive and supportive work environment for future employees.

Friendly store colleagues.
Good holiday entitlement. 
Full sick pay is a nice safety net.

Constantly cutting staff hours/numbers claiming they have made things easier but in reality it's just that processes have changed slightly and fewer people are expected to do more people's jobs.
You can fully expect to: be a Baker, checkout operator, count tills, pull in a delivery from the truck, put out a delivery on the shelves (within an unachievable deadline) , deal with any given I. T. Problem, customer issue, spillage, security issue, try to find somewhere to put the vast amounts of unrequired stock that's sent in just in case there's some kind of natural disaster that makes people go mad and buy 20 times more stuff than they did any other week and do all this all at the same time because there's probably only 2 of you on shift. 

Log calls about stock issues (that you have no time to do) so that they can respond by saying no they won't fix it or they say they have fixed it but nothing changes so you've just wasted your time, in the unlikely event that they do change something, the thing whole thing resets every 3 weeks with promotional change and all the problem return so now need logging again.  Yup. 

Any time they bring in a new idea that sounds good, someone  high up in sets out to destroy it.

Eg top shelves to help organise stock more effectively and make it easier to replenish stock, then immediately send in 3 times as much stock so you've got more stock than you need or can ever hope to actually work through effectively with the number of staff hours. But don't worry there's another truck load of too much stuff coming tomorrow or the next day so no pressure.

Your expected to find the time to pander to the whims of the area manager sometimes if your lucky they are reasonable requests, sometimes you already noticed you want to change the things they mention if only you weren't dealing with the other 100 jobs your trying to get through. Sometimes their ideas are nonsense and clearly only communicated to give themselves a feeling of self importance. 

Sometimes messages come from headoffice that should be titled "we think your all gullible so this is what we want you to believe"

They have a talk back process each year to get feedback from the staff but they set out that management must do everything in their power to convince everyone to only say positive things because there's nothing like making sure you don't get the truth when you ask your team what they think. 

But on the plus side store level management generally know what's what (even if they don't all want to voice it for fear of reprisals) and the supervisors and assistants and usually good spirited and everyone trys their best. Some of the changes are for the better if only they would use the systems effectively. The holidays are better than most companies And sometimes there's a bit of feedback and a note of jobs well done. 



This is a brilliant job for young starters coming into work life, Administration and any other relating skill having exceptional skills to prepare you with any coming challenges in work life. 
As time went on please be aware of what type of work you want to be getting into and know what work you'll be putting into. The most diverse team which prepares with real attitude and. a healthy being for any future job teams and how it should. be done. There should've been a healthy work life and majority of the office are poorly happy. 
The communication is poor and the work is.  There are more turnovers i have ever seen within a year of working there. 
There  are more case managers than administrators  to do all the work and so for all branches of coop legal services with extremely high task list. The work itself is plain straight but becomes unproductive.  You do not learn any real terms probate as we used to. Managers do try to help with reducing tasks only when you ask, some line managers are nice. 
Most admins with a poor attitude are embarrassing when being on the phone talking to professions. Work is not regularly updated if doing it right or not. You will end up feeling like an object/slave to get what needs to be done and more so. 
No one does the same work structure would be helpful to clients. So many cm leave and end up half of work being done. Work is always a wild goose chase for admins. 
There have been so many temporary changes to work life for admins with it been so stressful.  You have temporary changes to get the work done whether that being only utilities calls or bank calls but being on calls for the whole day to get the work done is so unhealthy. You work around getting the task list done and given whatever ways to get it down. Eg someone had just hmrc calls to only do! Its not stable work and wouldn't care about breaking peoples back as long as the task list is down and also encashment preps!  - doing, preparing, depending on which estate, preparing letters and getting this checked. 
What about that getting audited don't even ask. And if a admin is away and there are emails from b2b then what? do the task all over again and we are very far behind in tasks. 
Its long work and less quality.   You will have job burnout which is beyond healthy work for all case managers, each case (70 mostly) and for every branch for co-op so so disappointed.  
Do not choose co-op to carry your probate, poor admin, long work for case managers. Less admins, the longer probate the less quality you'll get overall. 
Messy work structure very bad auditing and all we do is learn from each other. 
Admins have poor attitude as well case cm. You want to come out of a job knowing you feel satisfied with good hard work this is not the case. 

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