Calgary Co-Op

OK, i’m reviewing a grocery store…
But seriously, if you live downtown, your choices are limited, unless you want to drive to the suburbs for a discount mega store.
I’ve found this co-​op has a great selection of well-​card for produce, many organic options that are the same or even less than non-​organic, they have seasonal local veggies and foods grown here in alberta, they usually have hutterite chickens and local made sausages too. They carry Blue Goose brand poultry (certified humanely raised) and I appreciate the emphasis on local producers.
The cheese and deli dept are decent, with a good selection– and they offer free samples of cheese!
There is a decent butcher section, and a fresh sea-​food counter. I’ve ordered fresh clams and mussels from here, and never had any issues (mega stores sell bags of clams that always end up dead/​unopened when cooked so I am weary of those stores)
Anyway, the reason to write this review, simply put, they care enough about their customers to always have the place appropriately staffed. I’ve never waited behind more than 2 people here, not once, even when stopping in after work at peak hours. Just today, thanksgiving weekend, at noon, every single cash was open, and while the parking lot is full and the store crowded, they process people quickly and efficiently, I only waited behind one other customer!
My time is worth more to me than saving a few pennies here and there, and frankly once you add the cost of gas and additional time to drive to walmart or superstore, add in the frustration of waiting for ages in line, this place is much much nicer and no more expensive. I can always earn another dollar, but I can never earn another minute.

Out of all the co-​ops and grocery stores I have been too, this one is definitely the best. They have an amazing fresh salad bar, meats and veggies on one side, fruits, yogurts, and granola on the other. They have a sushi station, a pizza station with a fire oven, a buffet during lunch and dinner hours, a wonderful deli with fresh meats and specialty salads, and best of all… the circle of cheese. Yes, a whole section in the middle of the store packed with cheeses from all over the world.
You pay a little more to shop here, but it’s worth every penny.

Nice clean, just feels homey. Guess it makes sense if you’re trying to attract members and give some back later as a return ;)
Just glad they accept AMEX unlike Loblaws/Superstore/T&T.
Came in to get buy Liberty Yogurt, regular price $ 5.49.
Also have a pharmacy too.

Somewhere i will not go buy my grocery.
They sell water melon at 6.99 when super store sell for 4.99
Yes the store looks cleaner, staff look more professional and the crowd is better.
But if you’d like to spend your hard earned money wisely, go to superstore.

Wow. This place is big. Every section we walked through was fully stocked. We came to buy some inexpensive snacks & breakfast food while in Calgary on vacation. It kind of reminds me of a Loblaws Super Centre. I found the signage confusing though. Instead of listing what’s in the current aisle the sign lists whats in the aisles beside it with arrows pointing to left or right. I’m not sure if this is common in Calgary. But other than that, this was a great place to buy food.

This Co-​Op is my favorite place to grab my groceries.
The produce section is always fully stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables. It usually has a wide variety of seasonal fruits too. TONS of berries in the summer. When I last checked in, I loaded up on peaches, nectarines, plums, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. Everything is ripe and delicious.
Big selection of meats, with a deli section for your sandwiches and a separate butcher area loaded with anything you could ever want to BBQ.
Wine and cheese night? Perfect, come here for that too. (Great stuffed olive selection too!)
For whatever reason, I like the layout of this place. You can do a full lap around the outside for all the essentials. Produce, meats, dairy and checkout. You don’t even have to look at the junk food aisle if you don’t want to.
Whenever I need groceries and have to head downtown, I always pop into the Co-​Op and load up for the week.
Plus… who doesn’t like collecting stamps and getting free stuff?

My favorite Co-​Op in the city. I used to come here all the time when I lived in Bridgeland. Now I stop by occasionally when I’m getting some vegan items at Community down the street.
I find they have the best specials in the city (for Co-​Op) for fresh produce and have a bigger selection. Everything is always fresh and pretty and clean in here too.
Sometimes I come here for vegetarian potlucks which are held upstairs. The seating area and kitchen there are really nice. It makes me think about renting it out for food demos. :)

I absolutely love this co-​op! Although it gets rather busy from time to time, the produce is unbelievably fresh and they’ve got a selection that’s comparable to superstore (all that packed in a store a quarter of the size). The prices are a little higher of course, considering its location, but it’s so rare that you won’t find what you are looking for. Don’t pass up on their international food section either because they have almost every sauce you can think of. So happy that this co-​op is just a stones throw away.

It’s well laid out, clean and well stocked BUT Co op can be alittle rich for my blood but i also often find their coffee station dirty. Maybe I have bad timing– but I like a clean area if I am pouring my own coffee.

This co-​op location serves up some of the best meat and produce that a Super Market in Calgary has to offer.
If you’re shopping on the cheap this probably isn’t the best place to go. But if quality is what you are after look no further.

Being close to my workplace, I love running in here from time to time for a fresh BBQ chicken or something else quick, hot, inexpensive and tasty from their deli counter. The chicken is an especial reason, as unlike most supermarket BBQ chickens, they use a better quality chicken that ends up to be quite moist through and through, something I can’t say with most supermarket chickens.
The fruits and vegetables are impeccable, fresh and often from local farms from Alberta and BC. Other great products from local suppliers like Spalumbo sausages, Simple Simon Pies and the like can be found, not to mention items from the Hutterite colonies as well (turkey-​sized chickens!!!). Aside from the farmers’ markets (Kingsland and Calgary), I get the rest of the materials I need for my crazy recipes from here (or the Co-​Op on Macleod) simply because I know the quality is good and whenever I do cook (a rare event), it’s for a number of people.
My only complaint really would be that the price difference is up there with organic markets at times, but I can’t really be too upset as I do recognize the difference in quality as well (which is why I do go to the farmers markets as well).
A nice added little bonus is that all of my purchases does go towards the end of year dividend based on purchases. Not bad at all for a $ 1 membership card.

This isn’t my neighbourhood Coop anymore, and that makes me sad. Because it’s not just a hop, skip and a jump from my apartment anymore. It’s a full car ride away. And the Coop where I am now just isn’t the same.
The always super fresh fruits and veggies (it’s so busy nothing has the time do anything but get a wee bit ripe before somebody picks it up to take home), it’s got the best selection of non-​produce products, the community kitchen is a great spot to rent out and the hot lunch counter used to be my go-​to whenever I yearned for perogies, cabbage rolls, meatballs, mac’n’cheese… even all four of those in the same take-​away container. Oh, and if you’re feeling healthy, the salad bar is a good stop as well.
I’ll be back for a visit soon, Coop Beltline, I promise!

This isn’t your usual Co-​op, or at least not of the ones I have seen. This Co-​op rocks. Located conveniently downtown on the west end (near Beltline), it’s an easy target for those downtown shoppers (or close to downtown like me). It never seems to be too busy which is nice — cause no one likes fighting over that last steamable bag of prewashed broccoli.
A couple things stand out at this store. Firstly the produce is ridiculously awesome. I have never seen so much, piled so high, which such freshness. I have never seen another grocery store with such an abundance of absolutely perfect (think stepford wives) type of produce section. My only critique is that they are very limited in organic items, which I usually prefer.
Secondly is their meat case. Lord dyin’ — the array of fresh meat is outstanding. It appears to be a mile long at least and stocks lots of fish (even fresh ahi tuna), about 10 kinds of Spolumbos, a multitude of fresh cut steaks in all cuts (I don’t know how they are able to turn it over), pork, chicken, etc. The one thing I appreciate for the quick dinner fix is that they have a number of nicely pre-​marinated meats (Dijon chicken breasts, 3 peppercorn steaks/​pork, etc) which makes a quick BBQ much tastier than it could be at 6pm.
The dry goods areas are pretty standard however they do have a number of unique items not usually seen at the local Safeway or Superstore. Their cheese «hut» in the produce area is the largest cheese area in Calgary, I swear.
The only downfall is that it does lean on the pricier side, but for that you do have a great selection of fresh food — so pick your demons I guess. Again, very limited organic food as well for those who prefer to go that route.
Staff are usually really helpful as well, which is nice to see. I don’t’ get my groceries here every time, but try to make it a once a month visit as I do enjoy what they have to offer. Dig in!

This Co-​op is very nicely designed and yuppish grocery store. Far from its roots as a neighborhood co-​operatively owned business.
The selection of fruits, vegetables, cheese, breads are vast and a little overwhelming. They have extensive deli counter and in house bakery. They used to have a separate natural food section, but to my chagrin it is integrated into the main supply.
The one thing that I love about the new Co-​ops is that they are one of the only mainstream grocers besides Superstore to stock a variety of Gluten Free products. They Stock pasta, rice, cereals, gf flours, cake and muffin mixes. They do this at a reasonable price also.
Overall you are paying for the location, convenience and overhead. If you a a savvy shopper you should get out alive with some cash still in pocket.

The Jekyll and Hide of grocery stores. On the one hand it can be expensive, like $ 19/​kg for chicken breast, but on the other hand it can have some good deals once in a while like $ 10/​kg for chicken breasts. All in all it does tend to lean on the expensive side. And I really doubt the cash back you get for becoming a member at the end of the year really compensates for the difference. At least the ones I got were nothing to write home about.
I will say I like the deli and «Formage du monde» stand in the store. I do, occasionally, purchase their $ 3.49 panini’s for a nice snack. I have never sampled their wares from the «Formage du monde» stand, but the fact that they possess an assortment of cheeses from around the world is well, pretty cool for a grocery store.
I also enjoy watching the carry-​to-​the-​car service they have. For some, I get it! Busy mother, totally a bonus. Guy with four bags, I suspect he might enjoy the power of having a servant, even if it is for a couple of minutes.
This isn’t my first choice in a grocery store, it’s nearby so I shop here for the convenience of distance.

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.

I dont understand the allure of Co op. I think that it has become just one of those things that people just embrace because they believe it is better. A good example of that is Tim Hortons coffee. the coffee itself is ok, its the heavy cream that makes it delicious… anyhow I digress…
Calgary coop downtown has 2 good things going for it. Location (for me) and the great veggie, bakery section. No complaints there (other than the ridiculously high prices).
My major issues with coop are that it is very overpriced even compared to safeway… and the aisles are tiny with wicked lineups at the cash registers. Sure, they take your groceries out to your car if you like. As a relatively young guy, I wont be using that service until I am an old bloke.
At least at safeway they have buy one get one free sales and roomier aisles. I have been a member with coop for about 6 years and have never received a refund cheque.
For those who think that Co op is the bees knees… then thats great. For me it is just an overpriced grocery store.

The Co-​op downtown has to be one of my favourite places to eat, it is a Gnourmous grocery store but the most impressive area is the food court.
Parking is free and you have a choice to dine downstairs or upstairs with a nice view of the parking lot and surrounding condos. There is also a bigger table upstairs and kitchen area which seems to be for business gatherings, complete with TV and DVD player as well as white board for illustrations.
Now to the food part of what Co-​op offers. An amazing array of food selections, so many too mention, so let me try to do it here. You have an option of hot foods: burritos, pizzas, cabbage rolls and chicken wings just to mention a few. You can make a sandwich and choose whatever bread you want and exactly what you want inside. Or you can buy readymade BBQ whole chickens with choices of endless side dishes, vegetable, pasta or potato salads. Or what the heck mix it all up!!!
The beverage area, has a great selection of freshly brewed coffees, you can go the soda option or mineral water option. There are juices, teas, or hot chocolates.
Last but not least the desert area, carrot cake, mousses, chocolate, lemon, or pecan pies etc … the list goes on and on.
Then the price tag at the end is the most pleasing stage of your visit. So whatever your food mood be sure coop will cover it or at least come close. The whole store is aesthetically pleasing as well, airy with high ceilings, plus produce and products that are interesting, well organised and well labelled.

Hello delicious! I wish the co-​op by my house was as amazing as this grocery store is. You walk in the store and you are confronted with an amazing range of fresh produce. Yum! This produce is good enough to give the farmer’s market a run for it’s money. I’m a foodie, so I do not joke. I will be staggering co-​op and farmer’s market visits from now on.
In addition to the amazing produce, they have a HUGE selection of fresh cheeses from international markets and a wonderful deli selection. The layout is very well thought out — dry and non-​perishable goods are on one side, and the fresh items are located in the amazing front area. They have the typical selection of non-​perishables, though they have an admirable selection of international and ethnic foods for a place this far out of the North East.
I was very pleasantly surprised by this wonderland of foods.

I’m gonna tell you a secret, but let’s keep it just between us… capiche? Alright, here goes. I… LOVE…grocery stores. I know, NOT what you were expecting. But when I say I LOVE them, I mean if I have any spare time, I’ll go perusing around from one grocery store to the next. And any time I visit a new city, one of the things I will ALWAYS make time for is checking out a local grocery store. I go aisle from aisle looking at all the goods they have. And if I’m in a grocery store that is in a different city, country or even continent, then I’ll go through the aisles, eyes peeled, absorbing all the different & exciting things they have that I’ve never seen before.
I mean COME ON. As if you’ve never gone to a grocery store in the States just to see the latest flavour of Doritos, or the brand spankin’ new type of Oreos. I knew it, you totally feel me.
So when I wandered into this downtown Co-​Op, I’ll be honest, I got excited. The best way for me to describe it is as a ‘Bachelor/​Bachelorette’ Co-​Op. What I mean is this. They’ve got a MASSIVE deli/​prepared foods section with things that I’ve never even seen in other Co-​Ops in the city. They’ve REALLY taken into account the fact that the majority of people living downtown are single and there’s just about everything to please their culinary palettes. Samosas, Jamaican patties, cabbage rolls, fried rice, and my list isn’t even doing their selection justice.
Their produce is ridiculously fresh and yes, they have a very impressive bulk foods section.
It is blatantly obvious that this Co-​Op was very carefully designed with the downtown demographic in mind. It is a lot more modern, hip & ‘singles-​appropriate’ than any other grocery store I have visited in the city.
So here’s to all the singles in the city… give it a shot, I really think you’ll like it!