The new and new branded co-op store, Stratford on Avon

 

the former Croydon Superstore

 

South Suburban former Central Premises

The picture that tells the whole story

 As this blog is to promote coöps I thought I should show this. It is a share pass book, belonging to a lady in membership of the South Suburban Coöperative Society, which covered Croydon and parts of South Greater London until the 1980s.

Mrs ?? starts off by putting in 1s, about a fortieth of a working mans wage, in 1920. By 1936, simply by buying her shopping, food and non food at the store she has received £97 7s 11d by 1936. This would go about a quarter of the way towards buying a house or would buy the lady a small car. This is money that would have been given as net profit to the shopkeeper if Mrs ?? had shopped in the private trade. South Suburban was also a low dividend society.

Doesn’t this picture tell you everything you need to know?