Leaving NO BREAD for the everyday shoppers

[Marcia123]

My family like Co-op own brand toastie white bread, amongst other breads. But because of the selfishness of many of the Cafes on Lordship lane we don't get any.

For 3 weeks on the trot I've gone into Co-op to get their bread and even after a deliverly has been there's none left. I even tried the evening to no avail. On speaking to members of staff they state they may have to start ordering more as the cafes buy them in bulk and don't seem to think oh yes I'll leave some for the none business customers.

Remember that the bread only cost 75p and the cafes make sandwiches and then charge the customers some ridiculous price and make themselves profit.

Well Co-op are to ask the Cafes if they can think about the customer and start doing this.. I hold my breath. It's much easier to be selfish than think about others eh.

[JohnL]

I notice on the Co-Op website

"Due to high demand and the level of automation, the bread is produced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week"

So is it a logisitics problem :)

[Sue]

This surely isn't the cafes' fault!

They are as much entitled to buy the bread as anybody else!

It's the Co-op's fault for not ordering sufficient bread to meet what appears to be a regular demand, isn't it?

The Co-op would be shooting themselves in the foot to ask the cafes to get their bread from somewhere else, surely?!

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

"the cafes buy them in bulk and don't seem to think oh yes I'll leave some for the none business customers. "

Are the other shoppers considerate enough to think they'll leave some bread for the cafes?

[TheArtfulDogger]

Supply and demand issue by the coop really

They can see that bread is selling well so they should either order more in or ask the cafes to place a daily order for what they need so that the coop can manage supplies

Not really the cafes issue imo

[DaveR]

"Remember that the bread only cost 75p and the cafes make sandwiches and then charge the customers some ridiculous price and make themselves profit."

That sounds like the normal way to run a cafe.

[micromacromonkey]

Damn those selfish, profiteering cafe owners.

Poe's Law in action.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe's_law

[i*Rate]

Interesting difference between Cafe owners (business people) and ordinary folks, like us.

Back in the 80's anyone could form a food Co-Op and go and buy basic commodities in bulk, share it out, and get by, then they changed that so that you could not buy unless you were running a business.

Now businesses can help themselves and bulk-buy from our shops without having the inconvenience of travelling to a wholesaler - that's progress for you.

They don't go to the Brickhouse Bakery though, at ?5 a loaf, they'd be off their loaf - Gettit!

[JohnL]

A Capitalist would offer ?1 for the bread if they save it for you.

Cue Bread War.

[DulwichFox]

I have seen some Supermarkets limit certain items to prevent this sort of thing from happening.

After all I thought the Co-op was supposed to be the 'Peoples' Store..

Marcia, you will get very little joy from people on EDF. Some have Shares in Pubs in and around the area.

Some own local businesses.

DulwichFox

[uncleglen]

I am serious about the bread I eat and I had breakfast including toast in one of the cafes around LL- never again-it was like cotton wool soaked in melted marge.

[Marcia123]

Well it seems people are quite passionate about their LL Cafes ... but DulwichFox. I do like your comment regarding limiting certain items. I'm aware that certain stores do this on particular items.

Yea I do agree with TheArtfulDogger..The Cafes should put in a daily order and perhaps Co-op order more. I just wanted to see if anyone else had experienced this problem..alas I'll have to go to M & S..

Thank you all for your input..glad to know where my bread is buttered!!!!!!

[Sue]

DulwichFox Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> Marcia, you will get very little joy from people

> on EDF.

Some have Shares in Pubs in and around the

> area.

> Some own local businesses.

>

What on earth have either of those things got to do with the Co-op apparently failing to understand supply and demand and hence failing to exercise basic control over their stock?

Care to explain?

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Every co-op card holder has a share in the business. Perhaps this is the clique of capitalists that runs the EDF forum she is talking about...

[Louisa]

I think it is disgraceful how some businesses are forcing local supermarkets to compromise their regular customer base to satisfy the needs of some local cafes and eateries. The fact this bread is from the co-op (also one of my favourite loaves too), is all the more ironic when you consider the history of this supermarket.

Foxy is right, don't expect too much sympathy on this forum when you consider some of the 'look at me' mob are stakeholders in certain cafes, who are emptying shelves of tasty bread destined for normal folks tables, so they can buy up all the bread and sell it on again in the form of a sandwich.

Louisa.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Where is a cafe meant to buy their bread? Co-op just need to manage their stock. Plenty of 'ordinary people' stop off for breakfast at the local cafe.

[rendelharris]

Louisa Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think it is disgraceful how some businesses are

> forcing local supermarkets to compromise their

> regular customer base to satisfy the needs of some

> local cafes and eateries. The fact this bread is

> from the co-op (also one of my favourite loaves

> too), is all the more ironic when you consider the

> history of this supermarket.

>

> Foxy is right, don't expect too much sympathy on

> this forum when you consider some of the 'look at

> me' mob are stakeholders in certain cafes, who are

> emptying shelves of tasty bread destined for

> normal folks tables, so they can buy up all the

> bread and sell it on again in the form of a

> sandwich.

>

> Louisa.

*DISCLAIMER I AM NOT A STAKEHOLDER IN ANY LL BUSINESS!*

Surely as stated above this is just a stock issue for the Co-op? And isn't it better that local businesses are getting their stock from a local outlet providing employment for local people? And have I just made East Dulwich sound like Royston Vasey?

As for the scandal of caf?s buying bread then through some magical process turning it into sandwiches, well surely nothing short of a parliamentary enquiry is needed into this abhorrent practice.

ETA and seriously, moaning about not being able to get one type of bread on a street packed with bakers, convenience stores, supermarkets etc selling every conceivable variety of said product, when 795 million people in the world are starving, is such a first world problem it's off the scale.

[edhistory]

> And isn't it better that local businesses are getting their stock from a local outlet providing employment for local people?

Bit of a jump there.

[Zebedee Tring]

Local bread for local people - and "special" meat from the local butchers.

This thread is EDF at its hilarious best - or worst?

[singalto]

The wonders of First World problems!

[indiepanda]

I can't believe this is being seen as an issue of selfishness on behalf of business owners. And I say this as someone who doesn't own a business of any description or work in anything to do with food.

If Co-op are frequently selling out it is sheer incompetence on their behalf - it's surely one of the first rules of retail to have enough stock to meet demand, and especially of something as basic as bread.

If cafes were saying to customers that they couldn't make them a sandwich at lunchtime because they had no bread people would think they were idiots for not having gone and bought enough and if it happened often enough they would run out of customers pretty quick.

[uncleglen]

Most small shops that sell bread have it delivered so it is the fault of the cafes etc...they should organise a bread delivery for themselves- they would probably get it cheaper that way (unless they have looked into it and found it is not cheaper as the supermarkets could be using bread as a loss leader)

[BrandNewGuy]

Small retailers will often buy retail and sell retail. If you buy an Easter egg or a 'tin' of Quality Street from a small retailer, the chances are they've bought it from a supermarket that has discounted it to less than the retailer would pay at the wholesaler. Blame predatory pricing and preferential pricing rather than the small retailer.

[Penguin68]

Nevertheless, if I was a small retailer of e.g. sandwiches with a regular need for bread I would make an arrangement with a supplier (say the Coop) for that supply, and attempt at least to negotiate a discount for a regular supply (I assume that other types of comestible which would go into sandwich fillings could also be supplied by the Coop ? such as cheese, cucumber etc.) That way the Coop would have knowledge of their stocking requirements. Indeed even without an order any decent POS (Point of Sale) system will know buying patterns ? many years ago 7-11s had a sufficiently good system that they set up deliveries throughout the day (up to 4 I believe) which took account of demand patterns at different times of day to allow the right goods to be stocked at the right times (these stores used all their space for retail leaving no storage capacity ? shelves were filled straight from deliveries). So shelves empty of bread are the fault of poor stocking management by the Coop and not bad behaviour by their customers. So no surprises there, then.

[Louisa]

With respect rendel, I don't think that's the point. I just find it odd that cafes who pride themselves on their independence, would want to use a local chain supermarket to clear the shelves of a certain product which many, including the OP and myself love, just to satisfy the needs of their own business model. They should have other wholesale suppliers as pointed out above. I could easily go the marks and spend a fortune on a similar loaf, but I actually think the co-op toastie white is delicious and good value for money. You can't expect a supermarket chain to keep buying in lots of the same product just because a few cafes need the supply for their sandwiches, can you imagine the profit margin on those btw when you consider it's only 75p a loaf? It's pure greed, simple as that, and people trying to justify it only adds to the stakeholder perception many of us from the outside looking in see, when we look at 'the club' of regular forumites justifying this selfishness.

I want my 75p load from my local co-op because I like it, I don't want it from anywhere else, including local cafes who can buy in bulk from wholesale!

Louisa.