The reader regularly goes shopping at the Coop after work – to get some bargains before the store closes. But that is becoming increasingly difficult.
The basics in a nutshell
- Shortly before closing time, fresh food items are often sold at a discount.
- The reader is disappointed: he finds such deals in Coop less and less.
- There are possible reasons, but it could also be a coincidence.
“I always go shopping after work because there is often discounted food. But lately, I can hardly find any deals, especially in the Coop,” asks Jolanda Z.* (26 years old) from Bern.
“I often see people wandering around the shelves shortly before closing time. They are literally waiting for the sales people to stick up the red stickers.”
Her guess: “Maybe people are jumping on sales because of rising food prices. That’s why they’re selling so fast.”
“This is an interesting observation – I don’t have any reliable figures on this,” consumer expert Christian Fichter tells Nau.ch. But it seems reasonable to me.”
Coop cannot ensure that discounted merchandise sells faster due to inflation. No noticeable change.
However, spokesman Caspar Frey explains: “We generally have very good experiences with the items we offer at discounted prices shortly before the end of the sales period.” The offer varies from day to day and depending on the branch.
Coop sells goods before their expiration date in surprise packaging
Another possible reason: Coop has been working with Too Good To Go since June. You can use the app to reserve food that cannot be sold the next day.
So do discounted merchandise simply disappear into “too good to go” bags? Coop doesn’t answer that — Fry only says of the surprise packages: “They generate a lot of interest and are actively purchased.”
Coop donates some of the food that can no longer be sold the next day to the “Tischlein Deck dich”. The organization preserves food and distributes it to those affected by poverty. Could this be the reason for missing trades?
People affected by poverty receive more food donations
“We have noticed that demand is increasing,” the organization’s Dina Hungerbühler tells Nau.ch. It cannot determine whether this is related to inflation.
But: “The amount of food from retailers, for example from Migros and Cope, has increased in recent years. We are constantly working to deepen this cooperation and exploit all possibilities to preserve food that is still edible.
Another possible explanation: Coop may have found that customers wait until shortly before closing time to shop. Therefore, the retailer can stock fewer merchandise.
Opinion poll
Are there fewer grocery deals at your favorite stores?
Yes, I noticed that too.
I don’t care about that.
“It would also be economically sensible and understandable,” says consumer expert Fichter. “But only the retailers themselves know whether it is being controlled in a truly targeted way.” Caspar Frey confirms that Coop did not notice any customers actively waiting for red stickers.
There’s no definitive explanation for the alleged decline in deals — one thing is certain, according to Fichter: When people notice that everything is becoming more expensive, they save more.
*The editor’s name is known
“Tv expert. Hardcore creator. Extreme music fan. Lifelong twitter geek. Certified travel enthusiast. Baconaholic. Pop culture nerd. Reader. Freelance student.”
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