The Co-operative Food

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. One foggy morning, as a delivery driver unloaded crates near The Co-operative Food's entrance, he swore he heard someone whispering in the empty aisles. Curious, he peered around but saw nothing. Then, from behind an old display of canned beans, came the scent of freshly baked bread—though no bakery was supposed to be there. Suddenly, from the end of the aisle emerged a grinning aubergine, holding a loaf of bread and saying, 'Hello there! I’m Mr. Aubergine, the new baker!' The delivery driver blinked, then laughed, realizing it had all been a prank by his neighbor who worked in the produce section. From that day on, whenever anyone asked for fresh bread, they’d just say, ‘Ask Mr. Aubergine!’

2. In the early hours of one chilly night, an employee stocking shelves at The Co-operative Food noticed something peculiar. As he reached for a box of cereal, a small creature scurried past him—an adorable squirrel with a bag hanging from its tiny paws. Curious, the worker followed it down aisles filled with groceries until the little fellow stopped near the baking section. With a mischievous look, the squirrel placed its bag on the counter and began rummaging through a nearby box of cookies. Just then, another employee walked in, exclaiming, ‘What on earth is going on here?’ Turns out, the squirrel was just hungry and had mistakenly taken someone’s shopping list instead of actual snacks.

3. In the depths of winter, when snow blanketed everything in white, a regular customer exclaimed, ‘I’ve seen stranger things than aisles filled with frozen peas!’ One day, a delivery driver arrived with an unusual cargo: a live penguin mistakenly delivered to the frozen foods section. A regular customer, noticing the flapping wings amidst the ice creams, quipped, 'This is getting stranger—now we have penguins chilling next to our frozen dinners!' The penguin soon became a neighborhood sensation, and everyone agreed that even in a co-op supermarket, you never know what you'll find.

4. One autumn afternoon, while shopping for groceries, a little girl pointed excitedly and whispered to her mother: ‘Look, Mommy, it’s talking!’ The mother looked puzzled but leaned in closer, smiling gently. 'No, honey,' she said softly, 'that's just Mr. Jenkins, our friendly neighborhood grocer, greeting customers as always.' The little girl giggled, realizing her mistake, and they continued their shopping, leaving behind the mystery of the talking supermarket.