Coventry Co-operative Societies

I used to love going to the Co-op near the bottom of Bishop St. Mum would send me down with a list and say "don't forget to ask Mrs Baker for the divi". I'd have to quote the number (30536) and bring back the little pink ticket. I seem to remember they used to send the money to the cashier through a vacuum tube, and the change would come back the same way!

There wasn't much left of it after the war. It's on the extreme-left here behind the lamppost:

That's amazing! Thanks Dutchman.

How many people can remember their old check numbers? Mine (or, more precisely, my mother's) was 49476.

We had two for some reason, the first I recall was 42195, the other began with 74 but can't remember the rest.

Yes, 58046, well it was 38 years ago.

Go on then . . . Grandma's was 32034 and mum's was 49687

Mum's was 60691 and dad had his own for when he bought cigarettes, it was 65704.

My mum's was 54995. I hated going on an errand to our local Co-op when I was young, because I always had to try & remember that long number. Maybe that's how I became good at trainspotting. Best wishes to you all.

My mother's was 17235 at the Co-op in Wheelright Lane, Holbrooks. Does the lowest number win a prize or am I just showing my age. Are there any Co-ops still around.

Used to go to the Co-op when food was rationed. I remember there was a great big slab of cheese on the counter and my mother ended up with a slab as big as a matchbox but I did get 2 ounces of sweets.

That's reminded me that I can just recall that mum used to take me and our ration books to the Co-op on the corner of Allesley Old Road and Glendower/Brookside Avenue, where the blonde lady by the name of Essie always managed to find a little extra piece of cheese for her

That Co-op is still there. A couple of years ago, my wife sent me out to hunt down some 'Camp' coffee & that was where I found some. Where can you buy 'Camp' coffee nowadays? I know its only 4% coffee but the mix of flavour with the chicory makes a refreshing drink as well as for use in baking. Thankfully, I did not have to remember 54995. Good old the Co.

The present one wasn't built till 1957 and has been considerably altered since then. That sounds a bit late for rationing so was there another on the same site before that? The original, more decorative 1920s building, was on the corner of Maudslay Road and is now a DIY warehouse.

Certainly was, dman - rationing ended in 1954 and by then I would have been at school with PhilipinCoventry, and our family had moved house, so I would say 1952/53 that I recall