
Thinking back to the Co-operative brings back so many memories and just how much we depended on it.
The Co-op in Springburn was an Alladin's Cave. It had everything from a pair of sannies to a slap up meal. The main store in Morrison Street just over the Kingston Bridge was like entering into another world. I can even remember my Dividend number, which isn't so hard as it was 11111. The old "divi" used to help us in many ways, like school clothes, the odd week-end and of course, somewhere we could go for a meal.
The Copey was used to hold receptions after a christening, after a wedding and sometimes sadly following a funeral. I hate to think just how many funerals I have attended which were arranged by the Co-op. All the arrangements, including the buffet after the burial, were arranged by the Co-op. Now, however, the Co-op seems to be purely into funeral arrangements with a plan called Funeralcare. No more wonderful shops, no more tea rooms where people could meet and chat. All in all, I think there are only a few small Co-op shops scattered around Scotland.
There was a fairly large supermarket in Kirkintilloch, but even this was bought out by Sainsbury's.
I still have my old dividend book, which I couldn't part with. You see, it was my mother-in-law's to begin with and when we moved in with her, we took it over and paid all the bills, and obviously we bought all the messages. The book must be 100 years old by now.
We sure miss the Co-operative.
Big Tommy