Colden Common residents call for village Co-op to stop closing

The Co-operative Food and Post Office in Colden Common has been closing as much as eight hours early due to a lack of staff.

Residents have been posting daily in the Facebook group Colden Common Residents to keep one another in the loop about whether the shop, owned by the Southern Co-op, is open each day, to save others the journey.

Sam Balls posted in the group: “Does anyone know why we seem to have a part-time Co-op in the village? I’ve lost count of the times they’ve shut early recently without any forewarning. It’s so frustrating."

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Another resident posted: “Co-op closed at 1pm. If they are looking to lose their business along with the Post Office's erratic closure times. I think the time is right to give Tesco Express a shot at improving the store and keeping in mind the need for a strong identity and strong spirit and show of positivity in the community."

Others have contacted the Co-op’s customer service team. Parish council clerk, Debbie Harding, emailed the chief executive on Monday, August 21 on behalf of the parish’s concerned residents.

The parish clerk said: “Our role as the parish council is to support our residents and the Co-op plays a significant role in the community.

“We don’t know why the shop keeps closing early. The unpredictable hours make it hard for shoppers to plan their visits which is particularly problematic for people with busy schedules or less mobility.

“Customers are having to turn to neighbouring villages which could harm the shop’s economic viability moving forward and also increases the carbon footprint.

“They’ve served us well for many, many years and were outstanding during the pandemic. We’re not calling for a new shop but for them to get the root of the cause and resolve it.”

Parish council chair Maggie Hill said: "It's been going on since November and naturally residents are frustrated. We're trying to do what we can but it is out of our hands.

"If there's anything the parish council can do we will definitely try but unfortunately there's not a lot we can do. We'd like to see things improve and we will continue to push the Co-op for this.

"It is a concern. We used to have another shop in Brambridge and Main Road but this is our only one now so we're down to the minimum."

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Amid the frustration, some residents have thanked the staff that are actually working. 

One comment in the Colden Common Residents group read: "It's time to thank the Coop staff that are there, maybe a bit of appreciation and kindness will make people want to work there."

A spokesperson for Southern Co-op said: "We accept the level of service isn’t up to our usual high standards and apologise for any inconvenience this has caused our valued customers. We'd only close a store early when we've exhausted all other options and unfortunately the current situation is a result of a perfect storm of issues that we are working hard to resolve.

"We currently have a number of vacancies which we are struggling to fill on top of annual leave and colleague sickness. We are doing everything we can to make improvements as quickly as possible and we'd like to thank nearby colleagues who have helped out at Colden Common."

The website page for the Co-op, in St Vigor Way, informs customers that the Post Office operating hours will be temporarily reduced until October for staff training. However, there is no notice of reduced opening hours for the rest of the shop.

Defaced Co-op sign (Image: Adele Bouchard)

A sign on the side of the store which says "Your Post Office will be open whenever the store is open" has been defaced with people adding "What a joke!" and "Post Office, what Post Office?"

A Post Office spokesperson said: “We can reassure that there are no plans for Colden Common Post Office inside the Southern Co-operative store to close. There is currently a restructure in the ways of working in the store.

"More staff are being trained to work in the Post Office. This upskilling is currently taking place and it will mean that more people will be fully trained to serve both Post Office and retail customers, which will assist during holidays and sickness cover to maintain service.”

The shop is supposed to be open 7am-10pm each day. The Southern Co-op has been contacted for comment.