"Off My Trolley"

Farewell to my Co-Op
It's where I like to potter round
Not the same now it's Budgens
Seem to get less for my pound.
Your home brands look rubbish
There's better value at Lidl
Seems like you're ripping us off
Budgens on the fiddle.
Your 'knockdowns' aren't so generous
Where's the stuff going cheap?
Reductions hardly worth the effort
I almost want to weep.
Do you not realise
I'm not here because it's nice
My only motivation
Is finding stuff at a lower price.
Reeled in by that yellow sticker
To put a bargain in my bag
Tease me with a reduction
Or you're just another High Street slag.
The Co-Op wasn't the cheapest
A sort of love-hate affair
But the 'knockdowns' could be decent
Pretending that you care.
How sad does that make me
Nothing to rush home for
The almost out of date corner
That was my only lure.
My dinner's just like me
Almost past it but not quite out of date
A bit ropey and rough round the edges
Same as the stuff on my dinner plate.
How sad must it be
For it's for the Co-op that I pine
Missing that bargain bottom shelf
To decide how fine I dine.

Dulwich Poet 4th January 2017


(A few months ago the Co-Op branch in Sydenham closed, and was replaced by a Budgens)