Advantages of a Consumers Co-operative Society

Consumers co-operative societies have brought real benefits to the ordinary household, to honest trade and to society at large. Their chief advantages are:

• Goods at fair and reasonable prices — By buying in bulk and eliminating middlemen, the society supplies goods at prices lower than, or no higher than, the ordinary market, stretching the family budget.
• Elimination of middlemen — The society removes the wholesaler-distributor-retailer chain, so the profit that once went to a string of traders is saved for the members.
• Pure and good-quality goods — Members are assured of genuine, unadulterated goods of correct weight and standard quality, free from the cheating common in ordinary trade.
• Protection from exploitation — The society shields members from hoarding, black-marketing, artificial scarcity and overcharging, especially in times of shortage.
• Patronage bonus (saving returned to members) — The surplus is shared back among members in proportion to their purchases, so the money saved by shopping at the society comes back to the members themselves.
• Encouragement of thrift — The dividend on shares and the patronage bonus reward saving and custom, building the habit of thrift among members.
• Simple, democratic and local management — Run by the members themselves on 'one member, one vote', the society is close at hand and understands local needs.
• Check on private traders — The very presence of a fair-price co-operative store keeps private shopkeepers of the locality honest, forcing them to keep their prices and quality in line. …