I made it a point to check this supermarket chain out when I was studying abroad in Florence. I lived within the city center (5 minutes from the Duomo), where the only supermarkets were small Conads and grossly overpriced Despar and Crai. I heard that this chain was much cheaper and offered a much larger selection. So, one day I decided to make the walk up, which was only about 10-12 minutes, and I was so happy I did. Coop has the largest selection of items in the entire city and the absolute lowest prices. Even if things were just a 5-6 cent difference from Conad, every cent counted because studying abroad and budgeting trips and activities ain't cheap.
Since all of the Conad's I had been to were relatively small, it was refreshing to see something similar to an American supermarket with a full deli counter (Salumeria), extensive frozen foods section, and large selection of wines, beer, and liquor. I always made it a point to get my snacks here, almost everything I could want in this area was under 2 euros. The entire store had about double of what the biggest Conad in the area on Via Pietripiana could offer at about 30-50% lower prices.
Because of its location, nearly all of the people who shop here are locals. I was pretty much the only American ever in here on my Monday grocery trips. Because of the great prices and selection, I made it my goal to come here once a week and do my weekly food shopping. The amount of money I saved really helped pay for the extras on some of my European travels as well. If you are 10-15 minutes away, it is without a doubt worth the distance compared to Conad. read more