I've shopped at my lovely, small, local Co-op store for over twenty years. Recently however, Co-op's own brand items have disappeared, replaced by more expensive branded items instead. For example, a kitchen cupboard staple - Co-op Baked Beans hasn't been on the shelves for months. Likewise Co-op's own brand soups are missing too. The cheapest single tin of baked beans I could find was £1.70 (Heinz) and soup £2.25 (Baxters). We're in a cost of living crisis; people are struggling to make ends meet. Co-op's loyalty card rewards customers for buying Co-op own brand products which aren't available, so what's the point of the loyalty card? If you try to contact customer services by phone you'll be turned away - it's gone digital. The staff at my local Co-op are truly wonderful, and Co-op's own brand products are good quality too, but the ethical store has out priced me out and refuses to engage. This is a serious issue. I think about people who are struggling to manage on welfare, or senior citizen who have difficulty with technology, and I feel sad for the way the world is going.