Swarthmore Co-Op Food Market

The Co-​op has demos every month so if you go at peak hours, you can try a product you might not have otherwise picked up. Great local selection, mostly organic. Try one of the locally roasted coffees!

Awful, awful service and way overpriced items. Going into the door, we were not greeted with a smile or a hello, even though i said it. Their prices are crazy!
2.49 a lb for green leaf lettuce! 10.99 a lb for perch! Their milk is overpriced by at least a dollar. Pre made sushi is 11 bucks, you can get it cheaper at an actual sushi place. I’ve had to run in here a couple times to get last minute stuff, after my last visit, i will surely be going somewhere else.
Upon checking out, the cashier didn’t greet us with a hello or hi, or give us a thank you. We had to ask 3 people for a bag for our items. These aren’t smarmy teenagers either, these are middle aged women.

This is where the rich Swarthmore college kids buy their food cause Mom and Dad are paying for it. It’s an interesting place to go in and look around.
Don’t have a problem with the place.
Have made a few purchases here.
Do have a problem with the cashiers — how bout a «smile» and a «thank you»?
We weren’t even given the option of a «bag» after I made a purchase.
Did it look that obvious that I was from South Jersey and not Swarthmore?
We have feelings too you know!

I found this place when I needed to pick up some soda to go with the Chinese food I was picking up next door (at the wonderful but now gone Cheng Hing *sniff*).
Seemed to me to be a mini Trader Joes/​Whole Foods type place. Not really the place to go to pick up a 2 liter of Dr Pepper (price wise) but in browsing around I found the fresh items to be really interesting.
The crux I’m writing this review and the main reason YOU in the Burbs should check this place out and the best reason why I will be back is that it’s the only place I know of outside of Philly that sells pints of Little Baby’s ice-​cream. Really unique flavors and outrageously fresh and delicious.
The associates were typically friendly and helpful as what is normally experienced in these granola supermarkets. Purchasing a pint of the afore mentioned ice cream sparked a great discussion about Little Baby’s, Pizza Brain and that area of Philly in general.
So come out to get your creamed ice fix and support a great little store while you do it.

Scam. This business, as it is in no way a true co-​op, has a business model to scam college kids and earthy, crunchy granola types. They claim they attempt to save the earth, but look around. Tons of materials bad for the earth. They claim to be all organic and earthy, but I’ve seen the deliveries. Same shit as the grocery store.
Let’s not forget that they attempt to charge for a bag. Greedy sons of bitches in here. You’d be better off heading to acme…

Been a CO-​OP member since they built the new building about 8 years ago. Because I am committed to the area and the mission of them bringing high quality food, be it organic or from Local farmers or fair trade outfits.
Besides that they have events for the community and they give the community what it needs and wants.
Members get some additional benefits but everyone is welcome to shop here.
The prices are higher than a chain but one of the great things about shopping at this gem is running into your neighbors.

I went to the co-​op for the first time 2 weeks ago. I purchased several spices, many vegetables and a few proteins. The spices and vegetables were great. I was disappointed with the lack of freshness with the proteins. I purchased 4 chicken quarters, 1 lb of scallops, 1 lb of cleaned shrimp, and 4 boneless pork chops. I cooked the shrimp and scallops that night. They tasted ok, but not nearly as fresh another local seafood market in the area. The chops were cooked on the next evening and they smelled as if they were starting to go bad if I did not cook them right away. The 3^rd night I tried to cook the chicken but they needed to be tossed. The chicken smelled like a rotten egg. None of these items were discounted for quick sale and there prices are higher than standard. I will not purchase my fresh proteins at the co-​op again.

The Co-​op is simply an amazing place with great ethics as far as sourcing. They have a large selection of organic produce and also offer humanely-​raised meats and sustainable sources for seafood. If you like fresh fish check out the «Day Boat» fish that day. They also carry pastured eggs, grass-​fed milks and yogurts, locally sourced from area farms.
The soups are fantastic– try the eggplant parm soup! The rotisserie chickens are delicious Bell and Evans brand antibiotic-​free, etc. It’s maybe a tiny bit more than a chain store chicken but save the carcass and throw it in the slow cooker overnight with an onion/​carrot/​celery/​bay leaf, then strain and you have homemade chicken broth in the morning to get a second or third meal out of it and save $ that way.
The cheese section is hard to match and they have a tiny cheese sampling box that is a great way to try some of the $ 22/​lb varieties.
Like coffee? Try $ 1 any size if you bring your own cup and a very reasonable $ 1 for small and $ 1.50 for large cup otherwise.
They do Quizzo every First Friday that is BYOB with a wing bar and a lot of fun. They also grill from I think 11 – 2 on Saturday while the farmer’s market is going on.
Yes, the prices on «standard» items is a little higher but over all it is a tremendous value and unique.

Always a handy place to shop for a quick few items but be prepared to spend $$$. They have rearranged the shelves in recent weeks, added bulk items in recent months, and have added a $ 0.05 charge per paper bag (it does not appear that plastic is an option anymore). So be prepared to drop that extra nickel if you haven’t planned your stop at the Co-​op this time.

The co-​op is one of those local grocery stores that does not have much competition. I believe it’s gotten by mostly by that. However, they do have some quality items — their cheese and sandwich bar is amazing. However, for anything else, such as crackers and non-​specialty items, their prices are simply ridiculous. Sometimes I see the co-​op as a convenience grocery store than anything else. With all that being said, I’m glad Swarthmore has a store like the co-op.p.s. There is a 10% student discount with ID, for all non-​dairy products!
For the most part, I would rather go to Target (1 mile away) than shop at the co-​op. I just can’t afford the co-op’s items in regard to daily food, ingredients, and necessity.

Great products, friendly staff, wonderful atmosphere!!!
I will always enjoy shopping here over the big corporate markets any day. Just wish it was cheaper…

Tip: They carry spices in bulk so you can spend .30 instead of $ 6.00 for that spice you need for one recipe.
They are on the expensive side, but it’s because they carry the best products.
I eat lunch here regularly. They have great sandwiches, and 3 soups that rotate.
The employees are always friendly, and they love to chat about whatever new food you decide to try.

Prepared sandwiches are to die for. This place is a great place to pick up select items that are hard to other places or if you are in a hurry. The cheese selection is wonderful. I wish they sold wine to drink on the patio with the sandwich. I love nothing more on a Sunday afternoon than to sit on the patio, eat my fresh made food and enjoy a good book. Last I read freakonomics while diving head first into my dream sandwich.

I think the Swarthmore CO-​OP provides great food quality as well as wonderful fruit, milk, vegetables and so on and so on. This local CO-​OP has wonderful meat. The desserts are exquisite. I recommend getting three different flavors of the mini cakes so you could have a tasting.
I like the way you check out. So when you have finished getting your items you get in line for check out then when somebody calls «I can help you with that» and you’re first in line you go to the person who said that and start unloading your groceries.
Décor
When you walk in, to your left is the meat area, the vegetables, the fruit, and the cheese. To your right is the check out area, the tables, the aisles, the coffee, and the candy. The ceilings are very high and I like the big lights on the ceiling. There are some outdoor tables I like to sit at. As you can see this is a very wonderful CO-​OP.
PEACE OUT

I could not velieve that I had forgotten about this jem of a store. I came to depisit a check and went for coffee after. When it appeared right in front of me. The co-​op foid narket… I just to shop here years ago and fir some reason i firgot about it.
This place is not trader joes but more of a local trader joes. People are friendly and helpful. If you like the 320 market then you will love this place.

Update: ⁶⁄₂₀₁₃
They are continually improving the store, having added a bulk department and bulk spices. They are also very consciously lowering prices on many items, and I often see better prices here than at other stores, even on simple items like broccoli. YAY! Please support this wonderful store! It is the heart of the Swarthmore community, and reminds me of Weaver Street Co-​Op in Carrboro, NC. :)

Price range $$$$ is right. This is an over-​priced independent market full of frou-​frou organic goods. If you can afford that, good for you.
College students on a budget, here’s what you need to know:
— Coffee: wonderful selection at the cheapest price in town (75 cents for a small, a dollar for a large). If you don’t do dairy or non-​dairy creamer, bring your own mug with soy/​rice/​almond-​whatever milk. They even have syrups for making your own fancy-​pants drinks. You don’t even have to talk to anyone when making your coffee purchase – just dump your change into the little white mug.
— Bargain bin — 25 cents a pound for produce that’s still a-​okay if you eat it the same day. Score!
Summary: get your coffee here!

For a while I put up with the high prices and limited selection for it’s convenience. The quality of much of the food is not noticeably better than the Genardis near by for most items — veggies are ok, meat, fish and cheese, are better, the rest is pretty much identical but with smaller selection and much higher prices. However they remodeled the check out area is a fiasco. Checking out is now a mess and the staff was just making it worse by being surly.

Delightful place to shop, reminiscent of the days before Whole Foods, Fresh Fields and Bread and Circus began the consolidation of the health food market. This quaint and wonderful grocery coop has survived in great part due to its proximity in the shadows of one of the most progressive Colleges in the nation, the über-​liberal Swarthmore College. The scene is genuinely artsy and upscale. And besides natural and organic foods, there is a sprinkling of regular market selections, chips, dips and detergents… Their selections are outstanding, and their prepared food is both multicultural and delicious.
We went over there and regretted that we had bought meat at another place previously. Their meat selection is the rage. Fresh, well cut and well presented. Veggies and greens are fresh and well organized. And their prepared selections are extremely good.
Employees are ALL friendly and eager to please. And plenty of parking. This place is a pleasure to shop.

This is where I shop when the Selene co-​op in Media doesn’t have what I’m looking for. (So, if you read my review of Selene, then you know I came here to get the basil and parmesan cheese for my pesto sauce.) It is bigger and more «normal» looking, and it has a much wider selection — but the trade-​off is there’s not as big of an emphasis on «whole foods,» etc. Still, they carry a lot of local stuff, and it’s nice to be able to come here for something I need at the last-​minute that Selene just doesn’t have.
I LOVE their selection of cheese, produce, and cut flowers the most. Oh and the baked goods. Chocolate zucchini cupcake! Awesome.
FYI, it is much more expensive to become a member here (I think $ 300) compared to Selene, but I don’t think there’s an annual fee — and you don’t need to be a member to shop here.