Sir; In your last issue of The Grocer you summarised the result of different shops on The Grocer 33. You claimed the Co-op has had the cheapest basket on one occasion, but I find this an unfair comparison. In the few months that I have read the magazine, The Grocer 33 has visited only a few Co-op shops, whereas Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury, etc, get at least one visit each week. It is, therefore, hardly surprising that the Co-op hasn't had good results. Indeed, I find my local Co-op better value than the larger Somerfield supermarket, 200 yards up the road. To make it fairer and comparative, The Grocer 33 should visit one Asda, Somerfield, Co-op, Tesco, Safeway, Sainsbury, Waitrose and Morrisons each week then each store will receive the same number of visits during each x-month comparison period. Andrew Newsome Torpoint Cornwall Note: The reason for fewer visits to the Co-op is simply because they are not always located in the regions we cover. The stores also have to be of a reasonable size to make a fair comparison. Between June and November 2001, the Co-op received 15 visits, but its out of stock tally was high at 31. {{LETTERS }}

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