IN the days before the big supermarkets and the discount chains such as Aldi, the shops that proved popular were the local Co-ops, where buyers got some of their money back.

This series of stores was a familiar sight in Glasgow in the 1950s and 60s as shoppers were able to get everything they needed under the one roof.

Cowlairs Co-op, on the corner of Springburn Road, was the original shoppers' paradise.

Those in the picture would have surveyed the wares in the windows. There were heaters and you could also get the Aladdin Pink Paraffin while you were there, and if you needed shoes for the weans for school then you just popped next door.

Pots and pans? They were there too.

And the good thing was everything you bought helped build up your dividend, or the 'divi' as it was known.

And everyone from that era still remembers their number...