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@Benfell @Dogzilla @weaselx86 @vikxin @Radical_EgoCom @duckwhistle The most familiar type to most people is credit unions. If you've ever had experience with a credit union, you've probably sensed a difference in the over all "flavor" of their business. Much less in your face about getting your business. Much more service-oriented and wholesome.

What distinguishes a coop from a regular corporation is that the shareholders are the workers and/or the customers. This eliminates a lot of conflicts of interest that arise from shareholders being 3rd parties. You won't screw your workers if you are one of the workers. You won't screw your customers if you are one of the customers.

Another common and important (but not universal) features of cooperatives is they tend to be one share per shareholder, which makes them very democratic in how they are run.