It may be hard to imagine small to medium sized operations having the same purchasing clout as a Home Depot, but cooperatives have the ability to do exactly that. How? Aggregation of purchasing power. When a small business joins a co-op with other businesses that purchase the same goods, every one of them gets in on the preferred vendor agreements negotiated on behalf of the entire group, no matter how little they purchase. Members share in the net profits of their cooperative in proportion to their participation in the co-op.  Clearly, cooperatives help small businesses stay competitive by giving tools that will enable them to entice customers back from the giants. In fact, many believe that aggregation of buying power will help change the balance of power to a more level playing field between huge chains and independents.