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Those who look down their noses at Lidl might be tempted to rethink now.,,

188 replies

GiantKitten · 01/02/2021 19:34

They have got a surprising amount going for them! Smile

Those who look down their noses at Lidl might be tempted to rethink now.,,
OP posts:
DenisetheMenace · 01/02/2021 21:46

ConeHat

I think.i prefer Aldi to Lidl but thinking about it, our Aldi seem to be constantly stocking shelves and I always feel in the way.”

Actually, know what you mean, same at our local one. ‘Siecualky now, signs everywhere about social distancing but doesn’t seem to apply to the staff. Do like their products though.

DenisetheMenace · 01/02/2021 21:47

Especially now

Wyntersdiary · 01/02/2021 21:49

I find the meat in lidl looks disgusting and is often gooey

DenisetheMenace · 01/02/2021 21:50

Disgusting? Really?

MadisonAvenue · 01/02/2021 21:51

My local Lidl closed down a few years ago. It always seemed dated, dull and dirty in there and the next nearest one which is 10 miles away is just the same whereas Aldi is clean, bright and modern.
The queues were always horrendous too.

Impatiens · 01/02/2021 21:56

The baskets at our local Aldi are absolutely filthy! I mean actually thick with grime, in the middle of a deathly pandemic ffs. I'm sick to death of having to spend 5 minutes cleaning and sanitising them so I just don't use them any more.

SunsetSenora · 01/02/2021 21:57

Our local Lidl is great and although it is not the best customer service, it is miles better than Aldi. However, the Aldi where I work is much better than the one where I live so maybe it is a case of a few bad apples or lack of management. Our Lidl has a bakery which is fabulous.

baroqueandblue · 01/02/2021 21:58

No time to read the full thread but I heart Lidl! Time was I just used to fill in from there but these days I'll do bigger shops and not even have to go to one of the longer-established supermarkets for a few days. No Aldi within walking or local bus ride distance so as much as I like it I hardly shop there. And our nearest Waitrose is miles away so I only go there occasionally for the odd special bit. Nope, Lidl has massively grown on me over the years and the virtual scratchcards on their loyalty app after every shop are brilliant, I fairly frequently get 50p, 75p and even a quid off my next trip. They're really human in their PR in a way that others aren't, is my feeling. Some very pleasant staff too. Was really worried that brexit might mean they disappeared from our shores, coz think they were originally a European chain, but mercifully they're still here 🙏

strawberriesontheNeva · 01/02/2021 22:04

They have food scares frequently (usually salmonella) I wouldn't shop there.

theviewfromhalfwaydown · 01/02/2021 22:05

I find shopping there so stressful and the checkouts just make me anxious as it’s so fast and I feel like I’m holding them up just chucking things back into the trolley. I swear the one near me could be empty but the moment I get to the till there are 20 people ahead of me.

I tend to just shop online these days as I can’t cope with supermarkets anywhere at the moment.

theviewfromhalfwaydown · 01/02/2021 22:06

One thing I do love from Lidl though is the cinnamon rolls. Sadly they are usually sold out when I get there.

Conniethesensible · 01/02/2021 22:08

I never understand why people prefer shopping at M&S and Waitrose. The kindest people I’ve met in supermarkets have been at Aldi and Lidl.
I’ve always hated the aloof snobbery at M&S.

DaisyDreaming · 01/02/2021 22:11

I hate our lidl and have good Lidl envy!

bubblebubblebubbletrouble · 01/02/2021 22:12

I love lidl but local one is small, difficult to park & quite often has queuing outside.
I like the convenience of click & collect / delivery so rarely go especially during covid as I am a single parent.
My local Lidl is full of Europeans & students. Twas worst week ever when the daily mail were giving away vouchers & demographic changed....

rawalpindithelabrador · 01/02/2021 22:17

Lots of rural areas have no Aldi or Lidl. The rest of the UK thinks they're on every corner.

partyatthepalace · 01/02/2021 22:25

Do you work for them? Grin

DenisetheMenace · 01/02/2021 22:32

UnityUnited

“I love seeing posh people in Aldi and Lidl buying wine.“

We’re in the NW, where Booths is the equivalent of Waitrose (posher, actually. Yes, there are posh people oop north Grin).
Have seen so many people leaving Lidl with their Booths’ hemp shopping bags stuffed full.

CaffeineInfusion · 01/02/2021 22:34

I have Lidl and Aldi near me. I'll pop in, but once their fridges start to smell like stale milk, I give them a wide berth. Then try again a few weeks/months later, giving them a chance to clean.

Should also say I rarely go into the local tesco express, as their fridges always leak / break down.

Hate the smell of stale milk🤮

mrsbyers · 01/02/2021 22:34

Lidl is my favourite , if you cook from scratch great value meat and dairy but if you’re a ready meal and brand label processed food type then I can understand people find it limiting

visitorfromtheplanetzog · 01/02/2021 22:51

@Gubanc

I went off Lidl about 2 years ago. Everything is wrapped in plastic.
Just like almost every other supermarket I can think of.

To be honest, at the moment I don't want to be buying loose fruit and veg that other people have been touching and breathing all over.

Lidl bakery is excellent, by the way.

thegcatsmother · 01/02/2021 23:01

Their packs of dauphinoise potatoes are great and very similar to those I used to get in larger quantities in Belgium, when I lived there. Their pastrami and salt beef is good; the sliced Gouda, Maasdaam and Emmenthal is very similar to the stuff in Belgian supermarkets. The Sicilian lemon yoghurt and cheesecakes are good. The Portuguese custard tarts are excellent.

The wine isn't bad either, and their own label mitigates and twix substitues are good. They sell those massive bars of Ritter Sport too. The feline over lord is very pleased with his weekly tray of chicken legs.

Fascinationends · 01/02/2021 23:06

Same as some pps, Lidl smells grim and I hate trying to get past the bakery section without breathing.
The flowers are always limp and dyed blue.
The queues at the till rival Westfield Primark on a Saturday afternoon. Once, they waited till I had got everything on the conveyor belt then closed my till without serving me, leaving me to pile everything back into the trolley and requeue.
Unfortunately they do a really lovely handwash, so I go every so often and stock up on and feel obliged to give them another go.
My local aldi makes me even sadder. It's as if they set up shelves in a dingy basement carpark then lob faux fur cushions on top of sockets sets on top of opened packs of thermal socks. And I'm supposed to be seduced by that...

DenisetheMenace · 01/02/2021 23:06

thegcatsmother

“The feline over lord is very pleased with his weekly tray of chicken legs.“

🤣🤣🤣

Most accurate description of cats, ever.

SlopesOff · 01/02/2021 23:09

I try not to use Lidl because I always end up with the bag of peppers with a couple of rotting ones hiding away, or the bag of lemons with the mouldy one turned away from the side so it doesn't show, the cabbage with the black mould inside, the meat that goes off before the use by date, or the sausages that develop little manky bubbles before they get used.

I don't like much from there anyway, except the Greek yogurt. The cheese has no flavour, the butter goes watery if you heat it up for cooking, the pastrami is rank, and the Cien face and body stuff has things in it that are used to make detergents and it brings me out in a rash, it didn't used to before they ruined it. They discontinued the dishwasher cleaner a couple of years ago.

So, we do buy stuff from Lidl, such as muesli and yogurt and wine. However, none of it is for me. The rotten fruit & veg tends to be for me so I feel justified in being peeved and not wanting to shop there.

Aside from all this, it is a scrum of people reeking of garlic and stale cigarettes, and ramming trolleys into you, and so much crammed in that you have to keep moving out of the way because the aisles are too narrow and there are pillars everywhere. I always leave without buying much because it is hell. I know other people don't find it like this but we have a really cramped and manky store.

PickAChew · 01/02/2021 23:09

They're OK but I can't do a week's shop there. I might do a top up shop there but since I'm minimising top up shops I just pop to the nearby butcher, coop or sainsburys local if I run short of stuff. Our lidl is next to a massive sainsburys and a decent sized markses food hall so I'd rather shop at them if I'm walking all that way.