Things I’m never buying from Lidl again....

[ShouldHaveCouldHaveWouldHave]

I like Lidl a lot. I like that there’s little choice of brands which stops me dithering. I like that there’s only about 5 aisles so it’s quick but there’s definitely things I’ll never buy again.

1. tortilla wraps. They stick together in the pack and tear when you try and separate them.

2. and the main reason for this thread. The sanitary towels! Awful, so awful for many reasons and I’ve only been using them for today. Never again.

Anything else I need to swerve??

Fruit and veg isn’t supposed to last a long time though. Most out-of-season fruit and veg is rubbish no matter the shop.

@anotherwinkywinkybumbum I get Always Infinity in Poundland. It’s the only place I’ve found them.

Toothpaste and mouthwash. Zero flavour, yet still dirty after. Utterly useless.

The pads are ok but I use them for added protection when wearing their tampons. Tbh I'll probably still buy them lol

Lidl are alright though (for the price I won't complain anyway), I love the fig diffuser; hazelnut bakery doughnuts; ginger biscuits

Yes to disliking their san towels, they're crap!
I do like their tampax though.
I like Lidl bran flakes and premium muesli. Some of their chocolate is nice. I don't mind the shea butter toilet roll.
Never had a problem with fruit or veg but I buy it as I need/eat it so a max of 2 to 3 days worth.
Meat is always fine too.
I love Lidl coconut yogurt, I'm addicted! (Also to fresh brownies from the bakery)

I absolutely will not entertain Lidl coffee. None of it!
The big block of Red Leicester cheese has recently gone to shit. There's no taste to it so I'm not buying that again.
Dh says the fresh lasagne is crap.
I'm not a fan of their Shampoo and Conditioner. I bought some for a holiday once and it was ok but I wouldn't switch permanently.

Lidl is great if you have time to go there and to another shop as you can't do a full shop there, but generally things I won't buy again:

Mince
free range chicken
most fruit - except tangerines
Veg that usually goes off
dishwasher tablets - leave marks on glasses

But, there are some great things,

yoghurts (greek ones are amazing)
multi vitamin fruit juice
pasta sauces
The Middle Aisle - brilliant. So random.

Pitta breads, I bung them in the oven as mini pizzas with toppings and Lidl ones are the only ones that go almost mushy. Never happens with any other brand.

Washing up liquid. Hopeless, bubbles just disappear instantly.

Meat goes off instantly before best before date, not a week went by where I wasn't putting a packet of meat in the bin. I'm not saving money if I'm a meal down despite buying meat!

I swear to god their frozen breaded cod is not cod.

Chocolate, ok for baking but not ok for eating.

@cretelover I really like Aldi mango chutney. It's a really good price too.

Pretty much everything

Over the years I've had loads of disasters

The meat tastes weird
The fruit and veg goes off on the way home
The cream cheese tastes weird
Butter I bought was off
I've had tampons come apart when trying to remove.. now that was fun.
The fizzy cola hand wash. Useless
Cleaning stuff all runny/watery
Sausages are really strangely herby tasting and shrink more than any sausages I've ever bought.
Cucumbers taste strange
Ditto the small sweet peppers
Wine is nasty
Their tonic water is nasty
The cheese tastes like feet
The last thing I bought was broccoli and it came with free pets.

I actually don't think it's any cheaper anyway. Packets/tubs are smaller. It's cheaper for less which is what you'd expect.

Pre made gravy. Came out at Christmas. Ugh.

the ice cream is rancid there and the cooked ham bits are like rubber

Agree loo roll is awful, and not cheap.

The peppermint tea was so awful I took it back!

But mmmmm fresh bread and pastries

oh and agree above their wine is not nice at all, even buying their most expensive ones taste like average costing wine from waitrose/sainsburys etc and the vodka tastes like paint stripper

Fruit and veg is very hit and miss. Often things go off within a few days! Potatoes green, cucumbers go yellow in the middle. I think they get it cheap and sell it quickly. Shame really, as otherwise everything would be great.

I'm wondering if Lidl is very different based on where you are. Lidl falls under the Lidl Ireland brand where I am and the meat is really fresh, from local suppliers, the dairy products are from local suppliers etc Lidl here is really great quality, it does sound like the descriptions here at all.

Definitely any cheap sanitary towels.

Also the frozen lobster 🤢

I live next door to Lidl.

The only thing I’ve really had trouble with was their potatoes - as someone else says. I had one bag that every potato was black. I took them back - next bag was the same. I peeled them all and took them back round to complain, but it was busy, and my roast was cooking, so I dumped the bag of peeled black potatoes back where I got it from, and left in disgust 😂

(Pre-Covid before any virus spreading accusations).

The rest of their fruit and veg is generally good and I’ve never had any meat that hasn’t lasted. Their pork sausages are delish (and GF), bakery is good, Greek yoghurt, jarred peppers and stuff, cheese fine, gin and wine nice, they have branded things (Heinz beans, soup, walkers crisps, etc).

Anything I don’t buy there? Hmm. No.

@anotherwinkywinkybumbum Boots do Always Infinity, usually only the larger branches. I actually like Lidl san towels. At least they aren’t scented and easy to get. I used to use Infinity all the time but they do get harder and harder to find and it often meant I’d have to make a special trip to a larger Boots store.

Washing powder.

The crisps ... they always have a strange texture

@Whatwouldscullydo

Pretty much everything

Over the years I've had loads of disasters

The meat tastes weird
The fruit and veg goes off on the way home
The cream cheese tastes weird
Butter I bought was off
I've had tampons come apart when trying to remove.. now that was fun.
The fizzy cola hand wash. Useless
Cleaning stuff all runny/watery
Sausages are really strangely herby tasting and shrink more than any sausages I've ever bought.
Cucumbers taste strange
Ditto the small sweet peppers
Wine is nasty
Their tonic water is nasty
The cheese tastes like feet
The last thing I bought was broccoli and it came with free pets.

I actually don't think it's any cheaper anyway. Packets/tubs are smaller. It's cheaper for less which is what you'd expect.

Exactly this and only likes French bread

Spinach. Mine had 7 snails in the packet

I think all these things if Tesco

To me Lidl is the better option, I can get everything we need at mine (not fussed about brands)

About the fruit: you should always buy the fruit that is in Season at Lidl, it’s best and cheap and excellent. So apples in October/November, Oranges in winter, mangos right now etc etc They do amazing cherries in July/August!

To stick with the theme though, their potatoes and sausages are no good IMO, and avoid bacon too.

I hate Lidl, we have to shop there every week because dh insists it’s such great value.
I then pop into Waitrose mid week to buy all of my bits. Call me a snob but I can’t stand crap quality food.

We shop at Lidl every week and some of the things people are listing we love! I don't like their washing powder it seems to stay in one big lump in the drawer. Fabric softener smells nice in the bottle but doesn't leave clothes scented. Freezer bags rip when you pull one off the roll. Don't like their own brand tuna but that goes for any supermarket I prefer John Wests. Can't think of anything else at the moment

I really rate Lidl but their crumpets are awful, really thin.