Is this common in Lidl?

[Pheasantlysurprised]

I'm not a fan of their versions of things but my DP goes once per month for this and that. It's a good distance away and I can't be arsed. I usually don't go with him, so can't account what it is normally like.

Well, I went today! Decided to grab a few packs of free range chicken from the raw meat section. There were plenty on offer (unlike Tesco!) so reached in to have a look. Hand caught in a sea of slime, most packs were open, film peeling back, blood and water running out of the packs. These were mini breast fillets.
Some of the crap had dripped onto shelf below and and was smeared on the glass doors. This wasn't one single accident, around 10 packs were badly damaged and open.

~What I want to know is, is this an actual health hazard? One day last year the egg shelf stank to high heaven and most of the shells were busted. The staff seemed to notice but weren't concerned.

I guess I havent noticed stuff like this where I usually shop, but am interested if it is a peculiarity of Lidl or perhaps this particular store? I know accidents happen anywhere but this was really extensive and gross. Surely they check for issues like this?

The two Lidl's I shop in are spotless and well organised. That sounds stomach churning though.

Yes, I think voting with your feet (or your DH's!) is the best option.

Perhaps mention it on their social media page too

I go to lidl once or twice a week and never ever had anything like this. That's awful.

Definitely not representative of the usual standard of cleanliness in Lidl stores. The ones near me are squeaky clean, if basic

I saw a mouse in my local Sainsburys though, and when I told Customer Service the said "Oh yes, we just can't get rid of them."

Find Lidl is as good as anywhere, this is definitely unusual. I would have raised it with the staff.

No, I've never noticed anything like this in our local store. Always clean and tidy. I suppose it's down to the staff to keep it that way though, so you're bound to find variation from store to store.

OP like you said it might be that the store isn’t as well kept because it’s in a low income area I’ve found anecdotally that Aldi stores are nicer the wealthier the surrounding area is. The one near us is the nicest supermarket in the area and we’ve got Sainsburys / Tesco / Waitrose all within 5 ish miles but the one near my parents is pretty grim

I used to live near a Waitrose which constantly had packaging which seemed to have been tampered with and out of date stuff on the shelves. I think a member of staff was sabotaging things. So I think this stuff can happen anywhere. Not seen anything similar in my local Lidl, which is on a pretty ropey road.

Sounds like a store problem rather than a Lidl problem. My Lidl is better than my local Asda and Tesco. Cleaner, better stock and better quality eg, fruit, bread… You get the idea.

Yes, our closest Asda is an eyesore but I havent seen anything like this before.
I think it makes me a bit irrationally pissed off to think it is connected to a low income area. People who are struggling are paying the same bloody price for chicken, the least they can do is maintain some basic health and safety. Sadly I doubt anyone there would bother reporting it and if management are responsible my own complaint wont make much difference.
Maybe environmental health....

The one I use isn't like that.

Did you report it to staff?

Contact Environmental Health. They will definitely investigate. Its a statutory duty.

Oh come on, I highly doubt it's a deliberate thing they do because the store is in a low-income area! It'll surely have been a one-off caused by dodgy packaging or damage in transit or something. As you surely know, having raw meat juice dripping everywhere is a serious issue and no store would be blase about it. If you were so pissed off, did you let a member of staff know? They may be short-staffed at the moment due to covid - a lot of places are. I also find it insulting that you are implying that 'low-income people' would put up with this/not see it as a problem...

I've shopped in Lidl for about 15 years and have a store I use a few times a month and a couple of others I frequently visit but less regularly and I have never in my life seen anything like this. All the stores I go to are in inner-city areas.

Never seen anything like that in our Lidl. It's always as clean as any other supermarket.