Odd / worrying eperience in LIDL tonight.

[eldersis]

I have shopped at ASDA (sheffield) for my main shop for several years but the number of items constantly unavailable or out of stock means I often go to LIDL to get missing items. This week, milk, eggs and all the meat I ordered was unavailable do I took myself off for a second shop.

A maintainance guy was removing every other fluorescent tube in the rows of striplights ! Not replacing but removing. The cashier who I have known for years confirmed this, she also said that they had turned the heating down to the point that staff were wearing fleeces over their uniforms. She was wearing a plain black zip up fleece (no pattern or logo) and her supervisor wasn't happy as it was not official uniform.

So two huge companies seemingly in trouble.

Asda out of stock , no longer sending slightly pricier substitutes OR (as i feel pushing more expensive brands)

LIDL. Halving lighting costs and reducing heating .

Anyone else seeing this in their own regular supermarkets ?
Anyone noticing other odd events ?

As a couple of PPs have pointed out, we can expect to see a move to LED lighting and solar PV on supermarkets - and many other public buildings. Electricity consumption by lighting can be greatly reduced. Refrigeration is more of a challenge.

It is a lot of money to invest in one go though, so you can expect to see the most energy inefficient sites changing first.

This has been talked about for years, but it took a surge in energy prices to focus thinking.

I noticed M&S (the clothes/beauty areas) was absolutely freezing the other day. I didn't hang about, and I wouldn't have wanted to try anything on in there.

Do you know anyone working somewhere that pays business rates for electricity? Because they are through the roof, far more than household rates.

DH company has seen their energy rise from approx £1 million a year to around £3 million and could hit £5 million after the next increase in April. And this is a relatively small company. Businesses are being utterly hammered by this. People are understandably very focused on what they’re paying personally but do not underestimate what is happening to businesses. Whatever they’re doing won’t even be enough to maintain profits, they will still be paying out far more. DH looked at what they could save, turning off non essentials etc and it came to about £160,000 out of a £4 million increase. Many many companies will be in similar positions.

I was in a McDonalds a few weeks back. No heating. Apparently it was "awaiting repair". As it has been for a month.

Still as long as the huge flashing billboards along the M5 and M6 can stay on, that's all that matters.

Clever idea really

My nearest Sainsburys is in semi-darkness and is freezing cold. It's fine for me as I just dash in, buy doughnuts and leave, but must be very unpleasant for the staff. But then, redundancy would also be unpleasant for the staff if the store was forced to close due to high electricity costs. I hope they have all been issued with extra layers.

Yeah I was expecting the paranormal

so you cant see what you are buying
they are taking away many best before as well arent they
take a head torch

I'm sure they are just looking after their profits over their staff and customers rather than being in any trouble. Lidl's profits apparently quadrupled fairly recently.
www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/17/lidl-profits-quadruple-as-cash-strapped-shoppers-look-for-bargains

I was in our local Morrisons today discussing exactly this with my daughter.

It's hard to read labels and it feels gloomy, but I guess needs must.
Other large shops are managing to keep their lights on, I wonder why it's the supermarkets doing this.

Doesn't look like they are struggling at all

That this House notes reports in the Sunday Times suggesting that, at a time of an acute cost-of-living crisis for households and food inflation running at over 14 per cent, UK supermarkets are set to announce higher-than-anticipated profits

edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/60504

Maybe the lighting is about making us think they are struggling while they continue profiteering?

My local New Look is always dark and cold and no music anymore. Always really empty too with hardly any staff or customers.

Where I live it was on the news today that the electricity crisis is most likely over now, or if not now or very soon.

Move to my town. They went off at midnight but people complained as they were still out and about (myself included) so they changed to 1am - 5am. (Means my paramedic neighbour now drives less than a mile to work for an early shift as she doesn't want to walk in the pitch dark.)

100% this is about net zero targets and not saving money. This is a good thing.

Our local Lidl was extremely poorly lit today also ! I just assumed a few bulbs had gone or something !

It’s happening in all shops. I’ve just come back from my local B&M and it’s was like a meat freezer in there, I could literally see my breath coming out.

Some supermarkets are trying to dim the lights and not play music over the tannoy to try and help customers who are sensitive to lights and noise.
Ours does it at certain times in the week so nobody feels excluded.

Hollister!

I notice at services just outside Bicester before Christmas all the lights were off in one car park, really hard to see at all when walking too and fro

Yeah, I'd say that too if questioned ....

Don't think that's either odd or worrying!!

It's sensible

I went into my local Wilkinson last Saturday and the shelves were bare. Not just Saturday rush bare, almost like haven't restocked in a week bare. It was bizarre!

Firstly, there is no cap on commercial gas & electricity and so businesses need to be more careful than homeowners since they already pay considereably more per kwh (the shop my sister works in came out of contract for electric and the cost increased 200%). Secondly buildings have to come up to a certain epc standard in order they can be used - if they fail due to lack of investment (probably because they spent money on heating and lighting) they aren't legally permitted to be used. Thirdly, much as I definately see a difference at my office and the supermarket etc. I'm happy to wear a fleece, an extra pair of socks and thermals to work and to shop because I need my company to keep paying me so I can shop at the supermarket who can keep paying their staff. Big company profits these days are mainly the utility companies.

Our local leisure centre has stopped heating the swimming pool. There's no way I'm going in!