To think Lidl packing policy is bonkers...?

[malificent7]

I take my shopping bags to Lisl. At the till they think they are safer/ customers are quicker if they put their shopping in a basket 1st then took basket over to side and pack there coz of COVID..
I pointed out to the cashier that I would ve in the shop less time if i put shopping straight into my bags and walked out...id also be near her the exact same amout of time. Am i thick or something?
In effect customers are packing twice/ loitering longer.

I’ve always packed bags at the till in Aldi when I’ve got a trolley. There’s a notch at the end where the trolley fits in.

I have those big bags for life open in the trolley, put my shopping on the belt with all the heavy stuff first and then just scoop it all into the bags. I’ve always easily kept up with the staff scanning.

Our Aldi started making you pack at the bench during the first lockdown. It made no sense, I was in the shop longer than I would have been if I’d just been allowed to chuck it straight into the open bags. I haven’t been in there for ages so I’ve no idea if they’re still enforcing it

I didn't know this was a thing. We always pack our bags at the checkout and nobody has said otherwise.

That's why I won't shop in Lidl or Aldi - I don't appreciate having my shopping thrown at me.

I agree. If your done a full weekly shop, unpacking it all at the bench to repack into bags is a PITA and what’s more I’ve seen the bench crowded with people trying to sort themselves out. Meanwhile the helpful intercom guy is telling everyone there should pack outside in the busy car park in the dark in the pissing rain
I pack straight into 3 bags for life, just chuck it all in and go. Never been commented on and I’m not the only one who does it.

PussyCat, 100% agree with you.

@JerichosPenisInADeadChickHat

"Use the self check out instead"

They don't exist in Lidl

Yes they do - there’s 4 in Glasgow, Jamaica st?

I pack at the till in aldi. If I can't keep up I do what I can and then finish off packing at the shelf. I've never been told off or barked at or anything like that. I need to shop at aldi to save money so I'm happy to follow the rules. I don't want a shopping experience, I just want to get in and out quickly and buy things I can afford 🤷‍♀️

Self service tills aren't in ALL Lidl / Aldi stores. There's none in any of them where we live.

It's not a Covid policy, that's how Lidl/Aldi have always operated. You might not perceive that it is any quicker, but it gets customers through the tills more quickly, which means they can employ fewer checkout staff, which means they can charge you less for the food. Budget supermarkets are cheap for a reason, if you want a higher level of customer service, shop somewhere more expensive.

They have always had this policy although no one really does it on our lidl, but its hard as no room to pack so you end up with bags on the floor and if you have a basket the stack seems to be at front of till for you to leave. I think its because it should be quicker and they only open check outs when they have to .

I load the shopping on the belt in the order I would bag so heavier things then a few light then heavy again, with eggs at the end. Bags open in trolley and things go straight in with light stuff/ breads at the top.
I think it might be shop or even cashier specific as I've never been told to bag it at the shelf.
None of our Lidl or also stores have self check out though I wish they did

I tend to put all my stuff back in the trolley and pack it at the car, unless its pissing with rain!

If you don't like it don't shop there. YABU.

Aldi even sell the sets of bags that fit together and sling across the top of the trolley so I don't see how they can complain if you actually use them as intended!

I pack my trolley straight into bags when I get to the car.

Lidl and Aldi have always had this policy
The cashier puts everything in your trolley and then you pack it on the packing shelf or into your boot
It does hold up the queue if people pack at the till

"Yes they do - there’s 4 in Glasgow, Jamaica st?"

Are you asking if I've been to Lidl on Jamaica street in Glasgow?

Erm...no, clearly I haven't. If I had I'd know that some Lidl's have self checkouts!

Always pack at the car.

It’s always been like that in Aldi and Lidl’s. You have to pack back into your trolley and either pack at the shelf or throw it into the boot of your car.
I pack mine at the car, so much easier.
Conveyor belt - heavy items and bulky items (tins, bottles etc), fruit and veg, fridge freezer stuff and then bakery/snack items. Goes back into the trolley in that order ready to pack bags into the boot.

I just put it back into the trolly and pack into boxes in the boot of my car.

It's a non issue - Lidl and Aldi model their businesses on getting customers through the tills quickly. It helps keep costs down and saving are passed on to customers.

If you don't like it then shop somewhere else.

They'll have allowed for packing time away from the till when doing their Covid risk assessment and calculating how many people can be in the store at one time.

If you want to minimise your own time spent in there, go suitably equipped or pack your bags at the car. If you don't have a car you could go outside if you were bothered.

I just open my bags in the trolley and put straight into them. its no different to putting it into trolley without bags. If they moan, they moan. That'll just hold them up longer as it'll turn into a discussion.

@JerichosPenisInADeadChickHat

"Use the self check out instead"

They don't exist in Lidl

Wow, all this time I've been shoplifting and scanning my card on a cereal box.

OP, this has always been the policy in Lidl.

Never had to pack at a shelf at my local Lidl.

This has never been the policy at our Lidl; at the local Aldi, they did play a recorded message saying pack at the bench for a while, but everyone ignored it and packed at the till regardless.
On our UK holiday this year the Aldi near where we stayed also let you pack at the till (I don't travel around looking for Aldis honestly - it was just a coincidence!)
The only exception I've found is the Aldi where DP lives, where despite us being practically the only people at the shop, we were almost forcibly instructed to pack at the shelf - the assistant started scanning as soon as we started loading stuff onto the belt, by the time we'd emptied the trolley she'd piled it everywhere so it was impossible to pack into bags. That's been my only such experience though.