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AIBU?

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Original poster

Lidl! Waste of money!

214 replies

dalel · 10/09/2022 19:38

So am I being unreasonable?

Tried Lidl for the first time Wednesday, it's now Saturday and I have already had to throw 2 lots of fruit and salad stuff out!
What a waste of money.

Is this what Lidl is like? Seriously thought it would last longer than 2 days!

OP posts:
Superbabe64 · 10/09/2022 21:27

Don't buy in to the Lidl/Aldi hype...stick to Tesco

Lemons1571 · 10/09/2022 21:28

Bags of iceberg lettuce - Asda shredded iceberg 70p or so, lasts a good while and imo is the best out there. Sainsburys is terrible - the last time I tried it had started going really brown by the time I got to the till!!

M&S comes second. I don’t think Waitrose is all that - their mushrooms are brown and awful.

strawberrysea · 10/09/2022 21:28

I got a loaf of bread there a few days ago and it's already mouldy :(
I always shop there but we don't buy much bread so I was very disappointed.

IncessantNameChanger · 10/09/2022 21:29

Also I buy something in there for Sunday dinner I buy it on Sunday. I real would want to risk buying say a chicken earlier in the week. It would be well off before the best before date.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 10/09/2022 21:30

This is interesting. I don’t mind our local Aldi and didn’t find the veg went off particularly quickly, but at the same time don’t love the place.

I just find they often don’t have everything I want, in particular the healthyish things for school packed lunches.

As others have said, I like the cold meat and cheese. Meat in general is OK. And chocolate, very good chocolate.

It’s just not that convenient for me, as I really prefer to shop online- I don’t have much time for going into the shops. I used to sometimes get their click and collect but then they stopped doing it at the Aldi reasonably near me that used to (and that wasn’t even my nearest)

Unforgettablefire · 10/09/2022 21:32

Shreik · 10/09/2022 20:13

The reason fruit and veg lasts is because it's covered in chemicals and plastic to make it last.
Sounds to me like Lidl stuff might be better

I think you're right. Aldi and Lidl don't use many pesticides I know that much.
I found a couple of weevils in a bay of salad, sent an email and told them my tea had been enjoyed before I opened the bag. They replied saying sometimes these things happen as we don't use pesticides.
Maybe they don't use preservatives either like the other stores.

HazelBite · 10/09/2022 21:34

It all depends on the particular branch of whichever shop. Our local Tesco and ASDA have such a huge turnover their fruit and veg is always fresh wheras the other Supermarkets fruit etc is not so good.

Fundays12 · 10/09/2022 21:35

The fruit is terrible in Lidl and the prices have gone up massively recently. I have started going to Asda for thee basic range and voucher app and Tesco again as they price match plus I get clubcard points

ReeseWitherfork · 10/09/2022 21:36

Off on a tangent… we live close to Asda, Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury and I can’t fathom how Asda isn’t hands down the cheapest. I’ve never had any luck getting the other three close. So how do they all claim to be the cheapest?! Does it just come down to what stuff I’m buying?

SimonaRazowska · 10/09/2022 21:37

If bread goes mouldy after a few days it’s because it’s got no preservatives in it (I prefer that as I find long life shop bread like hovis etc. Awful tasting)

I think Lidl fruit and veg generally excellent quality, if you buy whatever fruit or veg is in season (so not flown in from Peru) it is excellent quality at a fair price

been shopping there for years

Never had to chuck fruit or veg, or bread

TheHateIsNotGood · 10/09/2022 21:38

Aldi/Lidl are good for basics/dry goods but I generally don't buy my fresh veg/meat from them as I'm lucky to have a choice of greengrocers, butchers, bakers and candlestick makers at the bottom of my road.

I did a big staples shop at Aldi yesterday and it was definitely cheaper than Asda, Morrisons and Tesco. But I steered clear of most of the fresh stuff.

Kennykenkencat · 10/09/2022 21:39

I’ve just done a shop at Lidl. I love their on vine tomatoes. You just can’t get them anywhere else.
i spent £50 and with a bit of a top up shop from Tesco that will do for most of the week however I never buy fruit and veg more than a couple of days in advance anyway. I was always taught you went daily for fruit and veg. But that I thought was because we didn’t have a fridge. I probably go every other day. I never get how people can shop for a week. Firstly I wouldn’t be able to fit it all in the fridge, freezer or cupboards and 2ndly Fruit and veg doesn’t last which ever supermarket you use and I would be very suspicious if it did last the week

CaitoftheCantii · 10/09/2022 21:42

Always shop in Lidls - better fruit and veg here than Tesco’s (which has normally been in a freezer at some point) Tesco’s veg and milk has normally gone off much quicker…

GirlOfTudor · 10/09/2022 21:45

I love Lidl and do most of my weekly shop there. They (and Aldi) are far cheaper than any other supermarket. The only things I shop elsewhere for are fruit and veg (for the reasons you stated) and the odd bits they don't sell, like some flavours of squash and a free from items.

WhiteFire · 10/09/2022 21:46

Their version of Frosties is 99p, versus £3 in Sainsbury's
**
Is this like the silly Aldi adverts where they compare the price of a branded item at Tesco to their multiple items? Kellogg Frosties are that sort of price, Sainsbury's own are £1.10.

sunglassesonthetable · 10/09/2022 21:59

Love Lidl. Think the fruit and veg is great quality. Especially the bargain in season stuff.

The sourdough is great and today there was a new baton type.

The dishwasher tabs, washing powder etc and s great value.

The best things are the luxury tin tomatoes( with whole cherry toms) and they do the best tinned coconut -creamy all the way through. I buy all the dupe cereal.

And the wine 🍷 s excellent. Sounds like I work for them reading this.

jennakong · 10/09/2022 22:00

I find Lidl a joyless place to shop with the most horrible harsh lighting that depresses me somehow, and the unhelpful people at the tills who fling all your shopping through at the speed of light and leave you struggling to pack it and pay, while they sit with their arms folded. It's the shop closest to me but I dislike it.

FireworksDisplay · 10/09/2022 22:08

I check online to see which country they are doing that week. Italian week was extraordinary, especially the creme limoncello and crème amaretto, liqueurs, they would cost a fortune elsewhere online.

Sometimes they are better than a high end delicatessen as far as international food goes. Spain week had a couple of lovely things. I just go in for unusual treats. Their French wine season was disappointing though because they had priced the better ones similarly to M&S!

Weemummykay · 10/09/2022 22:12

lobsterkiller · 10/09/2022 19:46

I go in for the chocolate, isle of shite. The fresh food doesn't last at all.

Snap @lobsterkiller thts all I go in for and there nappies(sorry @SpinningFloppa haha) only nappies that agree with ds2. Ds3 can wear pretty much from anywhere

MugginsOverEre · 10/09/2022 22:13

I tried both Lidl and Aldi and had the same issue. Fresh produce went off within days as as someone who cooks from scratch as much as possible, it was money completely wasted. The alternatives to our usual brand processed foods were horrendous too. My kids love a Chicago Town microwave pizza or a Pepperami as treats. We binned full packets after tasting them. We certainly regretted buying enough for the month as we usually did when Tesco shopping. And what we couldn't get in Lidl, we had to go to Tesco anyway so it was a waste of time.

Umbrellabee · 10/09/2022 22:16

I find fruit and veg terrible quality wherever I buy it from. Threw half a tub of strawberries away this morning that I bought Thursday night as they were all soft and horrible. Had some grapes delivered from Sainsbury’s last week and they were shocking as well.

Umbrellabee · 10/09/2022 22:17

The strawberries were Morrisons I should have said.

thebeesknees123 · 10/09/2022 22:17

They're ok for cupboard stuff and bakery . I steer clear of fresh stuff and the wine gives me a headache

TwoBlueFish · 10/09/2022 22:18

I buy all my fruit & veg from Aldi and it seems to last just fine. I do keep most of it in the fridge (apart from potatoes & onions). I shop once a week and very rarely throw anything away.

BulbasaurusRex · 10/09/2022 22:19

I find their fresh stuff to be as good as the other supermarkets, I've had more problems with the quality of Tesco fruit and veg lately than at Lidl. (Some of that though is because I tend to use Tesco for delivery so don't get to check and pick the freshest items.)

But some things are better, some worse. It's like anywhere really. I do save money shopping there but not as much as I used to.