Lidl! Waste of money!

[dalel]

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!

I am not sure I agree actually. We had cucumbers and tomatoes and strawberries that we grew ourselves a few years ago, and they lasted weeks ... longer than the normal 'usual' supermarkets. Just coz they're 'fresh' and free of chemicals, that doesn't mean they should turn to shit within 3 days.

I have been a regular shopper at both, I prefer Lidl now as the fruit & veg is much better. That said, we have a new Aldi near us now and they seem to have really raised their game with the quality in the greengrocer section.

However, they’ve also increased their prices, especially Aldi, butter is now £1.99 😯. Their quiches seem to have gone up but about 50p over the last few years.

Lidl had a great loyalty scheme where you got £10 off your shopping if you spent over £200 in a month. I think they’ve now changed it to spend £250 get 10% off…It’s too much faff to make sure I spend a decent amount on the next, 10% off, shop to get the benefit.

I’ve also had enough of having to go to other supermarkets to buy items we need that they either don’t sell or if they do, they’re poor quality.

What I do really like is the simplicity of Aldi and Lidl. I think I’m a bit ADHD and find the likes of Sainsburys and Tesco quite stressful and confusing as they have too much choice. Whereas in Aldi and Lidl for example there’s just one or two types of dishwasher tablets rather than 20. Simple.

Agree i get oddbox which is really fresh and much better quality and lasts ages, just wonky shapes or too big or small .

My Lidl is terrible for fruit and veg. On multiple occasions I've seen rotten blueberries in the containers in the fridges not even sold yet.. I do think it depends on the individual store though as they are a large franchise so it would be unfair to generalise. I personally find Tesco's or Sainsbury's fruit and vegetables to be the freshest.

The whole point is that the queues go down quickly. You don’t pack at the till you pack after at your leisure. That is what the shelf by the window is for.

Personally I don’t see how fruit and vegetables that lasts days is a good thing.
The whole point in buying fresh fruit and veg is that it is fresh that day not fresh a week ago but it still looks the same.

I would just find it weird to go out and do 1 big shop per week and have your fresh food mouldering in the fridge all week

Also don’t know about other supermarkets doing the price match with Lidl and Aldi.

My local Tesco makes a big thing about fizzy water being 17p.price matched with Aldi.
Staff member said the last time they had the particular brand of fizzy water for 17p was pre pandemic. The price match sign went up and the stock was never replenished but they leave the sign up.

It isn’t the only price match sign with no stock ever

Also Tesco Clubcard stopped sending me vouchers years ago when I merged my cards. In fact despite having an online account and a Tesco mobile and other Tesco products that supposedly attracted points. I don’t get a single one.
Also I used to do online shopping with them but even my email account was shut down/not recognised

Yet when I called I apparently was getting the vouchers sent to my address but I never use them.

Trying to point out that maybe I didn’t use them because I didn’t actually receive any seemed a hard conclusion for them to follow so I stopped using my clucbcard and Tesco as my go to supermarket.
It was a bit sad because I used to get a lot through their Clubcard scheme and would spend a lot in store each week.
Now I don’t feel any affiliation to them and shop elsewhere rather than going directly to Tesco.

I did meet someone else this had happened to. It was one of their own cashiers who had merged all her accounts and then stopped receiving anything from them.

She too had given up trying to make people understand that despite their complete belief that she was getting her Clubcard points and just not spending them. That she wasn’t actually receiving them.

As for the discounts for Clubcard members I avoid those products if I am in there.

I used to religiously shop at Lidl but now find the shop can end up more expensive than other shops....some of the food tastes awful! I now shop at Aldi mostly or asda.

I don't really find Lidl/aldi any cheaper than asda or Tesco now so just do my shopping online no fuss no buying extra items I don't need and the fruit and veg last a hell of a lot longer

Thus used to be the case at Aldi. I would never buy fruit/veg from there.
They have upped their game in my experience. It’s all good here.
Having said that, I keep all salad and veg (including potatoes) in the fridge drawer. Onions and whole fruit are fine to be left out.
I have to do the same with all supermarket fresh produce. Supermarkets are climate controlled and homes are not. They can get to warm.

Have you tried applying for a new card? My Dd has a card now in case she pops to small tesco. Bit annoying the offers are only for club card holders now.

Just to add, My grandparents (who had the tiniest fridge ever made) always kept fruit/veg in the garage for the same reason.
House too warm.

Asda smart price is brilliant, although they did take one of my natural yogurts from me at the checkout this week as yellow label items are rationed to 4 per customer (I don't buy meat so always buy lots of eggs and yogurt).

I stopped using Tesco when they introduced 2 prices (one for club card holder, one for everyone else).
I am a club card holder but I don’t always carry it or my phone. When I do have my phone the signal is so rubbish in there it takes ages to log in.

I had no idea about AsDA yellow label products being limited to 4 per customer!
Well that defeats the point doesn’t it!
Those wanting to do a budget shop can’t.

Scrap that, yes you can… Just not too many of the same product.

customers can buy no more than three of the same item from the Just Essentials range, both online and in store.

But there is no limit on the overall number of items you can buy.

For example, if you buy three packets of bacon, and you can still buy three bags of tomatoes.

Asda said it has been forced to put the restrictions in place because the range has been so popular.

I misunderstood!

@EntertainingandFactual yes sorry, 3 yellow label per customer. I had 4 yogurts and they took one back. I actually didn't mind it as it makes sure there are enough cheap items for everyone. Now I know I will shop accordingly.

🙄

I have no issues with the shelf life fresh produce - I store in the fridge at home. I shop 3 or so times a week so I wouldn't expect fresh veg to last more than 3 days

I buy lots of things from Lidl. We have several supermarkets within ten minutes drive, and depending on what I want, I might go to any. But I usually go to Lidl once a week.

Great for household stuff, ham, cheese, alcohol, some veg and fruit, quiche, cereals etc. Dinner last night was slow cooked steak, onions and baby carrots, with cauliflower and mash. All from Lidl, the cauliflower was beautiful and fresh. I like to choose my veg carefully!

I find Aldi fruit and vegetables last reasonably well. There is definitely a price difference on stuff. It's cheaper for the majority of items we find. I like Tesco for some items and they are no better.

Stopped buying their salad ages ago, it’s wet on the day you buy, and slimy and rotting by day 2.

I knew someone who worked as a fruit packer, basically fruit comes into factory, its sorted for various supermarkets using their quality guidelines. Waitrose, M&S are more stricter e.g. no bruising and its more relaxed for teaco and sainsbury.

Any fruit past its best by sell date was sent back packaging removed and sorted again to remove any crushed berries or moudly ones and repacked.

That is why say in tescos your blueberries you buybone time may last 5 days but another time only 2 days

i often notice the cauliflowers are old looking at lidl, so i dont buy them.
i know strawberries have a short shelf life regardeless of where you get them

I don’t mind Lidl for deli items and the fresh bakery.I’ve never liked Aldi.

i do agree with the pp that mentioned the market. Gosh, the fruit and veg on a large local market is amazing and half the price of the supermarket and usually seasonal.

i just wish I lived nearer to a large market.