So I finally went to Lidl....

[sherbetpips]

Just compared the reciept with Tesco (£90.85) and it came out at £70.22. Now I bought some items non brand at Lidl so you can probably knock a fiver off that but it is still a £15 saving.
Couldn't get Heinz beans and the veg selection was all in big bags so had to go to Tesco for those but I have to admit it was not an awful experience. Whats the deal with giving you no space to pack your bags though? Do they not want you to spend???

Yep, the savings are amazing. I reckon we're saving around £60 a month by shopping at Aldi/Lidl.

I used the hate the fact that you can't pack at the till, but actually it makes sense to put it back in the trolley and go over to the repacking bit - certainly means that the queues move quicker. I do our weekly shopping there (2 adults, 2 huge teens and a 6 year old) and I can get everything through in a oner.

Can you pack at the till if you fill your trolley with those massive re-usable bags? Or can you just wheel it out to your car an pack it into boxes there?

Just curious as I was going to go tomorrow and would rather be organised as I will have at least 1 small DC with me...

The etiquette at Lidl is that you put everything straight back into your trolley, then move to the packing area and pack, or take the trolley straight to your car and put your shopping into the bags or boxes you have ready in the boot.

It is an excellent system and, for the most part, eliminates faffing at the checkout. It means the queue moves quickly and everyone gets through the checkout efficiently.

Yes, sometimes I put the big reusable bags upright in my trolley and fill them as they are being scanned, or just wheel the stuff out to my car and have the boxes or bags in the boot and decant the groceries into them from the trolley. It means that I can put DS2 back into his car seat and then start dealing with the shopping. Often I have too much stuff in there so don't have room to stand the bags, but if I'm doing a small shop I do.

I liked lidl beans, Heinz had too much sauce, more like bean soup.

Lidl stock Branston beans; which are far better than Heinz anyway IMO and often on for £1.25 for four tins

in lidl i always use the big trolleys rather than the small ones, the big ones give enough space to put 3 re-usable shopping bags in a row and you just have to be really quick at packing the stuff in.

our weekly shop is around £80 in tesco, it's about £50 in lidl.

I'm glad I checked!

I'm using Ocardo atm (they charge £2.25 for four tins of Branston beans!!). I need to get my bills right down so the Ocardo habit has to stop.

I am a real convert to Lidl. It is so much cheaper than anywhere else.

See I find I spend the same because of all the 'stuff' they sell. It's like going to ikea, you never knew you needed padded thermal cycling shorts until you went to Lidl.

lidl and aldi are ace.

The nappies are great - wish I had tried them before all the other big brands & bigger supermarkets.

I wasn't impressed at first, and mine is quite far away, but we have started liking a few things and I agree it can be cheaper.

Oh, with packing, put the heavier stuff on the conveyor belt first, put it all back in the trolley as the whiz it through, then saunter to the blue shelf near the exit and pack. I usually buy the children a treat each to eat whilst I do this.

I can recommend the 'deluxe' chocolate cheesecake. We bought it at the weekend and it was lovely

My local Lidl has Heinz beans in at the moment but they are £2.50 for a pack of four (I remember when beans were eaten by poor people ). I think their own brand are almost as good and only £1.00 for four.

We often buy cheese,ham, mince, coffee, chocolate,olive oil, basic fruit & veg and the cats really like their cat food. Their weekend offers can be really good (but make sure you get there early).

I too am seduced by the non-food offers and thinking "ooh, that's a good price for axle stands/chainsaws/arc welding kits" We don't have a car or any woodland.

oh god just realised that the guy serving was trying to get me to put it back in the trolley rather than in my bags...... totally didnt get the Lidl etiquette!

Our Lidl's must be a small one as I find that I can't do a whole weekly shop in there.

ariel bio powder always a good price in there - £8.50 for a 38 wash box and regularly on offer for £5.99

me and dh are shuffling round the house in matching wool felt slippers I bought last weekend . V. comfy with a good , solid sole and only £5.99

Lidls are all about the same size - 4 aisles. If I just need 'to do shopping' it's fine, but if I want specific items then I need to go to Sainsburys - so end up spending equal amounts in both though Lidl twice as often.

Sainsburys for Ecover liquid, low-sugar ketchup, wholegrain bagels and bread, no-sugar peanut butter, aerosol cream, toys for birthday presents, socks, yoghurts, various things like that.

Lidl for most fruit and veg, most ham and cheese, milk, lasagne, pasta, biscuits and cake and chocolate, fish fingers and chips, tortelini, frozen stuff, fruit computer jam, etc.

Hoping Lidl do a fleece in my size again soon - had a fab one but lost it.

Biggest surpirse has been the Q10 face cream - just as good as the Nivea one and fifth of the price at £2!
Couldnt find any non bio washing stuff - is that unusual as they had lots of types just no own brand non bio?

fruit computer jam? am hoping that was compote