Great What/What Not to Buy at Lidl, Aldi and Netto Hunt

Schamansky

FannyHill wrote: »

I was looking for Route 66 peanut butter in Lidl but couldn't see any??????

It's on the shelf in my local Lidl (saw it yesterday). That's in Suffolk.

A_T

The fresh Parmesan cheese is cheap and great at both Lidl and Aldi.

murphaph

I work for Lidl in Ireland (I presume the UK operates in a similar manner given the highly competitive nature of retailing there) and I assure you that poor quality F&V is not tolerated in the slightest and stores are audited at least once a month and F&V forms a large part of the audit grade.

The rule of thumb for all staff is very simple: If you wouldn't buy it yourself then bin it immediately. Stores receive fresh F&V and chiller seven days a week and busier stores may receive all areas of the assortment every day.

The Granary malted bread has returned to its Hovis packaging (it was always Hovis) and pretty much all the other bread in irish stores in baked by Northern Ireland's biggest bakery, Irwin's, who also bake bread for....Marks & Spencer!

I believe our Square Wheaten is in fact identical to M&S, made by Mother's Pride. I can't tell the difference anyway.

When you operate a discount retailer it's even more important to maintain high standards than a big box store as people will immediately equate cheap with nasty.

My tip for the day: When buying flowers look at the barcode for the coded delivery daye. D1=Monday, D2=Tuesday etc. Not very secretive but very few people realise what it means. Flowers remain on sale fo delivery date + 1 day so it's worth knowing. Also, please understand that to keep costs down, please pack your goods at the packing shelf and not at the checkout. Staff will appreciate that a lot and if everyone did it the queues would move swiftly.

Quick question: Do Lidl in the UK use -30% stickers on chiller items just before they reach display date?

BexTech

murphaph wrote: »

I work for Lidl in Ireland (I presume the UK operates in a similar manner given the highly competitive nature of retailing there) and I assure you that poor quality F&V is not tolerated in the slightest and stores are audited at least once a month and F&V forms a large part of the audit grade.

The rule of thumb for all staff is very simple: If you wouldn't buy it yourself then bin it immediately. Stores receive fresh F&V and chiller seven days a week and busier stores may receive all areas of the assortment every day.

The Granary malted bread has returned to its Hovis packaging (it was always Hovis) and pretty much all the other bread in irish stores in baked by Northern Ireland's biggest bakery, Irwin's, who also bake bread for....Marks & Spencer!

I believe our Square Wheaten is in fact identical to M&S, made by Mother's Pride. I can't tell the difference anyway.

When you operate a discount retailer it's even more important to maintain high standards than a big box store as people will immediately equate cheap with nasty.

My tip for the day: When buying flowers look at the barcode for the coded delivery daye. D1=Monday, D2=Tuesday etc. Not very secretive but very few people realise what it means. Flowers remain on sale fo delivery date + 1 day so it's worth knowing. Also, please understand that to keep costs down, please pack your goods at the packing shelf and not at the checkout. Staff will appreciate that a lot and if everyone did it the queues would move swiftly.

Quick question: Do Lidl in the UK use -30% stickers on chiller items just before they reach display date?

Lild fruit and Veg for a supermarket is excellent.


In the UK West Midlands, virtually all the bread and some other bakery items are made by British Bakeries - they people who make Motherspride and Hovis, when I worked in the factory, the same product came the the conveyor-belt and then randomly got pushed down the various bagging lines to have the various wrappers put on them. Motherspride, would be the basic type loaves, Hovis White would be the premium white loaf, and the same for the other Hovis brands - exact same product as the brand, just a different wrapper. (http://www.britishbakeries.co.uk) The same would happen for other parts of the country.


Our local Lidl do do 30% when items are coming up to the sell-by, at least they give you a few days and not just reduce on the last day like others.

Schamansky

murphaph wrote: »

Quick question: Do Lidl in the UK use -30% stickers on chiller items just before they reach display date?

That's what my local store (Suffolk) does. Use by date -1.

fitorbust

Cloudrider wrote: »

Having just struggled with all the strength I can muster, to open a Lidl El Tequito Hot Salsa Dip, I just wondered if anyone else has problems opening their Lidl jars?

I'm mid 40s, 6ft 1" about 16 stone (not all of it fat... ) and I can only just open them before the veins on my forehead pop. I visualise all those pensioners who flock to Lidl on Mondays and Thursdays, dying of malnutrition at home, surrounded by unopened jars; or is it just me, am I a wimp?

I had to thank you for this post as I read it out to my hubbie and we both laughed at the picture you so skillfully painted.
Thanks for that. :rotfl:
Lesley

Chocmonster7

BexTech wrote: »

Our local Lidl do do 30% when items are coming up to the sell-by, at least they give you a few days and not just reduce on the last day like others.

My local one seems to give about a week on stuff they have reduced by 30%. For example last Saturday (16th) I bought some cooked chicken which the use by date was 22nd (yesterday). So it was fine for my sandwiches this week!

BexTech

Chocmonster7 wrote: »

My local one seems to give about a week on stuff they have reduced by 30%. For example last Saturday (16th) I bought some cooked chicken which the use by date was 22nd (yesterday). So it was fine for my sandwiches this week!

Yeah, they could do here too, think it just depends when I've gone in and what's been reduced.

dan1979

I made my first ever visit to a Lidl today, I thought it was supposed to be cheap?

There were a few bargains around like washing-up liquid and similar but unless you want tins of pre-prepared food it would save me virtually nothing compared to Waitrose where I usually go (to pick up things I can't get at butchers/fruit and veg stall/fishmonger).

Free-range eggs only a few pence different, Anchor butter exactly the same price. Pot of cream very similar price.

No wonder the store was devoid of customers when I went, fails to live up to the billing.

BexTech

dan1979 wrote: »

I made my first ever visit to a Lidl today, I thought it was supposed to be cheap?

There were a few bargains around like washing-up liquid and similar but unless you want tins of pre-prepared food it would save me virtually nothing compared to Waitrose where I usually go (to pick up things I can't get at butchers/fruit and veg stall/fishmonger).

Free-range eggs only a few pence different, Anchor butter exactly the same price. Pot of cream very similar price.

No wonder the store was devoid of customers when I went, fails to live up to the billing.

Strange, you must live in some parallel universe.