Lidl Etiquette

craig878

Lidl pay significantly more than most other checkout jobs, and if you think how few cashiers they usually have, when compared to Tesco for example, you can see why they have to be quick!

PasturesNew

As I go round any shop, I stack the trolley with things grouped together based on weight/robustness and how I'll pack them (roughly).

At the actual conveyor belt, I place the items in the order in which I will pack them, so mostly tins/hard veg first, but I'd be happy to chuck into that small items that couldn't be harmed (e.g. a pack of wine gums or a deodorant). I then start by getting my bags ready/opened quickly. This means that as the cashier is scanning the items I can put place them in the open bag/s as I know it's all coming in the right order. I therefore finish packing about 2 items behind the cashier, then I hand over my money/card, which gives me time to pack the final couple of items and make any quick adjustment needed.

Then it's a move over to the side of the store, somewhere out of the way, if I feel anything needs moving around a little.

This works for any store.

PasturesNew

Bargain_Rzl wrote: »

...they used to pay their staff quite well, too, because of having to memorise the prices....

...£7 ish an hour (in the late 90s)

Yes, I heard you had to memorise every price. I remember when they first opened a store about 10 miles from where I lived in about 1994/95 and they were paying £7/hour.

And it's still £7/hour, so a good example of a company who are still paying the same wages as 10 years ago... there are a lot more than people realise, but it's difficult actually being able to name them in a discussion

People without a job are always told "Go to Lidl, £7/hour" - as most Lidls seem to have about 4 staff in total, I doubt there are many jobs going at any time!

nonumb

As a former employee of lidl I can confirm you have scanning targets of 30 items per min. I was warned if I got below 25. You are supposed to just stuff it in the trolley then pack on the shelf. I did not get paid more than some of my friends in other supermarkets. You get minimum amount of breaks and you have to work a lot harder than other supermarkets due to having less staff. You dont get staff discount either so generally as an employer they're not great. The one upside is they are very flexible on when you work so its easy to get time off.

I had £6 per hour and didnt get an increase in a year of working there. You dont have to memorise prices but you do have to memories codes for all the vegetables.

You need to scan quickly as otherwise other staff have to come on the tills which means the store gets in a mess and you have to stay late.

OrkneyStar

Wherever I shop now I tend to put the stuff in the trolley and then pack into bags at the car. Easier and means bags can be well packed and even in weight (this suits me for carrying from car to house). I like the self serve tills but there are none up here (and never use them on your own with more than 10 things....otherwise you need 10 hands!).

Viper_7

OrkneyStar wrote: »

Wherever I shop now I tend to put the stuff in the trolley and then pack into bags at the car. Easier and means bags can be well packed and even in weight (this suits me for carrying from car to house). I like the self serve tills but there are none up here (and never use them on your own with more than 10 things....otherwise you need 10 hands!).

I went to Tesco at 3am once following a holiday. Due to jet lag was wide awake so I thought I'd may as well do a full shop.
Found that they didn't man the tills at that hour and the only one available was the self scanner.
What an absolute Nightmare. I had purchases loads of loose veg so had to weigh it etc.
Ruddy thing was asking me what type of apples etc? I dunno...Red ones....
What type of, oranges... ermm Round ones. Naturally just choose the cheapest!

Blasted thing kept complaining and asking me to remove stuff...add it to the bag etc etc etc.
I wouldn't mind but an assistant stood there and watched!! She apologised as she couldn't open a till and she had to "monitor" people to ensure they were not pinching stuff.
I had around £150-£200 of shopping, you can just imagine how long it took to scan through this self service jobbie.

I even purchased a laundry basket (as you do at 3am - well it was a good buy!)
It wouldn't fit under the scanner - and there was no hand held alternative like at the normal till, so ended up ripping off the bar code, then the blasted machine said nothing was on the conveyor etc, so there is me leaning on the damn thing waving a sticky label under the reader.

I more than likely missed items - included items twice - I was just glad to get the hell out of there!

happybargainhunter2008

I have always found that lots of stores try to direct you to the self scanning tills, but they are often a nightmare and do not register the weight of the product. Not a good option at all if you have young kids or a baby (I have both and have nearly ended up screaming at the machine).

Knowing that you have to bring your own bags has always meant that I am better prepared for Lidls. I normally take two collapsible crates, and stack them in the trolley. When at the checkout, it is easy to pack the items straight into the crates, then putting the crates straight into the boot of the car. Environmentally friendly and cost effective as don't have to fork out for their shopping bags.

^!£$&

marywb wrote: »

Snowbrow can I ask where you bought your basket?

Thanks

I got mine on holiday in the states but homebase do a very similar one for £9.99 which is classed as a shopping basket or garden trug so it is in the gardening aisles they had some last week in my local!

sheeps68

Explains why they dont like me then. I never use a trolley as cant get stuff in or out of it hence balance my things in a box and into a bg at checkout. The one occasion I did and had to ak for help to get a couple of items from depth of trolley I was told that I needed to put it on conveyor. Yes I know but couldnt so had to ask for help. Big trolleys a problem for me anywhere.

paulwf

I expect some of the Aldi & Lidl till design comes not just from being a budget store but also what is the norm in other countries. I lived in Sweden a few years ago and in the packing area there was a divider that could be moved to the left or right so 2 different customers could be using the packing area. I'm sure they were common in the UK about 20 years ago but seem to have disappeared. I quite like the paddle idea actually as the next person can be served without rushing the first person at all.

I've found the service at Lidl so rushed it is downright rude (more or less snatching money from your hand and throwing the change back) and is one of the reasons I don't shop there. I know it is a budget store but there has to be a balance and I really wouldn't mind paying a few pence more to get treated with respect. Oh well, there's plenty of alternatives I can shop at and there are plenty of people that like Lidl's prices so that's fair enough.

What does concern me though is if every supermarket started going purely self service or set targets for till staff. I work at M&S and we are instructed to ask every customer if they want help packing their bags (I use a bit of common sense as it is obvious when people want to pack themselves). A lot of older customers really appreciate having their shopping packed for them and not being rushed. Till work might not be glamorous but it is really nice to be able to help people in that way.

One day all of us will get old and might need a bit of extra assistance. Blind people require a personal shopper, and some wheelchair users sometimes need a few items reached down for them. At the moment with the exception of Lidl I think most supermarkets cashiers still offer good service. I hope the current balance between price and service is maintained, if prices go too low at the expense of service then heaven help us when we get old.