'How would you describe Lidl? Is it “poor food for poor people”?' blog discussion

Former_MSE_Paloma

This is the discussion to link on the back of Martin's blog. Please read the blog first, as this discussion follows it.

Read Martin's "How would you describe Lidl? Is it really “poor food for poor people”?" Blog.

Please click 'post reply' to discuss below.

hieveryone

Every time I'm in a shop like Lidl/Aldi, I feel like I'm abroad shopping in a 'British' shop.

GwylimT

I don't see lidl as poor food for poor people, I do occasionally get the odd bit, some things I have found very good, such as cereal, washing powder, washing up liquid, cheese, yoghurts, bakery etc.

Obviously like any store they all vary in quality, our lidl sells very poor vegetables, the fruit however is fantastic as are the sacks of nuts.

In my cupboard I currently have these items bought from lidl
Pistachios
Fresh apricots
Fresh mangoes
Tomatoes
Beef steak (so it's not all in the cupboard)
Chorizo
Yoghurt
Mature cheddar

They are all good quality items, they don't come close to standard supermarket own brands we would typically find in asda, they certainly don't come close to value brands.

As someone who saw a couple putting their lidl shop in Waitrose and harrods carrier bags I don't see lidl as poor food for poor people, but for people who want to pay a little less for certain things and also a big market for those wanting a few bits, rather than a full weekly shop.

Tigsteroonie

We shop at Lidl & Aldi but cannot rely on them having a full range of products to complete a standard weekly shop. I'd love to have the time to shop there first, and then top-up at Tesco afterwards ... but I don't.

So we go to Lidl once a fortnight to buy things that I know they stock (frying chips, utt-butt) and have a bit of a browse whilst there.

Aldi we visit less often, I find it more expensive than Lidl, as if they've tried to move up-market.

DaveyBoi1901

I struggle finding things in Lidl or Aldi to buy. Last Friday I went to both Lidl and Aldi and ended coming out of both with nothing and had to go to my local "normal" supermarket. My local Lidl is full of Eastern European people doing their shopping where as my local Aldi is full of local Brits, my local Aldi is a lot busier than Lidl though.




I would say that the food looks the same as any other supermarket except for the name on the label. Yeah they are cheaper but that doesn't mean they are full of skanky food. I wouldn't compare them to anything like M&S though :rotfl:. I would probably say they are about how Asda and Tesco were 20 years ago.

luxor4t

We shop at Aldi - we can do a week's shopping inside half an hour and no real complaints about quality.
That said, I do cook from scratch so I don't buy any of their prepared 'meals' and I have to make sure that fruit and veg is either used quickly or prepped and frozen.
I get anything that Aldi doesn't stock roughly once a fortnight at which ever 'big' store is convenient.

Mrs_Arcanum

I shop & Lidl and Aldi, alternating as needed. Lidl are definitely better for veg & bread products. Where else can you get a small baguette for 15p? plus occasional special offers on unusual frozen food items. Aldi are better for beauty products & frozen desserts.

Oddly enough I still get loo roll at Sainsbury's, the 18 roll pack lasts us a month, where every other brand or supermarket version never lasts as well.

Guesthouse

We shop in Lidl quite frequently because it's conveniently close and have done for several years. We also use Asda & Tesco for those things that have to be branded or we don't like from Lidl - based on taste - but there are plenty of items that we make a point of going to Lidl for.
You can undoubtedly get some cheap & unhealthy or unpleasant stuff but is that any different from i.e. Tesco?
Their fresh bakery range, fruit & veg, fresh meat are all good and lots of essentials are at a good price - how much do you need to pay for pasta?
They also have their premium range and some of that is priced on a par with dearer options in Tesco so it's not always rock bottom prices.
I've less experience of Aldi (mainly because we have to pass 4 supermarkets on the 4 or 5 miles to the closest one) but I didn't rate it as highly as Lidl.

Prinzessilein

I used to shop more in Lidls than I do today.


I have noticed the quality of fresh fruit and vegetables has plummeted. More and more often I was throwing stuff away - it deteriorated to the extent that I now no longer by fruit/veg from Lidls.


The instore bakery at Lidls is absolutely dire. Maybe larger stores have better bakeries, but the one we have here is just awful. The bread products are all part-baked and just finished in-store. Everything seems to taste the same - dry and rather unpleasant.


The milk is a penny or so cheaper than elsewhere - but care needs to be taken as it tends to be short-date-coded.


There are a few areas where Lidls comes into its own. I wouldn't want to miss going there during Advent - they often have a nice stock of German Christmas goodies.


I also buy crispbread (Rivercote) from Lidls, my mother likes their own-brand muesli.


The weird and wonderful 'centre-aisle' is sometimes worth a browse. Some interesting things can be found there.


Poor food for poor people? I don't think so. The prices are actually not as cheap as you might think.


I don't think I am alone in my dislike of the local Lidls - the place no longer seems to attract customers at all.


It's a shame really. My roots are German, and I have seen the really good Lidls over there.

aldredd

i don't shop there personally, but have done so a few times (inc in the last 12 months) and I for one don't quite 'get' the hype. I find the quality of the produce awful, with a nasty taste (even after washing). The prices were so-so (actually put the equiv items in basket at Tesco using same brand or 'tesco standard' and tesco was cheaper).
But the worst element, for me, is the shopping experience itself - I just hate it - the stores look cheap & tatty (ok, yes, that's the point), dirty, with huge queues and miserable staff.

I have no views of people who choose to shop there, as is the case for any supermarket - you shop wherever you want to be honest - but I won't be making the switch, even if it means I sometimes pay a small premium for it.

Ectophile

I've just come back from my weekly shop at Lidl. The range isn't anywhere near as large as the local Tesco, so I don't use it as my main shop. But some of their own-brand products are just as good as the major supermarkets' own brands, and the prices are significantly cheaper. It's also fun to have a browse of their weekly bargain bins in the centre isles.

I don't have an Aldi near me yet - though they have just bought a site in my town. I find the one in a neighbouring town to be cluttered and disorganised, so I don't go there unless I know they are selling something I want.