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Aldi's Supermarket Secrets - 8pm Monday

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  • maman
    maman Posts: 29,784 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Teahfc wrote: »
    Terrible programme, pure witch hunt against the discounter.
    I presume the producer happy to pay 25-40% more for their products at one of the fancier supermarkets.
    Own goal by C4.


    Definitely agree.


    I'm sure they could have found similar lapses of company procedure in any other supermarket.


    I've sorted out how to pack my shopping quickly, my choice, but like Lidl they intend that you will just put everything back into the trolley and then move to the shelf provided to pack at your leisure.


    So now we all know how to tell the BB date on Aldi's fruit and veg. Although my own Aldi has a really high turnover so it's not an issue. But the are just BB dates. Things with eat by timings are always marked.


    Staff at my Aldi are brilliant, helpful and friendly. Unlike some shops (M&S for example) I don't need to go searching for anyone to ask for help there are always plenty of people on the shop floor.


    Personally I'm fortunate to be mse from choice because I just hate being ripped off. Aldi and Lidl are making the other retailers sit up and take notice so they've done us all a favour. I'll be back there on Friday and ignoring Channel 4.
  • TTW wrote: »
    Witch Hunt indeed. More so at the fact that despatches is a channel 4 programme, and Mark Price, one of the most successful executives in retailing, is quitting as the managing director of Waitrose as he is eyeing the job as chairman of Channel 4, where he is already deputy chairman!! ....join...the....dots......
    Well, hello Aldi public relations officer!
  • Ken68
    Ken68 Posts: 6,825 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Energy Saving Champion Home Insurance Hacker!
    No Aldi near but local Lidl are similar, staff always on the go, and cheerful/helpful.
    Contactless card helps me get thru quicker.
  • Eenymeeny
    Eenymeeny Posts: 2,015 Forumite
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    I'm glad that I wasn't the only one who thought that reporting wasn't exactly unbiased. As for their policy of expecting staff on the shop floor 15 minutes before officially starting, I worked in retail for years and was always expected to be in early (without pay) so that the shop was customer-ready for 9am. In fact you got real attitude from the cash office if you turned up for your till bag at 8.55!
    The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.
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  • Big_Graeme
    Big_Graeme Posts: 3,220 Forumite
    I bet the head office staff had a bit of a party last night, if that is all they can throw at them then they are not doing a bad job at all.
  • Just watched the programme and it's nothing more than an attempted hatchet job. Each issue seemed either weak or badly contrived but what clinched it for me was seeing Bill Grimsey give us his knowledgeable pearls of wisdom. Yes, this is the same Bill Grimsey who almost single-handedly brought down Iceland and stopped the final salary pension. He was also the CEO of Focus DIY chain when he prepared for a meeting with creditors of Focus DIY at which he persuaded them to back a company voluntary arrangement.
    I have a tenant who works at Lidl (similar ethos) and he's been there for a number of years. He says they pay well and he likes working for them. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence can see through this garbage. I, and I'm sure most people who shop there will continue to do so.
  • Be_Happy
    Be_Happy Posts: 1,392 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 10 November 2015 at 11:19AM
    Couldn't believe how biased this programme was.

    20 years ago I worked in Personnel Department of an Asda store (so systems may have changed now?) At that time checkout operators were timed. They logged on and transaction throughput was timed. This was checked and those too slow were 'retrained'. Consistently too slow would be moved to other departments. Shelf stackers were also timed with an allocated time to clear trolleys. This was done out of hours, so I'm sure some 'throwing' went on.

    Control of dates was strongly enforced, but even so there were very occasional times when something slipped through. I didn't think the number of times Aldi was picked up on this by the programme was out of the normal.

    Concentrating on out of date fruit and veg was over the top. It is obvious when looking at fruit and veg whether it is edible or not. Did the programme mention any date lapses with important items eg meat? I can't remember.

    I should also add that when shopping at our local Aldi the staff are happy, helpful and seem to enjoy being at work.
  • Feral_Moon
    Feral_Moon Posts: 2,943 Forumite
    I wonder how many hours of secret footage was shot before they managed to cobble together a few rogue elements within a handful of store across the country :rotfl:

    As for the girl who knelt on a glass topped freezer, well.....words fail me! Instant dismissal if I had been her manager for sheer stupidity and gross negligence!
  • maman
    maman Posts: 29,784 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Eenymeeny wrote: »
    I'm glad that I wasn't the only one who thought that reporting wasn't exactly unbiased. As for their policy of expecting staff on the shop floor 15 minutes before officially starting, I worked in retail for years and was always expected to be in early (without pay) so that the shop was customer-ready for 9am. In fact you got real attitude from the cash office if you turned up for your till bag at 8.55!




    I think the programme failed to recognise the wideranging customer base of Aldi. In my area it's probably wider than any other supermarket. I enjoy the 'shopping experience' in my Aldi as the customers span ages, nationalities and social groups. I think they might have been hoping for a backlash from all the hourly paid clock watchers they imagine watch Channel 4 without realising that many of Aldi's customers are salaried staff for whom arriving before the customer/client is simply normal professional practice.


    Slightly off topic: I've posted this before but can anyone tell me why some posters choose to post about Aldee or Sainsbobs or some other IMO ridiculous nickname? It has been suggested that it's to stop the retailers scanning for internet comments. Personally if I'm commenting on a supermarket (or a TV channel;)) I want them to read my comment whether it's good or bad. Why wouldn't I?
  • SailorSam
    SailorSam Posts: 22,754 Forumite
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    I posted last week to say it was on, then last night forgot and watched something else. I'd seen a job advertised there and was waiting to see what it said about Aldi before applying.
    Liverpool is one of the wonders of Britain,
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