Good and Bad Buying at Lidl and Aldi (***Please don't expire***)

LindsayT

Originally the Lidl Plus app said it was until November, so we'll have to wait and see if it actually ends in February.

maman

Florenceem said:

I am waiting for Al.. to stock Easter chocs as I am making up cones for the Salvation Army to include in food parcels. Just finishing 60 cones ready for SA to put in Mothering Sunday week food parcels.

Do you mean Aldi? 🤔 If so, plenty of Easter chocolates in store yesterday. 

maman

Disappointed to report that service at my local Aldi has deteriorated since the start of the year. My first visit was on Saturday 2nd January and, for the first time since March, we had to queue for a short while to get in. That wasn't a problem as I was pleased if the traffic light sytem was monitoring the numbers indoors.

When inside it was obvious why this was happening. For the first time ever there were  some checkouts closed and people queuing down the aisles to pay.  I asked staff why and they said they didn't have enough people in. I thought maybe it was a blip  and they hadn't anticipated that it would be busy after New Year. Unfortunately this has coontinued and there are checkout queues every time I visit up to yesterday.

A new Lidl has opened recently nearby and the student numbers are down too becasue of remote teaching so it may be a local thing and they've cut staff . Anyone else noticed this? 🤔

od244051

maman said:

Disappointed to report that service at my local Aldi has deteriorated since the start of the year. My first visit was on Saturday 2nd January and, for the first time since March, we had to queue for a short while to get in. That wasn't a problem as I was pleased if the traffic light sytem was monitoring the numbers indoors.

When inside it was obvious why this was happening. For the first time ever there were  some checkouts closed and people queuing down the aisles to pay.  I asked staff why and they said they didn't have enough people in. I thought maybe it was a blip  and they hadn't anticipated that it would be busy after New Year. Unfortunately this has coontinued and there are checkout queues every time I visit up to yesterday.

A new Lidl has opened recently nearby and the student numbers are down too becasue of remote teaching so it may be a local thing and they've cut staff . Anyone else noticed this? 🤔

Could it be down to staff members, their household/support bubble have Covid? Or been told by TnT app that either them or household/support bubble they have been in contact with someone then to SI? 

January is traditionally a quiet month in retail. As many employers pay employees around a week before Christmas then get paid final weekday in Jan, so could have no pay for 6 weeks. Sometimes we have been asked to use our annual leave (if got any left to book) or take the odd shift/half shift unpaid. This hasn't happened yet as since end Oct, have at least 2 colleagues off with covid themselves or household/SB has tested positive. Out of the absences, three were tested positive. They were unsure where they caught it from. 

My workplace of essential retailer isn't in a student place

Florenceem

maman said:

Florenceem said:

I am waiting for Al.. to stock Easter chocs as I am making up cones for the Salvation Army to include in food parcels. Just finishing 60 cones ready for SA to put in Mothering Sunday week food parcels.

Do you mean Aldi? 🤔 If so, plenty of Easter chocolates in store yesterday. 

Thanks - none when I was in there on Tuesday. 

maman

Thanks od. I hadn't thought of Covid as a possible reason for staff shortages. It could also be that this January isn't as quiet as they'd experienced in previous years with so many people eating all their meals at home. 

od244051

maman said:

Thanks od. I hadn't thought of Covid as a possible reason for staff shortages. It could also be that this January isn't as quiet as they'd experienced in previous years with so many people eating all their meals at home. 

As of interest, is you area have loads of cases? Mine is below average for England- c450 per 100k.

If you are in the SE England where some areas have 1000+ cases per 100k. So there’s more chance more staff are SI for either got Covid themselves, household has it or been told to SI via TnT 

Also worth noting that the A&L have  of 12-18 members of staff. If one store has many off, they ask those who work in stores nearby (and fewer staff on the sick) to help out.

maman

As of interest, is you area have loads of cases? Mine is below average for England- c450 per 100k.

If you are in the SE England where some areas have 1000+ cases per 100k. So there’s more chance more staff are SI for either got Covid themselves, household has it or been told to SI via TnT 

Also worth noting that the A&L have  of 12-18 members of staff. If one store has many off, they ask those who work in stores nearby (and fewer staff on the sick) to help out.

Yes, in the SE but 597 and falling here.😊 

od244051

maman said:

As of interest, is you area have loads of cases? Mine is below average for England- c450 per 100k.

If you are in the SE England where some areas have 1000+ cases per 100k. So there’s more chance more staff are SI for either got Covid themselves, household has it or been told to SI via TnT 

Also worth noting that the A&L have  of 12-18 members of staff. If one store has many off, they ask those who work in stores nearby (and fewer staff on the sick) to help out.

Yes, in the SE but 597 and falling here.😊 

Midlands was 532 per 100k last week.

Stompa

maman said:

For the first time ever there were  some checkouts closed and people queuing down the aisles to pay.  I asked staff why and they said they didn't have enough people in. I thought maybe it was a blip  and they hadn't anticipated that it would be busy after New Year. Unfortunately this has coontinued and there are checkout queues every time I visit up to yesterday.

Our Aldi has been like that for at least 6 months. In that time I don't think I've ever seen more than 3 out of the 10 available checkouts in use at the same time. I'd rather assumed they were all like that now!