Thoughts on Lidl?

Doc_N

Zero_Sum wrote: »

Heres another example
Eggs.
Eggs are eggs.
Aldi a box of 15 cost £1.18
In Tesco its £1.19
So after clubcard points there the same.
I get 5% cashback on a corporate membership which makes them 5p cheaper in Tesco.

Tesco do try to compete on some popular items, where people tend to remember prices - like milk and eggs.

Across the board, though, they're much more expensive. Just a random selection:

Own brand ginger nuts 300g: Tesco 45p, Aldi 25p. (80% higher)

Free range large eggs (12): Tesco £1.89, Aldi £1.55 (22% higher)

Semi-skimmed filtered milk: Tesco £1.35, Aldi £1.09 (24% higher)

Bran Flakes 750g: Tesco £1.04, Aldi 83p (25% higher)

You'll find some items at much the same price, because Tesco are trying to make you think they're no more expensive, but across the range they're much more expensive. And all the food, pretty much, comes from the same suppliers, whichever supermarket you buy it from, to much the same recipe. Aldi has a high reputation in Germany (and here now) - Germans aren't noted for buying poor quality food.

Tesco are conning you - your loss!

maman

Zero_Sum wrote: »

It will hit Tesco harder. Ive got 5% cashback with them plus a load of free clubcard points via tesco bank with cash recycling.
Thats why Aldi isnt cheaper. Plus their checkouts are awful.
Once they told me to move over to till 2, then a few mins later changed their mind wanting to join further back in the queue i previously left. I left all my goods on the till & walked out.

Zero_Sum wrote: »

Heres another example
Eggs.
Eggs are eggs.
Aldi a box of 15 cost £1.18
In Tesco its £1.19
So after clubcard points there the same.
I get 5% cashback on a corporate membership which makes them 5p cheaper in Tesco.

Zero_Sum wrote: »

In my experience theres....

Bog roll
Bleach
Shower gel

Fresh food has short sell by dates also.
Ive lost money on their bread going mouldy a day before sell by.

Doc_N wrote: »

I agree entirely. This guy, though, is carrying out some sort of vendetta against Aldi, probably because it’s hitting Tesco harder.

I'm prepared to keep an open mind and CBA to argue with someone so obstinately blinkered obsessively firing out posts moments apart. I check prices regularly and shop around and if there's an offer that's worthwhile (even in Tesco:D) then I'll buy it.

VfM4meplse

Doc_N wrote: »

And all the food, pretty much, comes from the same suppliers, whichever supermarket you buy it from, to much the same recipe. Aldi has a high reputation in Germany (and here now) - Germans aren't noted for buying poor quality food.

Tesco are conning you - your loss!

As you're clearly a big fan of Aldi, you might be interested in the C5 documentary on it (available on the app). You'll find plenty of like-minded people on the programme!

Doc_N

VfM4meplse wrote: »

As you're clearly a big fan of Aldi, you might be interested in the C5 documentary on it (available on the app). You'll find plenty of like-minded people on the programme!

Seen it - and the one comparing Aldi and Lidl. Quite interesting.

Like you, I see the two as pretty much interchangeable - with a few differences.

Much prefer the Aldi bread range (Lidl pushes the freshly baked stuff and has a very limited range of other breads).

Lidl has a much longer date on its filtered milk for some reason.

Lidl pushes its useless self checkouts (they're far too slow, with defective software) and won't open up tills for customers - Aldi will always open a till and we rarely wait long there. That alone causes us to use Lidl only when we have to.

Hate the fact that Lidl won't date their fresh produce clearly and insist on using codes which you have to translate. I know it's a simple code, but it's still annoying if you're in a hurry.

Our Lidl staff are unfriendly and unhelpful - quite different from the delightful Aldi staff.

Lidl has a much newer, bigger store here than Aldi - much more space, and a much bigger car park.

Aldi seems to have cracked the Waitrose market much more effectively than Lidl in what it sells and the way it handles customers - though I'm sure Lidl are working at that.

Just a few thoughts - though both are excellent value for money and knock Tesco/Morrisons/Asda/Sainsbury into a cocked hat. Shopped at both for over 20 years now, and they've got better and better. The early days were pretty basic (cash only, limited range, indifferent quality) but these days we can get at least 90% of what we need, with only the occasional visit to Waitrose.

maman

Doc_N wrote: »

Seen it - and the one comparing Aldi and Lidl. Quite interesting.

Like you, I see the two as pretty much interchangeable - with a few differences.

Much prefer the Aldi bread range (Lidl pushes the freshly baked stuff and has a very limited range of other breads).

Lidl has a much longer date on its filtered milk for some reason.

Lidl pushes its useless self checkouts (they're far too slow, with defective software) and won't open up tills for customers - Aldi will always open a till and we rarely wait long there. That alone causes us to use Lidl only when we have to.

Hate the fact that Lidl won't date their fresh produce clearly and insist on using codes which you have to translate. I know it's a simple code, but it's still annoying if you're in a hurry.

Our Lidl staff are unfriendly and unhelpful - quite different from the delightful Aldi staff.

Lidl has a much newer, bigger store here than Aldi - much more space, and a much bigger car park.

Aldi seems to have cracked the Waitrose market much more effectively than Lidl in what it sells and the way it handles customers - though I'm sure Lidl are working at that.

Just a few thoughts - though both are excellent value for money and knock Tesco/Morrisons/Asda/Sainsbury into a cocked hat. Shopped at both for over 20 years now, and they've got better and better. The early days were pretty basic (cash only, limited range, indifferent quality) but these days we can get at least 90% of what we need, with only the occasional visit to Waitrose.

That's interesting. I'm assuming we live in different parts of the country but I could have written your post myself. It's obviously down to slightly differing business models but I think staff training has a lot to do with it. I've highlighted the bits that totally mirror my experience too.
I used to make occasional trips to Lidl to stock up on a few items but since they've stopped selling large jars of cornichons it'll only be rare trips for their dishwasher salt.:D

Doc_N

maman wrote: »

That's interesting. I'm assuming we live in different parts of the country but I could have written your post myself. It's obviously down to slightly differing business models but I think staff training has a lot to do with it. I've highlighted the bits that totally mirror my experience too.
I used to make occasional trips to Lidl to stock up on a few items but since they've stopped selling large jars of cornichons it'll only be rare trips for their dishwasher salt.:D

With you on the Lidl dishwasher salt - excellent value.

I'm interested to see that your experience has been similar to mine. I rather assumed it was just a local issue, but maybe it goes further than that. As you say, the business models are slightly different, and it could be the training. It may also be that Aldi are deliberately building a culture that will attract the higher spending, more profitable, customers.

I could be completely wrong, but I get the impression that Aldi are targeting the Waitrose/Sainsbury customers, and Lidl the Tesco/Asda customers.

System

We do nearly all our grocery shopping in Lidl and only top up from another supermarket if they haven't got what we need. I also buy things from "the Middle of Lidl" and to be honest have never bought anything that hasn't been good quality and done what it is supposed to do. We have bought bedding, garage tools, DIY tools, cycling bits and bobs and when our son was small we got his nappies and other baby stuff from there. We also got a decent Toshiba telly on Black Friday.

Certainly the fruit and vegetables are far fresher than our other supermarket (Asda) although we do have to use Asda too for things that Lidl don't have (and it often varies from week to week what they do and don't have, although to be fair the same would apply to Asda sometimes, depending on what time of day you shop).

We are not in an area which is awash with all the different supermarkets, so it is definitely easier and cheaper to shop locally than to drive around the county seeking out Aldi, Morrison's, Waitrose, etc. From the few times I have shopped at Morrisons, I think that would be my first choice of we got a new supermarket here.

halogen

Doc_N wrote: »

Lidl pushes its useless self checkouts (they're far too slow, with defective software) and won't open up tills for customers

My Lidl will always open a proper check out very quickly if they see people needing one. Aldi on the other hand has long queues and ignore people waiting.

Doc_N wrote: »

Our Lidl staff are unfriendly and unhelpful - quite different from the delightful Aldi staff.

Our Lidl staff are friendly and helpful- Aldi are grumpy and obnoxious

Doc_N

halogen wrote: »

My Lidl will always open a proper check out very quickly if they see people needing one. Aldi on the other hand has long queues and ignore people waiting.

Our Lidl staff are friendly and helpful- Aldi are grumpy and obnoxious

Doubtless individual managers make a difference.

Does your Lidl have the automated checkouts?

VfM4meplse

halogen wrote: »

My Lidl will always open a proper check out very quickly if they see people needing one. Aldi on the other hand has long queues and ignore people waiting.

Our Lidl staff are friendly and helpful- Aldi are grumpy and obnoxious

Opposite in mine: Aldi staff are consistently pleasant. Lidl is more hit-and-miss, but to its credit I have noticed that grumpy people don't last long at the tills or shop floor.