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

Rosa_Damascena

dealyboy said:

"God bless us, every one!" ... Tim.

Very funny!

wild666

Pollycat said:

wild666 said:

My local Lidl has just put in 8 self check outs and removed two manned checkouts, the Lidl app doesn't work on the self checkouts  but I don't use them anyway it's taking away jobs from people. If Lidl went to a full self checkout store then I would go to Aldi even though it's three times further in each direction than the Lidl store.

Our Aldi has 8 self-service checkouts.
They are handy if I've popped in for a couple of items (as I did yesterday).
I wouldn't want to wait behind several people with full trollies to pay for my items - and there is no guarantee that someone would be kind enough to let me go through before them.

I use self-service tills in our local Tesco Metro as I usually just have a few items.

I think they do have their place in supermarkets depending what you've bought.
It would be silly to attempt to use a self service checkout for a full trolley load.

I used the self service Lidl checkout for the first time yesterday because I forgot to take my phone with me that has the Lidl app on it and for some reason you can now scan the app so next week I might use the self service rather than waiting 5 to 10 minutes minutes to get to the front of the queue at a manned checkout as there is normally queues of 4 or 5 people at each checkout they open at 10 am, some are waitingg for up to 10 minutes before the checkouts open.

maman

Our Aldi has a mix of self service checkouts for small and larger shops. The larger ones (a bigger area for bag packing and space to wheel in a trolley ) were installed deliberately for trolleys.

This was obviously done to cut back on staffing the other checkouts.

Since the cost of living crisis/increase in shoplifting they are discouraging trolleys at the self checkouts by limiting the number of items to 25. 

Katiehound

maman said:

 

Since the cost of living crisis/increase in shoplifting they are discouraging trolleys at the self checkouts by limiting the number of items to 25. 

None of that happening at our store- we don't even have security staff!

Rosa_Damascena

Katiehound said:

maman said:

 

Since the cost of living crisis/increase in shoplifting they are discouraging trolleys at the self checkouts by limiting the number of items to 25. 

None of that happening at our store- we don't even have security staff!

Security staff are paramount, these days people see to think they can walk in an out without paying. Desperate hunger is one thing, but thieving to order is not uncommon. I have noticed that the numerous self-service tills at Aldi are closed when I visit in the evenings - presumably because there are insufficient staff to keep an eye on 8 shoppers at once.

I did a trolley shop last night because my larder was entirely depleted of mixers - oh the shame! - so I decided to to a bulk buy to keep me going over the next couple of months. Because I was buying so much liquid I took some big cardboard boxes so I could stack my shopping in the car boot efficiently. The nice young chap at the till asked me to lift these so he could see nothing was hidden in the trolley, which I was happy to do. But it did make me realise that pilfering is a problem that spans all demographics. Contrast this to my experience at Lidl at the weekend, the security man was clearly a temp and treated his role like an extension of his social life. He and his friends were actually getting underfoot of others and he was not taking his job seriously. Its not often I see a slacker at Lidl / Aldi so this stood out like a sore thumb.

Now for a negative: the price of Aldi 6-packs of crisps have been creeping up, 85p when I last bought them. What is new is the price differential between flavours: 85p for ready salted and 99p for anything with a bit of taste to it, which I find a bit odd.

thriftytracey

I bought a bag of pears 8 days ago from Lidl.  They have been on a sunny windowsill since purchase and have a tiny bit of ripeness.  They will probably go off before they ripen!

thriftytracey

Also, if you forget your phone checkout can input your mobile number so your shop is registered on the Lidl app.  Unlike Tesco - I forgot the double points coupon - I asked at the customer service counter if they could use my personal details to collect points but no chance!  I've never talked to such miserable staff at our local supersize Tesco, they must have awful terms and conditions to be so miserable and almost rude!

dealyboy

@thriftytracey said:

Also, if you forget your phone checkout can input your mobile number so your shop is registered on the Lidl app.  Unlike Tesco - I forgot the double points coupon - I asked at the customer service counter if they could use my personal details to collect points but no chance!  I've never talked to such miserable staff at our local supersize Tesco, they must have awful terms and conditions to be so miserable and almost rude!

... compared to my local Wilko whose staff are still jolly, with a big 'CLOSING IN 4 DAYS' notice in the windows  .

They are inviting customers to their last day party next Tuesday, after which they will have no job and in some cases no pension. Amazing!

Rosa_Damascena

During my trip to Aldi this week I did take a look at the Christmas goodies available. In 2013 I would have been tempted to stick the odd stollen / packet of mince pies / large panettone into my trolley at this time of year. The price of these treats these days have relegated them to just that, it treat status.

A._Badger

thriftytracey said:

Also, if you forget your phone checkout can input your mobile number so your shop is registered on the Lidl app.  Unlike Tesco - I forgot the double points coupon - I asked at the customer service counter if they could use my personal details to collect points but no chance!  I've never talked to such miserable staff at our local supersize Tesco, they must have awful terms and conditions to be so miserable and almost rude!

It's always seemed to me that Tesco's staff are the most miserable of all the supermarkets and this isn't a recent observation, so I suspect it's something in the corporate culture - their DNA if you like. My grandfather knew Jack Cohen, Tesco's founder, and disliked him, mostly on account of Cohen's meanness and pushiness. These things tend to get baked into companies, even after the founders have passed on. Aldi's staff. on the other hand, for all pressure they are under to be quick and efficient, usually seem to be cheerful.