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

S_uk

YoungBlueEyes said:

Lidl are always advertising for staff, too...

Where I live there are two Aldi stores and one thing I've noticed is that they seem to constantly be advertising for staff. It's not as if either store has or is expanding in size so I assume it's to replace people who have left. I don't see other supermarkets by me advertising so often. Given that whenever a group of people are on strike there always seems to be at least one person referencing "I could earn more working at Aldi!" I'm surprised more people don't.

And another thing I was surprised to read, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, is that Aldi do not give their staff a discount, unlike nearly all the other supermarkets including Lidl.

Cornucopia

It seems like the prolonged price/size/quality musical chairs may have temporarily come to a halt, with Lidl having a better value product than Aldi in at least a couple of cases (probably more yet to be found)...

- Wafer Thin Ham 400g £1.95.   The Aldi product is quite damp - almost slimy, no doubt from too much added water.   The Lidl product is much drier and it also has a pleasant slight smokiness.   It's proper ham, just thinly cut, rather than a "value" product.

- Cheese Coleslaw 300g £1.09.   The Aldi version (Three Cheese Coleslaw) is nice enough, but the Lidl version is a proper premium coleslaw with much better mayo and a better selection of vegetables.

Rosa_Damascena

@PLRFD - coffee and walnut is #1 on my list but I seem to be in a minority, so I will happily take a lovely buttery Victoria sponge instead, provided it is doused in single cream. Lidl's is the superior version, and I have tried many in the name of research!

@YoungBlueEyes - Aldi does good TGTG boxes. It would amaze me if their staff don't get access to similar!

YoungBlueEyes

S_uk said:

YoungBlueEyes said:

Lidl are always advertising for staff, too...

<snip>

And another thing I was surprised to read, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, is that Aldi do not give their staff a discount, unlike nearly all the other supermarkets including Lidl.

When I'm out food shopping tomorrow I'll ask about that and report back. I thought a bit of staff discount was standard practice across the board but I'll check tomorrow. 

thriftytracey

I do my main shop at at large Lidl.  Really got to know the staff over the years  They work hard but you can still have a laugh and a joke with them and some of them have been there a long time.  The manager isn't chatty - he is always very busy, doing every type of task but he is unfailingly polite when I have a query.  I get the impression with Lidl is that they expect 100% from their staff and I've noticed that new members of staff who aren't pulling their weight don't stay long.  But they do pay well, better than the other main supermarkets.  

I see Tesco use the name "Stockwell" for their cheaper products.  I've tried a few and they aren't very nice!

S_uk

In my local stores there has always seemed to be noticeably more staff in Aldi than Lidl. In Lidl they always seem much slower to react to a queue building up by opening a new till. Unfortunately there are no self service tills. I also notice more staff on the shop floor in Aldi putting stock out. And although I shop in both stores I've had far more problems with mispriced items in Lidl.

MrsStepford

Rosa_Damascena said:

thriftytracey said:

I bought a reduced rump steak £3 from Tesco yesterday and it had a hidden security tag!  

Doesn't surprise me, anything that can be lifted is these days. Shoplifters are getting brazen! There is no shame in not having much, but people should feel ashamed of stealing rather than the current vibe of entitlement to help themselves.

Shoplifters put prices up because supermarkets have to try to recoup the losses they make on shoplifting. At least some of the non-fresh stuff being stolen, gets sold on eBay, at boot fairs etc. 

MrsStepford

Re: candles, some are on offer because we are approaching the Diwali festival of lights which I think starts on 10 November this year.

YoungBlueEyes

Right here are my findings. 

According to the woman on the till, Aldi staff don’t get any discount no matter how long they’ve worked there, and she thinks it’s the only supermarket that doesn’t give it. 

I also learned something else. The guy in front of me was stood checking his receipt when my stuff was going through and said to the woman that she’d missed a 30% sticker on something. She sorted him out, all smiles, off he went. So I was talking to her about it and the upshot is Aldi staff get a black mark for certain things if they open the till drawer for something other than giving change (which is why many won’t swop you £1 for the trolley), and a lot of Aldi stores have their trollies loose now. She said she wished everyone would pointedly put all their reduced stuff at the front cos it’d really help them re the black marks. She clammed up when I asked about how many black marks are allowed a day though, so that’s all I’ve got. 

If you get a chatty one, see what your one says  

Rosa_Damascena

YoungBlueEyes said:

Right here are my findings. 

According to the woman on the till, Aldi staff don’t get any discount no matter how long they’ve worked there, and she thinks it’s the only supermarket that doesn’t give it. 

I also learned something else. The guy in front of me was stood checking his receipt when my stuff was going through and said to the woman that she’d missed a 30% sticker on something. She sorted him out, all smiles, off he went. So I was talking to her about it and the upshot is Aldi staff get a black mark for certain things if they open the till drawer for something other than giving change (which is why many won’t swop you £1 for the trolley), and a lot of Aldi stores have their trollies loose now. She said she wished everyone would pointedly put all their reduced stuff at the front cos it’d really help them re the black marks. She clammed up when I asked about how many black marks are allowed a day though, so that’s all I’ve got. 

If you get a chatty one, see what your one says  

You are totally on the case!!