Lidl - Is it really hell on earth?

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  • Prince MonaluluPrince Monalulu Posts: 35,900
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    Emre5 wrote:
    I'm surprised by people saying the pay is bad, I know someone who applied for a job there and the advert said you got £6.50 an hour which seems like a lot to me compared to other shops!

    From what I can remember of the last thread when retail wages was discussed none of the large retailers pay minimum wage it's all £6-6.50 upwards.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 6,475
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    I went to Aldi today with a friend who just wanted to pop in for something, I'd not been for years and I have to say I'm in no rush to go back. I bought some coffee liquer and a bottle of cherry coke which is really nice but the whole atmosphere was a bloody nightmare.

    There's no room in the aisles and cages for re-stocking are just abandoned everywhere so you have to struggle to get through with your trolley and then the queues at the tills are awful too. In fairness I think we were unlucky because my friend explained that Thursday is the new stock day (?) so it tends to be busier.

    It's just not for me I'm afraid and I felt the same last time I went to Lidl - I prefer Tesco or Sainsburys (or even Morrisons!) simply for the easier shopping experience as a whole. I just can't be arsed with the hassle of it all for the sake of saving a few pence.

    Oh and I like Matalan too - but don't get me started on the rummage sale mentality of Primark :p
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,589
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    From what I can remember of the last thread when retail wages was discussed none of the large retailers pay minimum wage it's all £6-6.50 upwards.

    Really?
    I thought £5.14 an hour was good. :o
    Think I'll aim higher than that now, lol
  • SloopySloopy Posts: 65,209
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    I never go to Lidl or Aldi. The food is cheap, but I haven't even heard of any of the brand names!
  • natsuki*headnatsuki*head Posts: 3,274
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    Whats so wonderful about brand names?
  • Prince MonaluluPrince Monalulu Posts: 35,900
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    AaronG wrote:
    In our town we have Matalan, Lidl, Farmfoods and Mecca Bingo all in the same area. Hows that for a shopoholic chav's dream?

    This use of the word chav, now seems to mean working class.

    If some of you have problem with the working class, just come out with it and stop hiding behind the word chav.

    I'm working class and have a bad case of reverse snobbery and can't stand the middle classes, I don't like them and you can't make me :p
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,436
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    Lidl, although basic sold the best fruit & veg in Germany

    You do NOT buy fruit and veg in supermarkets in Germany!!!! That's what markets are for.

    Apart from them - I'm sure real or Rewe sell better fruit and veg than Lidl.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,436
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    Dombo wrote:
    I used to look down my nose at people who shopped at lidl, even my own mother, and then i took a holiday to Germany in 2005 and realised that Lidl over there is thier main supermarket,

    No it is not - the main supermarkets are real, Rewe, E-Kauf, Globus and Spar. They are proper supermarkets with proper aisles and proper products. Aldi, Lidl, Netto and Penny are discounters and anyone from lower middle class upwards would not do their main shopping there.
  • alanwarwicalanwarwic Posts: 28,396
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    I think both Lidl and ALdi pay their staff much higher than Tesco and Asda.
  • Paper DollPaper Doll Posts: 3,398
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    Yes it is hell on earth, the last time I went in there was a gang fight between some Somalis and some Polish skinheads, suffice to say I'm not going in again.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,068
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    alanwarwic wrote:
    I think both Lidl and ALdi pay their staff much higher than Tesco and Asda.

    Yes, but in return they have unrealistic targets (40 items per minute scan speed? The market average is 15).
    They under recruit, so staff always have extra work to do.
    They work shockingly long shifts (The report details one Lidl store where the workers were locked in so that they couldn't leave without finishing their work).
    They all have to do multiple jobs, an average Aldi store has 10-15 workers, an average Tesco/Sainsbury's has over 300.
    They don't get any breaks and are often 'asked' to waive their rights under the EU working time directive.
  • SystemSystem Posts: 2,096,970
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    I shop at Lidl every couple of weeks. :o
  • grotbags1975grotbags1975 Posts: 3,463
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    The checkout girls at either Lidl or Aldi, (cant remember which, the one where they type in the codes manually) get paid around £8 to 10 per hour, I recall my cousin mentioning working in one or the other and that was a few years ago
  • SystemSystem Posts: 2,096,970
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    That much?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,156
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    Went to Lidl in Reading once with the mother in law who shops there avidly. Thought I'd pick up a loaf of bread, but to my dismay the one I picked up had been bitten through by a rodent!! I didn't complain cause mother in law was enthusing about the place. I left the bread, picked up a bottle of squash and came home and poured it down the sink! I'm sure not all Lidl stores are like this one, but it's just put me right off! :eek:
  • grotbags1975grotbags1975 Posts: 3,463
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    That much?

    Yes, I remember her saying it was more that other supermarkets. Maybe they all have code scanners now, not sure.
  • SystemSystem Posts: 2,096,970
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    Went to Lidl in Reading once with the mother in law who shops there avidly. Thought I'd pick up a loaf of bread, but to my dismay the one I picked up had been bitten through by a rodent!! I didn't complain cause mother in law was enthusing about the place. I left the bread, picked up a bottle of squash and came home and poured it down the sink! I'm sure not all Lidl stores are like this one, but it's just put me right off! :eek:

    Eww! That sounds horrible. :eek:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,156
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    Eww! That sounds horrible. :eek:

    It was! The end of the bread bag had been chewed away (plastic and all) and a great gorge had been made into the bread slices. Mother in law told me to get another loaf off the top of the basket, but as you can imagine, I declined with thanks! :eek:
  • 001_ATLANTIS001_ATLANTIS Posts: 2,068
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    I don't shop regularly at LIDL. I only go in ocassionally and it is really out of curiosity to see what weird and wonderful things they have other than the usual array of groceries. Power tools, car radios, door bells, mixer taps, it is a veritable alladin's cave! I particulalry like raking over the electronic and household goods that they get in. Like other posters have said you can really find a bargain if you dig deep enough. It must be the scavenger instinct in me!

    As for the food, well it all looks perfectly OK and fresh but the labelling is a bit quirky and not always in english!

    If you are not a regular then your cover will undobtedly be blown at the checkout. I use the word singlarly since there only ever seems to be one checkout in use and it is usually staffed by a dour 16yr old with an attitude problem. When I was last in I witnessed the purchases of the customer in front of me being whipped of the conveyor belt at lightening speed by this whirling dervish, thrown behind her and one by one falling on the floor like those push penny machines in an amusement arcade!. The poor guy didn't realise that you had to do your own packing and was also innnocently waiting to be given free carrier bags. The poor sod!
  • jojo the joyfuljojo the joyful Posts: 17,515
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    LondonW1 wrote:
    You do NOT buy fruit and veg in supermarkets in Germany!!!! That's what markets are for.

    Apart from them - I'm sure real or Rewe sell better fruit and veg than Lidl.


    Only if you go to the market or can get to it. :) I used to have to drive to town & then pay to park the car etc. I used to walk or cycle to Lidl or Toom.

    I totally disagree. Real & Toom ( a larger version of REWE sold lovely expensive fruit & veg that would start to turn mouldy the second it left the shop. When a new Lidl opened near my kids school 2 years ago I started shopping there on my way home on the school run. The F & V was 1/2 the price & lasted twice as long.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,492
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    I think I would rather chew my own foot off than shop at Lidl or Aldi. :eek:
  • SigurdSigurd Posts: 26,610
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    Pingman wrote:
    I think I would rather chew my own foot off than shop at Lidl or Aldi. :eek:
    I wonder what causes attitudes like yours. Snobbery? Ignorance? A combination of the two? :confused:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 60
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    I live in France and I shop in Lidl all the time. My philosophy when I got here was well I don't know any of the brand names here so I'll just go with Lidl. I have to say here the choice and selection of fruit and veg is much better quality and cheaper than the big supermarkets. They do fantastic fresh pasta, and the juices and probiotic drinks etc are amazing and very cheap. In fact there are lots of healthy options on display. I very rarely buy any processed food so don't have to worry about salt content. I don't think I've ever had any that was poor quality. When we were back in the UK recently we popped into a Lidl in our home town, exactly the same stuff on sale.

    Please don't knock it just because you think it's down market. My food bill has more than halved since shopping at Lidl, I used to give Tesco more than £100 a week, now if I spend more than £50.00 it's an expensive week , and I buy exactly the same amounts fruit and veg I always did.
  • natsuki*headnatsuki*head Posts: 3,274
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    Sigurd wrote:
    I wonder what causes attitudes like yours. Snobbery? Ignorance? A combination of the two? :confused:

    Maybe he just likes the taste?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,436
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    Only if you go to the market or can get to it. :)I used to have to drive to town & then pay to park the car etc. I used to walk or cycle to Lidl or Toom.

    Which is entirely normal for Germans to do...the Saturday morning trip into town to shop at the (local) market is as much German tradition as watching 'Tagesschau' news at 8PM on ARD.

    I'm half German and lived there for large parts of my life...so I should know :)

    I totally disagree. Real & Toom ( a larger version of REWE sold lovely expensive fruit & veg that would start to turn mouldy the second it left the shop.

    How long did you keep them for? There is a big difference between f&v sold in the UK to that sold in Germany. Less artificial stuff but the bad thing is you need to even keep you bananas in the fridge if you want them to stay fresh.
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