Comparing the supermarkets

If I had a Lidl near me I would use it I was surprised when I went shopping in one with my youngest.

I do most of my basic shopping in Aldi and Lidl. I like Lidl’s sliced wholemeal with seeds but prefer Aldi for fruit and veg. Aldi bread and cakes not so good so I occasionally go to Morrison’s for scones. As others have said, feta cheese, plain Greek yoghurts plus pickles are great.I still go elsewhere for dried beans and pulses in larger quantities.

Both stores are in walking distance unlike all the others which require a bus or car journey. Before they came there was no fruit or veg locally. Give them a try, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Lidl and Aldi are both price wise very competitive and have good products. A big Lidl opened where I used to live just before we moved. I have like Aepgirl found their fruit and veg not to last that long. Having said that I'd most certainly give them a go some of their products are very good indeed.

I don't have either that near me now, I tend to flit between Sainsburys, Waitrose and Marks. I do love Waitrose, and they still offer a free paper with a shop over £10, I don't do such small shops that my bill wouldn't reach that amount, so take full advantage of that and free half hour parking for a quick shop, or if you are longer buy a £2 ticket and that is set off against shopping bill £10 and over. Our Sainsburys also offer that parking perk as well.

I love shopping in Lidl and only use Asda for name brand products to which I’m partial. e.g. Oatibix. and Dr. Oetkar pizzas, and occasionally even they appear in Lidl.

Besides agreeing with posters here regarding the value and quality of the food, I enjoy the middle aisle, especially clothes and toys for the grandchildren. For me, I’ve bought several velour tracksuits which are ideal for home or informal outings.

Their nespresso compatible coffee pods work in any machine requiring nespresso and are much cheaper than elsewhere. I have no problem with the shelf life of their fresh produce.

In conversation with cashiers, I’ve learnt that Lidl is a good employer with a reasonable hourly rate of pay and decent conditions. Here in Torquay, the first Lidl was so successful that a second smaller store has opened closer to me, replacing the Waitrose that was there originally.

I like lidl and aldi, and most of their goods are of equivalent if not superior quality. I get my veg and fruit from my local greengrocer so can't really comment on them, but funnily enough, the worst place I found in the past for fruit and veg going off quickly was Waitrose. Lidl bread is lovely, and we always stock up on ground coffee in Aldi. The one supermarket I just don't like is Tesco, hard to pinpoint why, perhaps it is the reports (on R4) of their policy of withholding payments to suppliers until the very last minute or beyond, perhaps it is how they exploit my friend's son (learning difficulties) who has worked there faithfully for years.

Lidl is my local supermarket and it sells the best steaks and has lovely Scottish cheeses made in Dornoch which I can't get elsewhere. It is true that you can't do a full shop there so I go to Waitress to top up.

I mostly shop at Lidl but because they don't deliver I ordered most of my food from Waitrose during lockdown. I like Waitrose. They are more expensive but their quality is normally very good but I sometimes had a cauliflower or some tomatoes which I would not have selected as they seemed to be on or beyond their sell by date. I suspect this is something you have to expect when you get a delivery from any supermarket. It has been good to go back to Lidl and chjose my own fruit and veg which always last well.

From your post, NanKate, I am guessing that you were a Waitrose shopper (forgive me if I am wrong). I regularly shop in Waitrose and have tried Lidl. I don’t think I could do my whole weekly shop in Lidl, and although their fruit and vegetables are very much cheaper than other supermarkets, I found that they didn’t last very long, whereas Waitrose fruit etc lasts well over a week.

Do check “The Ballad of Lidl and Aldi” on You Tube or Google, lyrics or performance.

Just brilliant

A friend popped into Aldi for some teabags and came out with a drum kit. I’m a bit of a supermarket tart and use them all randomly.

Personally, I prefer Tesco and Asda but do pop my head into Sainsbury's for a few bits I can't get in the others. I have an Aldi right on my doorstep but only use it if I only need milk and/or bread. If I'm passing Lidl I'll pop in for a couple of their fresh sandwich baguettes (22p each). I refuse to buy fruit and veg in Lidl and Aldi purely because they don't last beyond the next day.

I like Lidl but can’t get everything from there.

Lidl is great if you like continental meats and cheeses. I always spend a fortune there when they have an Italian week - so many things we don't normally see in English supermarkets.

I have tried Lidl a couple of times in the past but find them very disorganised (maybe that's to make you wander more?) and scruffy. The fruit and veg started to "go" after a couple of days; the doorbell I bought broke after 3 months. The cupboard stuff was full of all kinds of things that I didn't expect them to contain - for eg a bought a jar of tartare sauce and was amazed at the additives in it (not in my usual Colman's). Would rather pay a bit more and have the quality. Not for me - sorry.

I don't know about other Lidl stores but our local one is good but a pain. Certain things are always where you expect them, i.e. Fruit and veg, frozen department but there is no system to the rest. Pasta in 2 or even 3 different aisles for instance. Cleaning products are great but checkout a bit to fast for me if it's a big shop.

I alternate between Tesco and Lidl. Lidl have a better selection of wines and I like their cleaning products, which are a lot cheaper than Tesco.

But I agree with langelei the checkout can be a bit daunting. I think you're meant to chuck your purchases back in the basket and pack leisurely at a shelf near the window.

No need to be snooty about shopping in Aldi or Lidl a recent survey showed the income of many customers is averaged at £110.000 per year per household.. No matter what your financial situation we all love a bargain.

Rant for the day over!!!! The sun is shining ??‍♀️ ☀️

Have a Lidl here and have used it often. However at the checkout they move you through as if you were speeding in an F1 race and if your limbs are not being compatible your shopping piles up before being able to be even ‘shoved’ back into the trolley. ? And I most certainly agree that the fruit ? and vegetables ? have to be treated with some caution. Not all good.

I guess it’s a personal preference, you won’t know till you go and look for yourself.

The thing with Lidl is that it has a relatively small range of branded stock, but their own brand is a fair bit cheaper but good quality. I don't think I have been disappointed in anything!
If they have an in store bakery, their jam doughnuts are one of the best I've had!

My son visited Lidl for the first time two weeks ago. Store just opened nearby and he had a flyer advertising a little paddling pool he thought would be good for the dog in the hot weather. He went in for that one item and came out with 5! Couldn't resist the middle aisles. Think you will be mystified at first but soon learn to stick to the items you really want and avoid all the temptations Lidl and Aldi provide.

I often pick up non-food bargains I didn't know I wanted in Lidl and Aldi.
Love Lidl bakery especially the Portuguese pasteis de nata mmm!

We have Aldi just over the road, so I don't go to Lidl which is further away and would probably mean taking the car as it would mean carrying shopping back uphill too, but I love the smell of their bread, freshly baked.
Both Lidl and Aldi will save you money and the quality is good. Aldi now often have brand names too, though not consistently. We get a Morrisons delivery of staple and heavy store cupboard items, including brand names, so Aldi is for milk, some veg and top ups of anything, plus the Middle Aisle of surprises.

Lin52

Always enjoyed Aldi, first came across the shop in their home country, my sisters local too, but having enjoyed the German produce, was slightly disappointed on my first shop in UK, no German wine, very little other German produce. Better now though, as my sister pointed out ‘they have to cater for local tastes’ ? silly me.

I think they have a policy of sourcing produce as locally as possible which is laudable.