Comparing the supermarkets

For those suspicious of quality in Lidl don't be FYI my neighbour who drives MandS lorry was telling me recently that he collected a load from a food factory and MandS and Lidl were receiving the same stock just with different labels The quality of Lidl German product is excellent Great bakery cheese and wine Quality meat loose fruit and veg and the Middle Aisle is GREAT

We have all the usual supermarkets in this area- all within a 10 min. drive. I am a Sainsburys shopper but I do top up in Waitrose, Morrisons ^& very occasionally Tesco.
I have not got on with Lidl or Aldi at all. We did use them when we were organising a party when WI turned 100 but we were not at all impressed with the food from there. The cheese had no taste at all.
I buy quite a lot of my clothes from Sainsburys too- got a lovely stripy shirt last week. Very good value for money.

Grannynannywanny
Thanks for the song, sums it up. I love Lidl, great fruit, veg, meat, nuts etc and loyalty offers, £12 a month on a £200 spend. Great prices with weekly offers.

Lidl is effectively our corner store! A car lot was demolished and there were huge protests locally because permission was given for a supermarket. The protestors saw off Waitrose and M&S which would have been pricey but Lidl stayed the course and its made life much easier. We can walk their in 10 mins.

We are now waiting for a new Tesco superstore to open about 1.5 miles away which will save us having to go to across town every 4/5 weeks. There is a very large Sainsbury’s but on a busy route with a windy access.

I like Lidl and Aldi. Not for all my shopping but I enjoy a troll round to pick up extras. Lovely pastries in Lidl.

Quite a few Lidl customers just seem to buy wine and/or beer by the trolley full. There cheese flans and charcuterie are far better than most. Aldi’s are much the same but further away.

Rosalyn69

I like Lidl and Aldi. Not for all my shopping but I enjoy a troll round to pick up extras. Lovely pastries in Lidl.

Portuguese tarts especially! OH often gets fresh baked croissants or pain au chocolate on Sundays for our breakfast. Dunked in our Tesco filtered ground coffee! Best of both worlds!

Feeling left out. Our Lidl centre aisle must be the poor relation to others. I wander in now and again to have a look and have yet to find anything of interest. There has never been much electrical stuff, apart from a series of coffee machines and kettles, although I do remember a couple of sanders at one time. Lots of it seems to be plastic children's toys. Never seen a rug of any description. Lots of mens thermals last time. And sweatshirts. Maybe we get all the stuff that doesn't sell elsewhere.

Lidl for the bakery, my guilty pleasure and their forest honey ,oh salt and black pepper savoury biscuits, bami goreng

Ahahaha!!! This thread is a treasure.

What is this middle aisle I have heard some much about ?

I’ve never been in a Lidl shop but do occasionally buy cleaning products , foil etc in Aldi . All my other shopping in Waitrose.
A new Lidl opened recently on a local retail park , I might go and have a mooch next week ? .

I started using Lidl at the beginning of lockdown as the queues were shorter. I could not do my main shop there as they do not stock everything I need. Their prices overall are good, as is their bread, but the fruit and veg is poor - it is not dated and does not last very long.

The fresh produce is dated but not in a way we recognise.
The codes are put on to let the shop staff know when an item was sent from the warehouse. A lot is fine to use well past the usual sell by date and this means less waste.

Look for a 4 digit number. For example 0347 means that it was sent out on the 3rd day of the 47th week.
Simply look for the stuff that was put out most recently.

Pittcity thanks for that! It will be fun to watch people in Lidl looking more closely at the fruit and veg this morning.

NanKate the middle isle is a random selection of various clothing/household/garden ‘stuff’ always worth a good look, very reasonable prices.

I will be looking at the codes on the fruit and veg now. Pittcity I do not strictly go by the sell by dates usually, but like to buy the latest dates if I can.

I have a Lidl less than 2 miles away and some of the meat is excellent and so much cheaper. Cleaning stuff is pennies rather than pounds but that branch is chaotically run and one can queue for 20 minutes to pay.

Yesterday I went to the one recently opened at my local town centre and it is opposite the bus stop. I think they cater for a different clientele eg office workers because there were more salads and sandwiches than cleaning material.

It is pay at a machine only branch and the queue was horrendous. I am partially sighted, explained this to a supervisor, he opened an ordinary till, asked a young worker to help me and I was out of the door within seconds. It is exceptionally well run and a very small branch.

For heavy goods, I shop online at Morrisons. I have a Waitrose half a mile away and it is good if I want "something different". I am rather fond of the marmalade with whisky which they sell!

A small Sainsburys closed last year and Aldi is putting the finishing touches on it so that will be another trip soon. I will shop anywhere I fancy- I am spoilt for choice while I can still drive.

Some potatoes I bought today with code highlighted.
Week 23 day 2.

Thank you JJ ?

My 17yr old GD says the Lidl Angel Delight Butterscotch version is indistinguishable from the real thing and a lot cheaper. High praise indeed. We buy virtually all our meat there - chicken, pork, mince etc and their sausages are unbeatable with 95% real meat. We haven’t found another supermarket sausage with such a high percentage of meat. Most hover around the 50% mark! I wouldn’t dream of buying my (own brand I think) Muesli and non-weetabix anywhere else.
Definitely go and explore your new Lidl and make sure you join their Lidl Plus App for an extra 20% or 15% of 4 certain (different) items each week. Have fun.

I forgot to say that the Lidl W5 Dishwasher tablets are the best ever. They are on offer next weekend (18th - 20th June) at £1.99 for 40 (yes, four oh!) tablets which makes them only 5p each. They are normally £2.99 so still a bargain buy!
They come in Lemon or Original and you just pop them in your DW without having to remove the wrapper. My dishes and cutlery are always lovely and shiny. You will be impressed, but only if you have a DW! ?

Smurf44 I agree about the dishwasher tablets. I find Fourmil works fine in the washing machine too.

On balance I prefer Aldi to Lidl - although the Lidl bakery is outstanding I have to avoid it as I’m meant to be dieting. You can’t beat Aldi for fresh flowers they are so reasonably priced and last for ages and I think their Aisle of Dreams is far better than the one at Lidl.
However, both stores are definitely worth investigating and offer a real alternative to other supermarkets.

When we were going out to do our own shopping we would go to Lidl then to Waitrose.

Lidl doesn't have a café