What has Ciao done? I don't like the new layout at all!
What has Ciao done? I don't like the new layout at all!
Member since:05.03.2005
Reviews:156
Members who trust:50
LIDL SUPERMARKET. Lidl, a 'low price' supermarket has two branches in my area, a town centre shop and an out of town superstore. The company began in the UK back in the mid 1990's and now has several hundred stores across the country. The Lidl concept is a 'stack 'em high, sell 'em low' one. The shops tend to be rather warehouse-like with goods stacked high either side of the aisles. The Lidl logo is a little wacky, a yellow banner with the name in blue, apart from the ' I' which is offset and red. The store's motto is 'Where Quality is Cheaper' Most of the Lidl own brand goods seem to originate in Europe, the quality is consistently good. I find their fruit and vegetables exceptionally good value for money and their cheeses likewise. Prices tend to be fairly reasonable across the board, with own brand digestive biscuits at 22p for a huge pack, 100g own brand coffee at 99p and a truly delicious cheese and chive quiche for £1.09, who's complaining? The own brand tinned and packeted goods are cheap and cheerful and other better known products often appear
on Lidl's shelves. McVities biscuits, Branston pickles and Nescafe coffee have all been available recently. Frozen foods tend to be pretty much similar in price to other supermarkets and the selection is very varied.
Where Lidl fail dismally in my opinion is their predilection for adding gelatine to everything sweet. I am a vegetarian, so I do not eat gelatine, it is an animal product so I avoid it. It is very frustrating to select a fruit yogurt or frozen gateaux and then find it has gelatine as the setting ingredient. I have mentioned it to staff with varying degrees of hilarity following their replies. The award winning one liner has to be: 'No, that's a pudding, not meat, madam' one callow youth stated, with a kindly smile, of the kind youngsters use to the elderly, as he looked at the peach and apricot dessert I was holding. The answer seems to be basically that they use gelatine, because, well, they just do....
Lidl staff are a bit hit and miss, checkout staff either dawdle or go at the speed of light, they do not encourage you to pack your bags at the check out, the Lidl format is to take your shopping out of the trolley, place on the conveyor belt, the assistant scans it, you put it back into the trolley, pay, then move to handily placed packing shelves to put it in your bags. No free carrier bags either at Lidl, they are charged from 3p for a flimsy carrier to 20p for a more sturdy bag.
Lidl supermarket is a cheap and cheerful answer for anyone on a budget, the company stock a vast range of goods ranging from humble baked beans to wines and spirits. Each week Lidl have specials, sometimes household goods or clothing, occasionally technology items and DIY products. When my partner and I were re-fitting our canal boat, we used Lidl for lots of the things we needed. We bought a Lidl shower mixer tap set for £19.99, an absolute snip compared to the £50+ asked by most plumbers merchants for a similar item. The boats shower cubicle was sealed with Lidl's 99p waterproof sealer and our kitchen tiles were fixed with Lidl tile adhesive. All the DIY items we have purchased have been of excellent quality and easy to use.
Lidl clothing is very reasonable in price and although it can be a bit daunting when the sizes are in continental versions, it is worth a look. Children's clothing is also well priced and some of the designs are that little bit different and unusual. Lidl's Christmas lines are very good value with authentic German Stollen and Belgian Chocolates, who could grumble?
All in all, Lidl is not the smartest shop in town, it doesn't pretend to be. I would recommend Lidl to anyone who wants to save a few pennies on their grocery bill and doesn't mind having own branded goods. Car parks are consistently good with plenty spaces both ordinary and disabled. There is no online shopping or home delivery service available from Lidl, they do have their own web site, which is packed with information about special offers, new products, recipes a newsletter and even careers within the company. Lidl is not an all singing, all dancing mega store, but for good honest products at a fair price, You'd have to go a long way to beat them.
Lidl contact details:-Web site www.lidl.co.uk Store Location line 0870 444 1234
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Jan 16th, 2008
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