Things to look out for in Lidl and Aldi

[Epona]

I got a long hot water bottle in a very soft fleece cover for £7.99 from Lidl the other day.
I love hot water bottles in the winter, and a long one is a revelation, well worth it.
The cover is pink/lilac and it has 2 little fluffy pompoms dangling from the neck of the bottle which look like what my lilac cat would have if he hadn't been neutered.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Update. Either Lidl has different prices at different branches, which is unlikely, or I remembered the price wrong the first time round. I went to another Lidl yesterday and they were £3.99

Price optimisation is a thing.

Y'know how petrol stations change their prices in tenths of a penny? That's a sophisticated software algorithm* that takes into account not just how much the petrol/diesel costs them plus their overheads plus a set profit margin, but also takes other things into account.

Basically, the algorithm calculates the tipping point, down to the nearest tenth of a penny, at which it calculates the price will attract the customer or send it to a competitor. It takes into account how much the nearest petrol stations are charging, but also amenities, like does the petrol station have a store attached (customers more likely to fill up here if they also need a loaf of bread or packet of cigs), is that convenience store 'independent' or part of a chain, eg Tesco, M&S, Co-op, etc. Does it have a car wash or tyre pumps/air pressure gauge.

And all that data gets input and it figures out what's the maximum it can charge without deterring lots of customers and sending them to a competitor.

Price optimisation software was developed for petrol stations, but guess what? Some petrol stations are owned by big supermarket chains, who quickly cottoned on to the benefits for their retail arms.

So, yes, supermarkets can and do charge different amounts. You might not notice so much if you shop at Lidl, but if you shop in a big Tesco supermarket versus a Tesco Express, or a big Sainsbury's versus one of their smaller convenience stores, you'll usually be able to notice a difference.

I suppose some things might be set prices, if they've got promotions where they've published prices, but they've got thousands of products. And the supermarkets are constantly checking one another's prices and doing a comparison of a basket of goods.

There are a few products that people tend to track the prices of, often in their heads, so it's not an exact science, such as milk, bananas, loaf of bread, tin of baked beans, etc. Supermarkets know which products are the price sensitive ones, hence they're often 'loss leaders'. They know that if they can convince you that they're the cheapest store by making half a dozen to a dozen products the cheapest, you will assume they're the cheapest overall, and they can recoup the difference and make more profit on the other stuff you put in your trolley.

I don't know about Lidl pricing specifically, I don't know if they do or don't use price optimisation software and I don't know if they have different prices in different stores, depending on the size and location of their store, who and where their nearest competitors are, but when you say it's 'unlikely' it's not unlikely in the sense of not possible, it's entirely likely in the sense it's possible, although I don't know if they do practice price optimisation, but most if not all of their competitors will do, so it would be weird if they didn't.

*I had a job interview years ago for an admin role for the company that developed it.

 

[The39thStep]

Price optimisation is a thing.

Y'know how petrol stations change their prices in tenths of a penny? That's a sophisticated software algorithm* that takes into account not just how much the petrol/diesel costs them plus their overheads plus a set profit margin, but also takes other things into account.

Basically, the algorithm calculates the tipping point, down to the nearest tenth of a penny, at which it calculates the price will attract the customer or send it to a competitor. It takes into account how much the nearest petrol stations are charging, but also amenities, like does the petrol station have a store attached (customers more likely to fill up here if they also need a loaf of bread or packet of cigs), is that convenience store 'independent' or part of a chain, eg Tesco, M&S, Co-op, etc. Does it have a car wash or tyre pumps/air pressure gauge.

And all that data gets input and it figures out what's the maximum it can charge without deterring lots of customers and sending them to a competitor.

Price optimisation software was developed for petrol stations, but guess what? Some petrol stations are owned by big supermarket chains, who quickly cottoned on to the benefits for their retail arms.

So, yes, supermarkets can and do charge different amounts. You might not notice so much if you shop at Lidl, but if you shop in a big Tesco supermarket versus a Tesco Express, or a big Sainsbury's versus one of their smaller convenience stores, you'll usually be able to notice a difference.

I suppose some things might be set prices, if they've got promotions where they've published prices, but they've got thousands of products. And the supermarkets are constantly checking one another's prices and doing a comparison of a basket of goods.

There are a few products that people tend to track the prices of, often in their heads, so it's not an exact science, such as milk, bananas, loaf of bread, tin of baked beans, etc. Supermarkets know which products are the price sensitive ones, hence they're often 'loss leaders'. They know that if they can convince you that they're the cheapest store by making half a dozen to a dozen products the cheapest, you will assume they're the cheapest overall, and they can recoup the difference and make more profit on the other stuff you put in your trolley.

I don't know about Lidl pricing specifically, I don't know if they do or don't use price optimisation software and I don't know if they have different prices in different stores, depending on the size and location of their store, who and where their nearest competitors are, but when you say it's 'unlikely' it's not unlikely in the sense of not possible, it's entirely likely in the sense it's possible, although I don't know if they do practice price optimisation, but most if not all of their competitors will do, so it would be weird if they didn't.

*I had a job interview years ago for an admin role for the company that developed it.

I think the Tesco Express type stores also have price variation due to location

 

[nogojones]

Lidl has some decent tempeh in stock at the moment. I tend to clear the shelves when it comes in as it has a long fridge life

 

[gentlegreen]

Lidl has some decent tempeh in stock at the moment. I tend to clear the shelves when it comes in as it has a long fridge life

Lidls and Aldis alternate here and I have an Aldi which doesn't even stock their fabled cheap tofu

 

[gentlegreen]

So much for Aldi's posh large "ripe and ready" kiwis being on offer ...
They ought to put a disclaimer to the effect that they're cheap because they aren't ripe ...

I walked past LIDL yesterday and was tempted to see what they had that was different to my surprisingly tame ALDI (surprising because this is quite a trendy sort of area) ...

 

[maomao]

It's Italian week so I bought 12 packs of the bechemel sauce and six big jars of olives yesterday. I wish they would just sell their international stuff all the time.

 

[Chz]

It's Italian week so I bought 12 packs of the bechemel sauce and six big jars of olives yesterday. I wish they would just sell their international stuff all the time.

I'm torn, because I do enjoy that there's a rotation but some things like the béchamel would be well suited to being in stock all the time. What really gets me is how inconsistent they can be in terms of what they have in their themed weeks. They had Alps last week, but no curry ketchup like last time. I need some, and the only other option is a giant, expensive bottle from the German specialty shop. Or no Manouri cheese in the last Greek week. (That said, we are definitely one of those households where if we like a product it's almost guaranteed to get discontinued. Market research would love us - "Oh no, they like it! It's going to be a flop.")

Italian is the favourite, for sure.

 

[Saul Goodman]

I've decided to try my hand at a bit of airbrushing, so I bought an airbrush and a small compressor, but it's a diaphragm compressor with no receiver, so the air flow is pulsing a little. I've been looking for a little pressure vessel/accumulator to fix the issue, and I came across the perfect thing in Lidl. There were two boxes of these in the reduced section, each containing six canisters, and they're ideal for my job. They were only a tenner a box, and I don't know why but I felt compelled to buy both boxes, but they were still cheaper than the pressure vessel I was going to buy.


Now I just have to safely dispose of the nitrous oxide before repurposing the cylinder

 

[bluescreen]

That's no laughing matter.

And what are you going to do to that cat? Airbrush it out of the picture?

 

[Saul Goodman]

I've decided I'm going to buy a cream whipper. Kinda like buying a catcher's mitt and ball to justify the baseball bat in your car Joking aside, I've always wanted a cream whipper but couldn't justify the cost of the cartridges. Now I'll never have to worry about whipped cream again.

 

[Epona]

I've decided I'm going to buy a cream whipper. Kinda like buying a catcher's mitt and ball to justify the baseball bat in your car Joking aside, I've always wanted a cream whipper but couldn't justify the cost of the cartridges. Now I'll never have to worry about whipped cream again.

And as long as there's no nitrous ban there, you might for a while be able to pick up more cheap cannisters that were shipped to your branches of Lidl/Aldi from here in a hurry when they had to get rid of their stock here

 

[Saul Goodman]

And as long as there's no nitrous ban there, you might for a while be able to pick up more cheap cannisters that were shipped to your branches of Lidl/Aldi from here in a hurry when they had to get rid of their stock here

I had no idea of the usual price when I bought them. I just checked and they're twenty odd quid a bottle! I just got over €250 of nitrous for €20... Bonus!

 

[Epona]

Went up to a new Lidl that opened opposite Newham Town Hall recently to get the stick blender with accessories kit that went on sale today, only to discover that the new Lidl Has No Non-Food Middle of Lidl - I mean what is the fucking point?
They had the food stuff - Italian and some Japanese stuff which I think might have been left over from last week, but none of the homewares/diy/kitchen goods/clothes/craft kits/garden stuff etc.

So I ended up walking to the one on Green Street which was utter fucking mayhem, I did get my stick blender though.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Went up to a new Lidl that opened opposite Newham Town Hall recently to get the stick blender with accessories kit that went on sale today, only to discover that the new Lidl Has No Non-Food Middle of Lidl - I mean what is the fucking point?
They had the food stuff - Italian and some Japanese stuff which I think might have been left over from last week, but none of the homewares/diy/kitchen goods/clothes/craft kits/garden stuff etc.

So I ended up walking to the one on Green Street which was utter fucking mayhem, I did get my stick blender though.

I bought a Lidl stick blender a few years ago, but I haven't seen it since moving house. It's probably hiding in a box somewhere. Must dig it out.

 

[Epona]

I'm still struggling with the fact that there is a Lidl near me that doesn't have a "Middle of Lidl" section for current offers of non-food stuff, it's just a regular food supermarket.
I won't be going back there, I tend to visit Lidl when there is something I particularly want to get that I have seen on their website and it's usually cookware/kitchen type stuff.

So out of all the local Lidls (which are increasing in number), I still prefer the Tollgate Road one because although it is a bit longer on the bus it does have a middle of Lidl, it has trolleys, it's busy but it's not complete crowded chaos.

So:

1) Tollgate Road, Beckton: Big Lidl. Has trolleys. Has Middle of Lidl. Bit of a bus trek, bus only every 15-20 minutes.
2) Green Street, East Ham/Upton Park: Small Lidl. No Trolleys, make do with baskets. Has Middle of Lidl. If you come in with a tartan trolley type deal they make you leave it at the door (where they used to have actual trolleys) in case you're using it to nick stuff. Utter fucking mayhem, very crowded and long queues for both self checkout and staffed checkouts.
84) Brand new big Lidl opposite Newham Town Hall (entrance on High Street North, East Ham). Has trolleys. No fucking Middle of Lidl - what is the fucking point in your existence?

There are actually 3 branches in East Ham and 2 in Beckton but I haven't been to all of them. And one in the old shopping centre in Stratford which is small, crowded, and a bit shit.
Our nearest Aldi is south of the river (Charlton/East Greenwich) and a complete pain in the arse to get to.

 

[cesare]

No middle of Lidl in Lidl I hope they don't do that here on the south side

 

[Epona]

I bought a Lidl stick blender a few years ago, but I haven't seen it since moving house. It's probably hiding in a box somewhere. Must dig it out.

I do a lot of cooking, I've actually never had a stick blender before
I have a jug blender but I've got so much fucking stuff on the kitchen counter these days (had to get a microwave due to N working long night shifts, so he can heat a bowl of food that I've left in the fridge for him, otherwise he won't have time most days to cook and eat an actual proper meal) - and our kitchen isn't that small, at least not in London terms, but we don't have a fitted kitchen or a lot of counter space for stuff.
So an easy to use and put away between uses stick blender seems like a good idea.

 

[Epona]

No middle of Lidl in Lidl I hope they don't do that here on the south side

I know, it was a right shock, we walked around the place 3 times feeling like we were in an episode of the Twilight Zone.
It didn't help that we were on a tight schedule as N had to work tonight, so the decision to do the 30 minute walk to the Green Street one was not taken lightly, and we both ended up feeling a bit stressed.

 

[Saul Goodman]

I know, it was a right shock, we walked around the place 3 times feeling like we were in an episode of the Twilight Zone.
It didn't help that we were on a tight schedule as N had to work tonight, so the decision to do the 30 minute walk to the Green Street one was not taken lightly, and we both ended up feeling a bit stressed.

How many aisles did it have?
Lidl deliberately put five aisles in their stores to fuck with my head. I want to walk up one aisle, down the next, and repeat until I reach the checkout, but Lidl want me to traverse the booze aisle twice, in an attempt to get me to succumb to my weak will... Bastards!

 

[Epona]

How many aisles did it have?
Lidl deliberately put five aisles in their stores to fuck with my head. I want to walk up one aisle, down the next, and repeat until I reach the checkout, but Lidl want me to traverse the booze aisle twice, in an attempt to get me to succumb to my weak will... Bastards!

I didn't even make it to the booze aisle in the Green Street branch we ended up in, because the self scan queue was snaking half way round the supermarket including down the booze aisle and the aisle wasn't wide enough and everyone was in a foul mood - we had too much stuff to fit in the bagging area of self scan without it causing an issue so joined the staffed checkout queue instead - which was astoundingly quick, but we never made it down the booze aisle as a result.

And yes, in every Lidl I've been to, there has been some aisle weirdness - in a lot of them, the aisles in one half of the supermarket don't align with those in the other half, so you end up having to do at least half an aisle twice.

 

[Saul Goodman]

I didn't even make it to the booze aisle in the Green Street branch we ended up in, because the self scan queue was snaking half way round the supermarket including down the booze aisle and the aisle wasn't wide enough and everyone was in a foul mood - we had too much stuff to fit in the bagging area of self scan without it causing an issue so joined the staffed checkout queue instead - which was astoundingly quick, but we never made it down the booze aisle as a result.

Unfortunately, the booze aisle is also the frozen food isle here, and I'm partial to their breaded cod, so I kinda don't have a choice, and the bastards know this

 

[Epona]

Anyway, next time I'm just going to get the 300 to Tollgate Road branch instead of pissing around with options that because they are nearby you are lulled into thinking they will be easier.
At least if I am doing the trek to Tollgate Road I am expecting it to take a couple of hours.

 

[cesare]

All sounds a bit stressful, tbh

 

[Epona]

All sounds a bit stressful, tbh

I got my stick blender (early birthday prezzie) so that is OK.
Wish I hadn't gone to the new place though since they don't do that stuff it would have been less of an expedition if I'd just gone to my regular branch.
Also hate to say it but N coming with me is a pain in the fucking backside, he has to spend ages looking at everything then gets overwhelmed and has to go outside for a bit, then loads of stuff ends up in the trolley that wasn't on the list, and half the stuff on the list doesn't end up in the trolley cos I'm getting stressed and just want to leave (and probably need the loo because we've been nearly 3 hours at this point what with bus journeys and having to go to 2 different shops) - if I do grocery shopping by myself I kind of know that I have a low tolerance for spending a lot of time in a shop so I go in, I refer to the list, I come out, it's all really quick.
But I said to him "I'm going to Lidl" and he wanted to come with me so we both went.
Neurodiverse extreme shopping

 

[Saul Goodman]

I got my stick blender (early birthday prezzie) so that is OK.
Wish I hadn't gone to the new place though since they don't do that stuff it would have been less of an expedition if I'd just gone to my regular branch.
Also hate to say it but N coming with me is a pain in the fucking backside, he has to spend ages looking at everything then gets overwhelmed and has to go outside for a bit, then loads of stuff ends up in the trolley that wasn't on the list, and half the stuff on the list doesn't end up in the trolley cos I'm getting stressed and just want to leave (and probably need the loo because we've been nearly 3 hours at this point what with bus journeys and having to go to 2 different shops) - if I do grocery shopping by myself I kind of know that I have a low tolerance for spending a lot of time in a shop so I go in, I refer to the list, I come out, it's all really quick.
But I said to him "I'm going to Lidl" and he wanted to come with me so we both went.
Neurodiverse extreme shopping

I hate shopping. If it wasn't for the cats needing food and litter, I'd probably starve to death rather than face queuing at a checkout.
I took my mother shopping a few times lately, because she'd recently had a hip replacement and couldn't manage it alone. I love my mother but after about an hour of her picking up and examining about half of the items in the shop, I was ready to walk out and leave her to it. I've now insisted she stays at home and rest while I do the shopping for her.
Have a list and stick to it. If it takes more than 15 - 20 minutes to do the shopping, you're doing it wrong.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

I hate shopping. If it wasn't for the cats needing food and litter, I'd probably starve to death rather than face queuing at a checkout.
I took my mother shopping a few times lately, because she'd recently had a hip replacement and couldn't manage it alone. I love my mother but after about an hour of her picking up and examining about half of the items in the shop, I was ready to walk out and leave her to it. I've now insisted she stays at home and rest while I do the shopping for her.
Have a list and stick to it. If it takes more than 15 - 20 minutes to do the shopping, you're doing it wrong.

Maybe she needs the exercise of wandering round and round the aisles after her hip replacement?

 

[Epona]

I also bought some baskets that hang under kitchen cabinets, for extra storage - they are fucking brilliant and I hope I can pick up some more, because I could do with more storage space in the kitchen.
And some silicone cupcake/fairy cake cases. I don't actually bake cakes that often, but I am sure they will come in handy. (N wanted them for some baking project that may never happen, I might have to make some fairy cakes so they get used)

 

[Saul Goodman]

Maybe she needs the exercise of wandering round and round the aisles after her hip replacement?

I'm sure she does need the exercise, but we reached a compromise, where I do the shopping for her until she's fit to go alone, and she gets to exercise at home and have a son not go insane.
There are two of us in the equation, and my mental health is at least as important as her need to wander around the aisles of Lidl.
I spend a lot of time looking after my mother. I'm sure she doesn't begrudge me my sanity.

 

[jimbarkanoodle]

I hate shopping. If it wasn't for the cats needing food and litter, I'd probably starve to death rather than face queuing at a checkout.
I took my mother shopping a few times lately, because she'd recently had a hip replacement and couldn't manage it alone. I love my mother but after about an hour of her picking up and examining about half of the items in the shop, I was ready to walk out and leave her to it. I've now insisted she stays at home and rest while I do the shopping for her.
Have a list and stick to it. If it takes more than 15 - 20 minutes to do the shopping, you're doing it wrong.

The issue with Aldi and Lidl is that they are often too small for the popularity due to prices, especially in areas where lots of people aren't so well off. I've had to stop going to my local Aldi in Lewisham on a Sunday because it was always fucking chaos, it took ages and was more stress than it was worth. You'd have large families who had come from church treating the shop like a day out, just standing around chatting as if they were in a pub or social club, blocking the aisles. Lots of people who don't understand the concept of owning and using a bankcard in 2024, but queueing for tills that only accept card payments anyway, then kicking off when the penny drops. Others carting around trolleys full up with bottled water (whats wrong with tap water?), then trying to scan them through and obviously getting stuck. You have to pick the right time to go or its more hassle than it's worth.