Have Lidl Blown it?

StudentDad · 04-01-2013 8:33am #1

I'm about to go shopping. Aldi are open from nine - we'll be going to Aldi - my wife who used to like Lidl now considers them to provide less quality and value for money, when compared with what they used to offer when they first opened in Ireland.

I'm curious is this a nationwide change in Lidl? Practices like dropping their own brands and replacing them with 'Irish' brands. As my wife puts it Lidl have nice bread, but I'm not going shopping just for bread.

Opinions?

SD

rameire · 04-01-2013 9:39am

Im fond of the ole crusty cob. Nom nom.

joolsveer · 04-01-2013 9:44am

I will admit to preferring to shop in Aldi. My nearest one is in Clonee which also has a Lidl but I rarely go to Lidl now.

Nanazolie · 04-01-2013 10:47am

I thought the exact same the other day when shopping in Lidl. I usually go there for the in store baked bread, and grab a few basics like milk that cost the same as anywhere. However, they used to have a very good value own range but it has been gradually replaced by well known brands whose prices match the other stores like Tesco. So I don't see the point in going there for a big shop. I'm lucky that Aldi and Lidl are close by so I do my shopping at Aldi and pop across the road to Lidl for a few rolls.

Pawwed Rig · 04-01-2013 3:14pm

I used to go in there for the likes of mouthwash, fabric softener etc as it was significantly cheaper than the traditional supermarkets. I don't bother going in there anymore though as the cheaper ones have been replaced by the better known (much more expensive) options.

I also liked their bread but they sometimes would have none left so the effort of going in was wasted. Haven't been to one in a couple of years now

Rented Mule · 04-01-2013 3:16pm

rameire wrote: »

Im fond of the ole crusty cob. Nom nom.

It has to have poppy seeds on it !!

As good as it is, t's just not the same without it.

Melendez · 04-01-2013 3:31pm

This post has been deleted.

byronbay2 · 04-01-2013 4:17pm

Agree with Melendez that it's a pity Aldi don't have in-store bakeries like Lidl but still don't go to Lidl much, except for the occasional croissant on a Saturday morning, if I'm passing. Both Aldi and Lidl are within 2 miles of my house but I always favour Aldi.
I think Lidl's fruit and vegetables are excellent, possibly slightly better than Aldi (never buy bananas in either though), but fresh meat, pork products, cheeses, alcohol products, fruit juices and numerous other products (salads, tinned/frozen products among others) are far superior in Aldi which, in fairness, is an excellent shop.
Of course, the major issue with Aldi is that you can't do a full shop there, as the ceareals, sweets, bread, yogurts, biscuits etc are not deemed acceptable to the other Bays so I do shopping with an approximate spending breakdown of: Aldi 40%, Tesco 50% and SuperValu (our local shop) 10%.

Tipperary animal lover · 04-01-2013 8:26pm

byronbay2 wrote: »

Agree with Melendez that it's a pity Aldi don't have in-store bakeries like Lidl but still don't go to Lidl much, except for the occasional croissant on a Saturday morning, if I'm passing. Both Aldi and Lidl are within 2 miles of my house but I always favour Aldi.
I think Lidl's fruit and vegetables are excellent, possibly slightly better than Aldi (never buy bananas in either though), but fresh meat, pork products, cheeses, alcohol products, fruit juices and numerous other products (salads, tinned/frozen products among others) are far superior in Aldi which, in fairness, is an excellent shop.
Of course, the major issue with Aldi is that you can't do a full shop there, as the ceareals, sweets, bread, yogurts, biscuits etc are not deemed acceptable to the other Bays so I do shopping with an approximate spending breakdown of: Aldi 40%, Tesco 50% and SuperValu (our local shop) 10%.

I agree 100% right down to the spending breakdown except dunnes stores 50% won't go near tesco's I think they've lost the plot with there pricing.

wmpdd3 · 04-01-2013 9:04pm

i think the special buys in both are crap. The same stuff sits in the local aldi for weeks, theres 6 bins for new offers and the other 2 x 24 ft of bins is old stuff.
I prefer aldi, but i like their bread.

hattoncracker · 04-01-2013 10:03pm

Aldi all the way!! Not into lidl at all anymore. Too expensive and too many known brands. I love going to aldi and getting things I may not have tried before, and they had slow cooker sauces last week which are really handy! And they have an app for their specials.
Our shopping breaks out 90% aldi, 10% everywhere else.

cookie1977 · 04-01-2013 10:16pm

I'm normally Lidl as I shop early (8am) at the weekend and Aldi doesn't open until 9. Plus (this is so cheap

) I get the pick of the 30% off meat

Chris_5339762 · 05-01-2013 1:01pm

Lidl have blown it a little as their 'household brands' are more expensive generally than even Tesco and they never do offers like 3 for 2, etc. Their breads however are good (although their poppy seed loaf is not as good as Tescos), and also their toilet paper is great as are their fruit juices. Also, their Christmas lebkuchen and icecreams are head and shoulders above Aldi or Tesco.

Aldi is better for almost everything else (especially cakes) and is where I do most of my shopping.

Tesco is better for cereals, bolognese sauce etc, crisps, 3 for 2, reduced price meats at the end of the day and things like that.

I'd probably do Aldi 60%, Tesco 30%, Lidl 10%.

allthedoyles · 05-01-2013 1:03pm

We have Aldi and Lidl across the road from each other .

Their baby potatoes are 59c in Aldi and 1.19c in Lidl .

We also notice that Aldi car-park is way fuller all the time

StudentDad · 05-01-2013 3:42pm

A mate of mine reckons Lidl have hit their 'comfort' zone and have become complacent. Maybe if enough people leave Lidl they'll wake up and smell the coffee

Must actually get coffee lol

SD

eviltwin · 05-01-2013 3:45pm

I prefer Aldi too but there is none in Blanchardstown so I'm resigned to shopping in Lidl for the forseeable future.

snubbleste · 05-01-2013 3:51pm

Their baby potatoes are 59c in Aldi and 1.19c in Lidl .

That's a special two week offer in Aldi

Lidl have blown it a little as their 'household brands' are more expensive generally than even Tesco and they never do offers like 3 for 2, etc.

Lidl do offers all the time including 3 for 2

Polar101 · 05-01-2013 7:30pm

Can't compare to Aldi as I don't have one nearby, but I've increased my shopping a lot in Lidl lately since they brought in a lot of new (mostly their own) brands. I never buy 'well known brand' stuff in Lidl.

jimmycrackcorm · 05-01-2013 11:35pm

I don't care much for the difference between them. However Aldi ribeye steaks ate unbeatable.

GoldFour4 · 05-01-2013 11:42pm

We'd normally only get small things in either store. It's rare that we do a big shop there. However recently Lidl had all veg for 39cent which was fantastic.

I absolutely love the lidl chocolate too, and not so much the aldi stuff. That's one of the main reasons I shop there tbh !

I'd agree about them introducing more Irish products. I remember when the first store in my area opened, we didn't have a clue what any of the stuff on shelves were. Now there's a lot of products that can be found in Tesco and Dunnes. Lidl charge more for these products and don't do "3 for 2" or "buy one get one free" offers very often like the other supermarkets, they're not that well advertised anyway.

BuffyBot · 05-01-2013 11:54pm

I've never been a great fan of Lidl and thought many of their products were poor. I shopped there more out of necessity then choice (they were closer than the nearest Aldi). They've always stocked more big-brand items but the amount has been creeping up. This, to me, says a lot about the quality of their own brands that they've had to start selling the big brands.

I much prefer the quality of Aldi's food and produce and find the quality to be generally up with the main ones.

holton · 06-01-2013 12:04am

eviltwin wrote: »

I prefer Aldi too but there is none in Blanchardstown so I'm resigned to shopping in Lidl for the forseeable future.

There's one up the road from you in Clonee.

wmpdd3 · 06-01-2013 1:12pm

when lidl open first my other half used to buy all around him and i ended up throwing out jams, sauces and frozen food etc that he realised he didnt like. Where as most things he bought in aldi he ate.
if my local lidl and aldi replaced all the special buys with more food i might have a hope of doing a full shop there.

MugMugs · 06-01-2013 1:23pm

I've never liked the quality of Lidl food. I use it for the likes of USB keys etc. Aldi however supply a quality product. Their foods whilst sometimes limited are tasty and have a quality to them Lidl could never achieve. There's no contest Imo....

Twoandahalfmen · 06-01-2013 3:46pm

I think there food is quite good. There own brand stuff that cost 20c or so are as nice as branded stuff. There food is a high of quality as other chain supermarkets like Dunnes,Tesco,Superquinn and its on par with aldi to.

We shop at all these so would have a fair idea of the quality of food.

ongarite · 06-01-2013 7:22pm

I reckon its to try and get new shoppers into Lidl. Various studies have shown Irish shoppers to be one of the most brand loyal in Europe, even during the recession.
By stocking the big brand items at competitive prices, Lidl would hope to attract loyal big brand buyers to their store who might also buy some cheaper, higher margin own brand products.

L1011 · 06-01-2013 9:33pm

Until Lidl started getting in the "known brands" I only did about 30% of my shopping, whereas now I do virtually all of it.

They wouldn't have continued doing it after the initial few brands at the start if it wasn't working out positively for them - they're quite willing to start something then drop it, e.g. the prepacked sandwiches in a fridge by the door that a few shops had for a few months max.

StudentDad · 07-01-2013 12:44pm

MYOB wrote: »

Until Lidl started getting in the "known brands" I only did about 30% of my shopping, whereas now I do virtually all of it.

They wouldn't have continued doing it after the initial few brands at the start if it wasn't working out positively for them - they're quite willing to start something then drop it, e.g. the prepacked sandwiches in a fridge by the door that a few shops had for a few months max.

I have absolutely zero brand loyalty. To my mind the whole point of Lidl and Aldi is the fact that they represent an alternative to the big brands.

Aldi continue to sell their own product and offer a very good alternative to over-priced Irish brands.

SD

Capri · 11-01-2013 11:31am

Lidl in Germany sell everything from holidays to mobiles to gold coins http://www.lidl.de/de/Bestellmagazin-Januar-1 expect them to swoop in Tesco territory IF the public vote for it with their wallets

sunny2004 · 11-01-2013 12:12pm

StudentDad wrote: »

A mate of mine reckons Lidl have hit their 'comfort' zone and have become complacent. Maybe if enough people leave Lidl they'll wake up and smell the coffee Must actually get coffee lol

SD

But where are you getting your coffee ??????????????

ronan45 · 11-01-2013 12:20pm

Are lidl and Aldi owned and run ultimately by the same company in Germany???? Or is their any current association between them???
Are they truely competing with one another?

Have Lidl Blown it?

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