ALDI in Sligo - Parking is atrocious!

Andy From Sligo

The wife has had it now with ALDI in Sligo and now shopping in LIDL - main reason being the car park of ALDI - ridiculous, the car park isnt big enough, people are fighting (literally in some cases) to try and get a space. Why oh why did they build the Chemist there in that particular place and not just leave it car parking spaces for ALDI - I wonder how many other customers ALDI have lost because its so bad to park there?. They really need to sort out that parking problem once and for all.

Buford T Justice

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

The wife has had it now with ALDI in Sligo and now shopping in LIDL - main reason being the car park of ALDI - ridiculous, the car park isnt big enough, people are fighting (literally in some cases) to try and get a space. Why oh why did they build the Chemist there in that particular place and not just leave it car parking spaces for ALDI - I wonder how many other customers ALDI have lost because its so bad to park there?. They really need to sort out that parking problem once and for all.

There's nothing they can do really. That's the size of the site and that's it. It should never have been built there in the first place

I agree its a joke though. if its really bad sometimes we park at the back of the shop and drag the trolley down there.

thebuzz

Regular shopper at Aldi, think there was only once I couldn't get a space so had to wait a few minutes and got one then. Takes me longer to get parked at Tesco.

Andy From Sligo

wife said she saw a couple of quite overheated rows there a couple of times over parking spaces

red sean

thebuzz wrote: »

Regular shopper at Aldi, think there was only once I couldn't get a space so had to wait a few minutes and got one then. Takes me longer to get parked at Tesco.

My experience also.

dingding

Part of the insistence by the planners of not having out of town retail shops I would imagine.

Andy From Sligo

dingding wrote: »

Part of the insistence by the planners of not having out of town retail shops I would imagine.

I think the environs Plan expires in December this year if my memory serves me correct, if the ban is lifted maybe we could see ALDI moved to the Retail Park in Cararoe ... although I suppose it be good to have it in walking distance from town centre. Surprising they didnt situate it at Duncans Island or finiskillen est down that way - or where ARGOS is at Cleveragh road

sligojoek

I've never found Aldi that bad. If you have time to wait, there's always someone coming out. I generally drop the OH at the trollies and wait till I get somewhere.

That pharmacy would fit nicely ito Lidl's car park without any impact on parking.

Andy From Sligo

I suppose by putting the chemist there/building it there the Developers get some kind of return ... more return that if they had put in more free parking space slots for ALDI Customers!

Buford T Justice

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

I suppose by putting the chemist there/building it there the Developers get some kind of return ... more return that if they had put in more free parking space slots for ALDI Customers!

to be fair, you're not talking about a large number of spots for that site.

Basq

Never had an issue parking there either... normally quick enough for someone to leave - as opposed to circling Wine Street Car Park.

Spaces are a little on the large side in Aldi though.. could probably fit two - three more cars in if they narrowed them a little.

crossbeauty

parking is dire at Aldi - but usually I have to shop on a Friday when I am off (i find this a busy day for doing the weekly, pension day!) or saturday morning- another busy day. Anytime I've tried to get in on these days I end up leaving and going to Lidl whose carpark is massive in comparison.

Maybe other days during the week it may not be as packed.

muddypaws

I drive a van, so only ever go to Aldi in the evening, wouldn't even try to get in there during the day, and avoid it most of the time. Finally something we agree on OP

sligo camper

Have you tried parking at the back of the shop....ST Annes / Jail Road side....works for me every time...

Aux100

The parking is OK if you can shop during normal working hours but is a joke a peek times or at the weekend.

I'm sure Aldi shares the same frustrations as its clearly down to bad planning.

Having most of the larger supermarkets on one side of the town also causes unnecessary traffic due to large amounts customers needing to travel through town to get to these supermarkets.

Its a shame the decision makers in the council are so narrow minded. I'm sure this is one of the reasons why the population of Sligo not growing.

sligo camper

Is it me or have you noticed that in a lot of towns both shops are located fairly close to each other....why?

Andy From Sligo

sligo camper wrote: »

Have you tried parking at the back of the shop....ST Annes / Jail Road side....works for me every time...

be parking charges though?

Andy From Sligo

sligo camper wrote: »

Is it me or have you noticed that in a lot of towns both shops are located fairly close to each other....why?

yeah have noticed

Andy From Sligo

Aux100 wrote: »

The parking is OK if you can shop during normal working hours but is a joke a peek times or at the weekend.

I'm sure Aldi shares the same frustrations as its clearly down to bad planning.

Having most of the larger supermarkets on one side of the town also causes unnecessary traffic due to large amounts customers needing to travel through town to get to these supermarkets.

Its a shame the decision makers in the council are so narrow minded. I'm sure this is one of the reasons why the population of Sligo not growing.

well put

muddypaws

sligo camper wrote: »

Is it me or have you noticed that in a lot of towns both shops are located fairly close to each other....why?

In Carrick they are at opposite ends of the town

Andy From Sligo

muddypaws wrote: »

In Carrick they are at opposite ends of the town

oh right - LIDL is down by the bowling alley isnt it, strange they didnt put ALDI in that bit of a retail park across the road

Aux100

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

oh right - LIDL is down by the bowling alley isnt it, strange they didnt put ALDI in that bit of a retail park across the road

Hi Andy,

Just wondering why it's strange? Surely its good?

Supermarkets on each end of the town = good planning. It was obvious from day one that the Aldi carpark was too small and in the wrong place.

IMO the only stress free supermarket shop which is fit for purpose (in terms of parking) is Lidl. The Dunnes carkpark is a bottle neck and poorly designed. The Wine Street carpark is stupid game of car park roulette that generations of Sligonians have had to play. Tescos is outdated & inconvenient. Centra in Maugheraboy has very little parking.

Can anyone think of a town Sligos size that has a worst supermarket situation?

I can't.

I can think of plenty of smaller towns who have done it much better.

Speedwell

sligo camper wrote: »

Is it me or have you noticed that in a lot of towns both shops are located fairly close to each other....why?

When they plan a new shop, they put it in a place where the demographics and logistics (travel routes) make sense. The demographics and roads probably aren't going to change when other companies look for good places to put shops of the same kind. When people are used to going to a location for a certain good, and there is more than enough traffic to sustain the existing shop, another shop in the same location will draw its share of traffic. Where two companies are in close competition like Aldi and Lidl are, people will create a preference for one or the other. If they don't, and shop in both, so much the better.

There was a case in my experience (I worked for a while in a commercial real estate office in the US) in which a competitor opened across the street from an existing retail business, and three months later had managed to strangle the existing business to death by luring away practically its entire customer base. I am pretty sure that was intentional.

Aux100

Speedwell wrote: »

When they plan a new shop, they put it in a place where the demographics and logistics (travel routes) make sense. The demographics and roads probably aren't going to change when other companies look for good places to put shops of the same kind. When people are used to going to a location for a certain good, and there is more than enough traffic to sustain the existing shop, another shop in the same location will draw its share of traffic. Where two companies are in close competition like Aldi and Lidl are, people will create a preference for one or the other. If they don't, and shop in both, so much the better.

There was a case in my experience (I worked for a while in a commercial real estate office in the US) in which a competitor opened across the street from an existing retail business, and three months later had managed to strangle the existing business to death by luring away practically its entire customer base. I am pretty sure that was intentional.

Good points Speedwell.

I'm just not convinced that the 1st choice of all the supermarkets was to set up in one part of town. I feel they may have been guided there by the local decision makers which has ultimately caused this problem.

I know this has been discussed before but if I was planning a supermarket my 1st choices would be Carraroe & the docks. Both have better transport links and a much larger catchment area.

Peintre Celebre

Lidl will be opening another store on the north side of town too

Andy From Sligo

Peintre Celebre wrote: »

Lidl will be opening another store on the north side of town too

whats this? - are they going to open up another LIDL store in Sligo you mean?

Ballina has 2 LIDL stores apparently.

muddypaws

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

oh right - LIDL is down by the bowling alley isnt it, strange they didnt put ALDI in that bit of a retail park across the road

Probably because they didn't want to flood the car park


Yes, Ballina currently has two Lidls, but I think the oldest one will probably close when the lease runs out, unless they would be worried that Aldi would move in there.

Buford T Justice

muddypaws wrote: »

Probably because they didn't want to flood the car park


Yes, Ballina currently has two Lidls, but I think the oldest one will probably close when the lease runs out, unless they would be worried that Aldi would move in there.

It won't. Its far too busy and they get a huge amount of footfall where they are in the town

red sean

The old one in Ballina will close I'd imagine, because it's a nightmare to get out of in heavy traffic.

Bebo stunnah

Plain and simple; planning. We have the biggest, complete and utter f##king ret@rds of planners on the planet. You can see it with every decision that has been made for the past 20 years in Sligo. How did any business get permission to plant a large shopping unit in the middle of fairly heavily populated eastward area of town, which had already a very poor existing road network to it. It wouldn't have been too bad had they allowed Lidl and Aldi to locate out in Cleveragh. I can imagine someone to do with Dunnes had a big say in it.

What I cant understand is why the entrance to Aldi is directly opposite the entrance to the loading bay for Dunnes. If an artic truck is turning in they block the entire road for the best part of 5 minutes trying to maneuvre it in. And why didn't Aldi purchase the now overgrown site where The Acorn, or Oak (from decades ago) used to be? Its adjacent to the current site. Knowing this town it was too expensive! The best place for those 2 shops would have been opposite the roundabout at Summerhill.


Can someone also explain to me how or why Dunnes also has its only mini roundabout, which is also a concealed entrance? 2 mini roundabouts within the space of 100 metres and enough pedestrian crossings to reach America.

Kovu

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

whats this? - are they going to open up another LIDL store in Sligo you mean?

Ballina has 2 LIDL stores apparently.

No, PC means in Carrick. They're moving to the side that ALDI is on, .

Andy From Sligo

Kovu wrote: »

No, PC means in Carrick. They're moving to the side that ALDI is on, .

oh right thanks

rizzodun

Actually Aldi wouldn't be half as bad if they made the traffic go one way through the car park, every lane in it is two way, meaning you turn in into people backing awkwardly across your path when it would be easier and help the flow if they hard to go towards the back of the car park and circle around to exit.

sligojoek

One nice touch I've noticed is your man that helps out in the carpark. If he sees someone finished unloading a trolley he goes over and releases the 2 euro and brings hte trolley back. That gets the person into the car quicker and frees up another space.

He has no mercy for fat families in Ford Transits that park in the disabled spaces either.