wow, Regina, really surprised to hear this, as the Aldis back home seem better than the lidls. Our lidl (in the 74), the MAXIMUM number of tills you will ever see open, even at christmas, is two. There are more tills, but they are never used.
the plants are always messily grafted, with either no buds, or shoots, and the veg is often mis-labelled. They say "France" in big on the panel for many items, but on reading the packs themselves, you find spain, portugal, hungary, and other countries on the veg. your Lidl sounds like a dream compared to ours!!
Our local LIDL is amazing: spotlessly clean, well stocked and as soon as there are more than 5 people waiting in front of a till, another one opens up - often about 5 which means all of them! :-)
I buy all my basics there (toilet paper, washing powder, water, sugar, olive oil, salt etc.). The quality is excellent and gets top ratings in German consumer magazines. A lot of the items are famous make brands packed under the LIDL name.
While we still lived in Germany I was definitely an ALDI-fan, but our ALDI is terrible: dirty with empty shelves, wilted fruit and vegetables and only one single till open with customers queuing up till the end of the shop.
Carrefour is so much more expensive and the queues are equally long.
I think a lot depends on the management of your local store.
Last week when we had that tremendous downpour We were in Noz in Mont de marsan the rain was so hard and fast that it started coming through the flat roof, dripping off the electrics and eventually bring down several ceiling tiles and starting to flood the store. The staff carried on serving on the checkout. Quite incredible we were waiting to be told to put down our purchases and leave, nothing of the sort very stoic we thought. Quite an experience.
I Know of a couple who go to Noz with a corkscrew buy a bottle of what looks good, taste it if it is then buy the lot.
We are currently drinking an excellent 1€95 roja ( I think that's how you spell it) and We are regretting not having stocked up on a superb claret that is labeled for the army and Navy Club Pall Mall! Only got 4 bottles what a mistake, when it was a 3€95 price. You can also do well on forign wines as the californian, chilian , australian etc wines are always well prices.
I am a crafter/ sewist and my mother makes cards we nearly always do well for items we can integrate into our crafts or other notions. I use the Noz's( yes plural) in Agen, Pau or Mont de Marsan.
Goodness, I must find a noz now, for novelty value, if nothing more.
just looked them up, my nearest is in Chambéry. will have to plan a day and go. will take the bike though, that way I can only buy what I can fit in my backpack.
Thanks Lucy. I've actually a load of stuff in the garage that I've bought "just in case" but never unpacked let alone used. My wife doesn't let me go to Lidl anymore :-(
And whilst the lidl checkout experience can be dire, the quality of the stuff is amazing. We have bought numerous electrical goods which have all been fab, their DIY products are excellent and I’m currently wearing a vest top which is really good quality cotton. They also refund without quibbling and give you your money back- not a flipping Bon d’achat!
Am off to buy some of their excellent 3 euro sunglasses tomorrow along with a couple of kiwi plants!
never even heard of Noz, but it sounds like the sort of place I'd go into, rumble through for hours, and just before leaving, say "we don't really need this" to everything I've accumulated, and dump everything.
jumbled stock, when it's good jumbles, like in TK Maxx, where you CAN find a gem, I don't mind.
Quote -the fact that nothing is ever stacked, shelved, or categorized right
have you ever been in a NOZ?
If you want jumbled stock try a Noz. I love the bargins but it takes a couple of hours to sift through everything . Some times there is good and useful crap , yes truly, as they buy up closing down stock. Some days it's just rubbish, but organised it isn't .On the plus side their checkouts are always manned only slowed down by customers and the fact only one person can unpack a basket at a time.
I let them go first, because I know the surprise checkout girl is not coming for at least another ten minutes, and I'll be skipping out the door past them in five.
I get annoyed when they do open an extra checkout, because the french behind you in the queue think they have a god given right to go first, it is so rude
Must look for a netto then, John, and try them out, not seen one around the Annecy suburbs yet. do they have a "weekly useless crap" section?? I love browsing those, in lidl and aldi, but get bored of the same selection time after time. lol.
Leader price can come up with some decent cheap wines sometimes, and for things like mop buckets, or sponges they're handy.