Why is Lidl so Cheap?

[mickthetree]

Had some good stuff from there. Some not so good....

Steaks are nice, but I would like to know more about their ethics. I assume at those prices the farmers are getting squeezed??

 

[DiscoStu]

Personal I like Waitrose. They are not expensive but they don't sell cheap things. To clarify if you buy Tesco value beans you'll get cheap watery beans if you buy Waitrose beans then you'll get beans that are similar to the Heinz beans but cost less. If you ask at their meat counter where their beef comes from they can (and you can ask to see it) show you a folder that shows the farms where the cattle are raised. Some are even raised on the Leckford estate that is owned by the John Lewis partnership. You'll also find that when these food issues occur as they occasionally do that Waitrose aren't involved - horse meat for example.

I know a guy who worked for a coffee company and he said that Teaco were horrific to deal with and bullied them, whereas Waitrose were very pleasant and didn't try to screw them over and were very concerned about the origin of beans and the workers who farmed them.


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[NickWelford]

I prefer waitrose too. Their branded stuff is no more than tesco price. Their meat and veg is a bit more pricy but much better quality and I don't throw much away. Their staff are all empowered to reduce items or give you something free if necessary. Customer service is very good. I'll happily pay more for better service.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Up til lately the nearest Waitrose was 120 mile round trip, now it's only 25 - but according to the time of day it could be an hour and a half, so I'll give that a miss. (I've never seen one, or an Ikea). :lol:

 

[DiscoStu]

Nick I think I have the same ethos. I will pay more for service and quality. One thing I don't like is people who go to a shop use the staff for their knowledge and skill and then buy the item online because it's £10 cheaper. (I'm more thinking tools and Axminster here than Waitrose).

 

[AJB Temple]

Fully agree with Waitrose. We have three nearby. Excellent quality. Excellent service. Fresh produce beats Tesco et al hands down. The staff want to work there. Says quite a lot.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Somewhat fortunate that Lidl have opened a new good sized branch in Taunton - as a shopping environment it is a match for better Tesco/Sainsburys etc, albeit about one third the size.

I find that food is generally good value and good quality - if an item does not match up I buy elsewhere. I have also bought a few woodworking/diy bits and pieces there over the last 4 years. The wet and dry vacuum is still going strong, F clamps were good value, castor sets for mobilising tools excellent etc etc.

The reason they are cheaper is one of corporate retailing strategy which takes cost and complexity out of the business:

- far fewer different product lines
- smaller more basic stores (no coffee shop, loos, cigarettes etc)
- no loyalty cards - complex and intrusive (in my view)
- no online shopping
- no petrol forecourts
- simple web site
- no "add on" products - insurance, banking, loans etc

The other major supermarkets are trying to be the single source of everything to everybody. The Lidl model seems to be much more focused on good value food with regular seasonal offers for household/diy - a keep it simple stupid (KISS) strategy.
-

 

[Rhyolith]

....
In terms of sustainability at least food wise, I'd guess there's far less waste generated by this business model than the bigger supermarkets. It just doesn't allow for high levels of waste. In terms of the throwaway culture it's no more guilty than any other shop. Less so maybe.

That is a good point. This is a good argument for smaller shops generally, which I personally prefer as shopping takes less time.

Can't see that buying a throwaway hard point saw there is any different from buying one at a builders merchant. Of course there are problems with the throwaway culture, I'm just not sure why you think it's the fault of one shop more than any other. Try convincing your average diy'er or the average professional working to real world price/time constraints (the lion's share of the market), they should be after a Disston saw that they can reset and resharpen. Let me know how you get on.
I agree with you on the throwaway culture btw. I just can't see a way round it in real terms.
Cheers
Chris

My rant was directed towards this culture in general, not just Lidl shoppers. Though the products offered there are classic examples of the kind of unstustianably short lasting stuff that is not needed. Builders merchants and modern tool shops alike are aweful for this much as supermarkets.

The fact is that this kind of throw away practice cannot continue whether its justified on an indivdaul level or not. I have already mentioned the damage done extracting and transporting resources all over the world, but a must more at home problem is landfill. The entire system is inefficient and destructive, so in my mind there is no argument for keeping it that holds up to the reasons for trying to find another way (which I don't think is that hard).

The obvious solution is to re-use old tools, which a lot of us on this forum do already. To me the only thing that makes this an un-realistic option is not the cost (50p for dissiton at my local market, not modern saw can beat that) but the time it takes to find decent stuff at the right price. Solve that and in the UK at least I see no need for cheap throw away tools.

 

[JohnPW]

The only problem with Lidl and Aldi are the long queues at checkout, usually there's at least 4 or 5 people in front of you in the queue. If you go really early in the morning or late in the evening, it's less busy but then they only open 1 or 2 tills.

With Sainsbury/Tesco etc, you can go in, get what you need and come straight out by using the self service checkouts. Unless it's the really busy times like 6 or 7pm.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

My rant was directed towards this culture in general, not just Lidl shoppers. Though the products offered there are classic examples of the kind of unstustianably short lasting stuff that is not needed. Builders merchants and modern tool shops alike are aweful for this much as supermarkets.

The fact is that this kind of throw away practice cannot continue whether its justified on an indivdaul level or not. I have already mentioned the damage done extracting and transporting resources all over the world, but a must more at home problem is landfill. The entire system is inefficient and destructive, so in my mind there is no argument for keeping it that holds up to the reasons for trying to find another way (which I don't think is that hard).

The obvious solution is to re-use old tools, which a lot of us on this forum do already. To me the only thing that makes this an un-realistic option is not the cost (50p for dissiton at my local market, not modern saw can beat that) but the time it takes to find decent stuff at the right price. Solve that and in the UK at least I see no need for cheap throw away tools.

Who do you charge for the saw file and the hour spent sharpening the saw?

 

[sammy.se]

It's all about Amazon fresh for me now! Love it. No queues, delivery within 5 or 6 hours... what's not to like about it?!

 

[clk230]

Chris[/quote]
My rant was directed towards this culture in general, not just Lidl shoppers.

But is was directed at Lidl :?

 

[Rhyolith]

Who do you charge for the saw file and the hour spent sharpening the saw?

The same person you charge for a new saw every few years

I was actaully wondering if saw sharpening could be mechanised, I see no reason why not. If a lot of people had re-sharpenqble saws I imagine re-sharpening could get very cheap indeed. It would certainly cost less time and money for everyone involved then constantly making new saws.

My rant was directed towards this culture in general, not just Lidl shoppers.

But is was directed at Lidl :?

Considering the title of the thread it was not very clear. I have not particular issue with Lidl over any other store that sells cheap throw away tools and the points rasied regarding the greater sustainability of small stores has got be re-considering my food shopping preferences in favour of shops like lidl.

 

[lurker]

Fully agree with Waitrose. We have three nearby. Excellent quality. Excellent service. Fresh produce beats Tesco et al hands down. The staff want to work there. Says quite a lot.

I guess only someone who lives in Tunbridge Wells can say "we have 3 Waitrose nearby" :roll:

 

[clk230]

How to confuse your audience -- Raise a question titled why is Lidle so cheap , mention Lidle in your opening post then say its not about just Lidles .
Confused .com

Unfortunately manufacturing has gone the mass produced route and while big business rules I don't really think things will change , yes a few can kick the trend but it wont make any major in roads.

 

[Bm101]

It's good to have a rant Ryolith. It's good you're aware. It's a shame more aren't or choose not to be. The years have made me cynical no doubt. But they've also taught me there is no simple answer. To anything. Never mind global socio-economic trends. Fight your corner. Live your life by your ethics, but I wonder if any of us can do any more than that. Fair play. It's admirable. Good luck to you fella.
Regards
Chris

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Fully agree with Waitrose. We have three nearby. Excellent quality. Excellent service. Fresh produce beats Tesco et al hands down. The staff want to work there. Says quite a lot.

I guess only someone who lives in Tunbridge Wells can say "we have 3 Waitrose nearby" :roll:

I was about to say the whole of Cornwall has only one - and that's a new one.

 

[DiscoStu]

I am somewhat confused by all of the comments about the add on products and that these are what make Tesco etc more expensive. I'm sorry but Tesco don't sell these items at a loss they sell them because they make good money on them (same as with fuel). I think where Lidl may be winning is not that they don't sell add on product but lots of people don't want acres of choice of instant coffee etc and people want to shop somewhere where there is only 3 choices. In addition by reducing your lines you increase your economies of scale on the lines that you do sell.


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[YorkshireMartin]

I don't trust cheap supermarkets, it always seems that they make things cheap by exploiting people and having no regard for enviromental destruction.

Lidl seems to be getting very popular and looking at the absurdly cheap prices, I can see why. However I won't shop there until I know how such low prices are acheived and what corners are being cut to do it.

I did try shopping at Lidl once last year. My experience of it was that the fruit went full on moldy in a day and a half, the corn cobs were covered in miniscule flies (on the shelf in store!) the bread tasted different, not in a good way and the baked beans were virtually all sauce and no beans.

Based on this I'd say the stock they sell is short dated and/or from poor producers. In the case of the can of baked beans, obviously you can sell them cheaply if you omit 40% of the actual beans. I'm sure this is the case with a lot of their products, a higher percentage of filler and/or lower quality base ingredients. It's the only way it could work, given that "cutting out the middleman" already happened 20 years ago in that sector.

I'm sure they have some good value stuff, but I didn't find it all that cheap anyway compared to Asda. Never went back after that and it's 3 minutes away.

Oh, the pastries are OK, if you get there early enough. The watermelons are also OK.

Before anyone says, Im aware that certain products are treated to give them a longer shelf life, such as water/ammonia sprayed on bags of lettuce.

 

[YorkshireMartin]

I am somewhat confused by all of the comments about the add on products and that these are what make Tesco etc more expensive. I'm sorry but Tesco don't sell these items at a loss they sell them because they make good money on them (same as with fuel). I think where Lidl may be winning is not that they don't sell add on product but lots of people don't want acres of choice of instant coffee etc and people want to shop somewhere where there is only 3 choices. In addition by reducing your lines you increase your economies of scale on the lines that you do sell.


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and this. completely agree, except loss leaders are far more prevalent than commonly thought.