Lidl

I like Lidl. It’s inexpensive and its easy. And by inexpensive, I don’t mean cheap. They very carefully pare down the extras to ensure a quick, efficient and low cost operation. Where the local Tesco might have five or six brands of a product, at Lidl there will be two. Usually only one. And this means that they can put out more product for shopping.
I would find it difficult if Lidl was my regular shopping destination because there are certain things that I want that they don’t ever stock. Pita breads, good ground coffee, bagels and hummus are some examples. But what they do have is generally exactly what I want. So I don’t mind spending less at Lidl and using Tesco or Asda to fill in the blanks.
Lidl does not accept credit cards. This is again to help keep their costs down. They do accept cash, of course. And they will be happy to accept your debit card. But Visa and MasterCard and definitely American Express are not welcome here. (You know that V/​MC/​AX charge upwards of 2.5% to the vendor, right?)
Lidl started the trend of chaining up the shopping trolleys («carts» or «wagons» might be your terms) and requiring a deposit to unlock them. You get the deposit back when you return the carts. It helps them to keep the costs down since they don’t have to employ a cart wrangler, but I seem to forget this when I go shopping and I don’t have a £1 coin.

I know Lidl gets a bad rep from most general supermarket-​goers as being a cheap, second rate store that’s full of sub-​standard foreign imports; but for me, Lidl is an awesome shop to snag some great deals and bargains.
While you won’t find the finest cuts of chiselled sirloin on these shelves, you will find a fair few items that warrant a double take as you wander around the aisles.
With items as cheap as single figure prices and a varied selection on general cupboard fillers, Lidl is the ideal place to shop if you’re looking to shave a few unnecessary pounds off the weekly shopping bill. From fresh vegetables and fruit to canned goods and frozen foods, as well as a large selection of beers, wines and spirits, Lidl have a lot more to offer than most would even realise. They also boast an ever-​changing range of homeware, which varies monthly, so it’s always worth checking back to see what’s on offer from time to time.
In recent years, the chain store has seen a faster rapid growth spurt than you’re average steroid abuser and you can now find a Lidl outlet in most towns and cities across the country. If you want to save yourself bit of extra cash, this is the place to go for the weekly groceries.

Echoing xxfbxx’s comments but would add that a downside is that the fruit and veg is often a little on the tired side! Some good ‘special’ non food items to be had and some really nice Christmas goods at the moment. Often queues and have found that they aren’t that fast at opening another checkout on the occasions I have visited but nevertheless visit quite regularly even though would not carry out a full shop there.

A great value shop. Fresh fruit and veg at very cheap prices. A good size car park. The trolleys are £1 coin operated so dont foregt this! The specials that they have of non food items change every week and you can get some real bargins here. Staff are friendly and helpful. There are queues at the tills sometimes but when this happens they open the other tills.