Lidl

Not too bad, maybe a «Lidl» busy at times.
So Lidl is basically my third option for food shopping. I am personally not sure that I would try to make it my main store, but Lidl does have great prices on everything from fruit and meat, to snacks and frozen goods.
I stop in when I am in need of essentials. I typically come in around 3pm or later. The place is always pretty busy and there are only a couple of lanes usually open. The people who work there do not appear to be too happy, so don’t expect phenomenal customer service. You are not there for that, the prices are why you are there.
I like their products overall. However I do think that in terms of the brands they carry, they are on the value or low-​end side. Not knocking them, but they don’t carry too many household names that I have come to know in the UK. I have been to other Lidl locations in Edinburgh and there are more recognisable brands in the bigger stores.
In the end, Lidl is an exceptional value on many products. If you can deal with the long queues, non-​English packaging, and some less-​recognisable brands, then this is the place for you.

Lidl has always been a firm favorite for me for the kitchen staples. They are inexpensive, have a great range and you get in and out quickly quite often.
The Newington store offers a cut down range from some of the larger stores further out of the city, with the focus being on food and omitting the sometimes strange home hardware options.
The store recently went through a refurbishment and for the better I might add. The aisles are better laid out and the packing area has more space. I was glad they seem to retain the staff as the regular faces are still there and as helpful as ever.
You can grab all you essentials here just with lesser know brands. The problem comes with specifics if you really want x y and z then chances are one of them will be sold out. Its very much a case of see what you pick up. many of the produces appear and never return, so if you spy something you fancy grab it then as often they never get some items in again.
Favorite bargains:
— bread
— tattie scones
— all the veggies
— strange cheese brands that seem slightly familiar
— kitchen cupboard essentials (still the most inexpensive canned toms around)
— Booze get it while its there from triple filtered vodka to Barola
Check their website for weekly and seasonal deals too. You can find some right bargains from turnips to chainsaws. ;D
Plus points
— inexpensive
— lots of options
— helpful staff
— central
Minus points
— they sell out fast due to the location (I am sure I read somewhere this is there most successful store)
— no easy parking often
— gets very busy

It’s funny how people are willing to pay a lot for something because it’s sold in an expensive shop, as they think expensive equals quality. People also look at Lidl and its logo and generic brands which shout «cheap!» and think «rubbish». This is definitely not the case, and people do not know what they are missing.
Let’s take a look first at the fruit and vegetables section: the sweetest most mature cherry tomatoes in town, perhaps the only Sicilian blood oranges on this side of the meadows, portabello mushrooms reduced to 75p, odd shaped and homely squash, the sweetest strawberries found in any chain and a vast array of other gloriously colourful, in season vegetables, all at very reasonable prices.
Moving on, the cheese: French brie, Camembert, Parmesan, gorgonzola that meets EU standards of traditional production. There’s cheddar too, and many names you will recognise, at a quarter of the price.
Next level, you’ve reached that smell which hit your nostrils upon entering, the continental bakery: Don’t expect the standard fare found in Tesco, nor the elevated prices, here melt in the mouth all butter croissants are a steal at 29p a piece, though the apple turnovers demand your attend, and the salted pretzels sit waiting to be nabbed, all warm from the oven. Word has it that the Lidl baguette is the best in town, and I have heard this from the French.
You’re conquered, this deceiving shop has been concealing many secrets from you, but where are the greatest treasures hidden?: Sun-​dried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, funghi misto stuffed olives and basil pesto, all at £1,19 for a standard sized jar. Any idea how much these things cost in Tesco, Waitrose, or dare we go there, Marks and Spencer?
Lidl hides many household names, from marmite to mcvities, and usually sells them for a much better price than more popular supermarket chains. Try doing at least some of your shopping at lidl, be smart, and eat well.

The produce is good (cheap savoy cabbage, large sacks of oranges, cute little red onions), and I haven’t had any problems so far with any of the other things I’ve bought (the master crumble cereal, the jarred morello cherries, the chopped up bits of bacon, the cheddar cheeses). There is also an exceptional baked goods section, where you can buy pain au chocolat, cinnamon swirls and the pecan braids for 39p each, and yummy little crunchy cheesy breads for 29p each. Whenever I need anything, I always skip Tesco and go straight to Lidl (or farmfoods, or maqbools). The only thing stopping me from buying more things here is my limited carrying capacity. I am way too cheap to spend 3p on a bag, and I only have so many pockets.

Wait. What the? Why haven’t I? I mean, how?
Yeah I was a bit confused when I came to Lidl recently to get some supermarket food essentials (sausage, greek yoghurt, vegetables) and I discovered just how much produce there is, and how cheap it is. Yes, I already knew Lidl was considered good value. But if I’m honest I also thought (for some reason unknown to me) that it was more like Farmfoods and had a lot of frozen, and lot of dry packaged food but also rather unhealthy.
No no. There is so much fresh fruit and veg, and so many fridges with dairy, juices and meat. And it was CHEAP. Yeah ok, I’m beating a dead horse here. You all already knew this. But I’ve just discovered it and I feel like beating myself over not discovering this earlier.
So I think I’ll be doing a lot more of my shopping from Lidl. And let’s face it, continental countries biscuits always taste better don’t they?

When I first moved here I was fending for myself. Having lived at home through Uni I’d never had to take full responsibility for what I ate and what I spent, at home there’s always someone to lend you money or make you dinner if you need it.
Lidl was my go-​to. It took me in and sheltered me from total bankruptcy and scurvy. Cheap, cheerful (ahem) and fresh fruit and veg to beat the band. We couldn’t have been happier together, it helped that Lidl also had cheap booze.
After a while I drfited away from Lidl. I’m sorry to say this was completely my fault. Sure the eggs had little red bits in the yolks that freaked me out but Lidl wasn’t *bad* just misunderstood. And I forgot that.
Recently myself and Lidl have rekindled our friendship. Gone is the spending stupid money in Tesco as I fall prey to their marketing techniques. I have returned to my once a week trudge to Nicolson Street to get the essentials and honestly, we couldn’t be happier together!

It’s a Lidl. It has cheap as chips stuff from other parts of the world. I particularly enjoy walking around and trying to pronounce all of the names of things I don’t recognise out loud so as to confuse those nearby. Unfortunately because this Lidl is situated on the MOST INSANELY CRAZY NEDDY STREET IN EDINBURGH I just come off as being slightly taller than your usual mentalist.
The produce is varied but usually good quality and you can get some good deals. There is Herring at a very reasonable price which I LOVE so that’s a bonus.
I recommend going here for all your sauces as they have most of them in large containers and it doesn’t feel like you’re breaking the bank. Apart from herring I don’t really buy meat from here, mainly because I worry that it might be human meat, and I don’t really want any MORE Creutzfeldt-​Jakob.
Pro’s include:
1) Herring
2) cheap condiments
3) Cheap dried everything
4) Good veg and fruit
Cons include:
1) Everyone on the street is insane
2) Generally there are many confused people bumbling about
3) The ques are fairly long sometimes
4) the pressure you feel under to pack your stuff insanely fast, although as I like competition this is also a pro.
So all in all — good when you’re poor! Or want Herring.
Seriously though I had to break up a fight between two Jakies outside the bloody place.

Great bargains, quality food, friendly service and really good when you need a lot of food but are low on funds.
There’s definitely always something interesting and new to try as well.
Don’t really like the store layout, but I guess I’ll get used to it.
My kids seem to think some of the breakfast cereal smells like fish, so that’s one thing I don’t buy from there. hehe

I personally wouldn’t do a full shop here as I like a few more British brands among the food I buy, but Lidl does have a lot of really good bargains. The milk is much cheaper than you will get in the other supermarkets, bar Farmfoods and the fruit and veg section is also great.
There has to be a special mention to the security guard of the place however, he situates himself behind a pillar, has a bottle of Irn-​bru in his back pocket and is always reading the daily star when I see him!
The store can however become quite busy all of a sudden and it does take members of staff quite a while to actually come and open another till when another shop assistant rings the bell requesting extra help.

Have you every tried their peach loops? They’re addictive.
I feel the same way as previous Unilocalers… when I come in here I always question my actions. Once i’m in though, it’s fine! I always giggle to myself at the names I can’t pronounce and the chicken that’s probably Seagull.
All in all, it’s a cheap supermarket and don’t expect anything more than that.

I am a fan of all things German and Lidl definitely is no exception, they have fabulous bargains, great products and although it isn’t super shiny or modern it does the job if you’re looking for a bargain shop.
I usually always pop in for some Kinder Bars as they are just so addictive and Lidl always have them on offer. I’ve also noticed that they pretty much always have multipack cans of Coke and Irn Bru at ridiculously cheap prices so is perfect if you’re a little parched and heading to the park with a big group.
Lidl is permanently full with students picking up bits and bobs for the weekly shop but you really can’t complain with the bargain prices offered here.

Lidl is cheap. Fact. You come here for the cheap products which often don’t even have English on the label. No problem with that. There are constant deals on and as expected it’s quite a shabby place — the shop assistants do look on the verge of severe depression and I don’t really blame them really. The lighting doesn’t help, neither does the bad airing system (too many unwashed bodies in one small place). But as I emphasised the low prices are quite appealing. Mind you not everything is a bargain, some of the more famous brands you might find a few pennies cheaper elsewhere. Then there are the «alternative» brands of the same thing.
If you have taken upon yourself to do that evenings flats dinner then this is the place for you.

Deep in the south side of the city lies Lidl, a mecca for bargain hunters and skint folk alike. This supermarket does for food what the pound shop does for household goods — stack ‘em high and sell ‘em low. Given its budget status and bargain basement ethos, Lidl does actually sell lots of things that I like to buy (e.g. decent jamon serrano, nice olives, rye bread) at ridiculously low prices. Admittedly some of the brands look a little dodgy and I’m not going to be snapping up Eastern European tins of nondescript vegetables anytime soon, but on the whole it makes for a great alternative to the proliferation of over-​priced Tesco Expresses.

Must say that I owe my biological survival in Edinburgh as a student to this shop. It isn’t as big as the other Lidl shops I am used to but as soon as you learn where your products are stacked you can go in any time and pick up all you need even with closed eyes. I don’t like it when the shop is very busy as queuing isn’t one of my strengths, I don’t think I could be described as a patient customer. Sometimes, I wish they had a three items only counter similar to tesco’s, it would have made people’s lives much more easier. Apart from that, staff are really nice and helpful.

Lidl defies all supermarketing conventions, and is something of an anomaly in the wider world of chain supermarkets. No music is played to lull customers into purchasing one product over the other, and the products are stacked haphazardly with no particular attention to their context and placement; catfood next to the veg, toothpaste and toiletries above the frozen goods, milk and smoothies in amongst smoothies and pasta.
And yet, despite all this, Lidl is one of the remarkable success stories of marketing. It’s reclusive owner is now ranked amongst the richest men of the world, and now even the upper-​middle classes are forsaking Markies to shop here.
I love Lidl, it served me well as a penniless student, and it still serves me well as a penniless writer.

I don’t go here for a main weekly shop but I will pick up the occasional few items here. There’s definite good value although I would doubt the quality of some things. Queues are usually not too bad for the center of town and the staff are ok although I do dislike being hurried to get my stuff out of the way once I’ve paid.

Der Lidl ist wirklich extrem günstig. Meiner Meinung nach auch günstiger als der Tesco der gleich in der Nähe ist. Lidl hat immer viele Angebote, z.B. Obst und Gemüse zum halben Preis. Nachteilig ist aber das es etwas rammschig ist und das Obst manchmal schon gammlig ist und die Schlange kann auch derbe lang sein.

I absolutely hate this shop. I’ve been to other Lidl stores, and they’ve been fantastic– offering really good value and nice clean surroundings. The South Bridge store though is always dirty and crowded though and the fruit and veg are past their best.

Neben den gewohnten Lidl-​Waren findet man hier Shortbread und auch andere Dinge die in deutschen Lidlmärkten nicht zu finden sind.
Wenn man es einrichten kann sollte man lieber früh am Tag hingehen, dann ist die Schlange beim Bezahlöen noch nicht so lang, abends kann man schonmal recht lange anstehen.