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Visited Aldi and Lidl in Germany and I am sorry but I can't help hating those stores. It all looks so cheap and barebones that I get depressed just being there.

Visited Aldi and Lidl in Germany and I am sorry but I can't help hating those stores. It all looks so cheap and barebones that I get depressed just being there. And then the whole experience with the cashier is hyper stressful and they are so blinding fast at scanning the groceries. It is like you are subject to some German Blitzkrieg or something. Interesting with the article that they explained why it was so fast. I actually just thought Germans were super fast at everything in general. I could't figure out how to pack my groceries as fast as they scanned them and get time to pay without holding up the line.

Zpalmtree 10y ago
I agree they are sometimes too fast for you, but when you're a student the savings are well worth it, often half the price of a normal supermarket
- VLM 10y ago
  > often half the price How's the food inflation nowadays? A couple years back it seemed like all the frozen items were huge boxes with lots of empty air in there. So I eat junk food occasionally, usually end up regretting it ... unlike the local supermarket at an expensive $3.33 for a bag of 40 name brand pizza rolls, I could buy a large box of generic pizza rolls at Aldi for only $2.50 ... woo hoo sounds awesome ... containing 17 rolls. Oh maybe not so good of a deal. It was funny to look at frozen appetizers where there would be this big box of breaded mushrooms and in tiny print "qty 5" and so on. I seem to recall a big box with 3 mozzarella cheese sticks. BTW I don't photographic memorize prices, the above prices were verified via google. Much as I'm not rich enough to shop at walmart, I'm not rich enough to shop at Aldi. Admittedly, the produce had little selection (food desert style) but what little was there, was good quality and cheap, so its not all bad.
atomwaffel 10y ago
> It all looks so cheap and barebones that I get depressed just being there. Can I ask which part of Germany you've been to – or rather which Aldi (Nord or Süd)? There's a surprising amount of difference between the two and I've always found one of them far nicer than the other.
- foxylion 10y ago
  Aldi "Süd" is the more modern one.
- jernfrost 10y ago
  I was in Berlin
  - realityking 10y ago
    That makes it Aldi North. I don't actually like that one, South is much better.
jschulenklopper 10y ago
> ... I can't help hating those stores. It all looks so cheap and barebones that I get depressed just being there. Then why go there? Normally, you enter most stores by choice, so after a couple of (negative) experiences, just stop visiting them. Can't speak for all Aldi and Lidl stores (not even in all of The Netherlands), but in my hometown a new Lidl store is actually better than just looking cheap and barebones. Wide aisles (sp?), less garbage of empty boxes and packaging material, friendly staff, great parking space. And still you're not paying for additional services and special/luxury items (which aren't there).
- jernfrost 10y ago
  Sure, and I don't go there. But why can't I still hate them? Does me having a choice mean that I should like them. I hate opera too, and I don't go watching opera either. But am I required to like it because I am not forced to go there? Anyway in Germany there is not much of a choice whether to enter Lidl or Aldi as they are everywhere and there seems to be little else. I've lived several years in the Netherlands btw and I really like Albert Heijn. That is more like my kind of store. The Aldi I went to in the Netherlands wasn't actually that bad. In fact it sort of bothered me that Germany wasn't more like the Netherlands in shopping experience. Germany seems so ultra focused on cheap, plain and efficient.
  - realityking 10y ago
    > Anyway in Germany there is not much of a choice whether to enter Lidl or Aldi as they are everywhere and there seems to be little else. While they're the biggest players, there are more traditional supermarkets like REWE, Edeka and Kaisers.
  - majewsky 10y ago
    > Anyway in Germany there is not much of a choice whether to enter Lidl or Aldi as they are everywhere and there seems to be little else. There is a lot else. Germany's supermarket market (heh) is divided between five corporations for the largest part: Aldi, Schwarz (Lidl/Kaufland), Edeka (Netto/Edeka/Marktkauf/Tengelmann), Metro (Real), Rewe (Penny/Rewe/Nahkauf). I would like to have more competition on the market, but it's far from just Aldi and Lidl. Most corporations have at least one discounter brand (Aldi, Lidl, Netto, Penny) and one regular supermarket brand (Kaufland, Edeka, Real, Rewe etc.).
Someone1234 10y ago
Reads like culture shock to me. I am not dismissing your concerns, but I've had the opposite issues going to the US where everyone is super chatty, seemingly needy, and slow. You go into a store and they yell at you "DO YOU NEED SOMETHING" uhh, no, I'm sorry I came in to look around, is that a crime? The waiting staff return to your table every 30 seconds, and the cashiers are more interested in your life story than how you want your bags packed. Aldi and Lidl are hyper-efficient. Sure, there's no bells and whistles, but all that stuff does is distract you from the goods on display that seem to rotate much more frequently than typical supermarkets (so you cannot just shop mindlessly).
- elevenfist 10y ago
  This made me laugh, you'll get used to it and start to enjoy it eventually. It seems like things are more relaxed wherever you are in the us compared to wherever you were previously. When it comes to the "Do you need something," it's part of their job, if you're looking for something specific it's good to know that there are people available to help you. They're not asking you if you have a reason to be in the store, hah. Just tell them "I'm just looking around, thanks." And they'll tell you "If you need anything, [specific] let me know."
  - pluma 10y ago
    Sure, it's their job but some people simply appreciate being left alone and unsolicited offers just come off as pushy. Your parent comment is right: it's culture shock. As a German I can't stand the idea of having to shop in American supermarkets. And it's likely no accident that WalMart failed to get a foot into the German market -- not just because of their blatant disregard for German labour laws (which are more worker-friendly than in the US).
    - elevenfist 10y ago
      I posted this as a response to another comment, but it probably bears repeating. If the person seems genuinely friendly, try taking them up on that offer, and see what happens. If you tell them what you're looking for they may give you recommendations, and you might end up finding something better. This is what typically happens to me.
joezydeco 10y ago
There are other more "western" grocery stores in Germany, like Edeka and Rewe. These are also self-pack, but there's room at the end to do it comfortably.
- foxylion 10y ago
  And they are much pricier.
droopyEyelids 10y ago
I felt this exact same way through my whole childhood, but then as soon as i had to start paying for my own groceries, it was like a revelation. Now I adore the harsh fluorescent lights of value
Symbiote 10y ago
I'm not in Germany, but the same pattern repeats across Europe. I wouldn't choose the budget stores, except there's one on the ground floor of my building. I still don't like it -- it's obviously extremely convenient for me, but the goods are arranged badly, and the whole shop stinks of stale beer from the bottle return. If I want food to do proper cooking, I walk two-three minutes to a nicer supermarket :-) > It is like you are subject to some German Blitzkrieg or something Given it's in Germany, a British firebombing would have been the more-likely cause...
- majewsky 10y ago
  > the whole shop stinks of stale beer from the bottle return Which is probably why Lidl moved the bottle return to a separate entry which is not connected to the aisles. Yes, it stinks of stale beer in there sometimes, but you only have to be in there for a few seconds to return your bottles.

Zpalmtree 10y ago

I agree they are sometimes too fast for you, but when you're a student the savings are well worth it, often half the price of a normal supermarket

VLM 10y ago
> often half the price How's the food inflation nowadays? A couple years back it seemed like all the frozen items were huge boxes with lots of empty air in there. So I eat junk food occasionally, usually end up regretting it ... unlike the local supermarket at an expensive $3.33 for a bag of 40 name brand pizza rolls, I could buy a large box of generic pizza rolls at Aldi for only $2.50 ... woo hoo sounds awesome ... containing 17 rolls. Oh maybe not so good of a deal. It was funny to look at frozen appetizers where there would be this big box of breaded mushrooms and in tiny print "qty 5" and so on. I seem to recall a big box with 3 mozzarella cheese sticks. BTW I don't photographic memorize prices, the above prices were verified via google. Much as I'm not rich enough to shop at walmart, I'm not rich enough to shop at Aldi. Admittedly, the produce had little selection (food desert style) but what little was there, was good quality and cheap, so its not all bad.

atomwaffel 10y ago

> It all looks so cheap and barebones that I get depressed just being there. Can I ask which part of Germany you've been to – or rather which Aldi (Nord or Süd)? There's a surprising amount of difference between the two and I've always found one of them far nicer than the other.

foxylion 10y ago
Aldi "Süd" is the more modern one.
jernfrost 10y ago
I was in Berlin
- realityking 10y ago
  That makes it Aldi North. I don't actually like that one, South is much better.

jschulenklopper 10y ago

> ... I can't help hating those stores. It all looks so cheap and barebones that I get depressed just being there. Then why go there? Normally, you enter most stores by choice, so after a couple of (negative) experiences, just stop visiting them. Can't speak for all Aldi and Lidl stores (not even in all of The Netherlands), but in my hometown a new Lidl store is actually better than just looking cheap and barebones. Wide aisles (sp?), less garbage of empty boxes and packaging material, friendly staff, great parking space. And still you're not paying for additional services and special/luxury items (which aren't there).

jernfrost 10y ago
Sure, and I don't go there. But why can't I still hate them? Does me having a choice mean that I should like them. I hate opera too, and I don't go watching opera either. But am I required to like it because I am not forced to go there? Anyway in Germany there is not much of a choice whether to enter Lidl or Aldi as they are everywhere and there seems to be little else. I've lived several years in the Netherlands btw and I really like Albert Heijn. That is more like my kind of store. The Aldi I went to in the Netherlands wasn't actually that bad. In fact it sort of bothered me that Germany wasn't more like the Netherlands in shopping experience. Germany seems so ultra focused on cheap, plain and efficient.
- realityking 10y ago
  > Anyway in Germany there is not much of a choice whether to enter Lidl or Aldi as they are everywhere and there seems to be little else. While they're the biggest players, there are more traditional supermarkets like REWE, Edeka and Kaisers.
- majewsky 10y ago
  > Anyway in Germany there is not much of a choice whether to enter Lidl or Aldi as they are everywhere and there seems to be little else. There is a lot else. Germany's supermarket market (heh) is divided between five corporations for the largest part: Aldi, Schwarz (Lidl/Kaufland), Edeka (Netto/Edeka/Marktkauf/Tengelmann), Metro (Real), Rewe (Penny/Rewe/Nahkauf). I would like to have more competition on the market, but it's far from just Aldi and Lidl. Most corporations have at least one discounter brand (Aldi, Lidl, Netto, Penny) and one regular supermarket brand (Kaufland, Edeka, Real, Rewe etc.).

Someone1234 10y ago

Reads like culture shock to me. I am not dismissing your concerns, but I've had the opposite issues going to the US where everyone is super chatty, seemingly needy, and slow. You go into a store and they yell at you "DO YOU NEED SOMETHING" uhh, no, I'm sorry I came in to look around, is that a crime? The waiting staff return to your table every 30 seconds, and the cashiers are more interested in your life story than how you want your bags packed. Aldi and Lidl are hyper-efficient. Sure, there's no bells and whistles, but all that stuff does is distract you from the goods on display that seem to rotate much more frequently than typical supermarkets (so you cannot just shop mindlessly).

elevenfist 10y ago
This made me laugh, you'll get used to it and start to enjoy it eventually. It seems like things are more relaxed wherever you are in the us compared to wherever you were previously. When it comes to the "Do you need something," it's part of their job, if you're looking for something specific it's good to know that there are people available to help you. They're not asking you if you have a reason to be in the store, hah. Just tell them "I'm just looking around, thanks." And they'll tell you "If you need anything, [specific] let me know."
- pluma 10y ago
  Sure, it's their job but some people simply appreciate being left alone and unsolicited offers just come off as pushy. Your parent comment is right: it's culture shock. As a German I can't stand the idea of having to shop in American supermarkets. And it's likely no accident that WalMart failed to get a foot into the German market -- not just because of their blatant disregard for German labour laws (which are more worker-friendly than in the US).
  - elevenfist 10y ago
    I posted this as a response to another comment, but it probably bears repeating. If the person seems genuinely friendly, try taking them up on that offer, and see what happens. If you tell them what you're looking for they may give you recommendations, and you might end up finding something better. This is what typically happens to me.

joezydeco 10y ago

There are other more "western" grocery stores in Germany, like Edeka and Rewe. These are also self-pack, but there's room at the end to do it comfortably.

foxylion 10y ago
And they are much pricier.

droopyEyelids 10y ago

I felt this exact same way through my whole childhood, but then as soon as i had to start paying for my own groceries, it was like a revelation. Now I adore the harsh fluorescent lights of value

Symbiote 10y ago

I'm not in Germany, but the same pattern repeats across Europe. I wouldn't choose the budget stores, except there's one on the ground floor of my building. I still don't like it -- it's obviously extremely convenient for me, but the goods are arranged badly, and the whole shop stinks of stale beer from the bottle return. If I want food to do proper cooking, I walk two-three minutes to a nicer supermarket :-) > It is like you are subject to some German Blitzkrieg or something Given it's in Germany, a British firebombing would have been the more-likely cause...

majewsky 10y ago
> the whole shop stinks of stale beer from the bottle return Which is probably why Lidl moved the bottle return to a separate entry which is not connected to the aisles. Yes, it stinks of stale beer in there sometimes, but you only have to be in there for a few seconds to return your bottles.