Lidl

Well, I know Lidl has worked for a few years in other European countries already... Well, they started building their markets to Finland 2 years ago too. Last thursday they opened one in Mankkaa, Espoo, about 7-8 km from us. We visited there with my dad today, it was full of people and it was so cheap! We didn't buy anything, we went to our favourite shop 2 km away from there and it was pretty silent there. Everyone were in Lidl ;) I wouldn't like to go there in the Christmas time. :}

Everything is pretty expensive in Finland, we have one of the highest prices in the Europe, especially petrol is expensive, 1,05-1,20 €/litre. Lidl is very cheap shop compared to normal Finnish markets, 6 bottles of "Lidl Coke" was only 1,69 €! OMG... I must go buying something there tomorrow ;)

And the best thing is, they are building the Finland's biggest Lidl 3 km from us :D

For the first time I visited in Lidl in Flensburg, Germany. It was bigger than ours, and they sell wines and spirits there too. Ordinary shops aren't allowed to sell wines or spirits here, they must be bought from Alko http://ww.alko.fi

My daughter used to work for Lidl's over here evert when she used to come home in the winter. they are very much a cut-price operation.they work on as few a staff as poss,(mind you, so do most places now)you can't pack your bags at the checkout, it has to go straight back into your trolley, then you go to the shelf at the back and pack there.some of the stuff was naff, but some was really good. I always used to get my olive oil there, and their choccy was to die for.We moan about our prices here in England, but after visiting norway, I'll never complain!

Yes same thing here, very few workers, stuff back t o the trolley and you have to pack them a few meters away.. ;)

My dad visited there today, bought some coke and bag soups for me. Yummie :)

Yeah, I've heard about the Norwegian prices, even higher than here..!

Evert we have a lidl down the road from us and it is so depressing :(. In just about every supermarket you go in there is music playing (though you dont always notice it because you are so used to it.) In lidl there is no music and everyone looks so fed up. There are very few brand names. it is usually stuff you have never heard of and you have to pay for the carrier bags! I hardly ever go in though I agree there chocolate is good sue. their yoghurt is good too. We also have Aldi over here that is a similar store. You also cannot pay by credit card it is all cash or cheque. I always feel like such a drop out when I shop there which is not very often at all

Well, if it so much cheaper, what the heck about the music.... ;)
We have to pay for the plastic bags everywhere, don't you? They cost about 17 cents here (1 old mark), and there are paper bags in some markets too.

Yes I agree it is a problem you can't pay with credit card there, it is very popular in Finland, people use more cards than cash. But, well, there is a cash automate with almost every market so it isn't a problem ;) You can only get 20 and 50 € notes from those anyway :P

Can you pay with cheque in markets there? Cheques are very rarely used here.

1.05-1.20 for petrol isnt expensive. We pay up to 1.44/L

we have those stores also

Well, in Luxembourg it was just 0,65-0,75 /l. Cheapest petrol in the EU. In East European countries it is even cheaper, from 25 to 45 cents in Russia. Some people who live near the border go buying petrol and food from Russia. For example from Imatra to Svetogorsk (old Finnish name Enso, invanded by the USSR in WWII). It's nice to travel in East Europe where everything's pretty cheap ;)

We have a few Lidl's here too. I'm not keen on them nor Aldi and Netto. The food quality just isn't up to scratch and I hate having to throw food away, it's criminal when there are people in the world with so very little to eat. I'd rather use the local shops here and pay that bit extra.

I agree Baa most of the food is substandard.
No evert cheques are rarley accepted on markets, cash only and obtaining cash can be difficult if there is no bank around.

No carrier bags are nearly always free. It is only the cheap stores that charge for them. The stores are only very cheap because they sell really cheap brand products that are not popular and it reflects in the standard. Our regular supermarkets are very good value and you dont have to pay through the nose. The quality is good too.

You guys still get your money from bank? Don't you use ATMs? Told my father about the cheques, he laughed and said me "tell them I paid in market last time with a cheque in the 70's". :)

Maybe here is somekind of tax on the plastic bags here? Well, markets have their own names in them etc.. And sometimes some pictures of different vegetables and fruits and such. Maybe that's what costs ;) Well, 17 cents isn't that bad. The small "fruit plastic bags" are free at least.
Aren't cheap stores popular there? Why not?
I think prices on some products are far too high here. For example chocolate bars they're most á 50 cents.

Blahblahyadayadaplaaplaa

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Another question - do you have Post Offices working with some shop or market or kiosk there? Our PO (02940) works with the market, so there is not an own office for it as there used to be. Finland Post is trying to get as many POs as possible to do franchising work with stores.

And still one question - do you have recyclable bottles and cans there which you return to a automate in a market and get money from them?


This message was edited Wednesday, Nov 13th 12:26 PM

Yes we have cash machines but often it's difficult to park near them and dangerous because of theives.

There is something about the EU or UK gov wanting to tax plastic carrier bags to encourage recycling but I don't think it's in place yet.

Sweets can be expensive here (not sure if they are a taxable food item, for most 'raw' food there is 0 tax at present)

Some of our postoffices are in shops but some are still stand alone.

We can take plastic bottles etc to recycling centres (often in supermarket car parks) and some councils collect recyclables with the rubbish and provide bags or bins to separate stuff to go in landfill and the things to go for recycling.

wish we did Evert, then maybe people wouldn't be so keen just to chuck them on the ground!!Here they rely on peoples concience to recycle stuff.In Dorset we have a recycling collection every two weeks,where can put out paper,tins and clear plastic bottles, no envelopes or card though. I put all my card and other types of paper in my compost heap, give the worms something to digest :-)glass you have to take to the recycling points, which most supermarkets have now, but we certainly don't get any money back LOL.It's a good idea though, might make peolpe think about it.I hate seeing anything wasted, and will try to re-use anything,tubs and pots for seeds and plants, plastic bottles for cloches,marge lids cut into strips for labels.....no wonder scandinavian people are always so slim and healthy lookin with your food prices!!

We have pretty high value-added taxes here, that's one reason why our food is so expensive.

Yes, I like it that people get more keen on composts and recycling. Finns recycle the most paper in the world per capita.

Well, Finns are the 2nd fattest people in the world so I wouldn't say that....

yes baa but most cash machines are still only to be found outside banks and supermarkets and not always convenient to get to. You can get cashback at the supermarket evert after you buy something too, which is just like getting cash out of a machine.

In Bolton we have a company drive around who are called paperchase. They recycle newspaper but they do not pay us for it. Our council also provides free compost bins and kitchen waste bins but that is about as far as it goes. If you want to recycle anything you have to make the effort yourself to take it to the recyle bins.

Low cost supermarkets are not always popular because they offer non branded often foreign (no offense) looking products thats us British dont readily take too. Most of us prefer the popular named brands we have come to know and trust.

Can I join in?

In Switzerland we have to pay for carrier bags (but, like Finland, the thin plastic ones for veg are free)and don't have Lidl or Aldi, although people who live near the border drive in to Germany to go to Aldis but the customs people know this and stop the cars as they come back in.

Almost everybody here recycles and every village has a recycling point and so do supermarket car parks. I don't think there's compost collection; I make my own compost so have never found out about it as I want all my waste for my own garden.

Everything here is expensive, apart from the petrol. Supermarkets keep putting their prices up and we don't have choice you have in the UK. Apparently Carrefour has now come into Switzerland but it's near the big cities and we don't have one near here - in surveys it comes out the cheapest place to shop but I don't know what the quality is like.

Oh for a Tescos/Somerfields/Sainsburys/Waitrose!

My nearest store is a Sainsbury, which suits me as i like the quality. I really enjoy going to Carrefour when i hop over to France, the food seems excellent and i've spotted a bargain occasionally amongst the household goods - always nice to come back with something French! ( I like their glasses in particular).

Sainsbury's have free cheap carriers, but they also have stronger ones for 10p which they replace free if they give out. They also pay 1p for each bag of your own you use (most people then donate this to their charity scheme, which here seems to mainly go to the local air ambulance)

We have recycling bins at strategic places throughout the town and the council will now come and collect old white goods and furniture free of charge. I'm about to get rid of my 30+ years old huge chest freezer which has eventually given out. It's sitting on the drive looking very decorative (not!) at the moment.

are you not going to do a bob flowerdew ? use it to store your autumn fruits, or some other such handy tip?LOL.I've never been to a Carrefor's before.Are they good? What I have noticed at our local Safeways, is that they,ve started stocking a couple of local items. When I last went in I saw some Portland doughcakes, and my brother-in-law being the baker on Portland,was the only one who knew the 'secret' recipe.I asked my sister about it, and she said that the person that they'd sold the business to was supplynig them.I think it makes much more sense. I'd rather buy local produce,and surely it must cost them less,with transport charges.When I was still working I used to buy all my fruit and veg from a little greengrocers in town,a lot of that was local stuff, and they'd deliver if that was over £5.00's worth.

LOL Sue!! No thanks :P
The Carrefour I've been to is in the Cite d'Europe - near the tunnel. It's very large, but has lots of French cheeses, fruit and veg, meat and FISH. It also sells clothes and all sorts of household and other goods - from books to bicycles and electrical goods. The only boob I've made so far was to buy a video for the grandchildren. Unfortunately the french system is not compatable with ours and they can only watch it in black and white LOL :(
You live and learn (except they're not learning the french in colour)

Our Sainsbury's has actually started stocking local produce when it's in season now. At one time, in the strawberry season (and they grow OODLES around here) all you could get in Sainsbury's were strawberries from Spain! Same went for asparagus etc.

That's interesting about Portland doughcakes. What are they like? Anything like lardybread?? (Yum)

Hey Evert.. We have a Lidl here in my neighbourhood also..
I only go there when I really, really have to. When everyone is closed or so. We also have a Turkish shop very close who sells fruit and veggies, bread,olives...and so on. He always has a lot to choose from and is also very cheep. Bought 10 prickly pears for 1 Euro, that's cheep is'nt it. I'll save the seeds of it. I go there whenever I have to go shopping

I went to Lidl yesterday again, by bus.. ticket isn't so expensive, 65 cents (return). I think I have to start buying my coke there ;)

you sound as if you like your coke Evert! I banned my son from drinking it when he was little, it used to make him so hyper!!!I can't stand the stuff myself.eeuughhh....Giveme a bottle of Ame any day :-)Where do you live saya?lucky you a shop selling nice olives and olive oil,yum,I could eat my way through a barrel of olives in one sitting.And I drizzle olive oil over everything and anything.I love it with jacket pots, especially when you get down to the crunchy skins...ohh,it's making my mouth water now, think I'll go and have brekkie....

Oh yes, I do... The normal coke is pretty expensive here, so that's why it is cheaper to go to Lidl by bus and buy their coke there ;)

I love olives too :D

Ooooh Evert. Bought CC at the Lidl once for my son (19) Yak.. so very very sweet that stuff they sell there. He also has to go with the buss to get the tasty one... so now he prefers water to drink instead. Evert, I already told you that I've travelled through Finland for a few weeks. Yes I know, it's very expensive living at your place. Saw f.i. oranges that were priced a piece. Over here it would look very strange to do so. But I loved your country anyway!
For you all:
I live in the Netherlands (very close to the German and Belgium border, only 1/2 hour driving for me) and the Turkish grocer (only ten minutes walking for me) has a lot of yummy things f.i. 8 different prepared olives in green and black, stuffed and not stuffed, bigger (Kalamata) and small ones. He has so much to choose from. He sells f.i. 7 different kind of Pepperbells. It's always busy in this shop, people buy a lot. What I also like of this shop is that people of so many different countries come here and I always find someone there to make a chat while waiting for my pay. It's a selfserving shop. There hangs a note in this shop that says: No, you cannot return the veggies and fruits because you've picked them out by yourself!

I like Lidl coke better than the "cheap" fake-one they sell in our nearest shop.

Single priced oranges? I've never seen that done here, maybe it was some small shop up north ;) Here they sell oranges by kilos, they have huge amounts of oranes, apples and bananas in all shops, they seem to be the 3 most popular. We have very good exotic fruits available too (pitahayas, babacos, passion fruits, red bananas, "soup bananas", curubas, tamarillos, etc..). Not in Lidl anyway, their fruit and bread sections are almost laughable ;)

I'm so very sorry Evert... I have to apologize to you... but I saw this before your time... eh...about 30 years ago. I forgot..eh.. time goes so fast and things change even faster. But now I love your country even more and must visit it again. Anyway I have the same problems with Lidl as you have in Finland. But I still find the CC is...yak!

Well, maybe that explanes it ;)

When you are coming again - let me know :D
I've visited The NL twice, on the guilder, and eurotime.

This message was edited Tuesday, Nov 19th 2:29 PM