A shopper who switched her weekly shop from Sainsbury's to Lidl in search of big savings found herself spending more than before, thanks to free bakery items and impulse purchases in the store's famous middle aisles.
Sophie Harris, Senior Lifestyle Reporter, made the change after noticing prices at Sainsbury's rising faster than she could keep up with. She opted for Lidl after enjoying its own-brand products on previous visits, and downloaded the Lidl Plus App, which promised substantial savings and free grocery items. She believed she could save hundreds of pounds annually by switching.
Yet after shopping there for a full month, she found she was actually spending more than she had been at Sainsbury's.
Why is Lidl cheap?
Lidl keeps its prices down by stocking a smaller, more focused product range. This means less time choosing between competing products, which also makes the shopping trip quicker.
Harris had long been a fan of the bakery but had never done a full weekly shop there, so she decided to put it to the test. The Lidl Plus App offered immediate savings, along with free bakery items such as doughnuts and rolls. These deals grew more generous the more she spent in the store.
However, the lure of free items meant she was making trips to Lidl when she wouldn't otherwise have needed to go shopping.
The dangerous middle aisle
While collecting her free products, Harris would browse the store and often end up spending at least £10. The famous central aisles, known as the Middle of Lidl, also caught her out on several occasions.
The Middle of Lidl stock rotates regularly and covers everything from blenders to cookware to home improvement products. On one occasion, she went in for a simple food purchase and left having spent £109 on kitchen items.
She knew the products weren't essential, but items in those aisles sell out fast and often don't come back, so she bought them. In the end, she started avoiding those aisles altogether, even though she does use the things she bought, simply because she was spending well over her usual budget.
Savings are possible
If you can avoid the central aisles, there are genuine savings to be had at Lidl. Harris used to pay at least £2.30 for a punnet of grapes, but at Lidl they cost around £1.09. Some weeks, she could get them for under £1 using the Lidl Plus App.
She hasn't stopped shopping at Lidl, but now sticks to the aisles she needs and focuses on what's on her list. Overall, she finds it a good place to shop.
