Lidl — Local services in Burlington

This was once my go-to store. No longer. It’s now the last place I consider shopping.

When Lidl first arrived, it was a wonderful experience in this small, southern town. Along with grocery staples, there were interesting foods from around the world at reasonable prices. Shopping at Lidl was something to look forward to doing. It was once my preferred store to shop, the first stop whenever I bought groceries.

Sadly, Lidl is now the absolute last place I go.

1. The store is constantly out of stock. For example, it has been months since it carried red wine vinegar.

2. what was once an amazing cheese section with a wide selection of international cheeses is now predominantly Kraft, a brand I can get anywhere.

3. Today the store was selling “Feta” cheese produced in Greece but using cow’s milk. Whatever it is, it may have been made in Greece, but it would be illegal to call it Feta in Greece where Feta must be made using sheep and goat milk.

4. Labelling is intentionally misleading. Always read the fine print. Genoa salami for example is “European inspired.” Genoa is not in this product’s DNA.

5. Chicken and pork products did not come from the infamous producers Smithfield and Perdue. Again, I can get that rubbish anywhere.

6. The store is constantly being reorganised. I suspect this is to force customers to walk through and stimulate impulse purchases. For me, a long term customer, it only means I am always wasting time looking for products I once could locate quickly and easily.

7. Most vegetables are sold in bulk in environmentally unfriendly packaging. This is fine for some families. It doesn’t work for those of us who want 1 bell pepper or 2 baking potatoes.

When shopping at Lidl, I know I will always have to go to another store to get the items and quantities I need. So, except for the odd novelty item, why bother to go at all?

It’s a shame how management has run this store into the ground. If you need some groceries, don’t waste your time with Lidl unless you know there is a specific item you need that you can’t find...

Produce buyers BEWARE! The scales at this location are wildly miscalibrated. My sister and I purchased 2 apples yesterday at this location. When we checked the receipt we discovered the wrong UPC code was used thereby causing the fruit to ring at TWICE the price per pound. Long story short a manager redid the transaction at another register and refunded the difference. While we were leaving the parking lot my sister compared the receipts. Imagine our chagrin when we discovered that the same 2 apples weighed MORE at the second register! Oh wait! It gets better!!! We drive back to the store. My sister finds the manager who takes her to yet a THIRD register where the exact same 2 (two) apples weigh even more than the 1st AND 2nd times they were weighed! NO WAY AM I INGESTING ANYTHING THAT GAINS WEIGHT BEFORE I EVEN EAT IT!!! If your MONEY and TIME are important to you I would recommend skipping this one if you can fellow shoppers. IMHO

UPDATE 05/30/24 Lidl's response to this issue was to remove ALL scales from the sales space. Currently, the only scales are AT THE REGISTER. I have my doubts about the accuracy of said scales. For this reason I will only purchase items that I have confidence in the way they have been packaged...

The Lidl store is new to Burlington, NC. This is my first impression. Food items are all on the perimeter of the store and miscellaneous items and clearance items are in the center of the store. All the carts are new, so none of them wobble. Most items are house brands, but I was able to find some favorites like Nature's Own bread priced about a dollar less than other local grocery stores. Some of the fresh vegetables are locally sourced and many but not all are in open bins to select from, others are in reasonably sized bags. Fresh and frozen proteins are competitively priced. When checking out, you bag your own groceries in your own bags. I was surprised that there was only a minute or two wait in line One nice thing at the end is that since I didn't have a discount coupon, the cashier applied one that gave me 30% off the first $30 of my purchase. That was a pleasant surprise. I recommend that you...