Lidl — Local services in Greensboro

We visited this Lidl Food Market (new to our area) yesterday for the first time. My impressions are mixed. Their motto seems to say they will have more of what you want and less of what you don't, but I found that motto to be hollow, as a major portion of the store was devoted to non-food items like exercise clothing, weights and student desks (among other things), none of which I expect to find (or be inclined to buy) in what is supposedly a food market. The produce section was small, and certainly not very comprehensive, but had the major items. You will NOT find your major national brands of foods in Lidl in most categories. Most of the items are either store-brand or from other unfamiliar suppliers. This is not to say those products are not the equal or better than the national brands, but you have to take a leap of faith that, for instance, the Lidl ketchup is going to be as good or better than the Heinz or Hunt ketchup you have always bought. I am NOT unwilling to try store brands, and have done so repeatedly at Harris-Teeter, Lowe's Foods and others, but I have always had a choice with the national brands on the shelf beside the store brands, allowing me to compare both price, packaging and other criteria, a choice Lidl does not provide to me. There were some food bargains that we did sample, but I would have to be certain that those items were consistently cheaper than I can get elsewhere to make Lidl a frequent shopping place for me. One other item: Many of the meat products are packaged in plastic containers with quite a lot of air space in them, compared to the shrink wrap used by other food markets. I have a concern that if such items are taken home and frozen, they will be much more likely to suffer freezer burn more quickly than a similar shrink wrap item. Note also that you will have to bag your own groceries, and will pay for bags unless you bring your own (though paying for the bags appears to be at the discretion of the person checking you out). All in all, a mixed experience. We could not find items on our shopping list, like liners for our crock pot, and generally the shelf space for any particular type of item is VERY limited. This is okay if you accept the notion that Lidl has everything you would normally go to a food market to purchase and that you are happy with the price, quality and quantity of the items you can get there. If you can't find items and have to go somewhere else, then Lidl cannot be the one-stop shopping destination for...

12-29-20

It's a "what is the big deal" bag for me and reminds me of Aldi. Been twice since it opened and safe to say I am done. I also waited until all the kinks of being new are out. People tend to overrate places that are new.

I like how most supermarkets have national brands and store brands. You won't get that here and comparison shopping is nonexistent. There are staple items I purchase regularly that I can't get here. Sure I can purchase on blind faith but don't like the idea. Which brings me to...

What few items I did purchase weren't up to par with national brands and even store brands at say, Publix or HT. I would bet there are some great buys on certain items but I can't see it am not willing to spend more money blindly on pure faith. Produce was poorly stocked and lacked selection too. I left aware that I had to make a stop at HT for this.

The location bugs me. It's tucked away behind Wendy's and the HT Fuel station and traffic is a cluster.

The one positive was that registers were open and my line moved. I appreciate this.

Lidl is in direct competition, in proximity, to Harris Teeter, Publix, and Lowes Foods. It's stiff. I will not return unless some forces of nature bring me here. I understand Lidl and similar stores have a following. Succinctly, I don't get it and I must be wearing the reality bifocals that...

Significantly larger store, cleaner, more selection of Food items, and aisle space is much easier to navigate than the other Greensboro store.

However, when I tried to return some items from another store location, with receipts, they refused to accept them. I was told that they only accept returned items from the original store purchased from❗️I was also advised that this is Store policy, across the board. 🥵

Whether that's true or not, I have reduced this rating by one star, specifically for this reason. I've never once in my lifetime heard of a retailer with this type of "Return policy". If I ultimately find it to be False, I'd reduce this Rating by another star + report the person who helped check me out !

Particularly because I'd never been in the area where this store is located, hence will now have to make two separate trips back to Lidl - one for returns from this day's purchase + back to the original store location,to still return the items from this attempt.

IMO, when you purchase clothing items from a store without Fitting Rooms, you absolutely shouldn't be so restrictive with your "Return policy"‼️Limiting returns to ONLY the specific site of purchase is...