LIDL staff are exposing the clever tricks the supermarket chain use to make customers spend more.
They also unpack the secrets of the famous middle aisle bargains – and reveal why Lidl is one of the only supermarkets to have baskets with wheels, on a new Netflix show.
And while traditional supermarkets put the price tag underneath each item, Lidl’s mantra is ‘eye level is buy level’.
This means casual shoppers may end up spending more than they thought, according to former manager Roo Dhissou.
Speaking on 24 Hours in Lidl, said: “So the idea is that you look at the product and look above and see how much it costs.”
But retail expert Dr Amna Khan said shoppers still naturally look at the price below the product they’re buying.
She explained: “If you went into a traditional supermarket where do you automatically look?
“You look beneath it for the price, you wouldn’t look above it.
“So automatically when you look underneath it, that’s the price that you think it’s going to be.”
This means a casual Lidl shopper may think they are about to grab a bargain, but actually end up paying more than they first expected when they get to the till.
Another discovery about the UK’s sixth biggest supermarket is that all baskets are on wheels, because if shoppers feel the weight of a hand held basket they stop buying.
And Roo explains how savvy bargain hunters could get up to 60 per cent off full price items.
She revealed there is a specific time to get more value for money, but you need to act fast.
The best time to shop in the nationwide stores is between 4-5pm, when the orange sticker markdowns begin to appear.
“They have set points in the day where you do a check and a refill with whatever has been left out,” said Roo.
“You’ll actually see them being marked down, so you’ll be able to get them before they go back out onto the shelves.
“They’re not marked down on the day like other supermarkets, they’re marked down two days before, generally.”
Catherine Shuttleworth, a marketing consultant for the supermarket, added: “First day it’s 30 per cent reduced, by the second day it goes down to 60 per cent.”
Lidl now plans to open a new UK store every fortnight, appealing to savvy shoppers not penny pinchers.
The chain has plans to open stores in upmarket London locations including Knightsbridge, Mayfair and Westminster.
And shoppers can earn themselves a finder’s fee if they know of a site in a “prominent location”, where a new Lidl could be built.
If suitable, the supermarket could pay you either 1.5 per cent of the total freehold purchase price, or 10 per cent of the first year’s rent for leaseholds.
Catherine explained: “They reward the people, just normal people like you and me to find sites for them where a Lidl can go.”
Now 90 per cent of products are own label brands, with packaging designed using the same colours and fonts as well known market leaders.
But they have been sued by Hendricks gin and Lindt chocolate for producing items that look too similar – and more legal cases are threatened.
The layout is changed every Thursday so you always see something new.
Products in the middle aisle are carefully calculated to appeal to seasonal demand, and designed to distract from the boredom of a weekly shop.
Its success relies on impulse purchases and shoppers fear of missing the latest bargain.
In a blind ice cream testing by presenter Briony May Williams, Lidl’s Buon Gelati cones proved more popular than Cornettos.
But their Rita Ora hair styling brushes turned out to be less effective than the more expensive Revlon rival, which fared far better with professional hairdressers.
Lidl have loads of ways of getting us to pay quickly at the check out too.
Every member of staff including managers are till trained to prevent queues building up at busy times.
Staff are expected to scan 30 items per minute, and the bar codes are massive to avoid scanning mistakes – which can be costly.
Shelf ready packaging also saves time as staff only have to rip the lids off boxes and plonk them on shelves.
Other tricks including deliberately placing staple items like meat, fish and milk as far away as possible so you have to walk through the whole store.
But the bakery section is always close to entrance as the warm sugary smell entices shoppers and makes them hungry.
You can watch 24 Hours in Lidl on Netflix.
When do supermarkets put out yellow-sticker bargains?
The time supermarkets reduce their products vary across stores.
Here’s a rough supermarket-by-supermarket guide:
Aldi
Aldi uses a red sticker to show reductions on fresh products such as bread, meat, fruit and vegetables.
This is when they have reached the last day of shelf life.
Red stickered items are most commonly found at opening and closing times.
M&S
Reduction times can vary from store to store but is most likely to occur near closing time.
Asda
Asda told Which? that yellow stickers are applied twice a day – in the morning and evening.
Co-op
Co-op told The Sun its reduced-to-clear prices are generally applied about four hours before the store closes.
Lidl
Lidl has a similar procedure to Asda and Aldi with reductions twice a day.
However individual stores may opt to reduce prices throughout the day.
Morrisons
Shoppers online have said that Morrisons does the best bargains first thing in the morning.
However, the store told Which? that there are no specific times for yellow sticker price cuts.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s told The Sun it’s at the store manager’s discretion whether to offer discounts.
However, shoppers have reported that the best deals are in the evening from 6pm.
Tesco
Tesco has said there is no specific time for reduction, but again most people found that prices were reduced from 6pm.
Waitrose
As with most of the other stores, Waitrose shoppers have said the best reductions are found before closing.
However, the store stated that there is no specific time for yellow stickers to be applied.