It is "good customer service" if you happen to be the person who has forgotten something.
It is a right pain in the **** if you happen to be behind that person in the queue.
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Comedic "things you would ban": minor things that irritate you
- Thread starter py_megapixel
- Start date
It is "good customer service" if you happen to be the person who has forgotten something.
It is a right pain in the **** if you happen to be behind that person in the queue.
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Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
It happens so rarely that I prefer the idea that a member of staff may help me occasionally over the small delay it causes - it's no different from the checkout staff working more slowly so an elderly customer can pack. If you dislike it there's the self service, or there are the German supermarkets where checkout speed is of the essence and so it would never be done.
py_megapixel
Established Member
You say that, but I actually had the checkout operator in Lidl a few months ago offer to go and swap a pack of blueberries with a broken lid which I'd picked up by accident. I suppose that's a slightly different scenario though.
150249
Established Member
Can I just ban Aldi and Lidl altogether. Specifically some of the people I see shopping there and the layout of the shop.
py_megapixel
Established Member
Absolutely not!
That's the best bit. It's almost always the same, so you can go into any Aldi or Lidl and know exactly where you'll find what you want. For example, if I want digestive biscuits in Aldi, I know that they will be in the second aisle, at the far end from the checkouts, on the bottom shelf, on the side closest to the entrance. In a more conventional supermarket they could be pretty much anywhere.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Not the whole thing, but the ones with an even number of aisles as this causes a jam in the last aisle with people going both ways. Needs to be an odd number.
py_megapixel
Established Member
That's all of the "standard" ones, unfortunately. You're right that it's a design flaw. There are of course a few oddball ones (e.g. Manchester Arndale) which don't follow the "standard" layout at all.
I think it's something we're stuck with forever, not because it's the best way of doing things, but because it's the standard and changing standards is a nuisance. (Same applies to all kinds of other things - restrictive railway loading gauges, the imperial system of measures, Microsoft Windows.... all things I'd love to ban)
Isn't that a good reason for them? You don't like some of the people shopping there means you can avoid them by shopping elsewhere. They still need to eat, and so they would be in your favourite supermarkets if not there.
150249
Established Member
The people are those that pile anything into their trolley after only glancing at the price and not the product itself. I've seen a number of shoppers complaining to the staff at the till after realising that the product they picked up isn't what they wanted.
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My local Lidl changes where some of the products are every fortnight
Techniquest
Veteran Member
Absolutely. In my experience, it's a shortage of staff that delays things the most in supermarkets. Self-service checkouts are brilliant for me, and contrary to popular opinion they haven't really stripped jobs out of my shop. A few changes, granted, but they were going to happen anyway one day to meet the changing requirements of shoppers.
I'm informed there is a supermarket in Patchway (or Cribbs Causeway, not sure now) that is exclusively self-scan checkouts. I haven't seen it myself, so I don't know if it's true, but I can imagine that must be horrific for some people!
Not necessarily the case.
My local Aldi had recently rearranged the shelves, for no apparent reason.
I just wish Aldi would get rid of the cheap tat in the middle aisle so that they can have an expanded range of food.
Techniquest
Veteran Member
I can't agree with that. Some of my cycling gear came from Aldi, and it's had extensive use. My £2.99 gloves (or around that price at least) 2 years ago have now been retired, as they really are falling to pieces, but they saw a lot of use both on cycling and at work. The latter was especially so when working in the chilled aisles or while pushing the Home Shopping trollies around, extra grip was always welcome! I have cycling shorts from there too, as well as bib tights, and they are all still going strong. For the money charged, I've actually been impressed by it all.
My biggest gripe though is that they don't do a small size in their men's clothing. So some of my gear is a bit too big in places! I found a men's full length wetsuit in Aldi recently, reduced to just £9.99, and a large is a bit big around the chest but just right around the legs and gut. I don't know when I'll get to use it, but I absolutely wasn't leaving that behind! Point being overall that while I'm not a huge fan of Aldi, having downgraded from Sainsburys, it is very convenient for my location and it has its uses!
Generally though, I would agree with a lot of stuff they sell isn't that great. My local Aldi does quite well for food aisle space, obviously if it was just food then it would no doubt be a better range, but I don't think it needs to happen.
The problem with the cheap tat in the middle of Aldi is that there is no consistency.
If you happen to want gloves, a wetsuit or cycling shorts when Aldi have got some stock in, then all well and good.
But go back there a couple of weeks later, and they might have sold out.
And then, as you say, the might have some item of clothing that you like, but they won't have it in your size.
Techniquest
Veteran Member
It's just how it is, I don't expect Aldi to always have what I want in stock, or even just my size/choice of colour or whatever. It's generally accepted, from what I can tell, by most people that if it's not there then it's not meant to be. It would be great if the stuff I wanted was always on sale, but I don't buy new clothes or whatever too often and I have to say I do like my branded stuff when it comes to cycling gear. Partly because I can be a bit of a snob, but also because they usually invest time and money into making their product really well.
Aldi isn't for everyone, and I have to say I do prefer to shop elsewhere. The money isn't there to do so though, so it's Aldi or nothing! Whatever one's opinion on the place, you have to admire the way they took on the big supermarkets and made their mark on the industry!
Gloster
Veteran Member
Before I moved twenty years ago I had a Lidl convenient to me and used to go in once a week to see what ‘this week’s offers’ (of tat) were. I am very good at resisting the temptation of bargains (being habitually boracic is one reason) and would usually come out without having bought anything, but occasionally there would be something genuinely worth buying. The only thing I bought regularly at Lidl was their Multi-Vitamin fruit juice, but queuing times meant that I tended to buy a lot in one go.
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ABB125
Established Member
A relic of my childhood! My brothers and I usually had a small carton of that each for lunch at first school. Complete with little plastic straw in flimsy plastic wrapper...
PeterY
Established Member
- Joined
- 2 Apr 2013
- Messages
- 1,363
I've never ever brought anything in Aldi or Lidl (or ever been in IKEA). Am I missing anything?
I know you haven't been in IKEA because once you enter you can't get out again. However if you like flat-pack furniture which you might be able to assemble yourself (assuming there aren't any missing bits) then it's OK.I've never ever brought anything in Aldi or Lidl (or ever been in IKEA). Am I missing anything?
Lidl/Aldi seem to be cheaper than other stores, so you're probably missing something, but I live within walking distance of Sainsbury and Waitrose and I don't see a need to drive to Lidl (Handforth) or Aldi (Knutsford) so I don't go to either.
Seriously, if price matters to you a lot then you are missing something. If it's not at the top of your priority list then maybe not.
Here's something I'd like to ban. Old people on social media. I know someone who literally got their Facebook account hacked at least five times, and I'm sorry but at this point I have no sympathy for you and frankly feel like you pretty much deserve it. Not to mention the fact that despite their insistence on not believing everything we see, they're pretty keen on sharing some of the fakest nonsense you'll ever find on the internet.
xotGD
Established Member
- Joined
- 4 Feb 2017
- Messages
- 7,904
Can I ban people who clog up a thread about things we should ban by wittering on about Lidl and Aldi? 
Can I also ban the term "Happy Halloween". It isn't supposed to be a happy occasion. What next - "Happy Poppy Day"?
Can I also ban the term "Happy Halloween". It isn't supposed to be a happy occasion. What next - "Happy Poppy Day"?
py_megapixel
Established Member
Let's just ban Halloween.
A local pub has put up some bright orange banners by the entrance which say "ENTER IF YOU DARE". If you run a hospitality establishment, that's hardly the first impression you want to convey to your customers, surely?
Techniquest
Veteran Member
Quite right, I am totally for banning Halloween!
Gloster
Veteran Member
Every time Halloween comes round I think, “Did all those pumpkins die in vain?” I object to the waste, and I object to the commercialisation and Americanisation. Enough! I set my thoughts out in #1,966.
Wilts Wanderer
Established Member
- Joined
- 21 Nov 2016
- Messages
- 3,199
Drama shows that build tension and mystery for hours of episodes, and then completely fail to resolve and/or close out the story in the finale. I actually can’t remember the last time I saw a satisfying ending!
People saying "isn't it great, you get an hour extra in bed" at this time of year when an hour of afternoon daylight is forcibly removed from us.
Talk about polishing a t**d. And in any case, unless you actually want to be starved of daylight, you won't spend the extra hour in bed, you'll get up at the normal BST time, live "as if it was" BST for as long as you can (hence, as far as I'm concerned, it's just after 10am), until work commitments force you to switch to Grotty Miserable Time. Which is usually the Monday.
Talk about polishing a t**d. And in any case, unless you actually want to be starved of daylight, you won't spend the extra hour in bed, you'll get up at the normal BST time, live "as if it was" BST for as long as you can (hence, as far as I'm concerned, it's just after 10am), until work commitments force you to switch to Grotty Miserable Time. Which is usually the Monday.
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Mcr Warrior
Veteran Member
- Joined
- 8 Jan 2009
- Messages
- 17,322
And you then lose half of that "hour extra" having to change clocks and watches that haven't automatically changed from BST to GMT.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
People saying "isn't it great, you get an hour extra in bed" at this time of year when an hour of afternoon daylight is forcibly removed from us.
Talk about polishing a t**d. And in any case, unless you actually want to be starved of daylight, you won't spend the extra hour in bed, you'll get up at the normal BST time, live "as if it was" BST for as long as you can (hence, as far as I'm concerned, it's just after 10am), until work commitments force you to switch to Grotty Miserable Time. Which is usually the Monday.
As a non morning person I like that I can easily get up at 0600 or so for a couple of weeks. Though I would on balance get rid and turn BST into British Standard Time.
I'm a non-morning person too, but as my body clock is still firmly on BST, it does mean that it's easy for me to keep living "as if it were" BST.
Many advocates of GMT suggest this (getting up and going to bed an hour earlier than normal) as a solution for the whole winter, but sadly for many of us, this is scuppered by work commitments. If you're on full flexi-time (I am not) I guess you could get away with it though, work 8-4 rather than 9-5, and do your entire daily routine an hour earlier by clock time in the winter.
But while we're at it, to conform to the thread title, I would just ban GMT.
py_megapixel
Established Member
I am much more of an early-morning person than a late-evening person, so I actually find late September and October a bit depressing as it feels like it takes an age for the sun to come up after I wake up. Thus, I'd make GMT the standard time.
People saying "isn't it great, you get an hour extra in bed" at this time of year when an hour of afternoon daylight is forcibly removed from us.
Talk about polishing a t**d. And in any case, unless you actually want to be starved of daylight, you won't spend the extra hour in bed, you'll get up at the normal BST time, live "as if it was" BST for as long as you can (hence, as far as I'm concerned, it's just after 10am), until work commitments force you to switch to Grotty Miserable Time. Which is usually the Monday.
I would ban people from moaning about the clocks going back at the end of October every year.
It may well get darker a bit earlier in the late afternoon, but the hour of afternoon daylight that is "forcibly removed from us" is given back to us in the morning.
Staying on BST all year round, or moving to Central European Time, would adversely affect those who have to get up and go to work at a fixed time, and be of more benefit to those who are able to adjust their personal schedules, such as the work from home brigade, and those who are retired.
Nothing can alter the fact that the days get shorter in the winter, or increase the total amount of daylight.