Mel Quick, Birżebbuġa
Supermarket surprise!
I needed to go to the supermarket on Monday and, for a change, I decided to use Lidl’s, located near Żejtun.
I found most of what I needed and I went to the check-out. The check-out table, where you need to pack your purchases, is somewhat smaller than I have experienced. I proceeded to pack the goods as fast as I could in the bags I had brought. The goods were piling up rapidly next to me and the girl started to throw them back into the trolley.
Quite politely, I said, “No, it’s OK. I’m packing them into these bags”.
To my astonishment, she replied: “You’ll have to hurry! The management will complain.”
I replied that I was going as fast as I could.
I couldn’t believe my ears!
In future, I will continue to use Scotts. The staff at Scotts, both at Tarxien and Żabbar, are always friendly, polite and helpful.
Why should I be spoken to in this manner? I am always polite and, at the age of (nearly) 72, I am quite fit and I’m still compos mentis.
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Janet Bayes
Feb 4th, 16:41
It is my experience that Lidl storesin the Uk put ones purchases in the trolley - - and then you move away to the window area to pack your bags/boxes before going out to the car. The maltese "supermarkets" have certainly gone no way towards any kind of etiquette being learned to cope with the systems used elsewhere and being introduced here. There is an etiquette, and it includes moving swiftly along. Isnt it horrible??
Carmel Serracino-inglott
Feb 3rd, 22:41
I agree with Mr. Quick. To purchase cheaper goods one has to be inhuman allow the staff to push you around at all branches , cannot shop quietly because staff are running with big trolleys all the time. Mind your step if you hear them coming for they do not say excuse me. They first not the customer. I 'hate' this supermarket . What a difference from Towers in Sliema. The cashiers are always smiling and ready to help. Just look at the faces of the staff at Lidl, they look like slaves. This market has not even got a fast lane.
However yes they do employ youths but please some courtesy we are humans not robots otherwise......
mario salnitro
Feb 3rd, 20:34
Mr or Mrs Quick you are not that quick!!!!
Andreas Reiff
Feb 3rd, 19:41
I am a regular customer at Lidl, Good products for a good price, and friendly and helpful staff. Just like in Germany, where Lidl originates from. The only thing you would not find in discounter shops abroad are customers packing their shopping at the cash counter. Pack your shopping back into the trolley, and then proceed away from the cash, so other customers can be served, please.
Nathan Young
Feb 21st, 14:29
Yes. That is the way LIDL operate in Cheltenham.Either pack your shopping on the wide shelf by the window
or pack your bags in the boot of your car.
Giov DeMartino
Feb 3rd, 17:16
Again we HAVE NO REAL PROBLEMS.
Paul Caruana
Feb 3rd, 20:57
You're a pretty boring lad!
Giov DeMartino
Feb 4th, 07:24
Mr Caruana IS perfectly right. When you are short of real problems you tend to become boring. There was a time when we had problems with democracy, justice, poverty all round, problems with political tortures and even murders...we had so many REAL problems. We had no time to be boring.
Giov DeMartino
Feb 4th, 11:04
Mr Caruana is perfectly right. It is human nature that we tend to become boring when there are no real problems. There was a time when we discussed real problems: Political torture and murders, no democracy, no justice, no constitutional courts, mountains of arrogance, no trhis no that...We had no time to becomw boring. Then.
Mr mario aquilina
Feb 3rd, 16:37
Like everyone else on this little island, Lidl is after your hard earned cash.
Do not waste the cashier time, as it cost money. It means employing extra staff. The other Saturday morning at the Luqa branch there was only two cashiers open, and I was about the twelveth in line when the third cashier opened up after myself commenting to the security guard.
Lidl is not concerned about the extra time that their client takes to pack the shopping once you skip their cashier. That extra time is of no concern or cost to them.
Take the money and run.
Paul Borg
Feb 3rd, 16:28
If you cannot quantify quality ratio to price , then keep spending more for a little more couteousy elsewhere !!!!
Mr Tony Gatt
Feb 3rd, 15:01
There used to be a song about The Fastest Milkman in the West so I reckon Lidl's girls are the fastest checkout girls in the west! I've never seen anyone go so fast at our local supermarket in Chester.
Alfred Grech
Feb 3rd, 12:31
In a way the system is not bad - the cashier puts the merchandise in the trolley and customers puts the items in the bags using the counter at the back - it's quicker. Some customers may not be as "quick" as Mr Quick is and can let other customers wait.
Carmel Aquilina
Feb 3rd, 12:23
I like to shop at Lidl but the way one is rushed by the cashier to put the checked-out items back in the trolley is indeed disgusting. Let's hope the management will heed such complaints.
Chris Green
Feb 3rd, 11:40
So you're the one always in front of me when I check out at Scotts!
Agree, lovely staff but Lidl have the advantage with many items being fresher and cheaper. I shop Lidl's first and top-up at Scotts.
Roll on the Lidl's store opening in Gozo.
Jon Vercellono
Feb 3rd, 10:24
The staff at Lidl Sta Venera explained the day they opened that their procedures include taking the goods from the till to the shelves provided for packing the goods. The cashier was only doing her job (which includes putting the goods brought into the trolley). They have to go fast as there are many clients, and secondly, judging from your letter , you would have sent a similar missive had you gotten caught on the other end of the line waiting for someone to pack their bags at the till (when no one else does so). I'm quite sure we didn't hear the full story (which casually left out that she was packing her bags at the till). Appreciate Lidl for what it is, a discount market.
Mr Henry A. Grima
Feb 3rd, 11:19
It is a discount supermarket but it still needs customers, and still needs to be courtous to them.
When I go to Lidl, we buy a lot of items, so it does take some time to pack them into large Lidl bags.
Usually we find a considerate counter clerk, but, when they are not considerate, I just ignore her/him.
They have to understand that it takes longer for me to pack the items, than for her/him to pass them in front of the till to tot up the total cost.
As for the other waiting in line customers, I have never had any problem.
After all they are in the same boat!! They would get the same treatment when it's their turn.
E. Phaidros
Apr 2nd, 04:38
@ Henry,
what country are you from, where you have friendly, nice helpful people in the shops? You are not talking about Malta, do you? I could give you a long list of shops here where you feel like "thank you very much that I am allowed to spend my money here".
Angelo Briffa
Feb 3rd, 10:21
Shoul have been quicker not quick lol haha
C Muscat
Feb 3rd, 10:10
I would have left everything there on the till and leave and maybe I ask for someone from the management. I am sure that the cashier was being presssured by her bosses but with me I would do like Mel Quick and go somewhere else. I use supermarkets very frequently and if someone is rude I can be as rude.
Peter Murray
Feb 3rd, 09:29
Why didn't you remind her of your surname!
mario camilleri king
Feb 3rd, 10:49
LOL
Alfred Grech
Feb 3rd, 16:13
Peter, people like you are packed in small colorful boxes and tagged ":Smarties".
Mr Tony Gatt
Feb 4th, 00:21
There used to be a slogan which went something like "Murraymint, murraymint, the too good to hurry mint"