Dear Lidl,

GAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sincerely,

Shopper Who Hates Shopping Carts

did they give any reason for that? sounds weird...

1. Remove small shopping recepticle forcing the use of large shopping recepticle

2. Customer, upon seeing how empty their large shopping recepticle is, throws in a few other unneccessary or unwanted items.

3.......

4. PROFITSSSSSS... for Lidl

Kind of makes sense for me.

I was in Aldi a few times and was always bothered by the lack of baskets. I'd never have filled a trolley, so was always a bit of a hazard walking around cradling impulse purchases.

Supermarkets are always psychology warehouses (strategically separately positioned departments, wafting aromas, checkout offers, to name but a few) - this is just another tactic to benefit them rather than Joe Consumer.

My local lidl has never had shopping baskets, I've got quite good at balancing all my shopping on one arm whilst adding to the pile with the other!

The Local version:

"Basket case: Shock sets in for German retailer as millions flock to Euro-trolley hell"

Apparently a huge amount of shopping baskets get stolen each week in supermarkets. Many coop and Migros have started to put some anti-theft device on them. Leman centre coop even ask for an Identity card deposit before lending child trolleys as they were getting stolen all the time

I guess Lidl is trying to reduce costs by not buying new baskets?!

I have never known there to be baskets in Lidl. What people do here is fill a box, either from one in the stash in the corner or use an empty one from a shelf.

Why can't all shops have these handy baskets from the Migros at the airport? You can carry them our pull them if they get too heavy.

Aren't you talking about shopping carts?

Daily Mail version:
"Basket users have 13% higher risk of wrist cancer. Lidl first to withdraw them"

Shocking! Majority of teenagers seemingly at risk of wrist cancer. NHS setting up emergency "relieve stations"...

Sorry, slow morning..

Reminds me of the classic sketch (paraphrasing)

The NHS recommends that a man checks his testes once a month to feel for unusual lumps. ONCE A MONTH. ONCE A MONTH.

There's not a man in the audience who won't have noticed a new pubic hair before breakfast. We think about sex, on average, every 6 minutes. We do not need to be advised to touch ourselves once a month!!

Simple answer : take a large shopping bag and fill this when you go around the store. This way, you only buy [probably] what you really need. At the cash desk, unload the items on to the belt, stand at the cash point with the empty bag, and then refill it. We do this every week. Works like a charm

In my case, ALDI, without baskets, often made LESS profits, as I restricted my purchases to what I could carry by hand

I shop at the Lidl in Romanel, Lausanne and I bring in my own shopping cart. In the shop I fill it up with my grocery. When I am done with shopping I empty my cart and lay everything on the counter. Just before reloading the cart with the purchased goods I show the cashier that I have nothing inside. They seem to be ok with it. I also do the same thing when I go to Migros and Aligro.

Was yesterday in Lidl Winterthur and took a trolley. Much easier as I can pack my smaller daughter in who is a bit too big for a basket. Anyway, didnt see any baskets there and to be honest...I dont think they ever had any!! Baskets in our village are only in Migros and Coop. Aldi goes with the moto, you need a trolley or you craddle your grocery. Does not bother me too much and I only buy what I need.

Happy shopping everyone!! with or without baskets a beer and spareribs fit in two hands so have a great weekend.

It was an awesome move from the Aldi at Claraplatz/Basel to introduce shopping baskets They noticed that the city dweller buying there aren't the same customers like in a store outside town with a parking lot.

UPDATE

So my local Lidl, perhaps noticing my silent protest of only buying what I can carry in my arms, has reintroduced baskets. Giant, plastic, man-eating baskets. The things come up past my knees when set on the ground. They have wheels and you can pull them. Certainly better than shopping carts, but the small wire baskets were much easier to manoeuvre with.

Eh.

I was just in Lidl in Basel and was shocked by the absence of the stacks of metal carrying baskets at the front door. They had the baskets you just described - on wheels with the handle like with luggage. I did manage to see a few of the old ones at the end of the tills so took one.

Maybe its for health and safety - so you don't carry a heavy basket - but bending down to fill and empty the new ones can't be good either.