An absolute basket case

THOSE who shop at the Lidl supermarkets nearby will have experienced their recent total makeover.

These are the two stores not far from each other at Seven Sisters (SS) and Stroud Green Roads. Practically all their lines have been shuffled around and about.

In the bigger Stroud Green store, the only kind of basket now available to shoppers is a large cart on wheels that one tows around. Obviously intended to encourage punters to spend more by filling it up.

The route to the checkouts is at first hidden and tucked away and may be intended to keep people in shelving area as long as possible. In the scanning zone, signs indicate that the unwieldy contraption needs to be lifted up onto the only-just-big-enough platform alongside the scanner.

Although altered, the new checkouts are still better than the execrable ones at SatansBusy.

In order to open the final exit barrier, you need to scan your receipt. Finally, they've done away with their packing shelf.

Not all of these changes are customer-friendly and not all of it has been thought-through.

The smaller SS store has had a similar makeover but at least they retain the handy-sized hand baskets.

This week, I pleaded with the (helpful) SS manager not to do away with their sensible baskets. He said that they were told not to hold more than 20. The art of the deal: I suggested that if he would keep regular baskets available, then I would transfer my "business" to his branch. 

It was a deal, and at better than Trump speed!

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PsuperMarket Psycology—Lidl and Aldi are undermining the following business model, but here is the past (supposed) slight embarrassment of buying supermarkets' own premium brand and the utter shame and humiliation of buying budget economy value-lines. Excellent analysis by a possible Trump-refugee: 

Girl Gone London .

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