I don't normally shop at Lidl. I go to Tesco because it just
happens to be on my usual route. The no-frills German supermarket chain usually
escapes my attention, but yesterday I was doing an extra job in an area I don't
often visit and needed some groceries. If you've never shopped at Lidl then
it's an interesting experience. On the plus side, most items are a bit cheaper
than Tesco's. It also sells clothes, hardware and children's toys. However,
when I went into the store I had to pass through a turnstile that only opened
one way, meaning I couldn't go back. I was like a particle trapped inside the
event horizon of a black hole. The only way was forward. This could have been a
problem if I'd decided not to buy anything. Can I get out if so? I only needed
one item which I selected and then went to the checkout. As I explain in the
background articles below, I always refuse to pay via the auto-checkout; if
necessary I will ask the staff to open a regular one for me. In this situation
I decided to break that rule because I was in a rush to catch a bus, one that
only goes once an hour to my destination outside Oxford
See here for background: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2025/07/tesco-butlerian-jihad-4-always-ask.html.
And: https://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2025/08/a-machine-shouldnt-speak-for-men.html.
See here for background: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2025/07/tesco-butlerian-jihad-4-always-ask.html.
And: https://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2025/08/a-machine-shouldnt-speak-for-men.html.
2 comments:
Interesting. Some local Tesco's in my neck of the woods have had entry turnstiles for many years. I think it all depends on the size of the store. The smaller express ones don't. As for the Lidl exit turnstiles this confused me too first time it appeared (to combat shoplifting apparently). The system doesn't work well, most folks tailgate other shoppers as it stays open for a long time or forget their receipt. There is an aisle to conveniently leave the store quickly in both Tesco and Lidl should you go in and not want to buy anything situated next to the entrance in most stores, normally gated too. The thing you won't have noticed not using Lidl much is prior to the exit turnstiles the machines took cash and card. This is no longer the case. I did a quick straw poll on a works night out for Christmas drinks and of the 20 folks in our party only 2 carried any cash at all. It seems it's now an inconvenience and unnecessary thing for many.
Hi Anon. I do remember a brief period when they had autotills with cash. It didn't last long. Only one Sainsburys I know still has them. Shoplifting is a massive problem, but the real issue with it is not so much detection as legal action. How often do the police arrest thieves these days? Are they ever prosecuted? These stores are writhing with CCTV. They know when somebody nicks something. If there were worse consequences for that crime the other measures wouldn't be needed.
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