Every Lidl hurts
The super-low prices of Lidl, Europe's answer to Wal-Mart come at a cost: the rights, wages and dignity of the company's workforce. Chris Leach reports
Lidl is what's known as a "deep discount" supermarket chain. Translated from corporate patois, that means that low-income groups (what used to be known as working-class people) can get a week's shopping there for less than what it costs for a pot of crème fraîche in Waitrose. Now, Lidl is a rapidly expanding business, not a charity. So its low prices come at a high cost for someone. And that someone is the company's workforce in all the many locations where it operates.
Still privately owned by German entrepreneur Dieter Schwarz, Lidl is one of the fastest expanding retail companies in Europe. In addition to operating 2,500 stores and having more than 151,000 employees in its domestic German market, it has outlets in 16 other European countries and is planning to expand into Asia and Canada. Providing the impetus for this rapid growth are the sunrise economies of Mittel Europa: countries like Slovakia and Poland, where the combined privations of Stalinism and shock-treatment neo-liberalism mean that independent trade union structures are young and weak.
According to Uni Commerce, the international umbrella organisation of retail unions, Lidl is trying to copy US retailer Wal-Mart's model of "pressing down wages and benefits and squeezing as much as is possible from its personnel". Uni Commerce also castigates the company's culture of secrecy, suspicion and anti-union dirty tricks. In one instance the company reacted to a successful union recruitment drive at its distribution warehouses by reconfiguring its entire corporate structure overnight.
In the new EU member states the most famous, or infamous, allegation of Lidl abusing its workforce came to light in August last year. It was claimed that menstruating workers in Poland and the Czech Republic had to wear white headbands if they wanted to be allowed to use the toilet during working time. Of course, this very serious charge was sternly denied by Lidl's senior management. But the story had enough substance to feature in Lebensmittelzeitung, Germany's leading commerce magazine.
Bullying and intimidation are not restricted to Lidl's operations in "new" Europe. When the German retail union Ver.di opened a weblog enabling workers to report on the company's bad practices it was contacted by more than 3,500 present and former Lidl employees. The reports, which form the basis of a "black book" published by the union about the firm's tawdry employment practices, chronicle how "the company is obsessed with control to the extent that it becomes a serious violation of the integrity of its workers. Everyone is treated with mistrust, as a potential thief".
A culture of constant surveillance extends to every nook and cranny of Lidl's retail environment, with workers being subjected to frequent checks for contraband. Pockets are searched, as well as workers' cars. Even mandatory periods away from the shop floor take on a Big Brother aspect. One Finnish worker said: "Everything that is consumed at the workplace during the breaks, be it a yoghurt or a soft drink, must not only have a cash ticket taped to it; the ticket must also be signed by the supervisor."
So if you're ever in a once noble town that's fallen on hard times in this austere post-Thatcherite era you may happen upon a Lidl. Please try not to be beguiled by any of the company's weekly special deals (when I looked, it was offering a pink velour two-piece of the type favoured by Little Britain's Vicky Pollard at an amazing £5.99). Those prices may not bust your wallet, but you may inadvertently help to bust the union.
Now, I must remember to get some crème fraîche. Anybody in Islington fancy an early night?
Change-a-leujah! Jo Littler interviews Reverend Billy and Savatri D about the politics of anti-consumerism
Doing it for the kiddies Dear Subcomandauntie,
I've just been sent £256 from Gordon Brown's Child Trust Fund (CTF) to invest for my nine-month-old daughter's future, but I don't have a clue what to do with it. I understand I can either invest it in stocks and shares or a bank or building society account. Is there an ethical option?
Yours, Sleepless in E9
“Whiplash” Wilko Mark Barnsley reports on the high-street hardware store growing fat on the profits of prison slavery
G4S: Private muscle for hire G4S's Olympic failure hasn’t stopped the government from handing it more services, Tim Hunt reports
The bankers’ friend Who controls the taxpayer-owned bailed out banks? Michael Moran and Karel Williams investigate
No sleep (or soup) for the homeless Westminster Council’s plans to criminalise homelessness are not the first time it has tried to rid the borough of the poor, writes Ellie Schling
February 15, 2003: The day the world said no to war Phyllis Bennis argues that while the day of mass protest did not stop the war, it did change history
Egypt: The revolution is alive Just before the second anniversary of the Egyptian revolution, Emma Hughes spoke to Ola Shahba, an activist who has spent 15 years organising in Egypt
Workfare: a policy on the brink Warren Clark explains how the success of the campaign against workfare has put the policy’s future in doubt
Tenant troubles The past year has seen the beginnings of a vibrant private tenants’ movement emerging. Christine Haigh reports
Co-operating with cuts in Lambeth Isabelle Koksal reports on how Lambeth’s ‘co-operative council’ is riding roughshod over co-operative principles in its drive for sell-offs and cuts in local services
Red Pepper is a magazine of political rebellion and dissent, influenced by socialism, feminism and green politics. more »
Get a free sample copy of Red Pepper
The UK's leading supplier of Fair Trade products
Get our email newsletter, with news, offers, updates and competitions.
Become a Friend of Red Pepper
Help keep Red Pepper afloat with a regular donation
Watch films online
See free trailers and support Red Pepper by streaming the full films:
Cocaine Unwrapped
The War You Don't See
44-48 Shepherdess Walk, London N1 7JP
+44 (0)20 7324 5068
office[at]redpepper.org.uk
What makes you think only Lidl does these things? I worked for Toys r Us in 1993 and next from 2007-2008. The toystore searched inside our clothes at shift end and tried to confiscate one guy’s 15 year old travel chess set in case it was stolen from them. We worked through breaks and had no access to drinking water. instead having to buy water from a vending machine. At Next they don’t recognise unions and breaks are closely monitored. When they wanted to get rid of us they just changed our shifts to the middle of the night so we’d quit.I used to work at Dillons which was great but went bust. I have worked in many shops, all big names including Waterstones; none recognise unions.
I work at Lidl and it’s not THAT bad. The wage we get is actually pretty decent, with a set payrise every year, although it’s true that we work bloody hard and are expected to do a lot of overtime. And they do spot checks at the end of your shift to make sure you have a receipt for everything, but they’ve never searched my car or anything like that. And it’s not like they’re going through my handbag even, just asking do we have recipts for everything as part of their procedue
It would be nice to have a couple more workers per shift though, it’s ridiculous being down to 3 or 4 people for the closing shift!
I understand that some branches might my worse than others though, but the managers at my store are all right and it might sound corny, but there really is a good team spirit involved in just rolling up your sleeves and getting on with it. The managers actually have to work harder than us store assistants as there just isn’t enough workers for them to get away with lazing around and still closing up on time
The worst part of working here is actually the customers, some of them are really foul-mouthed and rude, and some of them really stink too!
Lidl is the same as any british retailer. All are anti union, all can pick and choose there staff and all are dispensable.
Lidl don’t just cater for the low income increasingly the wealthy and the tight fisted shop there
Why 8 rolls of plenty for 3.99 a saving of 76p if you buy in two’s from Savers every little helps to borrow Tesco’s slogan
lidl is not as bad as the co-op,the copo are supposed to be good to work for as they have close tyes to the union .I know who i would rather work for Lidl at least give a better wage ,and treat their staff better ,unions are only interested in taking money off you ,i should know i have worked for both .
I have been working for the company for seven years. What I think is everything is depend on store manager if he is hard worker, capable and responsible and he recognised needs of his staff there are no such problems like overtime, un-paid hours etc. when you talk about spot checks and presentation of receipts it’s company procedures no one want to lose money in this world why lidl do so. Owner of lidl have full right to pretect his business. Pay rate is very reasonable compare to other business operators in retail industry. Another back draw is no staff discount but company is in process to introduce in near future. I bet no other store gives you £9.50 to just sit on till and scan items how difficult it is to do so not a rocket science of course.
Lidl force you to buy more by making you get a trolley. If you dont want a trolley full of food you carry it in your arms. Get a trolley and you end up with a till that u cant pack your food on because their isnt enough room for you to put a bag on….so you have to have a trolley. So u have to re-pack your food in the window. What a hassle to shop. I SAY to the missus, cant be bothered with the rest of the shopping we want…we will get it at ANOTHER supermarket around the corner….i rest my case…LIDL….you are a pain in the bum!!!! Sorry.
I like to think that Lidl’s prices help out the lower paid among us. Although you’ve now got the tesco’s and Sainsbury’s shoppers coming into the stores to see what the bargains are and slightly miffed that they don’t recgonise half the brands and because they don’t recgonise them then they think they’er of poor quality. I have been shopping in Lidl for years and the majority of the staff are the same people, hard working and I beleive paid a reasonable wage.
So don’t knock Lidl to much, the state of the Unions in this country is down to one thing past and present Tory governments!
so let me get this right…
based on the number of people they employ, 2.2% had complaints. I`m all for unions in the work place but I have to say2.2% isnt bad at all.
Since I was made redundant, I can no longer afford the ever increasing costs of food, so I have had to change ALL of my habbits. I used to shop at tescos and sainsburys, as a single person my food budget per month was around £100.
Now, I shop at Lidl for some things and my Local Market for all my fresh foods, and home bargains for cleaning / toiletries, and I visit a travelling butcher once a quarter and buy all the meat I require. This has halved my food budget, and whats more the food is actually fresher and better quality.
These brands you see being sold in lidle and Aldi are not cheap surplus muck, they are in fact premium european brands as my italian parents have often confirmed to me…
The trouble with people in the UK is that most are brand/food snobs. I should know, I was one too.
For Xmas this year, I`m having a Lidl Duck… £7.
I shop at Lidl. I like the price and the quality.
I once worked for the NHS. They gave us a decent payrise one year by cutting our working hous and increasing our break times. As no one on the shop floor/sharp end took breaks at all because there was insufficient staff the end result was a much trumpeted non existant pay rise.
If anyone from Lidl is reading this, where are the Bratwurst?
Have they gone forever like the Yellow Handbags or will I have to wait till I next visit Germany.
It’s been 4 weeks and I am suffering withdrawall symptoms.
As for Brennan, I shop on a motor bike and have no problem. You are weird mate.
worked there for 18 months,really heavy work and they make you feel like you are theifs,some long hours and 1 break.10 hour shifts really crap.
they really treat there staff like rubbish,they changed the workwear to long sleved polo tops,in the summer its so hot but they dont want to know.you cant have a cold drink on the till bloody vile place.
bratwurst are back. they stopped them to make room for christmas stock.
Yes we all laughed at Lidl when they came to our town about 12 years ago. Not so many of us laughing now in this recession!! me included, I do all my shopping at Lidl and have saved a fortune.
If it weren’t for the Governments help to the Banks with our money I wonder how many high flyers in the City would be now shopping at Lidl.
To be fair to Lidl, I worked in a retailer where security was even tighter. Our bags WERE searched at the end of every shift, but to be honest, nobody really minded, we just got on with it, the staff were friendly about it and never suspected you, it was just something that had to be done. We also had to have a sticker put on anything we bought whilst in store that was staying in store until we finished our shift. Seemed perfectly reasonable to me!
i worked for the coop years ago and the whole system was alot more relaxed. now i work for lidl and the lunch food does have to be signed by both the cashier and superviser and taped to the product as stated. the very worst thing at the moment is having to turn up to work 10mins early every day to count a till, then put it out, start work, and have to wait until the clock reaches your official start time before we are allowed to clock on. now, in my books, counting a till up and starting to serve customers is working. we are therefor losing 10mins of pay every day. i dont know who to complain to however as i dont trust the higher management not to let on somehow who complained and word would everntually get into my branch and then the lower management would find a way to edge me out of the company.
there are many flaws with this business, but this is just one aspect i have mentioned.
A very biased article, smacks of somebody who applied for a job with Lidl’s and was refused, or was fired for thieving! ALL retail companies are entitled to do spot checks on employees, in fact all companies are. I have been a union rep, and it’s perfectly acceptable practice to unions and employees. Only two of the above posts are in agreement with the article, and the mentality of those two are in serious doubt from their wording. As for Brennan, well, every village needs an idiot……..
Having to turn up 10 minutes early is fine so long as the pay in the end is good.
You offer me £20.00 an hour and I will be early, Minimum wage and minimum input.
My present firm has the rep pf employing 3rd rate tossers as manager. It is fully deserved.
Working for an untintelligent idiot who misses the good old days when you could bully the apprentice etc is demeaning, but it pays the bills.
counting your till is part of your work so you should be paid for it, i do alot of cover shifts in different lidl stores and it all the same, i clock in before counting and clock out after cashing up, what your meant to do is come in, get your coat off get ready or whatever then clock in then count your till cause counting your till and cashing up is part of your work which means they should be paying you. ask your district manager or someone higher up as some store managers will try and avoid giving people extra hours to help their prod. the way i see it is the company tries to get as much as they can out of you when working so get what you can back. as for everything else said on this blog some stores are good some are bad, for staff it depends on the management.
in fact if you get any problems just go to citizens advice because if your working 5 days a week 4 weeks a month and your getting cheated out of 10 minutes each time thats 1hr and 40mins if my maths right (around £11 a month if your on £6.50)
I have been shopping in Lidl for last 6 years. They never cheat like other branded supermarkets. When I shop in Azda or Tesco I always have to be careful but not in Lidl/Aldi. I can literally close my eyes and shop there! And quality? 3 years quarantee!!
Come on , give me a break…:)
I do most of my shopping at Lidl,mainly because it is the nearest shop to were I live.I am 80 next year and am used to adding up my bill as I shop.Strange I have been over charged many times never under charged.
somtimes short changed.I wonder do any other customers have this problem?or is money not worth so little that it in not worth the trouble
I used to do main shop at Tesco and ignore Lidl but now it’s the other way round and I save a packet! As for hardship the builders’ supply company for whom I work docked our wages three years ago and took away all our bonuses and we are now under much more pressure.
Any jobs going at Lidl’s?
Hello everyone…it seems that an ingtriguing discussion is going on here. One question to all,is there anyone that can tell me from where i can buy a copy of the book mentioned in this article please: The Black Book On Lidl? It is of huge importance for a research i am conducting…would be glad to share the outcomes once concluded, with all those interested. Thank you.
in all fairness the company have there good and bad side when working for them, yeah they push you to your limits and try and get the most out of you but tell me between working for lidls or a supermarket like tescos whos likely to promote you first, ive worked at the company as a store assistant for 1yr and a half and im very soon geting a promotion for duty manager. also lidls had a sports event and rounders was one of them. i went to it and all expence was paid for, stayed in a 5 star hotel and the company opened a bar tab of £2500 for 100 of us employees. they have there good and bad side but it does pay off
For the lady who is complaining about the trolleys and not enough space for packing- some stores have the baskets, those which dont is the ones which are operating in a ribbish area and all of the baskets have been or will be stolen anyway! About the space by the till – each store has a place for packing, yes not by the till, that other customers wouldnt need to wait for you while you are packing, but you can drop everything in your trolley and pack futrher away and take as long as you want. Thats smart! as an employee I am not always happy about my job, sometimes we close very late and then have early shift the next day, sometimes our breaks suffer becayse it is too busy to get full break, and yes, there is no staff discount. BUT, we are getting paid quite well, you can always do overtime is you want to, my colleagues are like family to me and my managers are always helpful and understanding. I am working there for three years and have heard loads of bullshit about it, but I can tell you one thing, all workplaces have disadvantages, more we have – more we want, its never perfect. but think about people who doesnt have a job at all. we should be happy and stop complaining.
I work for lidl the manager is the bigest idiot ever he talks down to you acuses you of theft lidl is the worst place ive worked at and wont be there next year thank god. also i think the pay is to low for what you do there and for how much money they take TIGHT BASTARDS !!!!!!!
worked for lidls for 3 years , is hard , but Loved the pace, got made duty in three months , wish i didnt leave , if u can hack the speed , and the abuse , then its a walk in the park , done chikker clean once and worked 13 hours with only 15 min brake ,
I’ve been with Lidl for a while now as a Store Assistant. I’m 18. I love working for Lidl, in our store, everyone works hard and there is a great team spirit. There is not one person I don’t get along with.
All stores have their problems, but people seem to forget, who don’t work for the company, that you’re expected to work twice as hard because the money is so much better than other supermarkets. I really can’t complain. I work better under a pressured environment and that is how Lidl works. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
The lady that’s complaining about trolleys/lack of space – that’s the whole idea of Lidl. It’s a fast paced environment so that the staff can get more done, customers can get home fast. The whole idea is to get a trolley and fill it, then pack in the PACKING AREA, to keep more customers coming through, clear the queues and let the staff get on with something else. It’s why we scan fast. Customers are the first to moan when there’s a queue, and first to moan when we scan to fast to eliminate the queues. There’s only so much we, as staff, can do with the space. Then again, it’s much easier to pack where you’re supposed to.
LIDL allows 1 Hour free car park in Ashford, UK and they charge £90 for overstay. I wonder is that legal? Isn’t this over-inflated charge a penalty? If not, aren’t they in breach of ‘Unfair contract terms act 1977′?
What’s the actual shopping experience for the customers with car? Car Parking, walking to the store, getting a trolley, waiting in the queue, packing the shopping, taking the trolley to the car park, loading the car boot, depositing the trolley back to the shed – a good 15/20 minutes?
No wonder people prefer other superstores than LIDL for their weekly shopping customers have more flexibilities.
Since this is seemingly based on one Lidl store, one branch and a few selected people’s opinions, I’d say this article is based on opinionated facts. We all know that outside the UK it can be extremely different. In the UK we have human rights and minimum wage. I find this article highly irrelevant and biased based upon facts. Now, if there were more of those in this article, I would be delighted to read and agree but since it’s based on opinionated facts (opinions that people consider facts without evidence) I have no interest in it. Here in Scotland, Glasgow we’re being offered £10 AN HOUR! Why? Because they need the staff. More than likely because of articles based on opinions such as this one. I suggest the news papers and online news get people to write stuff that is true and not degrading to us humans. We can do better than this. Oh, by the way, I assume whoever wrote this “article”, if you can call it that has worked there and had hands on experience? Have they worked in every single Lidl in the world? Of course I’m asking rhetorical questions to summarise your stupidity. Try writing something based on facts for once. No one wants to read your fiction.