But isn't that the point of the discounters?Low levels of staffing mean operating costs are low - and these cost savings are then passed on to customers.I first used an Aldi when I lived in Berlin in 1979, and was initially shocked by the lack of shelving and the stacked boxes in which goods were displayed (this at a time when UK supermarkets were extending their ranges and improving their estates with in-store coffee shops and bakeries etc) but I soon got used to it.I used to argue with a friend (who was a high-flyer at Asda) who claimed that - at the time - people wanted good service and a very broad choice of items, which meant higher prices and thousands of items going into the mulcher every night. I said good quality basic items were all people really needed from supermarkets - they could go to smaller (more artisan?) shops for their pastries, coffee and so on.Both supermarket chains were successful because they appealed to consumers of the very basic German cuisine - meat and potatoes, together with copious amounts of beer or cheap white wine - and it is for this reason we make an exceptional fortnightly trip to Lidl - for their 93% meat bratwurst (sausages)!I have heard that apparently, the richest person in Germany is the owner of Aldi (and the second richest is the family that owns Lidl!).
Mark Walker ● 4157d