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My scientific theory is that you will always be able to tell a first - timer to Lidl because s/he will become stuck for payment when the cashier tells them that they do not accept credit cards. (Just like I was when I shopped in Lidl for the first time, which is exactly where my theory comes from!) Furthermore, they've only being doing cashback in their stores in the last six months or so.Lidl is growing big time and it's clientele is changing too at the same rate. The range doubled in 2012 after it's sales rose by 200% year-on-year. (You probably noticed that they did a recent refit in the Greenford store and Hanwell was done last year where they added bicycle stands too after I asked the Development Manager to install them. I happened to be at the store when he was putting the final touches to the design! Oh, Nigel, I'd to add that specially for you!).Lidl sales rose in the last three months of 2012 by over 10% y-o-y because consumers are now looking for cheaper food. Whilst Hanwell was being refitted they put on an exclusive free bus service to whisk you from happy Hanwell to greedy Greenford with £5 vouchers thrown in! It is expected that another 50 odd stores will open this year so their presence on the high street will get bigger too.One of the reasons I like Lidl so much is that it has a sense of social responsibility too. Their ethos is that food should be available to everyone no matter how well off they are. It throws little away unlike, for example, Waitrose. By getting rid of credit cards (which other posters have pointed out), not having many cashiers and making you pay for their ugly carrier bags (!) the savings get passed onto the consumer. Good on them too. If you can put up with pallets and a smaller range of merchandise then you will walk away hugely satisfied with the big savings you have made and a stack of cash left in your wallet. There is a lot of tosh in Lidl, but if you are choosy then you will find that they have many branded and non branded lines that are tip-top value. Here are just a few of my favourites: Butter (98p); Milk (£1); Croissant (29p) to-die-for chocolate and Fairtrade too (£1.09); a massive tub of Greek yoghurt (£1.58); fantastic Avocados and Vine tomatoes; Weetabix (£2.29) and special offers that are quite superb - such as Dorset Cerals on offer now at £2.99. Now go and compare these prices with those round the corner at Sainsbury and Waitrose etc. The weekly changing non food stuff that they flog is amazing value too. If you all love Lidl, all love Lidl, all love Lidl clap your hands!

Ben Owen ● 4776d