Lidl Vs. Tesco: Which Sandwich Will Win?

Discount supermarkets are becoming more popular as food prices rise. But can Fools taste the difference?

As the cost of food continues to increase, savvy shoppers are looking for new and novel ways to spend less.

Here at the Fool, we've offered you a wealth of money saving tips for reducing your grocery bills.

However, some shoppers seem to be going further than ever in their quest to cut costs -- by changing which supermarkets they choose to shop in.

Deep discounters are doing better

According to recent market share data from TNS Worldpanel, ‘deep discounter’ supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl have seen a surge in popularity since 2007.

In the 12 weeks up to 10 August, total grocers’ turnover increased by 7.2% compared with the same period last year.

However, Aldi and Lidl showed growth of 19.8% and 12.3% respectively -- with Aldi now possessing its highest total market share ever, at 3%.

The experiment

Always eager to embrace the zeitgeist, I decided to try some deep discount shopping.

My aim was to discover whether the experience of buying goods was different here, in terms of items’ availability and the way they were presented.

I also wanted to compare the cost of the items I bought, and -- most importantly -- compare the taste.

I journeyed to a Lidl north of London -- the only deep-discounter within a reasonable distance for me. Next, I went to a neighbouring Tesco (still the UK’s biggest supermarket) to ‘recreate’ the shopping trip.

The experience

As I researched this article, I came across lots of pictures of rather swish-looking deep discounters.

Unfortunately, the Lidl in Cricklewood I went to looked less promising -- to me, it resembled a shack more closely than a supermarket.

I proceeded inside and, as in most supermarkets, fruit and vegetables were the first things on show.

In this aisle, I was pleasantly surprised to see Fair Trade bananas available. On the other hand, I was less impressed to discover a dead insect in the box of tomatoes I rummaged through.

In my opinion, the standard of cleanliness throughout the whole shop left something to be desired -- and I must admit this did bother me as I put my basket of goods together.

But I was impressed to find everything I was looking for at Lidl. Generally, Lidl stocks around 1200 lines in its stores -- a variety of items unfortunately dwarfed by Tesco’s stock of up to 70,000 lines, depending on the size of the store.

Ultimately, presentation throughout Lidl was haphazard, with some items stacked in bizarre combinations.

Overall, I’d say anyone looking to shop efficiently would struggle here -- at least without prior experience of the store.

At Tesco, everything was arranged with military precision. As always, the more expensive versions of everything were the easiest to find. 

However, I hunted around and, in both Lidl and Tesco, I bought the cheapest version I could find (ending up with many own-brand products). 

What I bought

Here’s a list of what I purchased from each store, and how much it cost:

I was surprised to find that the Tesco basket of goods was 31p cheaper than the selection from Lidl. Perhaps this shows the difference choosing own-brand products can make.

But would the price of the goods be reflected in their popularity with my Foolish colleagues here at The Fool HQ?

Scoffing

Back at TMF Towers, I made two sets of salami, tomato and mozzarella sandwiches -- one made with the Lidl ingredients, and one with those from Tesco.

I also heated up both cans of baked beans, and laid out a few small glasses of the lagers for testing. (Yes, we do lead a good life here as Fool employees!)

Within a few minutes, the whole lot was gone. However, my testers did hang around long enough to cast a vote for which sandwich, lager and bowl of baked beans they preferred.

Findings

As you can see the most expensive item received the most votes every time on each taste test - no matter whether that item was sold at Tesco or Lidl.

For example, while one or two said there was little difference between the sandwiches and baked beans, most people could identify them correctly -- and often preferred Tesco’s (slightly more expensive) version.

Indeed, the baked beans from Tesco - which cost a whopping 30% more than the baked beans from Lidl - were unanimously favoured.

And while most taste testers panned both lagers on offer, they conceded that the Lidl can (46p more than the cheapest equivalent from Tesco) was “less horrible”.

I think this shows that, to some extent, price does imply quality. 

Overall, I was shocked that I didn't saved money by buying this particular basket of goods from Lidl instead of Tesco. It is worth noting, however, that the higher cost of the (better quality) Lidl lager inflated the total price of the shopping basket. 

Nevertheless, on the remaining items the total difference in price was a measly 15p, with Tesco's goods the more expensive. In practice, this translated into an extra 10 votes for the Tesco sandwich and baked beans from my testers.

In my opinion, paying an extra 15p on these items was worth it for the improvements in flavour, texture and appearance. I think value for money is a question of quality as well as price -- and for me, Tesco's basket of goods was ultimately the winner.

Perhaps if I’d bought a trolley full of stuff from each supermarket, Lidl's items would have offered a bigger saving -- which would complicate matters. However, I’m now sceptical about how far Lidl could undercut Tesco, especially if I stuck to buying own-brand products.

Conclusion

For occasional shopping trips, I can see the appeal of deep discounters. I think there is potential to save, and they do sell a decent variety of items.

However, I’d be put off regularly shopping at the Lidl I visited. I think its stock would be unreliable, shopping there might not save me as much as I'd have thought -- and the quality of the goods I bought was not high enough to inspire my loyalty.

I realise this may be a controversial conclusion, and that my opinion is not scientific - it is based on one visit to a single store. The growing popularity of Lidl and Aldi suggests many shoppers would disagree with me.

So what do my fellow Fools think about deep discount shopping? Do you have an experience you’d like to share?

If so, why not post your thoughts in the comments box below.

More: Fight Back Against Rising Food Prices! | Ten Ways To Cut Your Food Bill |When Online Shopping Goes Wrong!