There was chaos at the Lanzarote Lidl inauguration in Arrecife on the 11th March 2010. Shoppers had started queuing from early in the morning, hours before the store was due to open at 9am.
Local police were required to help with the traffic and up to 500 people were left waiting to enter the supermarket, some as long as an hour and a half.
I waited to visit until the following day, Lidl is very much as I remember it, the products are displayed on basic shelving in their packaging boxes but everything was clearly priced and the staff were doing their best to keep replenishing the isles. The shoppers were slow to progress around the store while they read the packaging to understand what the products were. The busiest areas seemed to be the fridge section with lots of jostling around the yoghurts, cheese and cold meat selection.
The checkouts have great long conveyor belts enabling you to unload your trolley in full, every till was open and what’s more there was a packer on the end of each one who bagged your shopping for you!
Lidl are situated next door to Ikea on C/ Océano Atlántico in Arrecife, they are open from 9am to 9pm. English speaking helpline 902 243 228 (answered 8am to 7pm)
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