Intermarché Rip Off!

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Daphne
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Intermarché Rip Off!

Post by Daphne »

I needed 3 large unwaxed lemons. (I know it's easy to get the wax off), however, as I was in Thuir I decided to go to Intermarché as they usually have unwaxed lemons in a pack of 4. The only lemons they had were waxed and I bought 3. From there I went to Lidl for the rest of the ingredients needed, they had identical lemons from the same source, appeared even fresher in packs of 3. I paid 2.57 eur in Inter for 5.26 grms and 1.69 eur in Lidl for 5.20 grms! That's almost 1 euro on 3 lemons!
No wonder Lidl car park is always busy compared to the other supermarkets in between Thuir and Llupia and in the next few weeks a Super U is opening regardless of the fact that Leader Price has never taken off, their car park seems to always be empty!
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Post by opas »

I always go to lidl before buying at intermarche, unless I have seen something in one of the promo mags.

Not sure about Leader price not taking off though, there is always a steady flow of shoppers, I am there either first thing in morning on way to work or about 14.00 h on way home. The staff are actually polite,customer service trained( to my eye) and no queing as another till is opened if a queue forms.
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Lidl or Intermarche

Post by rainbow »

I live in Thuir been there for 4 months Have shopped in both Intermarche shops in Thuir their fresh fruit is not a batch on on Lidls, Lidls till staff much more efficient.
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Post by Admin »

I've noticed Intermarché round here (Céret) going down in quality over the past few years. Higher prices, lower quality and an accueil that is far from accueillant much of the time! Hope that is just my personal experience.
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Post by martyn94 »

I think the advantage of Lidl/Aldi (apart from the price) is that they are geared to sell a smallish range, from a smallish space, in large quantities. If they have what you want, it is likely to be fresh.

My local Super U has a more ambitious range, but much less frequent deliveries. If you it hit it just after it has come in, it can be fine. But after that it just sits there until it is so obviously bad that it has to be thrown out. And sometimes not even then.

But the Super U is 400m away, and the Lidl about 1.5km. It's essentially just horses for courses, and keeping your eyes open. Reacting in terms of rip-off doesn't help v much. Different brands have different "business models".

The last lemons for which I remember the price were €1 for for 4 at our Saturday market. Small, and not very pretty (so presumably unwaxed), but just right for citrons confits, which are now more-or-less ready.
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Post by Santiago »

If you live in Thuir and want a few unwaxed lemons, you have the Saturday market, two good, cheap Fruit & Veg shops on Rue de la Republique, one on Rue Jules Ferry and Soleil de Terroir in llupia (next to Maison Paré).

If the lemons in Lidl are from the same source as Intermarché, I assume they only last 5 days before going green too.

Lidl is great for many things but the fruit and veg are tasteless, second-rate things compared to the grocers and market.

I've only used Intermarché recently for cereals, fish, filling up with petrol and hiring vans.
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martyn94
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Post by martyn94 »

Santiago wrote:
Lidl is great for many things but the fruit and veg are tasteless, seco-rate things compared to the grocers and market.

I've only used Intermarché recently for cereals, fish, filling up with petrol and hiring vans.
Lidl do, though, have cobs of sweet corn which I have a weakness for once barbecued. Surprisingly hard to find round here (an acquaintance used to grow it, in the Var, thirty-odd years ago). It comes from Germany, which seems sad: Lidl don't seem chauvinistic about their suppliers. If someone here could supply it, at their price, I imagine they'd buy it.
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Post by Sue »

I bought 2 corn on the cob this weekend from Grand Frais, Perpignan. They were still in their husks and leaves. They were either 50 or 55 cents each, comparable with Lidl's price, and absolutely delicious.
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Post by Santiago »

Not convinced about Lidl's non-chauvinism. Almost everything they sell is packaged specially for them and supplied by very big wholesalers. I suppose at least Intermarché and the other French supermarkets do have some local suppliers.

By the way, I don't think corn on the cob can be grown down here. Too hot and dry.

However, I'm not that bothered where my long-life milk, fizzy water, toilet roll or "cooking lager" is made so long as it's decent quality. Meat, fruit, vegetables, cheese and wine on the other hand ...
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Post by martyn94 »

Santiago wrote:Not convinced about Lidl's non-chauvinism. Almost everything they sell is packaged specially for them and supplied by very big wholesalers. I suppose at least Intermarché and the other French supermarkets do have some local suppliers.

By the way, I don't think corn on the cob can be grown down here. Too hot and dry.

However, I'm not that bothered where my long-life milk, fizzy water, toilet roll or "cooking lager" is made so long as it's decent quality. Meat, fruit, vegetables, cheese and wine on the other hand ...
God save me from debating who sells the best/cheapest industrialised food. But if industrialised is all you will get from anyone (which is pretty much the case with eg pork or bananas) then Lidl are as good as any and cheaper. And some of their stuff is unambiguously good: they had the best andouilettes I have had down here the other week (which is not saying much, but they were OK by any standard).

As ever, there is no substitute for eyes in your head.

And what on earth is "long-life milk"? Or at least why would you buy it, from anyone?
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Post by Santiago »

Long-life milk is UHT milk. We get through about 14 litres a week. My kids call fresh milk "funny milk" now. :lol:
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Post by opas »

UHT...never bought it in UK, always said I should have a direct line to the dairy or Asda as I seemed to forever be buying a huge plastic bottle of fresh milk( would that be 6 pints?)
When we came to France I struggled to get fresh milk and struggled to get my young girls to drink uht, now if Ido buy fresh milk they say that tastes strange. Just shows how tastes change.
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Post by martyn94 »

opas wrote:UHT...never bought it in UK, always said I should have a direct line to the dairy or Asda as I seemed to forever be buying a huge plastic bottle of fresh milk( would that be 6 pints?)
When we came to France I struggled to get fresh milk and struggled to get my young girls to drink uht, now if Ido buy fresh milk they say that tastes strange. Just shows how tastes change.
I was being facetious: I know what UHT milk is. But since I only drink it in tea or (occasionally) coffee, it still tastes as foul as it did 40 years ago when most people in rural France didn't have fridges. (It's interesting that TV ownership spread much quicker, but perhaps not surprising). The strange thing is that they do now have fridges, and buy any amount of dodgy sweetened yoghurt-type products. But still drink foul-tasting milk.
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Post by Sue »

Have detested fresh milk since school days. Hate that full cream taste. Only ever buy semi skimmed longlife.
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Post by martyn94 »

Sue wrote:Have detested fresh milk since school days. Hate that full cream taste. Only ever buy semi skimmed longlife.
Are you showing your age? I remember the old "free school milk", out of a churn, almost at blood heat in the summer, served in a plastic beaker, with a thick scum of cream on top. Yuk. But unlike you, I would love to be able to get milk like that now.
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Post by Sue »

We had small bottles and you drank straight out the bottle or made a hole in the foil with a straw. Hateful warm stuff with an inch of cream on the top. Can't stand creamy milk.
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Post by sue and paul »

Loved my free school milk. My friend Liz and I used to hang around the crate in the playground at the end of 'playtime' and snatch an extra bottle as the whistle blew. I have terrific teeth and bones, can't speak for the rest of me though :wink: I do still enjoy a glass of milk, preferably fresh, but UHT here tastes better than in UK I think
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Post by Daphne »

I can't stand cold milk now but loved it at school, especially during the winter months when it was delivered outside the door to the playground and we drank it really cold. We also had a biscuit box which served plain 'Marie' type of biscuits, 1 each,meant for the poorer children who didn't have breakfast at home. Whilst my sister and I didn't fall into the categorie of not having breakfast at home neither of us wanted to eat before school! How it changed at senior school, at least we had a tuck shop but that would be criticised now because of the obesity problem!
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Post by Santiago »

You can buy fresh unpasteurised milk. There are several farms supplying it around here. I bought a few pints at the Thuir gourmet market back in May. It's pretty rich and grassy when you are used to industrialised stuff.

As far as UHT goes. I prefer it in coffee. It makes it seem more authentic. Prefer fresh milk in tea or on cereal though.

When you cook with milk, there is no difference.
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Post by martyn94 »

Santiago wrote: When you cook with milk, there is no difference.
I always used to think there was, but it's a long time since I tried. I get raw milk from my neighbour in Normandy (though I could just shin over the fence and nick it, if I were handier with an udder). But I have not tried to find it here: it doesn't seem like the climate/culture for milky food (crème Catalan always excepted, I suppose). Unless it is from sheep or goats, obviously.
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