How Lidl’s Labels, Assortment and App Affect What Shoppers Actually Pay

Recent coverage finds that a larger branded mix, red price tags and coupon design can push costs higher for customers who do not check unit prices and receipts.

Overview

Reporting from Sept. 2–4 confirmed Lidl stocks a noticeably larger share of branded products than Aldi, with Lidl saying about 75 percent private labels and 25 percent brands versus Aldi’s roughly 87 percent private labels, a mix that gives Lidl more branded promotions but can leave basic staples cheaper at Aldi.
German law makes the scanned checkout price binding so customers must check receipts, and Lidl’s current practice of printing regular prices in red and placing labels above shelves can make it unclear which price applies to which item.
Journalists and consumer groups documented examples of shrinkflation at discounters, including a Floralys toilet‑paper XXL pack that had smaller individual sheets, a change Lidl contests by calling the product a special bulk pack rather than a reduced-size standard roll.
Multiweek tests of the Lidl Plus app show only modest net savings for some shoppers because many coupons target higher‑priced branded items, and the promotions can encourage extra purchases that offset the discounts.
Store design and checkout tactics such as multiple barcodes for faster scanning and rollable shopping baskets speed throughput and can nudge bigger baskets, while independent testing (Stiftung Warentest) finds many Lidl private‑label products rate well overall and both chains are expanding organic ranges and EV charging.