In our local big COOP seems like the 50% price reduction stickers have been replaced by 25% stickers. Just us or elsewhere?
The 50% stuff normally pops up closer to closing time on the produce they want to shift.
At least in my experience of the Coops I use frequently.
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With everything so automated these days I canāt see why they canāt code a x% reduction for all items with that days āexpiryā date. Available for the last hour of shopping.
I often see un-discounted products about to expire that day.
Of course this is going to bring out the bargain hunters but itās going to reduce waste.
Maybe their goal is not to reduce waste but to maximise their income?
naaaaa.
I donāt know if ākontainernā is still a thing; people checking containers after dark for usable food. The shops in those days started to lock the containers, claiming āour waste belongs to usā (which is actually supported by the law).
They will make more by selling 50% off than they will pay to dispose of it.
Iām canny enough to be there towards the end of the shopping day. No 50% stickers anymore, just 25%. On goods that are at their sell by date. I agree theyād sell more and waste less.
I should add, this is my āgamificationā of shopping. I actually enjoyed āhavingā to cook with whatever was discounted.
Anyway, Iām not desperate for the saving but this will be a blow to those who are.
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I almost always do that with meat. I buy what is on discount for that week (or reduced).
I never plan for the week (or for the month which some people do).
Every night is like going to a restaurant as Iāve no idea what Iāll be eating until that evening.
Obviously there are dishes that take two or three days to prepare so it doesnāt apply there.
As I donāt like shopping, I do it once a week. Actually I began to look at Migros website, check whatās on offer and plan my meals accoringly if it fits.
It actually makes me cook things I forgot about.
Interesting that Coop changed from 50% to 25%. I donāt know if Migros actually has that system as I just work off my list in order to get back out as fast as possible.
Relative to Coop, Lidl and Aldi prices have the equivalent of a permanent 30-50% sticker.
Turnover and inventory management at Lidl and Aldi seem to be far superior, those reduction stickers are very rare on normal days. Before multi-day public holidays is the obvious exception.
The local Aldi has 25% rebate on all fresh-baked breads during the last hour but of course choice is limited and availability pretty much random by then. They bag and mark the indidual items, not sure why they donāt put up a general marker.
Thing about Lidl and Aldi, I canāt do a complete shopping. Some stuff they simply donāt have. At the moment only Q-Tips (the thing, not the brand) āwe donāt sell itā or condensed milk (either type) "we donāt sell that, because Swiss people take coffee-milk, the German employee tells the Swiss customer 
and many more things.
So if youāre into shop-hopping just for the best price - fine. But my convenience is worth the Migros prices.
I absolutely love the Lidl fruit and vegetable offer, so I do go there sometimes and then take along a product or two I know I like and is cheaper there but in the end the bill is actually higher than my regular weekly shopping elsewhere (and I donāt even have all I need in my bag).
Iām not convinced about Lidl being cheaper. But maybe I just eat different things than others.
For me itās the opposite, I get 90% at Lidl or Aldi (whichever happens to be the choice of the day), Migros and Coop fill the rare gaps. Provided we donāt go across the border.
IME Migros is 20-30% more expensive. The exception is M-Budget, thatās equal priced, but the choice is very limited and not really worth going for that alone. What used to stand out around here is their bakery, HausbƤckerei, but no longer as they built new 10-20 years ago and now itās just another Hiestand-like thing.
I was at Coop at 30 minutes before close. I only saw 50% stickers, no 25% off.
Some of the items which were marked 50% off I had seen earlier in the day without any sticker.
I have seen more items, such as prepared foods and meat, marked at 25% earlier in the day. Didnāt check to see if they were marked to expire that day, or the day after.
Also found milk that was marked with yesterdayās date which wasnāt marked. I choose milk which other days. Iām not paying full price for something that should have been sold earlier in the week.
Interestingā¦I agreeānever shop in CH anymore. In AT and DE, Lidl and Aldi (Hofer) have high-turnover, very fresh local food at very reasonable prices. Our Lidl has amazing reductions every day. Several bins, including cold foods, offer deep markdowns. Once their āWorld Tastesā specials are over, they mark everything down ridiculously low to make room. Yesterday I got a packet of gyoza with cabbage and ginger for 1,89ā¬ (pull date Feb 3); enough for a light dinner for two, and quite good it was, too.
Respectfully, I have an issue with shoppers who live in Switzerland but shop abroad. Iām a proponent of supporting your local economy.
Remember, you reap the benefits of higher salaries, good infrastructure and schooling, excellent medical care and a higher quality of life in general. Isnāt it fair to support the local economy that supports you?
I live in ATā¦not suggesting you shop here; Iām just choosing not to buy CH food.
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Oh, Iām sorry, Bossybaby. My mistake. Shop awayš
I teach English to retail apprentices which is why I feel strongly about supporting the local community.
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I do too, but it can be difficult when the people you encounter in the shops drive across the border twice a day. I would really like to see some benefit from the strong franc rather than be told the prices are due to the cost of hiring frogtaliers.
ah ! thanks that was the reponse i was looking forā¦ so either i just need to go closer to closing time or itās a regional thingā¦ alsoā¦ Iāll have to start checking out Aldi and/or Lidl never bothered much in the past (at the risk of thread splittingā¦ is there a consensus as to which of the two is better ?)
I think it is probably regional, similar to how it is with Migros/Coop. Some people here on SF say that Migros produce/products are better and fresher, and others say that Coop is better. Out by me, Coop is better. They also put the 50% stickers on about an hour before closing, whereas Migros by me rarely does more than 25%. But itās hit and miss - some days thereās not much marked down. Other days I can get a cart full. Yesterday, I spent 30 Francs at Coop, and got enough food to top up the freezer as well as feed us meals until Monday night.
As for Aldi and Lidl, I tend to prefer Lidl. Although neither are particularly close to me.