Harlem Bespoke: We finally go to do some shopping at the new Harlem Lidl on Frederick Douglass by 118th Street and the shocking thing is that a lot of the everyday pantry food item prices are even better than Trader Joe's. There is more stuff that is actually under a dollar and a loaf of bread was just a bit over 50 cents which is quite unbelievable. Even at the hot bakery section out front, the croissants were 69 cents but there was a buy-one-get-one free special for the day which basically was 35 cents each if you buy two. These are all fresh goods and nothing set to expire soon, so how do the prices get down so low?
Super discount grocery chains like
Trader Joe's and Lidl buy a massive volume of goods from suppliers and factories that make all the brand name stuff and slaps their own private label on them. Because the orders are so huge, they can buy more at a discount price and do not have to pay the additional markup for the brand name packaging. Also these supermarkets sell so much each day that they do not need to make a huge profit margin on each item since the cheap prices guarantee that things move quickly and often. This is mostly for the basic everyday goods and there are other price tiers within the store for more specialized foods or brand names. We will have more updates in the coming weeks but in the meantime, check out more on Lidl in our past post:
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The prices were really low and the quality is high - who could ask for anything more. Note - this is owned by the same parent as Trader Joe's and Aldi but it fits a middle niche. More oriented towards basic groceries and less towards heat and heat (TJ's) or super low packaged goods (Aldi). As an everyday grocery store with high quality breads, cheeses and fresh veggies I think it's a wonderful new addition to the area.
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