Score: IKEA 0 LIDL 1

Wore myself out driving to Nicosia yesterday to get the beach shelter shown on IKEA website (which they don't actually stock) and coming home with just a 3.50 ivy plant and an expensive new top from another shop (coz I was determined it wouldn't be a wasted journey!)

Some wise member on here (can't remember who) suggested Lidl. I replied that the trouble with Lidl was that there specials sell out quickly, they don't carry regular lines and you never know when they'll be in.

Well, today, clearing out the postboxes from these flats, I noticed most had a Lidl flyer and I hadn't had mine so I took one of the others and brought it up to flick through.

BLOW ME DOWN if they didn't have beach shelters in starting YESTERDAY! The day I drove right past Lidl to get to Nicosia! I had my cozzie on ready to go for a swim. I'd said Handyman George could pop up to borrow some money off me (he's good as gold and anyway I can find stuff for him to 'work it off'!) I dragged a sundress over the cozzie, phoned George and told him to get here QUICK and made my way downstairs. Gave him his dosh and put my foot down to Lidls. It's about 4km from me. I was absolutely CERTAIN they'd all be gone. Lidls here isn't huge and specials sell out usually on the same day.

When I got there the carpark was so empty I wondered if it was some sort of public holiday. Anyway I walked past them at first coz they pack down so small (which is great) but they had half a dozen left!

Doing the happy dance here! And only €14.99! And I managed to pick up the sweetest Hello Kitty pink towel poncho for my grandaughter while there (cost nearly as much as the beach shelter but irresistible!) Also managed to get a huge red cloth backed vynil tablecloth to use on the white table here when all the kids are over - a merre €4.99. And a box of finger plasters lol! Not forgetting of course stocking up on their Whiskey Cream Liquer (beach shelter ended up costing me more than €50 haaa!

BIG THANK YOU whoever it was that mentioned Lidls. I would not have bothered dragging the flyer out to look at it if you hadn't. It had obviously been in the postboxes for about a week as we get them well before the date for the specials. Some kind soul obviously thought they'd ditch my junkmail for me (I do that too sometimes).

And I can return to my usual stance of never wanting to go into the Capital unless my life depends on it!

Here it is!


And here's the sweetie poncho!

You would have no need to check who posted this!!Mrs Pat, mad as a march hare So delighted your shopping trip was a success and envious of your need for a beach shelter or cozzy.You lucky devil Btw nice hello kitty towelly thingy

I'm chuffed. And I managed to get a job lot of 6 new beach towels for all of 'em. They have no choice - all the same - bright red with huge Tweety on them - even my son has to have one of those lol! Well at 1.99 each they were a steal! Might be summat to do with the store's name being emblazoned on them haaa - the KLEIMA special beach towels!

Well done you, looks great. The poncho looks cute too.

I often find bargains in Lidl, I am a big fan of their luxury muesli, only £1.69 and has loads of nuts in it.

That beach shelter look brill, i had in mind those stripey wind breaks for some reason, she's gonna look so cute in her Hello Kitty poncho drying out in there

I am to Lidl, what Helena is to Dunelm Mill
When my Granddaughter visits if there is something new she says "ummm let me guess.....Lidl?"
I have discovered a soft cheese they stock called Crefee (I think lol) with garlic or with French herbs. It is bloomin lovely, mmmm my mouth is watering at the thought!

Yes - it's mainly for protection from sun on the beach and at poolside. You can just wheel the stroller inside it too if she is sleeping. Much safer than relying on a parasol as the sun moves round. I am VERY concerned that my little 2yr old granddaughter will be here during August. I'm stocking up on Factor 50 too and will get some cover up UV wotsit swimwear for her. No Boots here but I think Debenhams will do them. She's got loads of summer gear but as I've explained to them - this isn't SPAIN - this is the Middle East and when I say it gets really hot I mean really, really, really HOT. You can burn in minutes if you are not used to it.

We call Brits who haven't covered up or used protection the BEETROOT PEOPLE lol!

I am now spluttering my 'heavily laced' iced kawfeee!

You nutter! Well I was over the moon when they opened here but disappointed when they stocked a lot of the local Cypriot stuff (aisles of pretzels, breadsticks etc) and not the usual lines and no meds either!

And they don't do their specials once a week here - they release them every few days - you get the brochure and it tells you on each page what day it is available from. In the UK all specials were in on a Thursday morning and if you wanted a popular one you got down there before they opened. Easy to remember. With all the different dates they have here and with me not knowing what blerdy day it is most of the time .... well.

You've convinced me to go back tomorrow now tho! I will get another sun shelter (the step grandsons will probably want to be in it too) and see if I can find that cheese you've mentioned.

I got the very last poncho. I see from their website they had a variety of designs - so I was lucky it was a girlie one and not a spiderman one that was left! (Wouldn't really matter to me but having had THREE boys in a row before she had Holly, Emma, her mum, is determined that her little girl is going to look like a little girl!)

Their specials days are Mondays and Thursdays now, plus they have special prices on fruit and veg at weekends.
I am signed up for their news letters by email so I always knows what is on offer when.
Our store is being enlarged at the moment to accommodate the bakery. The rolls are to die for