Basket full, mind switched off, silently hoping the final total won’t cross into uncomfortable territory. Ahead of you, someone gently slides a pack of cheese back after spotting the price on the screen. No argument, no sighs, just a familiar defeated shrug that has become part of everyday shopping over the past two years. Outside, posters still promise “low prices”, yet your bank balance tells another story. Lidl, Action, Aldi once felt like safe havens from inflated supermarkets. Now they feel like the baseline. And when the cheapest option starts to sting, people naturally begin to look elsewhere.
A new ultra-discount chain challenges Lidl
This week, that search takes shape in a major European city as a new discount chain opens with a bold promise: cheaper than Lidl and Action. On a busy high street, a bright green sign replaces an old travel agency: “MegaPrice Market – Pay Less Than Discount.” Inside, there’s no design drama. Workers stack 25-cent pasta, canned tomatoes, and plain-label chocolate bars. The shelves are full, the branding is minimal, and the message is obvious. This store isn’t chasing style. It’s entering a price war.
Passersby slow down. Some take photos. Others exchange doubtful looks. A woman jokes to her friend, half-serious, “Goodbye Lidl?” Nobody fully believes it yet, but curiosity wins. When a newcomer claims it can beat Action on home goods and Lidl on basics, people pay attention. According to city registry documents, MegaPrice plans eight local openings within 18 months, deliberately placing its first store between an existing Lidl and Action. The logic is simple: if you’re already here to save, why not try saving more?
From one-euro shops to a micro-discount network
MegaPrice Market didn’t start in big cities. Its founders tested the concept in small, overlooked towns, opening modest one-euro shops with limited hours, minimal décor, and a ruthless focus on a few hundred ultra-cheap essentials. The formula worked. Shoppers drove in from nearby villages to stock up on toilet paper and canned goods. Early stores relied on neon lights, handwritten signs, and cardboard boxes, yet baskets overflowed.
An internal survey later revealed that 63% of customers had stopped buying certain basics at Lidl because MegaPrice undercut prices. The strategy became clear: reduce choice, buy massive volumes, and keep every aisle feeling like a permanent deal. No loyalty cards, no magazines, no distractions. Bringing this model into a major city raises costs and competition, so MegaPrice targets dense neighbourhoods where every euro matters and foot traffic stays high. Students, young families, and pensioners all live nearby. In these streets, “even cheaper than Lidl” lands like a headline that’s hard to ignore.
How MegaPrice undercuts Lidl and Action
Behind the scenes, the system is brutally simple. Where Lidl might stock six biscuit options, MegaPrice offers two. By keeping the range narrow, the chain buys huge volumes from small manufacturers eager for steady orders. In return, MegaPrice secures rock-bottom unit prices. Anything that doesn’t lower the receipt disappears: fancy lighting, background music, premium packaging.
The store also borrows from Action’s playbook. Roughly half the shelves hold food, while the rest rotate between cleaning supplies, basic electronics, seasonal décor, pet food, and socks. Shoppers arrive for cheap pasta and leave with microfiber cloths or an LED strip because “at that price, why not?” To build trust, MegaPrice keeps a few recognisable brands priced close to Lidl’s. These act as anchors. Once shoppers feel comfortable, the sharply cheaper generic items do the convincing. As one manager put it during the soft opening: if they win you on a few products now, you’ll return with a longer list later.
Shopping smart in the age of ultra-discounters
Using these new stores wisely means avoiding the hype. A practical approach starts with choosing 5–10 target items you buy every month, such as coffee, detergent, pasta, or baby wipes. Compare only those. If a new discounter beats your usual shop by a clear margin on those products, it earns a place in your routine. Everything else is optional.
Impulse buying is the real risk. Feeling like you’ve beaten inflation can be satisfying, but your monthly statement only cares about totals. Many experienced shoppers set small personal rules: visit once every two weeks, limit impulse buys, or switch stores only when the price gap exceeds 20%. These habits help avoid “savings theatre,” where bags are full but budgets still suffer. As one regular shopper said, the real bargain isn’t more bags, it’s spending less.
What this discount battle reveals about today’s shoppers
Something deeper is changing. Discounters were once a trend, even a point of pride. Now, for many households, they’re a necessity. The arrival of an even cheaper chain doesn’t just add another logo to the street. It highlights how fragile budgets have become when a few cents on pasta suddenly matter. Competition can bring real, short-term relief at the checkout, but it also makes shopping more fragmented and mentally tiring.
What happens next depends on behaviour. If shoppers flock en masse, rivals will respond with price cuts or loyalty tactics. If people use the new store selectively, the impact will be quieter but longer lasting. In the end, MegaPrice Market acts as a mirror. It reflects our worries, our coping strategies, and our small victories at the till. This isn’t just about replacing Lidl or Action. It’s about redefining what good value means when every euro feels heavier than before.
Key takeaways for readers
- New ultra-discount arrival: MegaPrice Market opens in direct competition with Lidl and Action, aiming to push prices even lower.
- Aggressive pricing strategy: Limited product ranges, massive volumes, and minimal operating costs drive the savings.
- Smarter shopping method: Focus on a small set of target products to increase purchasing power without constant store-hopping.
