Perhaps you’re right but this would not influence my boycotts. My rationale for considering Lidl small is that their per-shop inventory is small with a narrow range of products, which I assume implies they move less product compared to huge stores like Carrefour Market and Delhaize. Carrefour and Delhaize are not so tight on real estate that they have to rotate non-food inventory the way Lidl & Aldi do.
I direct my boycotts to the relatively worst players. For me that’s Carrefour & Delhaize. Rationale:
Delhaize has a privacy-offending loyalty card which ties the cost of privacy to food
Delhaize’s self-scan option is not offered to cash payers (#WarOnCash)
Carrefour’s website blocks Tor users
Carrefour has a privacy-offending loyalty card which ties the cost of privacy to food
Carrefour’s self-scan option is no longer offered to cash payers
If I were to see a shoplift at one of the above boycotted stores, I’d let it happen. But that’s hypothetical because I’m never in the shops I boycott.
Lidl and Aldi come out ahead ethically. Lidl does have a loyalty program that affects food prices but that in itself is not enough to condemn them against Carrefour & Delhaize. OTOH Lidl has the “zero waste” program. When food reaches the day of expiry, the price for the package becomes a flat 12—50¢ regardless of the weight/size. That’s so cheap it’s almost like shoplifting (but legit). If you notice something expires today as you stand in line and there is no “zero waste” sticker, you simply tell the cashier and they give it the zero waste price. It’s a good way to reduce food waste. That’s not mere appearances… that is progressive. Lidl is also easy going about returns.
I won’t participate in the loyalty programs that keep a DB on me, so I avoid products that have a Lidl Plus promo and call it fair enough.