Anyone shop at Aldi?

Soldato
Joined
1 Oct 2003
Posts
14,341
Location
Huddersfield
My gf and I do our main shop at Aldi then go next door to Morrison's for stuff Aldi don't do. We spend about £60 inc a trip to the butchers.

Aldi are ace for fruit, veg, cooked meats, milk etc. The veg is where the biggest savings are since we don't buy stuff like booze and chocolate E.G. pack of 3 peppers ~50p at Aldi where they're about 50 each at Morrison's. Sometimes the difference is small if there are offers on obviously.

The quality is generally good but I have had some tasteless honey from Aldi (which is usually fine) and some beef mince went off overnight once but generally Aldi is the **** yo!!

I also remember being about 13 and extracting the urine from mum and dad for going to Lidl, but these days I think those that do 100% of their shop at expensive places like Sainsburys, M & S are missing out :D
 
Soldato
Joined
11 Sep 2011
Posts
2,544
Location
Reykjavik, Iceland
I usually shop at Asda because it's on my way home - but more and more recently I find they do not stock half the things I want. Asda are very bad if you like to try more interesting recipes with slightly less common ingredients.

There is a big Aldi in Cramlington which is only 7-8 minutes out of my way, and it's right next to a big Sainsbury's too - which DO stock the less common ingredients I want.
So I think I'll change from Asda to Sainsburys/Aldi combination now.

Have tried Aldi in the past for odds and ends but never bought that much from them.

Branded/un-branded means nothing to me as 90% of my diet is fresh food so there isn't branded versions. So I imagine Aldi should be really good for us.
I only shop for 2 days at a time typically so I'll see what I fancy for the weekend and see how much of it I can get there.


I seen figures recently where Aldi sales had increased >30%, similar with Lidl. Sainsburys was up a couple of % and Tesco was down.
Looks like the cheaper places are seeing quite big changes now
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
21 Jan 2007
Posts
8,704
Maybe all that makes me a moron/stupid because I'd prefer to buy my spring onions from Geoffrey the local farmer at 80p a bunch over Lidl/Aldi's 35p from somewhere bunch.... but I like supporting the local community. It helps them make a profit, which in turn means money is brought into the area, makes it nicer, rinse repeat. In my head at least :)
You'd be very suprised. I know a bloke down one of the farms in Faringdon, he sells all the non uniform stuff he can't sell to shops on the cheap. All cash in hand goodness and it's all fresh as you get.

And to be fair the greengrocer is often cheaper than lidl/ aldi even - don't even get me started on what a bloody rip off places like tesco and asda are.
 
Soldato
Joined
6 May 2009
Posts
19,885
My nearest is 2.24 miles away. I would shop there if there was one in city centre (Leeds) or could shop online

They must be doing something right because everyone else is getting their asses kicked by them
 
Soldato
Joined
23 Dec 2009
Posts
18,167
Location
RG8 9
I use Aldi quite regularly for certain products which I find are equal to and are cheaper than my normal supermarket, which is Waitrose.

We have two in Reading and both are clean and well staffed. Prices are excellent. They have some great German ham.
 
Soldato
Joined
6 Jan 2009
Posts
6,356
Location
Hertfordshire
I have been shopping here since one opened up close to my work.

Its easier to get lunches from here as its so cheap. And most of the fresh food at our local one is amazing (veg and fruit and meat)

Also some of the cleaning products (dishwasher tablets, Washing up liquid, and fabric softener etc.) are great.
 
Soldato
Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
13,345
Location
London
I was in Lidal for the first time last week, I found it was a lot cheaper then tesco but it the lack of choice was a problem. They only had 2 olive oil's to pick from, no pine nuts or balsamic vinegar so I had to go to tesco in the end anyway.
 

Pho

Pho

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
9,324
Location
Derbyshire
At this risk of not wanting to judge people (because I do seriously try not to) most of the people who inhabit my local Aldi are the ones I'd rather avoid :/. There's a brand new one opened up near me and I've been in there a few times but the selection doesn't seem brilliant. Doesn't help there's a Tesco mega store right next door though.

Think I need to try Waitrose judging by Raymond's experience. The annoying this about the Tesco near me is that because it's 24/7 they never seem to have reduced stuff :(.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
5 Jun 2003
Posts
91,331
Location
Falling...
I'm a big Waitrose fan - I honestly believe the food is noticeably better quality than other supermarkets - but it is a noticeable premium to shop there. That said, free coffee and no armies of children running round screaming makes the trips absolute bliss. If that is snobbery, I don't really know why, its just a more pleasant experience.

We're just in the process of moving to Wiltshire, and the town we are moving to has lots of independent shops, notably a a greengrocer and a butcher both supplied by local produce, and also a weekly town market.

The plan is to try and use these as, in my experience, regular customers are always looked after. I also like the idea of getting seasonal foods that are local. We'll be growing some fruit & veg in our garden, and our chickens give us a regular supply of superb eggs.

Maybe all that makes me a moron/stupid because I'd prefer to buy my spring onions from Geoffrey the local farmer at 80p a bunch over Lidl/Aldi's 35p from somewhere bunch.... but I like supporting the local community. It helps them make a profit, which in turn means money is brought into the area, makes it nicer, rinse repeat. In my head at least :)

With all the fun and games last year over food chain madness on meat, I'd have thought others would be more into this too.... ?

Couldn't agree with you more.

Just wish we had less supermarkets and more small family run businesses to support.
 
Soldato
Joined
30 Aug 2006
Posts
8,312
After reading this thread I gave Aldi a go on Wednesday.

Firstly, what is going on at the checkouts?! The bags are found underneath the conveyor belt (as I soon found out standing aimlessly at the end of the checkout waiting for the lady to pass me some bags). Also, apparently I'm not allowed to pack my bags at the till, I must do that at the "packing isle" :p. Anyway, I assume this helps keep things cheap....

So far I have eaten:
Ciabatta rolls - fine
Spinach - fine
Blueberries - fine
Cherries - fine
Strawberries - nice enough, but had to throw a few away this morning as they'd turned mushy. No great for something bought 36 hours ago....
Ham (only 60p for 10 slices!) - fine
Croissants - fine
Rib-eye steak - fine, although not particularly cheap. I believe it was £24/kg which is around the same as other supermarkets and more expensive than Asda.
Chicken breast - wasn't brilliant but I may have overcooked it!
Broccoli - fine
Carrots - fine
Baby corn - fine
Clotted cream - fine

One gripe I had was that the fruit and veg didn't appear to be labelled with a use by date, so you couldn't tell which was the freshest. Other than that I was impressed by Aldi, the difference in price is significant when you're used to Tesco/Waitrose prices and there didn't appear to be a noticeable trade off in quality.
 
Soldato
Joined
8 Nov 2006
Posts
6,896
Location
Ireland/Northern Ireland Border
I don't have a problem going into Aldi or Lidl. They do have some stuff which is good quality and well priced. They don't really have enough of a range though to do a complete shop in. I find as well that the quality of some of their produce is really bad. I never buy veg from them as it doesn't last as long as it does from other supermarkets.

We do most of our shopping in Waitrose - it is only a 10min walk down the road which means we can go in 4/5 times a week. My wife and I can get a coffee each when we pop in as well. It doesn't work out much more expensive than Tesco or Sainsburys, prices are more competitive than they used to be. The quality is a lot better.

We find wastage is something people often overlook. I think we all forget about things in the fridge sometimes. From experience we find food past its date from Waitrose is far more likely to be OK compared to food from elsewhere.
 
Soldato
Joined
8 Nov 2006
Posts
6,896
Location
Ireland/Northern Ireland Border
Couldn't agree with you more.

Just wish we had less supermarkets and more small family run businesses to support.

I feel the same as you - most of the time.

We moved into our current place about 7 years ago. We spotted a nice butchers around the corner and tried to buy meat there when possible.

Coming up to Christmas, the Wii was the "hot toy in short supply". The owner stuck up a sign stating he had 5 of them to sell at £250 a pop. They were £189 at the time and that sort of thing really left a bad taste in my mouth.
 
Soldato
Joined
16 May 2006
Posts
11,334
Location
Dubai
After reading this thread I gave Aldi a go on Wednesday.

Firstly, what is going on at the checkouts?! The bags are found underneath the conveyor belt (as I soon found out standing aimlessly at the end of the checkout waiting for the lady to pass me some bags). Also, apparently I'm not allowed to pack my bags at the till, I must do that at the "packing isle" :p. Anyway, I assume this helps keep things cheap....

:
:
:
Strawberries - nice enough, but had to throw a few away this morning as they'd turned mushy. No great for something bought 36 hours ago....


One gripe I had was that the fruit and veg didn't appear to be labelled with a use by date, so you couldn't tell which was the freshest. Other than that I was impressed by Aldi, the difference in price is significant when you're used to Tesco/Waitrose prices and there didn't appear to be a noticeable trade off in quality.

One you learn the 'Aldi' way of shopping, you'll realise it make sense and speeds thing up at the till, despite only 1-3 tills opening during peak period.

Always bring your own bags (don't most people do that already?)

As for the fruit and veg, I was brought up eating fruit and veg bought on that day or within the next 48 hours (wet market shopping in Singapore). I can thoroughly understand how most shoppers expect their fruit and veg to last a fortnight or whatever the sell/use by date states.

My weekly shop always means my first 2 days is high in fresh veg dishes and frozen veg comes in later the week, before the next shop again. A cycle that works well for me and my missus.

Might be worth a try if you want to consume them as fresh, or shop smaller but more regularly.
 
Associate
Joined
30 Jul 2003
Posts
2,267
Yep, the 'chuck everything in your trolly as soon as it's scanned then go and pack after along the big shelf' process is very efficient, if not quite so luxurious as elsewhere when everyone in the queue waits while you do it. Also efficient is how they stack the shelves, essentially dumping the products out in the cardboard boxes they are shipped in, rather than removing them from the packaging and arranging them nicely as you get elsewhere.

Aldi were ahead of the curve on reusable bags, hence they are tucked well out of the way and not free.

Rather than use it for a proper weekly shop, Aldi we use for wine, some cheeses (particularly mozzarella), continental cured meats, sundried tomatoes, cafetiere coffee, washing powder and other cleaning products - all a lot cheaper than the big 4 for comparable quality. It's a pleasant store and the staff are friendly.

Lidl on the other hand seems to have gone for a low quality, Iceland style shop.
 
Soldato
Joined
6 Jan 2009
Posts
6,356
Location
Hertfordshire
Yep, the 'chuck everything in your trolly as soon as it's scanned then go and pack after along the big shelf' process is very efficient, if not quite so luxurious as elsewhere when everyone in the queue waits while you do it. Also efficient is how they stack the shelves, essentially dumping the products out in the cardboard boxes they are shipped in, rather than removing them from the packaging and arranging them nicely as you get elsewhere.

Aldi were ahead of the curve on reusable bags, hence they are tucked well out of the way and not free.

Rather than use it for a proper weekly shop, Aldi we use for wine, some cheeses (particularly mozzarella), continental cured meats, sundried tomatoes, cafetiere coffee, washing powder and other cleaning products - all a lot cheaper than the big 4 for comparable quality. It's a pleasant store and the staff are friendly.

Lidl on the other hand seems to have gone for a low quality, Iceland style shop.

Yeah I agree with most of your points here.

However my local Aldi pride themselves on a good smart and clean store. Given its newly opened branch and they probably have an image to try and uphold. But so far its working well.

The staff in our local (whilst most are foreign) are VERY friendly and seem genuinely happy to be working there.

I do get why people seem to be wary of the place as it sometimes seems a "too good to be true" kind of deal. But I have yet to have a bad experience there.
 
Soldato
Joined
19 Jun 2004
Posts
19,437
Location
On the Amiga500
Yep, the 'chuck everything in your trolly as soon as it's scanned then go and pack after along the big shelf' process is very efficient, if not quite so luxurious as elsewhere when everyone in the queue waits while you do it. Also efficient is how they stack the shelves, essentially dumping the products out in the cardboard boxes they are shipped in, rather than removing them from the packaging and arranging them nicely as you get elsewhere.

Aldi were ahead of the curve on reusable bags, hence they are tucked well out of the way and not free.

Rather than use it for a proper weekly shop, Aldi we use for wine, some cheeses (particularly mozzarella), continental cured meats, sundried tomatoes, cafetiere coffee, washing powder and other cleaning products - all a lot cheaper than the big 4 for comparable quality. It's a pleasant store and the staff are friendly.

Lidl on the other hand seems to have gone for a low quality, Iceland style shop.

Grab a few said dumped boxes and slide them on the shelf under your trolley. When at checkout, place boxes into trolley basket and as your items are scanned, place them straight into said boxes. Walk straight out of shop and place boxes straight into boot. No bags, reused old boxes, efficient :)

I have to say though, their own brand filter coffee is dire. I binned mine.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom