Mumsnet Talk

I would only judge on loo roll. It has to be the soft stuff. But then I get piles (TMI but relevant) and some of the 'cheaper' stuff is very thin and scratchy.

Some own brand stuff is very good though. Not Tesco (bleuch) but other places is mostly ok. People do insist that 'its Kellogs/Nescafe/Cadburys in their own packs' but I'm not sure.

I love telling people that I shop in Aldi!

Definitely wouldn't judge someone with value products. Only if they had kids and they had lots of processed junk and no fruit and veg.

Although supermarket pricing makes me . They totally screw the suppliers and pricing their value and own label ranges against labels is part of that. There is a book called Shopped that made me stop going to supermarkets - fruit and veg box, local Indy stores and markets as much as I can.

Shop online? I like shopping online and taking advantage of delivery of large quantities of boring purchases like laundry detergent on special offer.

Thinking about it: I might indeed feel a bit embarrassed (greedy) at the supermarket buying 12 boxes of laundry detergent to take advantage of a 3-for-2 offer. But I just feel economical and clever if I do so online .

I just think 'that person has their head screwed on' . If I happen to look across and see lots of luxury stuff I tend to think 'what a knob'. But that's just me.
So keep buying the value stuff.
We shop at Aldi. I can't stand wasting money on packaging and advertising.
I like Aldi stuff because its good quality yet cheap.

Why be embarrassed? It makes you a canny, savvy shopper! Besides, own brands are very often manufactured by those who make premium brands.

I notice in Waitrose, everybody buys their value range. It's a huge success for Waitrose. I don't know if I could buy the cheapest cheap own brand meat cuts in ASDA though. They never look quite right. I shop at both ASDA, Waitrose and Ocado.

I always look at other people's shopping. It's fascinating to me because I am a nosy cow.

I have found that Sainsburys own brand (some of it anyway) has leapt up in price since before christmas. Smaller items (under £1 up by about 20p). That really adds up. They must have realised that people are switching brands and areb cashing in.

I'd think less of someone who was foolish enough to spend money they hadn't got on shopping they couldn't afford.
There is a lot to be said for cutting ones cloth accordingly.

I buy a lot from the local market. I love buying veg from there, no packaging to advertise its price banding. Just good, honest food sold by everyday people out to earn their crust like the rest of us. I like seeing my neighbour working on a stall owned by a family from our village. It gives me a sense of community too and supporting each other.
Minimal fat cat profiteering too!

I'm a value brand shopper - got into the habit of it when skint and we're used to it now. There was a great thread here last year where everyone was testing the Sainsbury's Basics range, working out what was good and what was crap as far as quality/taste/ingredients went. I chose a few regulars at that time, that I always buy in Basics now. Love the reduced-sticker section as well!

My shopping has never been stared at, and has only been commented on once. In fact, it was today, when the woman behind me looked at her own fillet steak - and then at my fillet steak, reduced from £7 something to £1.99. Said she wished that she'd looked in the reduced section .

I think people probably look less than one imagines. I have been buying reduced items and I do pull them off the stickers when I get home. I wonder if people spot me stocking up on reduced croissants. I stick them in the freezer and they are fine warmed up in the oven. I don't think I will ever pay full price again.

I look at what people buy in supermarkets - it is curious to see the selections people make and how wildly different they are from one another. But I don't think about how much people are spending. I feel sad when I see very old people buying a lot of low-nutrition easy-to-eat food (lots of biscuits and not much else).

Hmmm...I did look on Saturday! I was thinking about this thread and decided to have a peep.
A young guy with meat cream and wine...casserole for some some lucky girl/guy?
And then a mum of 3 young girls with 2 family packs of crisps, tins of hot dog sausages and bottles and bottles of lucozade and fizzy drinks
Made me sad so I am not looking again!

Ha I really hope they don't - mine is always about 80% full of things with little yellow stickers on! I have a slight issue with stalking the lady with the price gun at around 6.30

I buy everything in Aldi and Lidl. What they dont sell is basics range or yellow sticker. I may push the boat out and get bogof bargains or 2 for 3 if the item price works out the same as my usual groceries.
I have very few named brands that I use only. Coffee is about the only thing I wont compromise on.

I'm never interested in what other people in the supermarket buy - I don't know them - so I don't care.

I buy lots of value brand stuff & it has never occurred to me to wonder what strangers in the supermarket think of my purchases!

I shall have a look from now on & make judgey comments in my head that will serve no purpose, because they'll never know what I'm thinking!!!!!!

Bumblequeen in the nicest possible way, there are better things in life to worry about than what strangers think of your shopping.

LIDL do have yellow stickers, MERLYPUSS. (I don't know Aldi well enough to say.) They take a straight 30% off or something.

Aldi do indeed knock money off stuff thats going off - they just don't use yellow stickers as I assume they're too expensive - you get a piece of paper that they've written new price on with marker pen

Never. I see the weekly shop as a war to get the best prices. Premium brand doesn't always mean premium quality.

I want them to get as little if my hard earned as possible.

Why feel embarrassed because you have different spending priorities to others. Unless you have a trolley full of value pot noodles you aren't feeding your family any worse (and probably better!) than the family with the trolley full of "finest".

I feel proud that I'm making the best of family spending. I bought a £1.20 pork hock in the butchers and felt very happy that it has made soup that will feed 4 for at least 2 meals (with veg- aldi.... and split peas... indian supermarket).

I have so many calls on my spending with the kids/uni etc but if I didn't I'd probably eat the same (cook from scratch, lots of veg, not much meat) and go on better holidays!

I really don't care. I buy lots of economy items because I hate wasting money. The outlaws wouldn't be seen dead in Lidl or similar because they view it as failure. They have lost their house in the past and live off other family members but see cheap shops as a stigma. A very wealthy friend of ours frequently shops there because he hates wasting money and appreciates good value. Apparently many of the consultants at the local hospital prefer to shop at Aldi.

Like Theas18 I too feel proud not to waste money. I prefer to spend any spare money on nice stuff.

I have no problem in buying cheaper own brand products, some items are really almost as good as the more expensive branded product anyway.

I shop in aldi and tbh not only would I not notice what was in your trolley, I'm not sure I know what their own brand stuff looks like! I buy a mix of their stuff depending on price and experience (eg I like the more expensive cans of tomatoes). Most of time I buy the cheapest as it tastes the same.

Def do not worry about it.

I would add I used to be a bit embarrassed at having to shop in aldi but the value is amazing and their deli type products (salami etc) not only cheaper but miles better than my local big name supermarket.

So I tell everyone now they should shop there ;)

I like trawling the supermarkets for anything with a reduction sticker on.

I'm not budgeting, I'm tight

Always been like this as used to work for Sainsburys. Some of the value products are the same as those that are supermarket brand, just in a different packet.