What is Aldi like really?

[Bookworm75]

There's a rumour of an Aldi store opening in our town (obvs not for a while now I imagine with everything that's going on at the moment), and I'm wondering what Aldi stores are like to shop in. Are they really much cheaper than say Morrisons? And are they like 'normal' supermarkets inside or are they more like Costco?

Love it and at last we have one in walking distance. Fruit and veg are much better than local rival Morrison's. I honestly haven't bought anything I regretted. Occasionally I want something they don't stock but it's getting better. I love the lack of choice - so much quicker

Why should we be skeptical of Aldi and Lidl just because they don't have the infrastructure in place to make home deliveries? I don't think it's reasonable to expect them to suddenly start doing deliveries overnight.

I really like Aldi and think the quality is really good. The only thing that puts me off my local one is that the parking is awful as it shares a car park with McDonald’s! Probably not so bad midweek but when I’m working I find it easier to get shopping delivered st the weekend even though I probably spend twice as much that way.

Overall cheaper, but you get what you pay for. Their fresh veg and fruit go off even when they're still on the shelves. It's good for some other things, like oats, eggs, condiments, frozen goods.

I go occasionally, the ‘newer’ ones can be nice, I went to one this morning, there are some nice things and more of a ‘continental’ selection but I wouldn’t choose to shop there regularly. But I am not “loyal” to any supermarket, I like to alternate where I shop (unless I had a Booths near me and then I would always shop there ).

It’s excellent value. It blatantly copies products in terms of quality and packaging. We have two. An old one which is cramped and a bit of a tip often and we have a new one which is much like Waitrose in style.

I’m a loyal customer and at the beginning of lockdown they gave each customer a bunch of flowers, as they left the store. Not nearly knackered blooms, new, in date flowers. I STILL have mine! 😊

You just need to go and have a look. It will be clean and fresh but with fewer lines than a Tesco or Morrisons. One or two of everything. Most of the food is fine, I've never had a problem with meat or veg, but it might not be to your taste if you are very fussy about brands or have a special diet.

They have weekly specials on both groceries and household/sports stuff.

Personally I think its great value, no fuss, in and out quickly and a really good range. Can't wait for the one under construction near us to open.

The tills. They go fast. You are meant to repack your trolley and then go to the shelf/window to pack into bags. I mean like DH you can race and pack straight from the till but dont complain if you cant keep up. This is how they keep the queue moving.

Oh... veg is good. Bread is not.

My favourite store. The steaks are Incredible

There seems tp be a lot of differences on here re Aldi.

I have never had a problem with the meat, ours has a good range of products not just one type of each thing. There are now ready meals available but working in supermarkets i was amazed at how many people do buy them for convenience. Customers drive what shops sell so if there is a market for then of course aldi will sell them.
I have bought veg from.other shops and found it doesnt actually last any longer just becsuse it costs more.

Even with my store discount it was cheaper to shop in aldi and i know other staff do the same!

It's well worth it l think. Great for fish, meat, fruit and veg. We can normally get 96% of the stuff we want. Their bakery game is a bit weak. Often their stuff is nicer than brands e.g. their coconut yoghurt is way nicer than Rachel's coconut yoghurt. Alcohol is excellent, just the cider is a bit sickly and not nice. They have lovely Christmas and Easter food ranges. You will save so much money!!! Their supply chain recovered quickly after the panic buying nonsense

All of my friends and family shop at Aldi. It is better IMO although I do tend to visit tesco or local butchers (more for brands that I like but I could get everything in Aldi)
We save about 30 quid easily a week two adults two small dc. Cereals are are our main savings. Also love the almat washing powder and i have to say I'm a fan of the middle aisle. The gardening stuff and cupboard paimt & children's bits and pieces. I also love Lidl (ours are beside each other)

It's way cheaper. If, like my parents, you care about having an upmarket shopping experience with a deli counter where the staff recognise you and you bump into all your friends from bridge, or if you are wedded to recognised brands which taste no better than own brand or demand a choice of 93 different pasta sauce varieties, then Aldi is not for you.

If, however, you are not duped by brand names and want a speedy, serviceable shopping experience which costs maybe a third less money for good quality produce, then I'd give Aldi a try. Plus, as with all supermarkets, you'll soon discover some favourite products which only they sell.

My DM claims that on the one occasion she went to Aldi she couldn't find things she liked and had to throw stuff in the bin because it was horrible. And yet when she's at my house, she regularly says "Ooh that cheese/cake/wine/yoghurt etc is really lovely! Where's it from?"

Yes if I could change one thing it would be to have a proper bakery section, my husband misses his doughnuts! I love freshly made bread, no bakeries near us sadly!

Similar to Lidl. I really love a number of their products but couldnt do a full shop there. The fresh fruit and veg quality/freashness seems a bit store dependent, ours is very good. Can't go at the moment as have 3 supermarkets closer so I couldn't class my trip as essential
My top products
Washing tablets
Floor wipes
Moisturiser
Manchego cheese
Really nutty muesli
Vegetable crisps
Premium tonic water and a number of specially selected items.

I'm a bit mixed. It's great value and the food is actually loads better than I would have ever thought. I go there if I've gone over my food budget for my last shop of the month and can do a full shop for about £80 and that includes quite a bit of meat and fresh food.

It's really good for basics like rice, pasta sauces, apples, bananas, fresh chicken, chips, frozen prawns etc. Also their toiletries are fine and basic cleaning products like bleach and wipes.

The rest of their food is fine compared to Tesco. But compared to m&s and Sainsbury's where I shop most of the time the beef, lamb, fish, fresh berries other fruit and veg, doesn't compare and I'd rather spend the extra. I appreciate we're fortunate to be able to afford to do that.

I also find the staff at Aldi so lovely and friendly, and far more helpful than other supermarkets. They're much more normal inside now than they were before, properly laid out and more spacious. Just not as much choice and very few brands if that bothers you.

I just love Aldi only really shop there and Lidl, May be every few months go to ASDA to get things I can’t get in the other

I like it for the cheese/deli/wine stuff, plus their seasonal ranges but I sacked our one off for meats and veg. On more than one occasion I’ve had to throw away in date meat for being clearly ‘off’.

Our Lidl is much better.

Worth going just for their champagne and frozen pizzas. They have acted impeccably in the covid crisis as well.

It’s a supermarket... you go there to buy the usual things you would find in a supermarket, with some added extras down the middle isle. Only in the UK could this cause excitement and speculation on this scale.

For anyone struggling to pack as quickly as they scan at Lidl and Aldi I have a tip - place your fruit and veg that needs to be weighed strategically amongst your other shopping on the belt - this slows the cashier down a wee bit and gives you a chance to catch up. Place at least 4 weighable items at the very end of your shop so you can make sure your bags are fine and you have time to get your payment card out.

@suggestionsplease1 genius!

Many of their cleaning products and toiletries are good quality and not tested on animals (look for the leaping bunny logo) - box ticker for me.

They're much cheaper but also don't always have the same variety as other shops and there's sometimes weird crap in there. I used to like the surprise items I could find when there was one near me. They do a lot of things cheaply well, like packet rice, soy sauce, jar sauce etc all being like 20-70p

Pros

• definitely cheaper than the big supermarkets
• good range, you can get most things (I have shopped there for years and there was a time it was only good for German sausages and sparking water 🤣)
• smaller so it's a much more efficient shopping experience if you prefer not to shop online
• if you eat plenty of fresh fruit and veg it's good as these things are expensive to eat in vast quantities everyday for a family
• the specials aisles have good household/garden/camping finds which are ok quality and reasonably priced. Always buy something when you see it if you like it as it's unlikely to be there if you go back for it another day

Cons

• as far as experiences go it can feel like a bit of a free for all with boxes in the aisle and a jumble of products in the middle aisles, definitely some tripping hazards and a bit tight for space to pass other shoppers
• some fruit and veg can go off quickly
• amongst the specials jumble are often a job lot of items like date syrup or soy bean spaghetti which you can't rely on buying every week. It's annoying if you particularly like something and you never see it again
• the speed of putting your groceries through the check out can be really off putting, they are quite militant that you don't pack your bag at the checkout and take your trolley to a shelf by the window to pack into bags.
• sometimes things appear cheaper but actually it's just the weights which are less, so it's worth keeping an eye on that

I love Aldi, and in spite of the cons I have identified I still love to shop there, they aren't really cons for me but I know do put others off. Sometimes I go and stock up on plenty of cupboard and freezer bits and get my fresh things from a veg box scheme etc. If you're going for the first time, go with an open mind and a small shopping list to ease you into the experience!