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?

I do about 90% of my shopping their. The veg doesn't last very well. Meat is probably similar to Tesco/Asda etc. It's obviously not the same quality as a local butcher, but your getting what you pay for.

Tinned and jar stuff are on par with names brands, their curry sauces, pasta bake sauce, and Thai curry packets are all really good and I think you would do well do notice the difference. You would probably pay about half ? The cost of main brands. Things like 500g of pasta are about 40p for the cheap stuff.

They do sell 'special buy' stuff which is complet random, so they may do garden bits one week, baby stuff the next, kitchen cook wear etc they do loads of kids stuff in these sales and I've got ds a fair few pocket money toys, all of which tend to last well.

They do household bits again all own brands but same quality as what you may get in supermarket. They do good ranges of alcohol as well, again all own brand stuff.

Inevitably you may find some stuff isn't as good as your used to, but it's worth a shot! There a few bits I can't get but I save about £30 per week shopping their, so walking a cross the car park to Tesco to grab a few bits doesn't really cause much of an issue.

Also you don't pack at the till. Shove it in your trolley. People who pack at the tills are not tolerated.

It isn't so great for things like sumac, harrissa, gluten free, elderflower cordial or wine

People who pack at the tills are not tolerated

I pack at the till every time. I can easily keep up with the staff putting the shopping through.

I always pack at the till. Because I want to - it’s very inefficient to put everything back into the trolley and then repack into bags somewhere else. It’s not even quicker to do it the so-called Aldi method if you have large bags which stay open in the trolley.
I much prefer shops which have self scanners though, as this is a much better system for the customer

It's fine. I like the less choice and that you can be in and out in half an hour.

I'm just here for the sneering, it's always entertaining to see who can outsneer each other.

Just don't pack at the till until you've got it nailed. Put it all back in the trolley quickly and pack at the shelf.

Pretty well everyone packs at the till in ours, no one ever says anything about it or shows any signs of irritation. I only know about the packing shelf from Mumsnet. It's just as quick to pack into bags in your trolley as it is to put it back in loose.

I find most of the lines they carry are as good as big brands, only thing that was horrible was the mayo.

I liked Aldi before but really converted since lockdown. Wish they had gluten free for DD tho & there are still some bits that we need from Asda ( try to avoid going there at the moment if we can, having said that). Our local store is very hot on social distancing etc whereas I felt completely unsafe at Lidl & DH said he found Asda very confusing. I really like the Aldi versions of things like Branston pickle. They don’t sell Hellmanns tho which is a tragedy! They have a very good range of fruit & veg. I haven’t tried much meat but we do like the salt & pepper chicken crown which is less than £4. I still can’t believe how much less my bill is. I got mine & my parents’ shopping for less than I usually pay for the 3 of us. And there can be some really good stuff in the middle aisles.

I’m always taken aback by how much cheaper Aldi is than Tesco, Sainsburys etc.
They’ve got a reasonable variety of lines but sometimes I struggle to do a full shop - there’s always something I need and can’t get.
They sell a limited choice of branded items.
Some of their own stuff is excellent, some is just okay.
I don’t much like their fruit and veg or bread. I love their pineapple roule, cheddar and caramelised onion tart and cheddar cheese bake.
Aldi is definitely worth a visit.

Our Aldi is really nice and we shop there regularly, although we haven't been since lockdown. Lack of branded goods doesn't bother us and in fact we prefer some of the unbranded stuff. Meat is good quality as is the fruit and veg. The centre aisle has some great bits; our much admired rug and living room shelving is from there. Some things are not as good and occasionally we need a Sainsbury's top up, but by and large it is great I think.

My favourite food store- I love Aldi!

I like Aldi. DS has their formula and it's good so I do a lot of shopping in there too. At the moment I'm doing most of it so I don't need to go to several shops. I get meat from the butcher but everything else from there and I like it. Good value and choice. 15 eggs free rage for £1.60.

Depends what you buy, as others have said they don't carry a lot of branded items, this never bothered me, I've found their own brand does well enough for most things, I just have to buy specific spices elsewhere.

Their fruit and veg selection is really good and fantastic value, so is their meat and dairy. Their ages steaks in particular are very nice!

The special aisle....aka 'THE AISLE OF SHITE'....is always interesting. Wet suits, fishing rods, ski-wear, dumbells, sets of chimney sweep brushes......lots of things you never knew you needed.

I've had some good buys in the "aisle of shite". thick cotton towels, good quality sheets, gym wear, some clothes, cosmetics, cookwear, baby equipment, luggage, gardening stuff, tools etc- all great quality at inexpensive prices.
Aldi sell ski wear every year- the kids stuff especially flies off the shelf- amazing quality.

The length of time the fruit and veg lasts is mostly down to storage and rotation, and therefore down to the local store manager. The quality varies massively from store to store. Our local one is good, but the local Sainsburys is rubbish. It was the opposite at our old house.

My favourite store. The steaks are Incredible

I tried to get steaks for tonight but there was a huge queue outside my local Aldi. I ended up in Morrisons as it was much quieter and bought steaks there. They were horrible, stringy, chewy lumps compared to the Aldi variety and they cost more.

Next time I'll wait in the queue!

LOVE 💛 LOVE 💙 LOVE Aldi, takes me 45 minutes a week to do the shopping, I pre plan weekly menu's from salmon to lamb chops, curries and casseroles do a shopping list all in one hit and home again. My weekly shop is approx £65.00, I'm quids in and have a variety of meals over a weekly period and wine. ... ❤️

It's ok. All the posters saying 'It's great if you cook from scratch but not if you eat lots of processed food', I disagree, I cook from scratch and buy a lot of niche ingredients, less common cuts of meat, fresh fish and seafood, fresh herbs, spices, different types of rice, flour, condiments etc etc and Aldi only has a very basic range so there's no way I could do a whole shop there. Their earl grey is awful and the coffee beans aren't great

Their continental meats and cheeses aren't bad. The premium dry-cured bacon is pretty good and they have some excellent wines sometimes. I don't mind it, but it doesn't excite me, and I like to get excited about food!

Oh yes, their premium aged steaks are very good.

I like Aldi. It is definitely a lot cheaper than the likes of Asda, Tesco, Morrisons. What you would get for £100 in Asda you can get for around £65 in Aldi. Most of it is good quality. The meat can go off before the use by date though so you have to use it quickly. And always check the fruit and veg isn't over ripe before you buy as some of it is going off before they sell it.

Probably started shopping in earnest there about 8 years ago. Still spend less per week on a big shop then I did all those years ago at Tesco.

Deli meats, cheeses and dairy are all just as good as other supermarkets. In many cases better.
Dry and tinned goods, including nuts are all indistinguishable to other places and cheaper - just less choice.
Fresh meat isn’t as good - better if you pick their free range and premium though.
Veg - limited choice and not as longlasting as other places. But I eat a lot so just get it eaten.
Bread, cereal are ok - not brilliant but ok.

But a massive shop with a couple of bottles of wine for 5 is £120.

I love it. Could walk to Waitrose but prefer to drive to Aldi.

I like Aldi but I think it’s very hit and miss in terms of quality. I always use their nappies and wipes on baby DS, he had their formula too and it was fine, I’ve only stopped buying it because he’s one next week. He’s a big fan of their fruit pouches that are the Ella’s rip offs.

I think their wines, skin care, cheeses and steaks are generally great. Their deli meats like Parma ham and chorizo are good and much cheaper than elsewhere. Fruit and veg doesn’t keep very well but is generally fine if you consume within a couple of days. Their tiger bloomer loaves are lovely, and I’m a fan of their chocolate. Their yoghurts are from the Muller factory.

I don’t think their crisps are very nice and their pasta and curry type jars of sauces aren’t as good as Dolmio etc. I bought a whole chicken to roast this weekend just fine and I thought it was utterly tasteless.

I’m a bit addicted to the aisle of shite.

@MrsPworkingmummy, if you like Lurpak Spreadable try Norpak. It tastes as good if not better to me.

@Roominmyhouse, Snow Hill? Or is there another one?