Aldi and Lidl upset me with their inconsistent product ranges

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I used to buy, in bulk, in Lidl, their deluxe nut bar things, there were a range of flavours, the combination of calories, protein, flavour and that they werent full of artificial (too much) ingredients was just perfect.

Now gone, down to my last box and went in to find they dont do these any more

I buy a lot of Aldi, hard goats cheese, it comes in a very thin wedge. Im down to my last one in the fridge. Went in the other day to find, no hard goats cheese. Im going to try another location today but there was no ticket on the shelf for it so that has also gone

Really annoys me

I think its me because almost every single perfume that I fall in love with gets discontinued as well.

I must like really unpopular things!

This is partly why I don't do my main shop there. It's the luck of the draw what they have and don't have - and if you want to follow a particular recipe, that doesn't always work for you.
In another way, I suppose it could be more interesting, that you end up trying new things which you might not have previously considered.

The dark chocolate and sea salt nut bars? Aldi still sell them if that helps! Or they did a couple of weeks ago when Lidl didn’t. I went to Lidl to buy them for my birth snack bag and they weren’t in a few stores over a few weeks so I think they’ve gone from Lidl though.

Aldi has always been like that, if you see something you like in the special buys grab it or never see it again. If you see something you like in the food isle stock up your cupboards and prepare to potentially never see that again either. I think this way of working is part of the reason why they are so cheap.

During lockdown my favourite perfume and lots of make up items that I’ve been using for years were discontinued so I guess I must like unpopular things too!

Same for all supermarkets, ranges change. I like the variety you get from the special ranges myself and the fact you only get it 3 times a year makes it interesting.

Ive never seen anything like it in Aldi, only Lidl.

They were these (and no Im not buying them at inflated prices on ebay)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373207364180

The problem with a lot of bars these days is that they are high in cereals and or have artificial sweetners in them, particularly 'high protein' things.

In any case I love them for the taste.

Yes the special buys I understand, although their own product ranges come out year after year, but basic food items they chop and change too much

Agree OP and it isn't just Aldi special buys they do this to its regular items too. Like a pp it's why I willl never do my main weekly shop there as inevitably I end up having to go else whether to buy that item. At least in other supermarkets there is often several other options to consider.

Also, and this may just be me but Aldi fruit and veg is either excellent or absolutely shit. I swear in my store staff use it to play rounders with in the store room during downtimes

They rotate things a lot and it's seasonal. They do this to make the most of their limited shelf space and to keep customers interested. This isn't just restricted to their middle aisles. It's also on their normal aisles to a lesser extent too.

They also do a lot of limited runs to see the popularity of a product before deciding to launch it as a more regular line. If a product is good, it will sell out, and will come back in time on a more regular basis.

I love a number of Lidls regular product lines they do for their flavour of the week, but this also means I end up now bulk buying these lines so I have enough to last until they next come around! Italian week is a personal weakness.

Both methods are a great sales tactic. One that I definitely think will drive a lot of people nuts. But it works and will help to keep prices low.

The other thing I have noticed is they quietly discontinue certain things - I don't think it's always down to popularity. I also think it's a profit margin and price point thing. Certain things disappear if they no longer are making enough profit for the shelf space. I'm betting that good chocolate will fail into that category.

There's also certain products they stock at certain branches but not others. There is the illusive Aldi amazing deluxe lemon doughnut which exists at one branch near me but not the other. Indeed this branch seems to be a complete doughnut free zone!!! But I do find this is something that Tesco branches are particularly dreadful for - it's like a completely different store based on location. On the whole Aldi/Lidl are much more consistent for what lines they stock branch to branch than Asda, Sainsbury's or Tesco.

It can be frustrating if there's certain things you particularly like, but personally I like it as it keeps it shopping interesting and I find it better than false deals and club card approaches that other supermarkets have.

I am learning to work with it. It does make sense from a customer point of view.

I also rotate where I go because there's no one supermarket I can get all the things I really like in. THAT drives me mad.

As a side note, has anyone sighted Aldi's own brand pepperami lately?

We're just going out now to the other Aldi to see if there is any hope for the goats cheese

Also just remembered another product, their luxury Jersey milk (not sure if Jersey), just gone, disappeared, we used to buy it regularly

So I will look for their own pepperami.

The larger supermarkets do this too. Sainsbury’s used to do a soft drink I liked. Suddenly disappeared, never to return.

Morrisons and Tesco do it here all the time too. Regularly completely stop selling items or cut the variety available. Sometimes replaced with a smaller, more expensive version.

Is it that they've discontinued them or just don't have any at the moment? I love those particular bars, first had them about 4 years ago, but they're not always available. (Might have a look later)

The worst two supermarkets. I don’t know how anyone does a decent shop in them.

We currently shop at an aldi with fab veggie range.
We are having an aldi built near us. Dh thinks it will be great (10 mins away vs 20), but based on where we live, I think the shop will veer more towards the farm foods end.

So, in Aldi they did have Meatsters, which is their own brand pepperami. And I remembered that I have bought some recently in Lidl but the Lidl own brand of it, is not as good as Alid's own brand of it.

In terms of those nut bars, I forgot to look at Aldi's versions of them but the Lidl bars I think are discontinued because theres no shelf space for it even. Really disappointed.

Still no goats cheese and no space on the shelf for it. Obviously discontinued

I like that they chop and change what they have. Makes it easier to have varied meals! I get bored of cooking same old things. I do write a weekly meal plan, then buy things I see that are ‘specials’ for the next week.

Love Lidl’s Greek Week.

It’s not necessarily discontinued because of a lack of a gap on the shelves. That’s part of their business model, just fill the shelf with everything they have.
you can email them to check.

It is a shame, op, as it was one of the only gluten free things they actually did. I could never rely on Aldi or Lidl for all my shopping, due to coeliac disease.

i love the Greek and Italian ranges, and there’s a Lidl really close to me so it’s always useful to grab a few basics/top up shop.

You just have to accept, sadly, that Lidl doesn’t always have what you want.

Aldis did a laundry cleanser liquid which smelt divine, then stopped it. The Tesco one just doesn't smell as nice.

People who remember shopping in the Eastern Bloc wouldn't be surprised.

It used to be the case that Aldi and Lidl offset their ... variable ... ranges with low prices. I once had the most amazing curry sauce from Aldi's - the best shop bought I've ever had. The next week I went back it wasn't there. After a year of that I got the message.

What is more amusing (or not, depending on your view) is that Sainsburys have done their best to replicate the Aldi/Lidl experience with their "interesting" choice of brands and ranges. However it does make the instore shop that much more exciting, and who doesn't like that ?

Oh the elusive lemon and white chocolate cheesecake from Aldi. I now buy it whenever I see it. Which is not often enough.
Plus the 70% Moser Roth bars. Very scarce locally. Drives me mad.

Im still annoyed that Aldi stopped selling the lemon shortbread rounds in the special buys. They still sell shortbread but not that one. Morrisons version aren’t the same.

i do quite often do the majority of my shopping there as it’s cheap but I usually have to pop over the road to Morrisons to get the bits I can’t get in Aldi. And their fruit and veg is hit and miss

It's true all the time, you find something you like, then poof it's gone.

Aldi had the best dupes ever for sanctuary shower gels. I stocked up but recently have come to the end of the party. I feel for you op

That’s exactly why I don’t shop there. The random availability of foods I wanted to buy was no good for me. I’ve got a list! I want what’s on my list. In and out, done! Lidl and Aldi couldn’t provide that.