To think that food in Aldi looks suspicious

[ILikeMilk]

Yesterday I decided to visit Aldi after reading about it on mumsnet. Did not buy a thing. Everything looked a bit weird. Is it just me or this shop is not nice at all?

Havent used Aldi, but do use Lidl.

Their stuff is lovely, and the fruit/veg does last better than supermarket stuff.

My favourite Lidl products are

4-cheese sauce jars.... for ease on swimming nights!

Dark chocolate - mmmmmm it is GORGEOUS!

and tins/pasta things.

Also Lidl do a lot of brand names at cheap prices!

self check in Sainsburys takes longer than normal check out and M&S only any good if you have a smallish basket.

You obviously are completely anti - so don;t shop there.

Aldi dark choclate with orange and almond - yum.

I am not anti Kewcumber, just wondering about it. To be honest it is a bit far from where I live anyway. Just wanted to know the general consensus. :)

Yes, self check takes longer, but with a mad screaming toddler I dont feel as guilty when I am using it as I can take my time with packing, etc.

Mmelindt?, I was talking about the cashier... your aldi has self check out???

Gourmet jelly beans

But also olive oil, continental meats and cheeses, pasta, rye bread, coffee and wine

Washing up liquid is good, washing powder excellent and their own brand oven cleaner wipes were amazing but I can't find them any more

I love Aldi

i agree we should be allowed to hold and question it for 28 days

The pesto is fab, and the tinned tomatoes are really great, which is something I never thought I'd say. But yes yes to the jellybeans. Disco biscuits make it worth the walk alone

Admittedly, I only went in once several years ago but found the fruit and veg overpackaged for my taste.

I like my supermarkets like markets with nice big trays to pick from.

Isn't it 14 days now?

So if you did not care about the cost, would you still shop in Aldi or Waitrose/M&S etc?

ProperCrimbo
No, I meant before they had scanner tills for the cashier to use. They had been phased out before Aldi branched out to UK, I think.

The women would sit at the till and punch in the prices into a keyboard till - without a scanner. I actually think they were faster without the scanners. They had to memorize the prices of every item in the shop.

If money was not an issue, I'd be shopping at Marksies every time. But it is so I save that shop for treats/ when I am flush.

Yep,another Aldi lover here. I used to work there in the good olde days before scannners and yes we did have to know the price of every single item in the shop (min.500 items) by heart. Very rigorous testing on this throughout the day by checking till receipts at random. Have never had any bad food from there as quality control is VERY strict. Efficiency is the name of the game me thinks.

Wow!! They still do that with the fruit and veg, but EVERYTHING! these people surely must undergo some kind of Derren Brown style mind tricks!

Wow blijemuts, how did you manage?

A big Aldi fan here. Their chicken is amazing, great quality and almost never any fat on it. Love the German meatballs, great curry sauces, tomato sauces, fantastic chocolate and cereal that is exactly the same as the branded stuff, just cheaper as its not a recongised brand. What's not to love? I do have to top up in Tesco or Asda if I want a specific thing, i.e. Diet Coke, but otherwise its great.

Also in summer their suncream is fantastic. Has 5* UVA protection and a great price (far better than Nivea or Soltan, etc.). I also use their eye cream and I feel (for me) that it performs way better than my Clinique ever did.

IlikeMilk if I didn't care about the cost I would still buy from there, the quality is excellent and for me it's all about the least stress possible, so checking out, getting around the aisles, not suffering trolley rage with people who stop to talk in the aisle and block the shelves, plenty of stock out, fruit and veg excellent quality and loads fresher than anywhere else.
The manager is really friendly and always chats, (whilst remembering all the fruit and veg codes!) asks about my business and my DS
I don't think I would shop at M&S even if money was no object, the majority is ready meals...

I don't buy many ready meals or prepared veg so Aldi suits me better than M&S. No waitrose so can't say whether I'd use it.

I've always been a teeny bit disappointed with M&S on the few occasions that I've bought food there. It's been OK but not twice the price of Tesco OK iyswim

To be honest I am guilty of buying those pre-packed meals that got raw meat/fish/chicken with a packet of sauc and come in a tinfoil tray. Then you just pop them into the oven and pretend you cooked from scratch.

I think you were very brave going near it at all - stick to Waitrose!!

I am not very fond of Waitrose, I think it is a bit limited for choice.

Aldi is fantastic. Top quality food, plenty of it loads cheaper than anywhere else, and intelligent and efficient staff (I think they are paid well over the going rate for other supermarkets). My only gripe is that there are no handbaskets, so you have to use a trolley or carry the stuff round. I like to walk there & back, so need a basket to judge how heavy the shopping is!

YANBU I don't like shopping in Aldi because they don't stock half the things I usually buy. Not brands so much as everyday things like porridge oats, wholemeal pasta, bread flour or lentils. The f&v section is very limited. OK if you want potatoes and oranges but not much variety otherwise. I've had chicken from there that shrank and ran with water when cooked. And their own-brand things are rather hit and miss. The cans of tomatoes I bought once were light on tomato and heavy on juice. I like a bargain but I've been disappointed too many times to go back