to not understand why people go to Aldi & Lidl...

[TheBeautifulVisit]

… it's such a horrible shopping experience.

It reminded me of being in a co-op in my very small hometown circa 1977. And then when you've got a trolley full of their stuff and queue up to pay there's that humiliating bit at the end where they don't give you sufficient time to pack your groceries. They just expect you to very quickly remove your groceries and go and pack them elsewhere, with no bags.

I feel assaulted.

Can you please tell me

1. how far away is your Aldi or Lidl & why do you go?

2. what do you miss about your old supermarket? (which one was it)

3. how much do you spend there each time you go

It was cheaper than my normal shopping but actually I didn't buy my normal shopping: no fresh chives, no fresh ginger, no butternut squash, no purple sprouting broccoli, no green peppercorns, no little tubs of anchovies & olives from the Waitrose deli. I travelled much further to get there.

And there's no delivery.

Why why why?

I am surprised you didn't find the things you listed to be honest. I went to Aldi the first time the other day (due to distant, not snobbery) and was seriously impressed. In fact, I was so enamored, I started a thread about the Easter chocs which kicked Thorntons arse if you're interested, all my Easter baskets (8kids) done for £15 (inc. £land baskets). Anyway, the one I went to had all of those things (olives and anchovies mixed were at the top of the cooked meat fridge. The only thing they didn't have which I needed was garlic paste but tesco did, so no need for smelling salts (!)

Anyway, sweetie didn't you hear? Waitrose is so passe and try hard right now, austerity chic is so now.

Sod it find that red sock. And wash the knickers!!!!

CorusKate Your 'escape' comment at the start of the thread, gave me a good laugh

1) how far away is your Aldi or Lidl & why do you go? Lidl is less a mile. I go for wine and their bakery as we pass it on the way home from school. Aldi is a few miles, on the other side of town, and yes I do drive past Sainsbury's Tescos and Asda on the way.

2) what do you miss about your old supermarket? (which one was it) Very little. If I particularly want a product only Sainsbury's sell (organic carrot or a particular brand of tea, I pop in and get it.

3) how much do you spend there each time you go £75. The same would cost me £150 in Sainsburys. I am £300 a month better off than I used to be.

I have noticed the cars in Aldi carpark tend to be smarter than the cars in Asda carpark.

Aldi always have butternut squash, but I have noticed their veg tend to be more seasonal (although they have been selling raspberries all winter )

The OP is a bit like asking; "Why do people send their children to state schools?"

I would answer; "Because it saves me £30,000 a year."

Lynette - That's ridiculous. You don't save £30,000 by sending your children to state schools. That's like saying I save £4M by not having my own Boeing 737.

Everyone does food shopping (almost). So I'm wondering if it was just the cost, or was it also convenience, the freedom from having to choose, etc.

I see it is often the cost but there are also other things that people seem to like that aren't related to cost.

Hate hate going there. Especially with a baby but try to go every couple of weeks for the essentials. It is not close buy my only local supermarket is booths ( a sort of Northern waitrose). That is a heavenly hopping experience. So I get a big essentials shop from aldi and top up with booths stuff ( also get me free coffee and part at booths do worth it).

Coffee and a paper

Chunderella - really? But lots of people on the thread don't like the bit at the end. It's horrid. And inefficient because actually you have to move your groceries yet another time.

Waitrose: shelf, trolley, checkout, trolley in bags
Aldi: shelf, trolley, checkout, trolley, counter, trolley in bags

Hopeless.

Evening all, and thanks to those who have reported their queries rather than raising them on the thread. We can confirm that the OP is an ancient MNer (whether or not she is also a journo we simply do not know) and we would like to state for the record to anyone who will listen that the Lidl cornichons with chilli are sent direct from heaven and contain virtually no calories at all. They're something like £1.45 AND THEY ARE BETTER THAN THE WAITROSE ONES. Not. Even. Joking.

*Lynette - That's ridiculous. You don't save £30,000 by sending your children to state schools. That's like saying I save £4M by not having my own Boeing 737.

Everyone does food shopping (almost)*

Yes - and everyone educates their children in some way - not everyone pilots their own aircraft. It's exactly the same, as Lynette says.

Ah, TBV, you are forgetting the time that your children spend deciding which of the local charities they are going to bestow their magic green coin upon... that can add another ten frustrating mins to a Waitrose shop, that can.

OP your last post makes no sense at all, surely you grasp the concept that by sacrificing a few finer points in the "shopping experience" (congratulations on your status as the Marketing wet dream incidentally) they can lower prices and we save money by shopping there? We accept and are happy with this. If they hung handmade bunting up would it make you happier?

Longer than 10 minutes for those green coins if you factor in the kind hearted people who watch your toddler dithering and "kindly" hand over theirs as well. Thank you generous people

SirChenjin - The vast majority of people couldn't afford independent schooling so it's not even a tiny bit interchangeable with food shopping. Don't be silly.

henrysmate - eh?

TBV - other than claiming you were assaulted, telling people not to be silly, and bemoaning the lack of green peppercorns - what is it you're trying to achieve with this thread?

1. 3 miles away
2. I miss quavers & space in the aisle for my trolley. Used to be a supermarket whore going to them all!!
3. £50 but that is half my old shop so that's why I go!

I used to think like you especially about the packing experience but while I'm on mat leave I'll be going as I'll save so much money, but back to delivery when back to work.

Sounds like a Tesco or Morrison's cheap way of doing a survey?

Well, for what it's worth, have my insight for free. I like Aldi because it's very high quality and a very good price. Tesco, Morrison's, Sainsbury's value brands are just not so good. Cheapness is only good if it's good value. and Aldi gets it pretty right in a lot of cases (although not all).

Tesco's feels very expensive to me now, and morrison's is so full of offers that you end up buying a lot of stuff you don't need. Hence end up avoiding it. I feel like the big 3 supermarkets are concentrating hard on confusing me with all the different offers. Too much complexity. Aldi gives me a simpler experience.

DH loves Aldi - he goes to one close to work where he buys his staples. He does go on about how much cheaper it is, but quite honestly I have found it about the same as Asda for the items he is buying (the 4 packs of baked beans at our Asda went down to £1.24 the same as Aldi round the corner, and similar products).

I don't like Aldi because it is a more difficult shopping experience as I have allergies and have to read food labels. So, to go to Asda I think I save time and money by knowing what "products" I can eat. I'd rather save the money by not buying foods to "try" with the risk of being ill.

Regarding purple sprouting broccoli - my friend grows it in her garden. It doesn't make her posh or snobby. She just really like sthe taste. I have loved asparagus and courgettes since I was pregnant so DH grew them last year. I've never been to Waitrose in my life but I do make savings elsewhere so I can buy the veg that I like and choose Asda over Sainsburys because it is cheaper.

I think if it's Tesco or Morrison doing a survey then they should sack the market researcher for being a twat

OP - I use large canvas bags when I put the shopping into the trolley at Aldi - I've never needed to use the counter to pack. If I'm honest it does annoy me they don't give out free bags, but environmentally, it's a good idea.

My only complaint about Aldi ever is that I once realised the eggs were broken when they were being scanned. I pointed it out to the checkout person, but they chose to ignore me (and the slime that was all over the check out, and continued to scan items through it ) I'm pretty sure it was my fault the eggs were broken, but I know at Sainsbury's someone would have gone to get me a new box.

The vast majority of people couldn't afford independent schooling so it's not even a tiny bit interchangeable with food shopping. Don't be silly

The vast majority of people can't afford Waitrose for their main shop (or at all!) either, so not silly at all!