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?

Apple turnovers.

Waitrose is great. Lidl is great Tesco is shit. You do not need to be "posh" to shop in Waitrose not do you have to be "a pleb" to shop in Lidl. Although a penchant for German food does help.

1. how far away is your Aldi or Lidl & why do you go? It's the closest supermarket to me. This is one reason I go, the other being I love their sparkling waters which are much cheaper than any other supermarket I've seen them at, and in a nicer bottle. I like their seasonal product, their specials,their nuts/seeds, their frozen stuff, -some of their wine-- , I love that nothing is overpriced.

The rushed packing is a good idea, I think. It reduces queuing times and it isn't stressful for me. If I'm buying a lot, It's shoved in my trolley as I go and then either straight to the car to pack or over to the area. If I'm not, It's straight into a bag I've brought, or sometimes I take an oversized handbag.

2. what do you miss about your old supermarket? (which one was it)nothing , I still shop at Sainsbury's and markets and farm shops etc. I shop wherever suits for what I want/need at the time. But I always go the frugal way, It's just how I was brought up.

E.G when I finish work late on a Monday I call at Sainsbury's on the way home for the reduced stuff.

And we weren't skint, and I have no problem with spending money. What I do have a problem with,is wasting money.

3. how much do you spend there each time you go ? I haven't a clue.Depends what I buy?! Waitrose is good for certain things. Sainsbury's is good for others, Aldi/Lidl I can't get everything I want from them, but I almost can. As for purple sprouting broccoli etc, I'm sure I've seen that in Lidl? Their avocados are much nicer than the ones I've had from asda, and they do some good quality antipastis.

Oh for fuck's sake, what a silly OP. If I want fresh chives and purple sprouting broccoli I'll plant them in my veg patch or stick it on a windowsill.

For everything else there's Aldi*

*Or Tesco, Sainsbury's, the local butcher, local green grocer, the Waitrose near work or that dodgy independent frozen food shop in the middle of nowhere that is filthy yet has the cheapest Calypsos all summer long. Viva la consumerism!

Based on the poll of MNetters is there going to be an article about it somewhere? In humorous, or mocking tones...? I wonder

I do hope they use this one then

Waitrose simply doesn't have the range of continental and luxury foods I've become accustomed to

Yep

Yesican

There was no one stood behind me, the shop was quiet and there was another checkout free. I actually got back with my milk before the bloke in front had left the checkout. I am not that rude to keep others waiting so you shouldn't jump to conclusions. I was asking and he just made a face and grunted something like "not really" to my "would you mind" and I wasn't inconveniencing anyone, so I went anyway. Just so's you know ...

I meant to say he grunted something like "I do mind" and I couldn't see why when I wasn't holding him or anyone up. If I spend money somewhere I'd prefer not to be treated rudely.

So based on one 'rude' member of staff you don't shop there often Rousette

Bloody hell, if I decided not to shop anywhere where a shop assistant was 'rude' I'd never buy anything new and the kids would starve!

Fwiw - the Lidl and Aldi staff round here are the friendliest out of all the local supermarkets' staff, and they would have got the milk for me.

SirChenjin - I didn't say that either! not on other of my posts! I don't live that close to Lidl, I could make more of an effort to go there but I was a bit put off by the sales assistant's rudeness, that's all.

First impressions an' all that....

Begrudging and rude. That's why I don't shop there often

Umm....??!

Well I do shop at Waitrose (tries to clutch non existant pearls), but that is because it is the only supermarket near me. If I had a car I could go to the many Tescos or few Sainsburys or Lidl and Aldi. Lidl is about an hour away by bus. I do plan to go there as I love both Lidl and Aldi. When I lived in London I could get to both by bus (different directions). When I go to visit my friend, she has both lidl and Aldi. When my dad was alive he used to drive to Lidl - he loved loved loved the german sausages. You should have seen the upset on his face when he was told they are 'seasonal' (in season in BBQ weather apparently). I absolutely adored their potato salad with creme fraiche (ooh sounds posh!), but it is a huuuuge tub and I cannot eat it on my own (who am I kidding? I would raid the fridge constantly and eat it by the spoonful).

Their spirits are cheaper and their chocolate and biscuit range are great. Then there is their skincare. I used to always buy stockcubes and tomato puree from there. In very poor days I used to get milk powder from there too -to make up as pints of milk, not baby formula. I was very grateful for their existance when I was out of work.

op We have saved over £30,000 by not sending all our DC to private schools!!! When we first had dd1 we thought she was going to be an only child (which she was for many years). She is at a private school but when 3 more DC came along, we couldn't afford to send them all there even with the sibling discount so by not sending them we are saving ourselves well over £30,000

The staff at our local Lidl are all polite and friendly. I think you've just been unlucky.

I shop in Lidl AND Waitrose... Lidl first and then Waitrose for anything Lidl don't have/speciality items, a free Saturday paper and a free coffee. We eat very well and spend less than when we shopped at Morrison's although I do have to make myself stick to the list in Wait rose.

I did my aldi shop last night for the week. We've gradually done more and more. It came to £83.24 and so this morning because I've got a bit of time i entered the receipt into my ocado account and if I'd have got the same stuff there it would have come to £139.74. That is a huge difference. Aldi has excellent fish, free range chicken, veg, bread. Its worth what they do to keep the prices down eg piled up stock not neatly stacked, less staff, awful end bit where i haven't quite got my methods down yet!

Penguinbear - but you've already said you can't afford to send the other 3 children to private school. So you saved money on school fees in the same way you saved £24M by not buying a flat in Belgravia.

Dammit. I did it again. Went in for breakfast. Came out with two travel towels and two pairs of tights!

Were you wearing a onesie when you went in for your breakfast and did you feel assaulted by the time you came out?

They do lovely vine leaves stuffed with rice in the cold part of Lldl. Dh loves them. Why go because it's cheaper, quicker and better quality than my local waitrose. I don't mind the no chat and quickest as it means I'm in and out.