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?

And I don't know where you were as there's always butternut squash and the purple broccoli is in the cold selection next to the amazing rocket and water cress and all the other salad items. (Lldl )

1. About 3 miles

1. Quorn. Which I now pick up at farm foods. I also miss delivery because I can't drive.

1. 55 to feed a family of five for a week. That is why I go. So that instead of running out of money at the end of every month I might actually have some left over to do something nice with my children. Purple sprouting broccoli is very nice and all, but it's a luxury.

my local lidl is great. Their nappies and wipes are fantastic and half the price of pampers, same with cat food. They have great salmon and yaourt and wine. I don't use it for fresh food but for other essentials found them great. Oh and got a very good sewing machine and bike accessories and kids toys there too. You're being precious.

1. I pass an Aldi on the way home from work, so go about twice per week, to do most of our shopping this one is newly opened and larger than a lot of the other ones. In our city there is also another Aldi, with a Waitrose opposite, so sometimes go to both at the same time .

However, it seems that it costs the same to fill a carrier bag at Waitrose as it does to fill a trolley at Aldi.

I like Lidl too, but is furthest away (I also go near Morrisons, Tesco, Asda, Co-op and M&S on way home from work, so Lidl feels like an extravagent diversion, so I don't go half as much as I would like). If I went to Lidl more often I might buy far too many of their cheese twists and ciabattas and would virtually live on their naice Deluxe branded stuff.

I really like the range, quality, simplicity and speed of both Aldi and Lidl. Even the cats like the Aldi catfood . The low prices are just a bonus.

I am aware that I am lucky to have easy access to such a wide range of shops, but unless you are very short of time or are travelling tens of miles or more, I dont think the travel argument stacks up if you have a car you can travel 20 miles for 2/3 in fuel so the savings will outweigh the fuel costs in many cases.

1. I dont miss my old supermarket because I have never been brand or shop loyal and have never done a regular weekly shop. I meal plan roughly a few days in advance and put things we need on a list I then go to a shop when these things are needed.

I will go to another supermarket when there are a few things needed that are not available in Aldi. I might also stock up on special offers when there there are a few things we have that are generally only bought on special offer and we keep enough to never buy at full price due to increase in Aldi shopping this list is now reducing as we just buy stuff at Aldi as there is less need to chase the special offers.

On the odd occasion I go in Tesco I am always astonished about how big it is, how expensive it is and about all the bloody offers and fluctuating prices. Along with Asda, I think the quality is the worst too.

1. Not really sure how much I spend, but it is probably less than 200 pm for 2 adults and 2.5 cats (we feed a stray who calls a few times per week). We eat really well, mostly cooked from scratch with probably more meat than is necessary. That is probably 80% Aldi with fresh meat from the local farm shop (I have never bought fresh meat in supermarkets) and the odd bits from the other shops.

We save 60 quid a week.

Food is nicer than tesco generally.

10 mins away.

You get good at packing quickly and if you use big bags you can just out doing straight into then at the till.

I don't miss anything about tesco btw.

The Aldi Cherry and Custard tart is very yummy! I blame the mother she bought it me and made me hide a big piece from the kids once they'd gone to bed. .

Tesco is ridiculous, I never ever shop there. It is extortionate compared to Morrisons, and the quality of the fresh food is nowhere near as good.

Ok OP I'll bite

1)lidl is next to the gym about 2 miles from home.I go there because the food is between 1/2 and 2/3 of the price in asda or morrisons and the quality is generally better.

2. I still go to one of the above for whole organic milk and certain shapes of pasta.

3. I spend anything from £15-40 pounds twice a week.

I reckon the difference between this and shopping at sainsbury's paid for our summer holiday (£1500) so there.

Sorry that should have read skiing holiday (£2600) £50 pw

Think of it like Ryanair. If you jump thru all the hoops and do it right, you'll be better off having gone with them.
I am a new Aldi convert. At Aldi I get free range chickens for under 5, dry aged steaks, the crispness bagged salads you can get, Warburtons crumpets etc.
I also like Morrison's, Waitrose, Booths, large Asdas and Sainsburys donuts. Tescos is shite.

Ok, I haven't read any of the thread, but:

1. It's en route to our nearest Sainsbury's
2. I miss being able to get everything in one shop (but the advantages outweigh this)
3. Goodness knows. It varies.

The advantages are: cheaper on many of the basics (and generally better quality than the Sainsbury basics alternative), the fruit and veg lasts longer (which is an issue for us as we are rural), and it stocks some European (particularly German) foods that I haven't seen in our local shops.

I have heard their meat is good value too, although we try to stay loyal to our local butchers, so haven't had more than the odd pack of bacon.

Aldi opened a new branch 5 minutes drive from my home last summer. It completely changed the way I shop and I finally enjoy shopping.

Previously I went to Asda and hated it. Too many people, too much choice, too expensive. I've been probably five times max back to Asda since Aldi opened, only for birthday cards and school uniform.

I spend £40 max a week. This includes all meals, lunches, household items, toiletries, dog food. At Asda it was always over £80.

I love the speedy check-out. Two Ikea bags - one for non food and cupboard stuff, other one for fridge and frozen stuff. Scan, slide into correct bag, easy unpacking at home. No faffing.

I love their German specialties.

I love brand replacing. Fake Pringles for 89 pence which taste the same but save loads. Cereals same as brand ones but so much cheaper. Fake Muller yogurts... I could go on. So many goodies.

I always look out for their offers and meal-plan accordingly. Indian week not long ago, stocked up on lovely sauces, naan bread etc.. Italian week was also fab.

Our Aldi sales fresh ginger and butternut squash. Are you sure you looked properly OP?

I regularly shop at aldi, have always found everything I want except my baby formula but that's coz aldi only stock one brand. For me it seems crazy that anyone would shop anywhere else, they stock exactly the same stuff but for half the price. If you want pretentious things like purple fucking sprouting broccoli then by all means shop at waitrose or Harrods if you can afford it but don't belittle people who maybe don't have the money to shop where you do. I have always found the staff at my local aldi exceptionally friendly - to the point where I went in there when I was pregnant with my youngest and one check out lady kept talking to me about it and now when she talks to my baby calls herself "auntie Liz" my oldest even said today "do you know that lady?" And I said "only from shopping in here" with regards to having to pack your shopping elsewhere it really doesn't take that much more time and it is helpful to the other customers as you are out of the way for them and to be fair when I have shopped at other supermarkets they ask you if you want help with your packing and if you say know they seem to take this as a challenge and put the shopping through as fast as they can and I can never pack it as fast as they are throwing it at me. I know this is a long post but I just felt like having a rant lol Xx

I popped into Lidl today, I bought :

Pimentos
Proscuttio
Mortadella
Smoked trout
Duck pate
Parmesan
Easter eggs
Organic milk
Avocados

nowhere else sells such delicious reindeer steaks, and their frozen canapes are generally excellent

the rest of the time I shop at Waitrose or Sainsbury
but Lidl has the stuff I cannot buy anywhere else

the checkouts are fine : you just have to remember to take your green Waitrose Bags with you

Rousette of course a moment is fine. I was thinking of those long queues.
Have you ever been in the queue where someone has gone off for a forgotten item, to return (90 seconds) later? But you're thinking it was 5 minutes? Because your infant is about to loose the rag, and you're suspicious you just smelt a nappy?
Actually 'posh' supermarkets just don't do it for me for service. Fast with a smile is just fine.
BTW my local Lidl (offer to) take shopping to the car for older customers.

Totally agree Yesican. There is nothing more irritating than those that run off and get something with a huge queue waiting - 'tis selfish

In fact there's lots that people do in supermarkets that could annoy. Like watching your shopping go through like it isn't yours with an expression of "who put that in my trolley?" and make no attempt to get your purse out until it's all through, then faffing around and slowly packing it up and paying. People are strange!

Frickadellen, Senf and potato salad with dill and chives. My staple Saturday lunch meal.

Can't get any of that in Tesco et al.

I was amazed at my ever growing grocery bill.

Those supermarkets make an awful lot of money.

I hate being ripped off. I find LIDL and ALDI just fine.

I love Waitrose but it is overpriced. Sainsbury's and Tesco' have poor quality fruit an veg where I am and they too are overpriced.

I also pity the farmers who are squeezed by the supermarkets.

Our lidl is under two miles away and on a direct bus route. It is admittedly a lot nicer than a lot of othe Ludls i have been in.

We spend £30 a week there

I have a lot of herbs and spices in stock from other shops when i pass them or grow my own.

I have purple sprouting brocolli in my veg box.

Previously used sainsbury and tesco which are fine but overpriced for a lot of fresh ingredients/ things you need to cook from scratch.

I do my main shop at Aldi (5 mins walk away and next door to Farm Foods and opposite Morrison's) even though my DH works at Tesco and gets 10% discount there. I save a good £40 a week at least, by shopping in Aldi, and I'm used to the shopping "experience" there,now . (incidentally,my DS1 works in Aldi!)

I just do a small top-up shop in Tesco for a few items I can't get in Aldi.

Most of my colleagues ( teachers and TA's) shop in Aldi. There is not a Lidl close by but I would certainly give it a try if one opened. To be honest I hate shopping in huge supermarkets like Tesco and Morrisons,I find them overwhelming.

Aldi and Lidl do have bags they are under the conveyor belt. You pay 3p a bag I think - maybe it's 5p.
Or shock horror take your own bags