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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask the best way to shop at Aldi?

90 replies

SoMuchPain · 20/02/2017 18:46

My local Aldi is a good 20 minute drive therefore that in itself is effort with a toddler. I did do well for a few weeks making Tues my Aldi day. But I do find my local Sainsbury's so much easier but literally it does cost me twice as much. Please tell me A) to get off my lazy arse and head back to aldi and B) please tell me the best way to shop there - especially how to handle the tills!

OP posts:
PuppyMonkey · 20/02/2017 20:36
  1. Enter store with trolley.
  2. Place two large IKEA bags open in trolley.
  3. Fill bag number one with items of your choice.
  4. Fill bag number two with items of your choice.
  5. Approach tills and choose your optimum checkout operative.
  6. Unload bag number one onto packing belt.
  7. Place large pack of quilts toilet roll on loading belt. An alternative item is acceptable as long as easily memorable.
  8. Unload bag number two onto belt.
  9. Greet till operator and place trolley in the designated checkout position.
10. Fill bag number one with scanned items as they are processed. 11. On reaching quilts toilet roll (or alternative memorable item), place on top of bag number one and then pack remainder of goods in bag two. 12. Pay and leave for car. 13. Place bag number one and two in boot. Warning - they may be heavy. 14. Go home. 15. Get DP to unpack everything and have a cup of tea. Grin
Mummysh0rtlegs · 20/02/2017 20:55

Our Aldi trolleys don't have a strap so my 17 month old has his reins on backwards to hold him in round the waist. Works a treat and makes life a lot easier.

girlelephant · 20/02/2017 21:25

Our Lidl is better than our local Aldi so prefer Lidl. We get most things there and then the branded stuff I can't live without (toiletries, toilet rolls etc) at Morissons.

My DH is an amazingly fast packer & as long as the bags for life are laid out in the trolley can pack that way. I'm slower so if alone would pop everything into the trolley & pack at the side.

Yes to the aisle of wonder Smile

Original poster
SoMuchPain · 20/02/2017 21:33

PuppyMonkey you star!!

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 20/02/2017 22:24

I don't have a 4x4 but I do hope I piss off people like wtffgs when I go :o

Redactio · 20/02/2017 22:37

Went to my local Aldi at Eight this evening, only three customers in there. Nice quick service and cheap as f**k.

glitterazi · 20/02/2017 23:08

Baseball glove to catch the items after scanning is recommended...

Grin

This is exactly one of the reasons I bloody love Aldi. Can't be doing with fannying abouters at the tills. impatient git
What you need to be doing is not packing everything into bags at the checkout. Just chuck everything into your trolley as they scan it through and then pay and then go to the shelves along the side to pack at your own pace. (Shelves/counters - can't think of the exact word but you know what I mean!)
Don't know where people are shopping to say there's no customer service. Ours are always lovely and helpful. Or maybe it's like any other supermarket and different branches in different places have good and not so good staff! Smile
Take a list of the stuff you want to get. (I recommend the smoked cheeses and the wine. Smile )

frazzled3ds · 20/02/2017 23:48

Second the wine recommendation! They do a bog standard red for £2.99 a bottle and it's great.... and if you're looking for something a bit more special they've some superb wines and at very reasonable prices. Given how much I save on the weekly shopping there I figure the occasional bottle is allowable ;) Wine

Sparklingbrook · 21/02/2017 06:55

It's all very well to say ignore the people saying the fruit and veg is awful but in my experience it is. Confused

contractor6 · 21/02/2017 07:05

Love Lidl, when heavily pregnant every let me to front of queue for my strawberry milkshake Grin. I sort on the belt and then have different bags for fridge/veg/cupboards/ isle of wonder goods. I also take toddler and she grins at everyone so no one can get too mad.
However that Lidl was full of old people and was mid week. Have yet to try it in our new area

Braceybracegirl · 21/02/2017 07:41

I go to Aldi every week throw everything into bags never been told not too. Didn't even know u weren't meant too. Have my huge bags ready and just throw it in quickly .

Eolian · 21/02/2017 07:53

I don't have a 4x4 but I do hope I piss off people like wtffgs when I go

Grin I do have a 4x4. I fail to see how I would get in anyone's way though. There is plenty of room in the car park. I don't drive my 4x4 up the aisles. Wasn't aware you needed to have an "I've been shopping in Aldi for 15 years" certificate to be allowed in. Nice inverted snobbery, wtffgs. Hmm

witsender · 21/02/2017 08:00

Quality has always been good at ours. Only takes about 20 mins to do a full shop too. I don't really shop there anymore but was always a fan. We do have a 4x4 though, but it is an old scruffy one. Grin

highlandholiday · 21/02/2017 08:11

I've never had any trouble with the quality or fruit or veg or anything else at ours.
Once had a flatbread go mouldy before its sell by date so took it back and was refunded. Same happened with the next one so read the packaging and saw it was supposed to be kept in fridge not cupboard Blush.
I visualise the layout and write a list in the order I get to the different areas.
Dash round and pack into big bags at the till.
Love the fact I can be in and out in under 30 minutes.
The slowness of the checkouts at normal supermarkets gives me the rage now

Frouby · 21/02/2017 08:14

Sparkling have you tried a different aldi? Do you have another one locally? We have 5 I think in our town.

I know at least 2 of them the fruit and veg doesn't seem to last as long ans doesn't have as good a selection. The one near me is completely different to the others quality wise.

The 2 I won't use are in run down areas. The one near me is on a new build housing estate in a naice area. We are tagged onto the bottom in a HA bit, definitely not posh but the area is a bit.

BarbaraofSeville · 21/02/2017 08:23

I've been shopping at Aldi regularly since at least 1995 (can remember going there from a flat we lived in before we bought then) and can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of times that I've had the odd bad bit of fruit or veg, which you would expect from any supermarket. It lasts well too and we sometimes take a week or two to use things up.

We have three Aldis locally, two in quite poor areas and one in an average area and I have visited several others all over the country and, apart from some of the newer ones are bigger, they all seem much of a muchness, quality wise, which is very good overall.

Original poster
SoMuchPain · 21/02/2017 08:31

That's the issue here my nearest is 6.5 miles away and after that I've been told of one that's 13 miles away that's better than the one that's 6.5. Sainsbury's is really really expensive but it's convenient. I've tried Morrisons & asda online. Asda is even further. Tesco is 2 miles away but it's huge and takes forever to get around.

OP posts:
Notso · 21/02/2017 08:47

It's all very well to say ignore the people saying the fruit and veg is awful but in my experience it is.

Mine too. I went to a brand new Aldi on opening day and some of the fruit and veg was manky.

SoupDragon · 21/02/2017 09:13

The fruit and veg is fine in mine too.

I don't think think I would travel to go to one. For me, convenience outweighs price. Mine is only a little further than my usual supermarket.

Original poster
SoMuchPain · 21/02/2017 09:16

I think I should order on-line from Tesco then. It's the travel which is an issue as it does take a whole morning with a little one. But I like the people who go in the evenings. Then I would do the 26 mile round trip! My DH doesn't get in from work til 7pm. Leaving at 7am. So I can't fit a lot in either side of the day at the moment! That won't change. In fact he sometimes leaves earlier and comes back later if traveling to different sites. So convenience is important as I'm usually exhusted after a day with the kids and little time to myself.

OP posts:
Notso · 21/02/2017 09:25

Mine is just round the corner from my house. I buy nappies, dishwasher tablets, moser roth chocolate and mascarpone (sp) all the other things people have recommended I try either are ready meal type foods we wouldn't usually eat or contain nut/peanut traces so are no good for allergic DC. In fact most of the stuff I picked up seems to, which kind of puts pay to my friends theory that everything of the same type eg biscuits are made in the same factory to the same recipe just with different packaging.

Notso · 21/02/2017 09:31

If you really want an Aldi shop could you'r DH do it on the way home from work? I used to email DH a list before decent online shopping was available here.

Notso · 21/02/2017 09:31

If you really want an Aldi shop could you'r DH do it on the way home from work? I used to email DH a list before decent online shopping was available here.

weeblueberry · 21/02/2017 09:34

My only issue with lidl is they don't have double child trolleys in my local and the single child ones don't have straps which my toddler is well aware of Angry

fuckingwall · 21/02/2017 09:35

I never understand these threads about struggling with Aldi tills. I shop at 3 different branches of Aldi (home and work) and I've never had a problem.

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