to think Aldi isn't that brillinat?

[ssd]

maybe I just haven't got into the hang of it yet, but I've been going for a while now, and whilst some of it is a lot cheaper than say asda, I just find some of their stuff not that great and I'm having to go to asda to buy it again

anyone else like that?

Totally worth it for things like blueberries. We go through so many a week. It's something like 69p for one punnet compared to £2.50 in Waitrose.

I shop 3 out of 4 weeks there then do an Asda shop for things like washing powder & softener as don't like Aldis. I stopped buying potatoes from them as they were always very badly bruised or rotten. Tbh I prefer Lidl but have to travel much further to shop there

I tried to like Aldi but literally could not get on with it- we came to the conclusion that it's like brands but not quite as nice and a bit cheaper. I prefer a bit more choice as we try to mix things up from week to week.

I tend to shop at Tesco for a big shop and pop into Lidl / M&S / local independent stores in between or the co op when being totally lazy!!

Partly wanted to share my view and partly place marking to see all of the outrage from the Aldi lovers which will no doubt appear!

It was me that said we travel a lot and all savings we make in all areas go towards that. I did not say that we pay for the trips purely from savings made (though I wish). I used to do 90% shop in M&S and 10% tescos. Now we do 90% Aldi and 10% M&S so quite significant savings to be made....

I've recently switched from Waitrose and there are only a handful of things that I or the DC prefer from Waitrose over the Aldi versions.

I can not get a whole shop from there though, even ignoring the things we prefer to be from Waitrose. Pet food (specific brand), low salt stock cubes, a specific flavour and brand of crisps for one child, a particular variety of soup they don't have a version of.

We didn't like their English muffins or the potato waffles and the DSs pr for the branded peperami. I don't like the scent of their laundry products so I'll be switching back to my usual one.
All the meat has been fine (the steak is amazing) and I've never had a problem with rotting fruit and veg at all.

I think most of the "don't likes" are simply down to personal preference. I'm working it a balance between what I by there and what I get from Waitrose. The main weekly shop has dropped by £15 though!

but the checkout lady was very abrupt with everyone

I love not having to make small talk with the check out staff. :o

I love aldi...Their fresh fruit veg and meat means I can affordably cook more from scratch.

Their chocolate and mince pies are amazing.

There must be storage temperature issues too as I have see people take back rotten meat in our local store. I used to buy ham until we got an odd smelling pack! The veg just looks dismal.

I find people's different experiences of Aldi fruit and veg really weird. It's hard to believe there can be such a difference between different branches, but I buy loads of fresh fruit and veg and find Aldi's just as good and long-lasting as anywhere else's in terms of quality (although admittedly they don't have as big a range as many).

I do all or almost all of my weekly shop there and pop next door to Booths for any bits I haven't managed to get in Aldi. It's made a huuuge difference to my shopping bill. I'm a bit baffled by people's brand loyalty though. With things like ketchup, cereal, peanut butter, ice cream, biscuits, crisps etc etc I rarely notice any difference between branded and non-branded. And on the rare occasion it is noticeable, non-branded is just as likely to be better (e.g. Aldi Jaffa Cakes). I bet half the time the stuff all comes from the same factories anyway.
I've always found the staff quite friendly and I get round in half the time because it's smaller because of the smaller range. Who the hell actually needs a choice of 60 different pasta sauces anyway?

I did notice the car park to my local Aldi had a lot of posher cars in it like audis and bmws even my daughter pointed that out. I've had food squashed due to how you are rushed through the checkout.

I think it is cheaper, they definitely work on lower margins that the main supermarkets (I work in a sector where I talk to their suppliers) so you get more for your money.

Agree that it's hard to do a weekly shop but we do a lot of dry goods from Aldi, washing up liquid, pasta, bog roll etc. Some of their stuff is really good, some average, I find the veg goes off too quickly and the range is too limited for me.

I love the changing bargain section, known in our house as the Aisles of Joy. I've got really decent saucepans and glasses from there.

The Lacura face cream is REALLY good (the one that looks a leeetle bit like another rather more expensive brand). The midget gems are tasteless. The frozen apple strudel is an excellent cheat dessert, if you are shit at cooking desserts, like me.

I think I spend too much time thinking about Aldi.

My student daughter shops there for basics but struggles to do a full shop due to quality, an example being they recently bought Aldi own brand coffee and said it was so bad none of the four of them would drink it. The sushi was apparently slimy and was binned, again no one could stomach it. Fruit and veg goes off too quickly so it costs them money as they need to re buy. They all shop for their basics there to save money, things like loo roll or toilet cleaner, but for most fresh food they go elsewhere, even though they are students and every penny counts. Bottom line if they are going to buy they would rather they could eat or drink it, rather than sitting thinking it tasted crap.

oh, the muffins are vile too.

I don't know why people say the fruit and veg at Aldi is rubbish. We never have an issue. Maybe it's because I don't buy it to last a whole week other than potatoes.

My dc get through a lot of fruit and veg so I always have to top up midweek no matter where I shop.

It's so much cheaper than any other supermarket. I don't do my whole shop there or at any shop. I always shop around anyway so it makes no difference to me in terms of time.

I love Aldi, can get everything I want there or I can compromise for something similar. Love the fact there is not 10 different types of ketchup or mayo or a million cereals! Ive found the quality of stuff better than asda, tesco and waitrose in most cases. And beats all on price. Just wish they'd deliver!

I'm an ALDI convert. The only bits I can't get from there are gluten free food. We have a Morrisons right opposite though so I can nip in and pick up GF stuff from there.

I never understand the "I'm going to ALDI, what shall I buy?" threads. Um, maybe food? Because it's a food shop?

YANBU - and some of the saving is from smaller pack sizes than Sainsburys so although it is still cheaper it's not that much cheaper - take frozen raspberries - £2 in Sainsburys £1.50 in Aldi, but the Aldi pack is 50g (about 15% lighter). Worth it obviously but not as 'worth it' as it initially looks.

WritingHome I think the all organic thing is US only. UK has some organic produce, meat etc but it's all labelled as such.

I love Aldi, have been shopping there for years now & have never had an issue with surly staff in any of the stores I go to. Produce is usually great & keeps well. I get some things for preference from Lidl too (esp crisps - whoever mentioned how poor Aldi's are, give Lidl's a try ) & a very few branded things elsewhere like Millicano coffee, Sensodyne toothpaste & Felix catfood (my cats are pickier than I am)

I can do most of my shop there but will still get the odd bits from asda or iceland (who now deliver and can order online). The fruit in ours does go off quickly, get foosty as its just chucked around.

Our local Aldi is selling more and more 'artisan' stuff. This worries me a bit. I liked cheap and cheerful. I have noticed that there are a lot more 'waxed jacket, home counties, range rover' types in there than there used to be.

mutantninja yes yes yes about the midget gems, I eat them every Monday and have tried all the brands. Aldi were rubbish. Cool Trader have the best ones and the black are liquorice!

I shop either Tesco or Aldi. My shopping bill is always at least £10 cheaper at Tesco. I do buy many items from the cheaper ranges, but I'm having to go by price for the time being so Tesco gets my vote over Aldi.

Incidentally the big supermarkets have all over time reduced their prices to match Aldi & Lidl as far as they can, which is partly why the savings are less now than they used to be, but for the same price Aldi/Lidl's quality is genuinely better.

I don't really go to Aldi but Lidl I love! I've just a full shop there for £70 which would have cost me nearer £100 in Tesco. The only think I didn't like was the speed I had to put everything on the conveyor belt and then rebag it. They don't cut you any slack there!

I love ALDI. I can do a full shop with extra treats thrown in for about £50 and the same would cost me at least £90 in Morrisons, which is the other closest supermarket.

Ours is great, you can get pesto, risotto rice, loads of different oils, continental meats, olives etc for dirt cheap compared to everywhere else. They have also started doing almond milk which I'm really pleased about! When I first started shopping there a few years ago I found their fruit and veg didn't last long but now it's excellent. They also didn't stock things like coconut milk and now the range is massive and I can get everything I need.

My favourite thing is the pesto and pine nut pasta, which is way nicer than the versions I've tried from Morrisons, co-op and Sainsbury's. Also those sweet peppers stuffed with cream cheese

Also the special range pizzas from the fresh section are very good.