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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think Aldi isn't that brillinat?

190 replies

ssd · 27/02/2017 15:49

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?

OP posts:
Crowdblundering · 27/02/2017 18:30

Lidl

WhoKn0wsWhereTheTimeG0es · 27/02/2017 18:31

It's not brand loyalty that's the problem, it's quality. Things I won't buy there again because they have tasted so poor compared to normal brands include:

Cereals
Crisps
Olives
Cheddar cheese
Cream cheese
Ketchup
Butter
Peanut butter
Various bread products
Mayonnaise

Their frozen pizzas were the worst I've ever tasted.

empirerecordsrocked · 27/02/2017 18:31

I used to go for a nose when I was on mat leave but always had to go somewhere else to get other things. Now back ft at work I'm back to Tesco delivery.

Ellapaella · 27/02/2017 18:36

I don't find my weekly shop at Aldi much cheaper than my weekly shop at Tesco. The only thing that seems to be better value is the wine. I only seem to save about £15 at the most on an equivalent Aldi shop and to be honest the hassle of finding a token for the trolley and then having everything quite literally thrown at you at the checkout at super speed is not worth that extra £10, especially when I have further to drive to Aldi. I am always a bit baffled by people who say they save a fortune shopping in Aldi, I have really never saved a significant amount. The quality of the meat and fruit and vegetables is good but no better than most supermarkets imo.

Iamastonished · 27/02/2017 18:37

"I do our entire shop in Aldi. Granted we don't eat anything really exotic but I don't see what you couldn't get there?"

I think you answered your question with your first statement. We eat an extremely varied diet DD is veggie, almost vegan, and Aldi doesn't sell tofu, seitan, tinned jackfruit, sun dried tomatoes, various spices and Asian sauces and a host of other foods that we eat. I also don't like their veg as it doesn't keep very well. I won't buy their meat as I buy from our local butcher and I know the provenance of it.

However, I do buy extra virgin olive oil, booze, snacks, gravlax, breaded cheese and other continental bits and pieces.

LowDudgeon · 27/02/2017 18:49

I'm shocked at how many people are so upset by the checkout experience. Here both Aldi & Lidl now have red/green indicators, & as soon as a queue starts to build a new checkout gets opened, green light comes on, & "store assistant to checkout x, please" is tannoyed (they seem to use the same voice which is a bit spooky)

& the speed is perfectly manageable as long as you don't try to pack as you go

If you do insist on trying to do that then the rest of us are better off without you 😊

I find eg Sainsburys & Tesco actually take much longer to get through - they're not as efficient at opening new checkouts, & all the chatting & the slow pace of packing is infuriating!

Crinkle77 · 27/02/2017 18:55

I don't find it that cheap as I already buy a lot of supermarket own brand and even value stuff. Some things are a bit cheaper in there but then there are other stuff that I buy in the supermarket that are cheaper.

mutantninja · 27/02/2017 18:58

I think the Aldi ketchup is much nicer than others, it's spicy.

citybushisland · 27/02/2017 19:06

We switched from Sainbury's to Aldi, it took a while to get used to it but now everything in my weekly shop comes from Aldi, my weekly shopping bill has dropped by over £40 a week, that's over £2000 a year! That said, I meal plan and if it's not on the list it doesn't go in the trolley. That 2k saving is giving us our first foreign holiday in 11 years this summer.

Original poster
ssd · 27/02/2017 19:07

I was in a busy aldi today and when they queues started to build up they immediately opened 2 checkouts, brilliant service, and the staff are always friendly and very efficient

I think the problem with me is that I've just came into aldi too late, my kids are teens and they like what they like, mostly brand like kellogs, heinz etc, nothing luxury, but they just dont like a lot of the aldi stuff thats similar but different taste wise

OP posts:
LittleLionMansMummy · 27/02/2017 19:09

Aldi nappies are brilliant and less than half the price of Pampers. I was really dubious of trying them at first but I've saved myself an absolute fortune. It's worth the trip to Aldi just for nappies.

Original poster
ssd · 27/02/2017 19:12

citybushisland, thats brilliant

OP posts:
TheWeeBabySeamus1 · 27/02/2017 19:13

LittleLionMansMummy
You can have Aldi nappies delivered through their website. I do that as I don't drive and nappies are the only thing I buy regularly from Aldi.

TheNaze73 · 27/02/2017 19:13

You are so right whokn0ws, their frozen pizza's are rank.

Want2bSupermum · 27/02/2017 19:17

When we are in Denmark we shop at Lidl and there are a couple of things that are cheaper but I can't do a whole shop and the discount isn't big enough to make up for the lower quality.

Aldi fruit and veg has been terrible for me. I once bought some things here at Trader Joes (expensive/up-market Aldi in America) and drove straight home. The strawberries had developed a thin layer of fur in the time from the check out to my home. It was only 20mins. After that I said NEVER again. DH was laughing and told the meat buyer he speaks with daily who said the same had happened to them!

SoupDragon · 27/02/2017 19:20

The fruit and vegetables are often rotting on the shelves, even when it's just been put out, and because of the stupid labeling system they have it's quite tricky to tell when the best before dates are anyway.

I've used vegetables I bought last week to cook dinner today. They were perfectly fresh.

I don't get what is so difficult about "best before 26 Feb" though, which is what my packet of tomatoes said. The other packaged veg said similar.

TheFairyCaravan · 27/02/2017 19:29

We buy the steak from Aldi quite regularly. We've never had a watery, fatty or tasteless bit. The last couple of years we've had our turkey from there at Christmas, it's been as good as anywhere else.

We don't buy frozen pizzas, but the fresh ones have been great. I've bought the fish fingers, my kids both said they could tell they weren't Birds Eye but there was nothing wrong with them. I had some the other week and tbh there was nothing wrong with them.

I buy the frozen berries to have with Greek yoghurt and they're great.

We don't have scrums at the checkout either, nor does the food get chucked at us. The people working them are perfectly polite.

I bought some cut flowers in there on 12th February. They're still going strong.

It seems it's the luck of the draw with your store.

Flanderspigeonmurderer · 27/02/2017 19:29

I've tried aldi but I still prefer Lidl, I just think it has more choice. The cereal at aldi wasn't great but I do like the fresh pizzas better and they sell Yorkshire tea bags.

Booshbeesh · 27/02/2017 19:33

I hate aldi with a passion. The food is fine. The staff are fine. But fuk me it just does not make any sense. U walk in to magazines an flowers followed by bread and cakes and cereal then some pasta sauce thrown and for good measure one fridge. Walkon abot u get to fruit and veg the oh my god bak to fukin cakes and brioche! WTAF. no that isnt how.its done. Toiletries with dog biscuits!!!! WHAT IS THIS?!?!!? MEAT WITH BUTTER AND YOGURTS WITH FUCKING BACON..NO!!! it just doesnt make sense to me and i get very angry and have to walk out.

Original poster
ssd · 27/02/2017 19:39

and breathe boosh

OP posts:
WritingHome · 27/02/2017 19:43

wow! Just wow. This thread is incredible. How can people get so worked up about these things? It's just another supermarket.

DJKKSlider · 27/02/2017 19:46

#Tescoscanandshopforlife

I love tesco, I find their own brands to be better in the whole than Aldi and Lidl and cost much the same when compared g for g.
In dislike aldi but don't mind our local Lidl for a few minor things.

I domfind that is not as much cheaper as people believe when you look at own brand vs own brand and G for G.
Eg: Fruit bread. 85p in tesco 75p in Lidl. But the Lidl one is smaller. Over the course of a month, buying 1 a week, to get the same amount of fruit you have to buy 5 at Lidl compared to 4 at tesco (this is a rough example)
Its the same with a loaf of bread. Tesco own 50p a loaf. Lidl own 42p but you get 8 sarnies from tesco and only 6 from Lidl if you needed 16 you'd need to buy 3 from Lidl, 2 from tesco. (Again its only a rough example based on my experiences.)

(Can you tell I literally have nothing better to do with my life?)

Fluffy24 · 27/02/2017 19:47

I agree, they are routinely cheaper and there are a few gems but I find their chorizo a bit greasy, and on Saturday I saw a member of staff replenishing pears by tipping one box into the other, at height, they must have ended up very bruised. Hmm

I couldn't do a weekly shop there, there'd be something I couldn't get. I've stuck to Tesco but stock up when things are on offer etc so not sure I pay that much more.

yorkshirepuddingandroastbeef · 27/02/2017 19:48

Op, if you said you normally shopped at Waitrose then I could understand but ASDA? Really? Our local ASDA has the worst hygiene rating of all the supermarkets in the town (about six I think).

shaggedthruahedgebackwards · 27/02/2017 19:48

I would far rather shop in Aldi than Asda (assuming both are conveniently located) but it's horses for courses

I find the quality of basic raw ingredients (fruit, veg, meat, fish etc) is good and definitely cheaper than any of the other supermarkets

My favourite thing is the speed though. Due to the smaller shop size & check out system I can be in & out in less than half the time a similar shop would take elsewhere