Aldi - I just don't get it and no one agrees with me

[user7654321]

All of my friends, family etc don't have a bad work to say about Aldi and say they do the majority of there shopping there for both cost saving and better quality produce.

My DH and I feel we are missing something, as based on the all recommendations, we have tried Aldi 5 or 6 times in the past 6 months or so, and have found the products not to taste as good as the well-known brands. The fruit/veg doesn't stay fresh for long etc, and we have wasted so much food that we have tried but preferred the branded version (e.g. cereal, jars of sauces). We have tried hundreds of Aldi products, but I'd say only a handful are as good as the branded version or even a mainstream supermarket's own brand. Even their nappies, which are reviewed as amazing gave my poor DS terrible nappy rash.

So, AIBU to say i actually don't think Aldi products are the same or better quality than other brands? I understand they are cheaper but the impression I get from others is that its not cost that's the driving factor for them shopping at Aldi - its there amazing quality. Why don't I feel the same? My DH and I are so confused about this that we've even done 'blind tests' on some products and the Aldi one has always been identified as the 'fake'

“I've found that a lot of older people dislike Aldi and Lidl because of the whole shopping experience. They don't see many staff within the shop so are unable to ask where things are, they want to chat at the tills“

Well, as a qualified “older person” I am quite capable of shopping without asking where things are, and very rarely, if ever, want to chat at the tills...........

YANBU, when I first shopped there about 5 years ago I thought it was great. Slowly over the years the quality has massively declined, so I’ve gone back to Tesco.

How strange, I actually thought it was awful about 5 years ago and prefer it now!

I find a combination of Tescos and Asda works fine for me. For the same reasons mentioned above I am not a fan of Aldi whatsoever. Fruit and vegetables off in five minutes, limited choice of foods and the flavour and quality just isn't up to par.

I went for the first time the other day in a brand new purpose built shop . It was grim !! Everything is stacked strangely and it's all weird brands . I am no food snob , I also get my shop from Tesco but I was passing and needed fruit . I did not get it !!

Tesco is okay when it has deals on and they fluctuate their prices too much I find. It's cheap one weeks dn ridiculously priced the next.

week end

I'm the same. It's a stressful environment in there! I can't pack my bags that quickly!! The veg has a terrible shelf life.
I only go in for their fake Jo Malone Diffusers and good booze selection.
I like doing the self scan at Tesco so I can pack as I go.

We don’t like Aldi food either.

I've been to ours twice to give it 'a try'. It's untidy, can't find anything and just looks and feels grotty.
Haven't been back and stick to our spotlessly clean ASDA where I can do a very good, inexpensive weekly family shop for under £40 including nice fruit and veg, a decent well priced free range chicken for Sunday lunch and very tender pork chops from their butchers counter.
I'm in no hurry to rush back to ALDI.

I do think there’s a lot of complicated psychology involved in shopping. I don’t shop at my local Asda because it is always full of people that are obviously struggling financially, and I feel incredibly guilty if I queue up with anything remotely non-basic in my trolley. I’m sure people don’t even notice, but it makes me feel bad. At the other end of the scale I can’t stand Waitrose because of all the other middle class shoppers buying Maldon salt and that water in blue glass bottles and because it considers balsamic vinegar an “Essential”......

I don’t shop at my local Asda because it is always full of people that are obviously struggling financially.

I don't think you can make such a sweeping generalisation. Have you personally seen their bank balance bert? How do you know the people in Waitrose aren't up to their eyeballs in debt and that the people in Asda are there because they don't have more money than sense?? It can actually be a choice to shop somewhere and not because you have to.

“It can actually be a choice to shop somewhere and not because you have to“

Yes, of course. I did talk about “complicated psychology”! But our Asda is in an area of significant social deprivation, so it’s a pretty safe bet that most of the shoppers are not there so they'll have a bit more spending money during their summer in Tuscany.

Yes I agree even Lidl I find it hard to actually get things in there. It’s great for nuts & wine that’s about it. Tesco has the freshest bread ever & I prefer the branded porridge and their toilet is the cheapest. Tesco all the way for me though I always buy local for fruit & meat so it’s just the add ons

But our Asda is in an area of significant social deprivation, so it’s a pretty safe bet that most of the shoppers are not there so they'll have a bit more spending money during their summer in Tuscany

Are you likening Asdas to being in poversty stricken area? Our local Asda is actually Ina private 'nice' area. Also actually that's where you're wrong, me and DH did actually do that when we trying to get extra saving money together for Australia!! So maybe you need to spend less time stereotyping Bert and more time being a decent human being!

poverty

/s*

I can't stand for Katie Hopkins attitude of bringing class into everything...it's ignorance at its worst.

the

“Are you likening Asdas to being in poversty stricken area?”

No. But my nearest one is.

I find the asda stuff ok. Not the best in the world but I usually shop in asda or Morrisons depending on financial constraints At the time.

There's a bit more if a happy medium of it being cheaper but Good enough to not feel you have sacrificed too much.

I'll go as far as to say Aldi stuff and Lidl stuff has now become practically inedible . Even the kids have started barely eating stuff at my parents house and I'm reaching the point where I'm really struggling to force it down and I eat practically anything . And with kids you can pretty much feed then any cheap immitation stuff quite happily.

Course now we are considered fussy. They seem.blissfulky unaware if gritty mince and the dry meatballs with the gristle. Akd the weirdest sausages that shrink to like a third of the size and taste of cheap dried mix herbs.

Don't even get me started on the horror that is the gravy granules.

I actually think it's disgusting. Sone people are shopping there as They are skint and want to eat reasonably healthily. The products should be up to a certain standard still. They deserve a clean shop that is well stocked and not to have to rummage through mouldy veg in the hope of finding a fresh one. Now the prices are less competative the quality should reflect that but it's become a victim of its own success now and it's appalling in there.

Aldi and Lidl stuff inedible? What a bizarre thing to say! Have you tried the free range chicken? The fish? The cold meat and the cheese? The ice cream? The Cava?

Waitrose is the only supermarket that has a decent policy and targets on antibiotic use in animal husbandry - link here

It's issues like that which make me prefer to shop there, and nothing to do with having "more money than sense".

Naaa Aldi is shite. I honestly don’t understand why anyone would sub a good product for Aldi

It's better for certain things. I aways get nappies and wet wipes from there and dd has barely ever had nappy rash or leaked. We got most of our Christmas and boxing day food from there, it tasted great and cost us £40. I don't do the weekly shop there though because I need longer use by dates.