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 get the impression from here that branches of aldi are very variable. Our town has two - since the outskirts one opened the central one is uncrowded and excellent. I can park for 90 mins, do all my other errands on foot in the town and then the shopping. No loyalty cards, endless rearrangements and the quick checkout puts off the dickheads who are surprised that you need to pay for shopping. Staff pleasant without jabber, fine with me.

Food is excellent. But then I shop by season and don't expect fresh stuff to last a week. Their tinned and frozen stuff is better than the loyalty card places and cheaper.

The town lidl is pricey and lacks stock. Gave up after two trips.

I shop daily, so find Aldi is great.

Fruit & veg don't have to "ripen in the bowl", and because I don't have any specific ideas about what I want to eat, I'm not disappointed if/when they don't have it.

However, if I had a weekly shopping list, I think I would find it a lot tougher. I'm not sure the fresh stuff would last a week, and it's not always possible to get specific food/ingredients

It's OK for the odd time. But certainly would do my main shopping there very often. I certainly don't think Aldi is amazing. It's quite a boring shop IMHO. And I don't particularly enjoy rummaging through tat.

I dont like Aldi but I love Lidl. Try to work that one out. I cant.

I don't buy fruit and veg from there as get a veg box but love it for chocolate, dairy products, wine and sauces/tins of things. It's just so much cheaper than sainsbo/Tesco. I'm always so surprised when I go and see how much it is.

A £90 shop at Aldi takes some doing, surely?!

I like ours, the fruit and veg lasts way longer than the other supermarkets locally and the meat and fish are fresher too. I wouldn't buy everything from there but bread, pasta, fruit, veg, meat, fish, cheese, yogurts, nappies, wipes, toilet roll and stuff for baking are all good and seem to average a third less than elsewhere at least.

I’ve managed a £110 shop in Aldi! Lots of gin and steak though

I agree with you OP, I fucking hate Aldi, every time I've been in there, they never have what I specifically went in for.

I hate the damned place and I don't think it's cheaper, everything is just in small sizes.

I totally agree with you OP. An Aldi opened up in our town a couple of years ago and has almost put many local food retailers out of business as well as creating a huge litter problem. I've tried it many times and have been unimpressed by everything.

Yabu

I much prefer it to 'regular' supermarkets. Half the price, and tastes as good to me. Fruit and veg lasts long enough (and certainly as long as sainsburys)

Urgh my mum is always going on about how she buys everything incredibly cheap at Aldi, especially if she spies anything I have dared to splash out on from Sainsbury's or similar

She is not remotely short of cash, it's just smuggery / reverse snobbery.

I have tried it and I like a trip to Aldi or Lidl to check them out and I like a few of the interesting things like the chocolate. But as a PP said I can't do a full shop there, I always have to get the rest elsewhere.

Also, I'm v glad cheaper food is there for people who need it, but if you don't, I don't think being smug about the cheapness of your food is that great tbh. We should spend more on quality food if we can.

I think it's gone down hill in past year or so, I no longer buy fruit and veg there, still get some deli products and wine sometimes but rarely go now and I used to be a regular.

Their vegan coconut cream ice cream is heaven, as are their gin and tonic ice lollies!

I actually find Tesco’s fruit and veg doesn’t last very long. Aldi’s are much better, and fruit is larger and tastes better too. Maybe it depends on the individual suppliers of each store? I work at Tesco, and I only shop there occasionally because of my staff discount. Aldi wins for most things except cakes and their lack of selection.

Cheapest free range chicken anywhere.

IME it only works if you're willing to shop "German style". Germans IME think nothing of visiting 2 or even 3 different supermarkets to complete their weekly shop, the concept of expecting to get everything you need in one place is quite alien to them. I find this utterly baffling because everything here is closed on a Sunday and who the fuck wants to spend their entire Saturday traipsing around various supermarkets which are all rammed with a third of the local population before they head to the next? It's awful. I hate grocery shopping here but you can't do it online either so off we go. Sigh.

I agree with the nappies, tescos own brand of nappies are fab!

We've been happy with the veg - it's one of the few places that sells proper sized jacket potatoes - and the fruit, though the more expensive apples tend to be not much cheaper than other supermarkets. We've also been very impressed by cold meats, cheese and the more upmarket biscuits and chocolate .

We were not impressed by the free range chicken at all, but that's the only thing I wouldn't buy again.

Good of you to post this OP, my local Aldi is far too sodding busy these days so could do with a few of you lot keeping well away.

Just opening a bottle of their Limestone Coast Chardonnay now. Terrible stuff, don't go anywhere near it anyone ok?

Not impressed by them earlier- Potatoes were unbelievably cheap there and no real difference to sainsbury's though so worth popping in to get them if passing IMO. Didn't like the salami, beef or chicken breasts.

I only really shop at Aldi and Lidl unless I specifically need store cupboard ingredient type things (stock, herbs etc). Once I got over the snobbery I prefer lots of the stuff to Tesco’s. Aldi’s make up and skincare range is amazing too.

See my name.

We used to live where there was an Aldi almost opposite Waitrose (suburban industrial park sort of area) and even my Dad, who LOVED Aldi (he's very tight) quietly migrated over to Waitrose. He feels that Waitrose is aggressively price-matching Aldi, which might be part of it (did I mention he's tight?) but also feels that the Waitrose "basic" veg (cauliflower, cabbages, potatoes, carrots) are the same price as Aldi but much better and last a lot longer, Aldi meat is dreadful, Waitrose are undercutting Aldi for his old man beer (Hobgoblin?), and all in all he can come out of Waitrose paying only a very little more per item on average and it will last longer AND he gets a free cup of tea and a more relaxed supermarket. And he can have a hot breakfast in the cafe if he wants.

He was very hot on Aldi for years, to the point that he would drone on and one about the cost per wash of various cleaning products from them, but he's Waitrose all the way now.

We don't have an Aldi (or any other useful supermarket really) anywhere near us right now, so I can't compare for myself.