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 don't get it either!

Aldi (and Lidl) quality is far superior to the likes of Asda and Tesco IMHO and they dont rip you off with their prices

YABVVU to have wasted a lot of food just because you prefers 'branded' products. I wouldn't waste food for that. I'll just stick to what I prefer next time.

For me I prefer Ocado and my weekly shopping for 2 adults and 3 young kids is around 50-60quids + 10-15quids of fruit and veg which I get from a local guy.

I think it's great for dried goods - rice, pasta, things like coffee and tinned tomatoes etc. The free range chickens are great and an absolute bargain compared to the equivalent in Sainsburys. The wine is good. But I only ever stock up on those things - I couldn't do my main shop there.

I haven't rtft. Because I know it will be full.of the same comments.

'I shop at aldi and save £300 per week so yabu'

'I shopped at aldi and the meat was crawling with maggots and the fruit rotting by the time I got home'.

The truth is it will depend on the demographic of your local aldi and what you buy.

I am lucky that our aldi is in the middle of a naice estate. I cook from scratch most days. I can top up at a local tesco/wilko for some branded stuff. I can save about £40 per week on basic groceries for a family of 4.

Someone who relies on freezer food/ready meals will notice a difference. Someone who has a local aldi that isn't well run and managed and busy will notice a difference.

I like aldi. We do well and I like their ethical principles.

I go to Aldi twice a week, but only buy food for 24 hours. This means that short sell produce doesn’t bother me. I like their luxury ready meals, and meat (fillet steak, eh?).

The wine is amazing. Worth the trip for this alone.

our Aldi is great and they had some fab stuff in before Christmas. We get pretty much everything there except coffee (theirs is horrible) and thinks like puy lentils and canellini beans, which they don't stock.
My "big" shop today came to £52 for 4 adults - will just need to top up bread, milk , fruit during the week. The one I really dislike is Tesco. Bloody hate shopping there so rarely do it.

I love Aldi. Ok I can't get everything I want there but the prices are great, the meat and veg are good quality, I know I'll be in and out in minutes rather than hours (most supermarkets are just too big!) And it's just around the corner from me - what's not to like?

Sounds like I need to move somewhere with a great Aldi, and clear the shelves.

But it needs to have a self checkout or self scan ideally.

I prefer Lidl.

Maybe because we have a Lidl within walking distance.

My dad likes to clear their wine stocks periodically. He rates their Burgundy and Cab.

The shop itself is hell on earth. Chaotic, bit grubby, feels weird.

My ds had one very near last year, for his first year of uni.

After about a month, he has refused to shop there. He says the fresh produce goes off so quickly and the general quality is poor.

Definitely depends on the store. A couple of people on this thread have said about Morrisons. My local one is lovely, the one in the next town is shocking. I do prefer Lidl usually to Aldi

It's because you're about 10 years too late. It used to have a small fantastic range of produce at amazing prices. Quality has dropped, prices have increased and the aisles are full of aimless wanderers.

The range of produce is huge compared to how it used to be, and that costs.

Sparkling you won't need a self scan at a good aldi. I queued at M and S (2 dine in for a tenner week) for longer this morning than I would have at adli.

I honestly prefer ours to my local Tesco extra and not just because of cost. The aldi where we used to live was awful. Fruit and veg never lasted, short dated fresh stuff, poor looking fresh meat. But the local one where I am has just had a makeover despite being a newish store. It's not that dissimilar to walking around the brand new M and S food hall we have.

Supermarkets do more branded stuff and more unusual ingredients like some harissa paste I wanted. But I can get most of what I need for cheaper at aldi.

But I wouldn't shop there if my local was like my old local one.

Morrisons are quite competitive, I also like Lidl. The trouble with the fruit and vegetables is that you usually have to buy in bulk so you end up with say more carrots than you need when there are only two of you.

The meat I bought there recently all had to be thrown out before the use by dates.

I’ve not read the whole thread but I mainly have to disagree. Those saying the fruit and veg doesn’t last as long as other supermarkets, I’m not sure how. We’ve had lettuce in our fridge for weeks now and it’s still fine. I don’t find it of better quality, just no worse. Supermarket meat is all generally crap anyway. They do a very tasty reduced fat sausage though.

I shop there because it’s less fuss than other shops. I know where everything is, there’s no faffing at the tills, I can scoop everything into a massive ikea bag and I’m done. The cashiers are fast and efficient. And it’s generally £30ish cheaper than asda. But I’m not a brand snob, so tins, cereal would be basic stuff anyway it’s nearly always made in the same factory anyway but people feel that if they pay a bit more it’s going to be better

I like the Self Scan because it all goes in the trolley just once and doesn't come out again til you get to the car though Frouby, and I can pack it all neatly as I go knowing it's not all coming out to go on the conveyor to get manhandled by another person, then me again.

I don’t get it either. People go on about it being cheaper but it isn’t cheaper than Tesco own brand for example. They never seem to have stuff I’m looking for and it’s not a pleasant shopping experience with the queues and the rush and the misleading prices.

I love a bit of Aldi, just never get to go as often as I like cos it's not that close. Never had a problem with anything there myself and their nappies were great for my DS when we got the newborn size for him. We've had pizza's, lasagnes, steaks etc from there which were all delicious. If it was closer to me or delivered I'd 100% do most my shopping there. But that's just me, fair enough if it's not for yoy

Our nearest Aldi is bizarrely placed on a retail park with only 2 other shops. DFS, Aldi and Homebase. All your shopping needs catered for in one visit.

I think it can really depend on the store as others have said. The Aldi I go to is great, really clean, lots of fresh food items, all the specially selected range and well stocked. Yet there's another barely a mile away that's an absolute hole and doesn't stock lots of the items my usual one has.

Re the fruit and veg I find the super 6 or whatever it's called goes off quite quickly so I'm fussy about what I'll buy and aim to use it within a day or two. The rest though doesn't go off any quicker than Tesco, Dunnes, SuperValu etc (I'm in Ireland). Their tinned items like kidney beans, chickpeas etc are cheaper than in other supermarkets. Love their specially selected fish cakes and some of their other fresh fish products, the frozen fish I've tried has been nice too (I recommend the chilli and lime gougons!). Bagged salad leaves and other salad veg are easily as good quality as elsewhere but cheaper. Deli type stuff like olives, hummus, stuffed peppers, pesto have all been good too.

I wouldn't get my full grocery shop there as there are some brands we just prefer but I'm quite surprised anyone would find so little in it that they like tbh.

I've never converted to Aldi/Lidl either... Tried it a few times but there's a massive Asda right next to where I work where I can buy everything I like and it's not expensive.

I usually buy the Asda own brand stuff.

I agree. I don't get the hype.

I am an Aldi convert having always shopped in Sainsburys and Tesco. I shop there for the price not the quality but then I used to buy a lot of Sainsbury basics stuff before Aldi arrived in our town so I guess it depends what you are used to. I did a price comparison of all our regular buys every single thing was cheaper than sainsburys. Some of them were a couple of pence cheaper some a lot cheaper.

I find the fruit and veg to be fine and last just as long as other shops. There are literally a handful of things I want that I can't buy there so every now and then I do a little Sainsburys run.eg sainsburys own brand no added sugar squash and fizzy drinks are the only ones I have seen without Aspartame.

If you're snobby about wanting particular brands then Aldi probably isn't for you and you can afford to shop elsewhere. I never buy brands as I can't afford it / don't think they taste enough better to justify the price.