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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think I will save money by going to aldi??

258 replies

user1471556443 · 28/09/2018 22:18

A new aldi has opened near my work and I am really looking forward to shopping there and saving money on my weekly food shop.
I already have a lidl near my work but I just cannot bear going there as the queues are so long and also I don't find it to be much cheaper than tescos?
I normally spend about 250 pounds a month on groceries in tescos / sainsburys
To any one that shops in aldi, are the queues aa bad as lidl? In my lidl they only have about four tills open at a time, hence the queues? Is aldi the same?
Also what foods are good to buy from aldi and what should I avoid???

OP posts:
LARLARLAND · 29/09/2018 09:00

Oh and the organic eggs too. I also sometimes like the blue shelled eggs because they are so pretty when I eat them boiled.

Aridane · 29/09/2018 09:00

Come on guys, please explain the packing thing to me

flamingofridays · 29/09/2018 09:02

There is no bit at the end of the checkout in which to pack your shopping. You put your trolley there and as they scan it you put it in your trolley. You pay and then go to the packing area and pack at your own leisure.

Tinkobell · 29/09/2018 09:03

I feel anyone threw my shopping at me, I'd throw it back at them and have a slinging match! 😁

JacquesHammer · 29/09/2018 09:03

Come on guys, please explain the packing thing to me

You put the stuff back in your trolley once it has been scanned then move away to bag.

Or you do like us seasoned Aldi shoppers, put into sorted sections on the checkout belt and then pack into bags in your trolley.

bellinisurge · 29/09/2018 09:03

Packing thing is easy once you get the idea.
Belt. Scan. Back Into trolley. You take trolley away and pack.

mydogisthebest · 29/09/2018 09:03

I just don't get how so many posters say they save so much money. Me and DH alternate our shopping in Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda and Morrisons. We spend about £40 a week for the two of us.

We have shopped in Lidl and Aldi and it has never been cheaper for us. Plus we can't get everything we want so have to go to another supermarket. We both hate food shopping so that annoys us.

The main problem though is the veg. We are vegetarians so, obviously, eat loads and loads of veg. Aldi and Lidl don't seem to have the same choice as other supermarkets and Aldi's veg just doesn't last.

Last year I just needed mushrooms for a recipe. Aldi was the closest shop so we went there. After raking through just about every punnet of mushrooms (they didn't have loose ones) we chose the one that looked the best. To be honest they all looked pretty bad.

Got it home and opened it up and under the top layer just about all the mushrooms were slimy and mouldy. They were FIVE days within sell by date!

We have been buying mushrooms for years and that is the first time we have ever had slimy/mouldy mushrooms.

We have now moved over 150 miles away and a couple of weeks ago thought we would try the Aldi in our new area. Again not much choice of veg even though it is a large shop and most of looked awful. It wasn't really even any cheaper than the veg in Asda or Tesco

sunshinemantra · 29/09/2018 09:04

You don't pack at the till. The items are scanned in super fast and you put them as you catch them in the trolley. You then pack at the benches at the back of the store.

It takes a bit of getting used to, but it is highly efficient. And after a while of shopping there, I order my trolley to make the process easier. Heavy items to through first etc

BretonStripe · 29/09/2018 09:04

Use big blue IKEA bags. Pack quickly then sort a bit better when you get to the boot of your car if you want.

Things I go to Aldi for:

Chocolate
Sweets
Wine
Deluxe toilet roll
Jo Malone rip off candles, reed diffusers etc

Most of the stuff is fine, but I don't find fruit lasts more than about 24hrs so prefer to get in my local Sansbos (Aldi 20min drive).

Roomba · 29/09/2018 09:06

I think it does depend on the actual store too. I've never had an issue with Aldi's fruit and veg not lasting - it lasts far longer than the stuff I've bought in Asda which is often terrible here! My nearest store is always clean, tidy, well stocked, with friendly and helpful staff who quickly open and close extra tills if a queue starts to form.

The Aldi near my mother's house (100 miles away) is a much older store and is starting to look a bit tatty now tbh. They cram the veg on display in so tight it gets bashed and doesn't last long. They aren't as efficient at opening extra tills when needed and they do chuck your shopping at you much faster than my local store. A brand new store should be fine though, surely? They'll be keen to run things smoothly.

I've definitely bought free range chicken from Aldi too, their whole free range chickens are great and so much cheaper than elsewhere.

I don't work for Aldi, honest! Grin I think Lidl is similar - one store me is newly refurbished, has a bakery in store, clean and tidy, run well... The other store up the road is like going into Netto circa 1992 - pallets piled everywhere, dented tins and bashed veg, huge queues and staff who just shrug at you a lot when you ask for help.

MaisyPops · 29/09/2018 09:07

Come on guys, please explain the packing thing to me
You put items on the belt, it gets scanned and you put it into your trolley again.
It is quite quick but most staff scan quickly and you put it in the trolley as quick as you can (you don't mess on bagging it unless you're an Aldi pro and have managed to get the magic combination of bags ready to go, stacked on the belt properly and a shop assistant who scans properly in your order so doesn't reach over biscuits to scan frozen peas when thry get to the end)

Every now and then you get a checkout person who flings things or as it stacks up on the (tiny) shelf at the end will start shoving your stuff so it falls straight into your trolley with zero regard for the fact you've just bought eggs or soft fruit and so maybe using a bag of onions to throw the rest over a 1foot drop probably isn't a sensible thing

flamingofridays · 29/09/2018 09:07

I have to say the fruit and veg from ours lasts bloody ages.

Asdas however is bloody awful. Its always chewy :/

It definitely varies from store to store

79Fleur · 29/09/2018 09:08

We shop at Aldi ..sometimes Lidl although i prefer aldi...we buy our branded goods in bulk from Costco (pampers, cleaning products, washing liquid etc) you might save at Aldi if you step away from the middle isles of random specials...doesn’t everyone need a £300 cement mixer??
Joking aside We are semi rural and I have never had an issue with huge queues or veg that doesn’t last ..our cashiers still talk at the tills they don’t rush you and certainly don’t throw your produce at you. It would appear location makes a big difference to the experience.

Aridane · 29/09/2018 09:08

So you sort of end up packing twice - once in the trolley and the. In the packing area?

Aridane · 29/09/2018 09:09

And what’s the references to throwing stuff at you - is this an in joke?

flamingofridays · 29/09/2018 09:09

I wouldn't call it packing twice no...

flamingofridays · 29/09/2018 09:10

They scan it v fast so people have likened it to "being thrown at you" nobody actually throws anything.

Aridane · 29/09/2018 09:10

I am going to have to see where my nearest Aldi is and observe this phenomenon!

Aridane · 29/09/2018 09:11

Ah, I see - no throwing, just very fast scanning!

Whisky2014 · 29/09/2018 09:12

I like aldi. If the queues start getting ling they quickly open more checkouts. I also manage to pack as they scan and i dont think ive ever seen anyone use the side bar to repack. You can do it as they give you the stuff as long as you have your bags ready

Whisky2014 · 29/09/2018 09:14

It is quite quick but most staff scan quickly and you put it in the trolley as quick as you can (you don't mess on bagging it unless you're an Aldi pro

Fuck yeh im an aldi pro!

duchessofsussedsex · 29/09/2018 09:15

We don't have an Aldi nearby but I'd shop there if I could! I currently use Lidl and save loads

merlotmummy14 · 29/09/2018 09:17

Aldi are the best - I only buy meat from Aldi or Lidls as tastes much better. They also allow you to take your own fruit and veg bags in (saves on plastic). Things like tuna can be expensive but much cheaper for spaghetti, tinned veg etc.

Kidssendingmenuts · 29/09/2018 09:21

I like Aldi, but don't feel I save any money as you end up buying shit you don't need, also I find I need to do a top up shop elsewhere as they don't have everything I need. X

Fairylea · 29/09/2018 09:22

I really wish I could make the swap to Aldi but every time I’ve tried it the quality of the meat and veg just isn’t as good as Tesco (this may be specific to our local stores, I don’t know).

The Aldi meat always has more fat and gristle in it. I end up wasting lots of the chicken breasts trying to cut out the stringy fat and veins. I really don’t like it. The veg always goes off much more quickly than Tesco.

It’s a shame because I’d love to save the money but I always end up topping up at Tesco as nothing lasts as well as their stuff does.