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

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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???

Have just checked - there isn’t one close enough for me to shop at

I like Aldi and definitely save money there. I have had no issues with the fruit or vegetable although I only buy unwrapped fruit and veg there (and they don't tend to have much which isn't drowned in plastic) or fruit and veg which is always sold in plastic like strawberries, bagged spinach etc. They use way too much plastic. You do have to watch the sell by dates on some stuff though. Juice, chocolate, Greek yoghurt, cheese and tinned goods are where we probably make our biggest savings.

Yes, the queues are shorter in Aldi. But I'd much rather shop in Lidl, although it's out of my way, I like the food much better. I don't like most Aldi products at all, even basic stuff like bread, bacon, ham taste weird. Any deserts I bought have ended up in the bin, so never again. Fresh meat and some veg is OK.

I'm a quick packer - you could always take an Ikea type bag if you are in the car.

Both are great. Lidl bakery is great. We don't buy desserts often but Lidl frozen "posh" ones re pretty OK.

I’m more of a Lidl fan.

Ordinarily I send about the same weekly as I do at Tesco, but I have more for my money!

I can afford booze, a bit of smoked salmon, a variety of cheeses, a couple of stashed bits for Xmas - as well as the stuff we need. And for that, it’s worth the slightly further drive IMO

I do still do a shop in a big supermarket every now and then to top up branded items or stuff I’m fussy about though.

I like their fruit and veg,seeded bread,fish cakes(salmon with watercress sauce inside is our favorite.),pizzas,olives humus etc.,tinned stuff,mayo,toilet roll/laundry stuff,wine.
They do a nice range of vegetarian pies/snack things especially at Christmas.I also buy frozen tuna/salmon and whitebait.
I do top up at other shops but Also have some thing other shops don't have too.
And the middle isle!!
Lot's of TV programs demonstrate that for most things people don't really know the difference between branded and budget in blind tasting.

Aldi is great but very similar to Lidl. If you shop regularly at different times, you learn what times to avoid.
Aldi print barcodes on their products in 3 or 4 places (rather than the standard 1) so the cashiers can scan quickly.

I tend not to go as the show are not on my route home.

My money saving trick is having frozen veg like onions, mushrooms, semi Fredo? leeks etc handy in freezer and adding them to casseroles etc rather than fresh stuff going off as there are only 2 of us now

I don't think anybody can really tell you because it depends on your local shop.

My closest Aldi is new and clean and spacious, excellent range and quality of fruit and veg and the layout is really good.

The Aldi in the next town is older and dark it feels quite dirty and the fruit and veg isn't great.

Same with lidl.

You just need to try it and see what you think, I manage fine with the packing even when my DC are with me and I'm someone who gets flustered quite easily.

Shops

I honestly don't find Aldi any cheaper than other supermarkets.. certainly not cheaper than Asda! They also don't stock a lot of vegetarian options.

I was shocked at how much less my weekly bill was at aldi compared to Morrison's.
Love their local high welfare standard and free range chicken and meats. They have a good deli section, free range eggs, and the bread is lovely too..
My teen Kids eat a lot of fruit and they have a good selection (cotton candy grapes are lovely😀)
Check out is easy just put stuff on belt in order, open up your big bags in trolley and go for it. If they are busy you might not keep up but the packing area is fine to finish off at. If they are quieter they dont go so fast. And the minute a queue builds up they open another till.

Still get the odd thing elsewhere that we cant get in aldi but if i need to do a quick top up as i am passing another supermarket i am shocked at how much one bag full costs compared to aldi x 2 bags.

And the staff are always lovely and chatty and helpfull nothing is ever a problem for them at our local aldi.

I’ve thrown my money away every time I’ve been in Aldi (that’s after they’ve thrown my goods at me). The food goes off too fast every time and the quality just isn’t good enough. Morrisons is the best for value and quality.

I shop anywhere bar Asda and Waitrose
I’m lucky that I live near Tesco Morrison’s Sainsbury’s Lidl and Aldi
I can’t do a full shop at Lidl or Aldi though as there are many things they don’t sell and I do find the fruit doesn’t last as well
My favourite supermarket though is Booths (local chain) if I get my timing right for the reduced counter you get amazing quality local produce for pence

If you're not saving money when shopping at Aldi (or lidl), then it's likely that you're not comparing like with like and getting more and/or better quality for your money.

The quality is usually at the branded/finest level and is usually cheaper than those equivalents at other supermarkets.

It makes me laugh when people say "aldi didn't save me money". That's because you're buying more than you do in other supermarkets then! If you look at the cost of every single item you purchase they will be cheaper in Aldi than in the big 4, there may be the very odd item that slips through the net but it certainly won't be more than a couple of things. And you cannot compare Aldi prices to value range prices elsewhere as we always benchmark the branded products, not the 14p Asda Smart price range!
The nature of Aldi is that we are a discounter and therefore prices are checked daily (and more!).
In order to have low cost food, we have cheap overheads. We employ much fewer staff than normal supermarkets and pay them a lot more and in turn expect that they work very efficiently and do everything required. Due to the lower staff levels we have to ask them to scan shopping fast, therefore you can't pack your shopping at the till or that will hold queues up meaning we'd need more tills, more staff and bigger shops (more costly, meaning again this is passed to customers)
As for the supplier base - Farmers don't tend to supply only one supermarket, that's too risky. So the fruit veg and meat is often the exact same as you buy anywhere else, from Tesco to waitrose. I think it's often perception that it's from Aldi and therefore isn't as good.
As you may have seen in the press, some suppliers have accidently packaged their branded stuff in our own label outer packaging which has given the game away.
The specialbuys are bought in huge quantities with a view to selling out fast gives us favourable pricing that other stores are unable to match, meaning we can pass savings on to customers.
Aldi have gone to being the Uks 5th biggest supermarket for a reason... customers are using us more and more and taking market share away from the big 4. This is causing them a lot of worry and they're trying to hit back... Tesco opening Jack's? They're realising that people are no longer prepared to pay their inflated prices for the same food that you can buy in Aldi, albeit the shopping experience may not be that of Waitrose but we are working on that!
Aldi is gaining strength every day and it's great to hear that so many people are realising that the old stigmas are totally unjustified these days

We have an Aldi and Lidl, there's no real difference so far as I can see. Some products better/ cheaper in Aldi, some in Lidl. Both crowded, depending on when you visit. £250 a month for food shopping sounds pretty reasonable. How many people is that for?

Their roses are lovely the food tastes better than tesco and sainsburys. Always open your bags in the trolley. Then just put in car or taxi and unpack at home. My aldi has WiFi and air conditioning. Wished they had a cafe!!!!

And you cannot compare Aldi prices to value range prices elsewhere

But all.Aldi.products are own brand value products.
You can't advertise Snackrite muktipack at £1.49 and compare it too Walkers at £3.49 cause they're not the same. They should be compared to Tesco Value at £1.49

Own brand vs own brand.. Not own brand vs branded

I bloody love it. I save £30 a week, I’m in and out fast as it’s small and doesn’t take long to whizz round. Really happy with the quality of everything. No small talk with anyone required and I have the packing thing down to a fine art. What’s not to love?

I was cynical about Aldi but I've found it does save me money and it's good quality. I'm actually off there in a minute!

Another Aldi lover here.
I've never had my things 'thrown' at me. I just pack quickly (and have my purse/card ready) in order to keep up with the cashier. A lot of people doing big shops have those big trolley bags. If you place your goods on the trolley in the correct order you just put them in the bags in your trolley as soon as the cashier has scanned them.
Personally I think Aldi staff are the best, always polite and friendly, but very efficient.
As for the fruit going off, I've never had a problem, but I prefer to buy fruit and salad things more regularly than once a week anyway.

Klutzy you're wrong! Our motto is "Like brands".
Because that is what we aim to match the quality of. We don't match the quality of asda smart price crisps or beans. We work hard to match brands (if not already using the actual branded product in our own packaging that is!)

I find there's always something wrong though Zara87.
Eg. I have been buying Walkers salt and shake or Morrisons salt or not crisps for ages.
I tried Aldi salt your own and only two bags out of the multi pack had salt sachets in. They are similar price to Morrisons and Walkers when on offer but with those I've had missing salt in the odd bag only a couple of times in years.
This type of thing seems to happen every time I try Aldi. Chocolate biscuits with missing chocolate, mouldy or heavily bruised fruit and veg, chicken going off before use by etc.
It's tiresome.