to not get why people like Aldi/Lidl so much?

[lucydogz]

yes, I know it's really cheap, but, appart from some things, the food just is poor quality. When I last went there, my DH was enthused about how cheap it was, but the eggs, porridge oats, jam, mayonnaise, digestive biscuits, and plums I bought were not good at all. I see why people would shop there if they hadn't got any money, but, if you can afford to, why not go somewhere better?
If anybody can tell me about any things they do well I'm prepared to be convinced.

I love Aldi. Admittedly several years ago their fruit and veg could be a bit questionable but not now, at least at ours. Plus we have a local new one which is very nice inside. My DH can be a bit judgy, insisting it’s not good if it’s from Aldi but he happily eats stuff if he doesn’t know, which is basically all the time. He’s a bit of a snob though! God knows why. Stuff like their raw frozen prawns and versions of cereal are amazing value I think. And their pork pies are the best too!

Elftastic, all your Waitrose dairy products are exactly the same as Aldi products. Appreciate you probably don't shop just for dairy but if cost is a consideration then they are the same products but cheaper.

Just a couple of examples - the outdoor bred pork from Aldi is the best I have had in my entire life and I always buy their Rich Java ground coffee. I'm addicted to one of the yogurts Lidl sells. .

Both Lidl and Aldi have some excellent quality food and I have had some very good buys from the middle aisles (i.e. non-food) as well.

So there.

I'm not a huge fan of Aldi, but I love Lidl.

Their fresh ready meals are amazing value and a million times better than the 'big name' supermarkets.

Cold meat is great, fresh bakery, frozen churros are out of this world, kangaroo steaks, coleslaw.

They have an incredible range of Christmas food...Their lebkuchen and Gluhwein is far closer to the stuff we had at the Viennese Christams markets last year than anything else I've had from a supermarket

There's usually something a bit different to try, but smaller stores so it takes half the time to do a shop.

I only go every other week due to working hours and get a Tesco or Ocado delivery in between, but I used to shop there every week and would happily do so again is time wasn't a factor.

I agree. Hate the place.

I shop two ends of the spectrum, Lidl first then Waitrose for anything I can't get and special bits, they are opposite each other, best of both worlds! Lidl bread is great as is free range chicken, fruit and veg, heard this week they are going plastic packaging free, thing I like about Lidl is they still do brands like Ready break, marmite, weetabix, oh and their cheese extra mature is lovely and very good value.

Nappies & wipes!! That's the only thing I get there as I do a full shop online

I agree Op. I like lidls christmas stuff, but the onsite bakery tastes very greasy. The meat is really not good, and ive tried lidls all over the country and the veg does not last more than a couple of days.

An Aldi is opening just down the road from me and I am ridiculously excited (to be fair you would need to have personally experienced the customer service in the local Sainsbury's to understand why). Aldi sell Skyr...real Skyr...not the Arla stuff. For this alone I love them.

Some of Aldi's stuff is better - they have the best cheese crackers, excellent chocolate, and most stuff is exactly comparable to other supermarkets. Mostly the best supermarket for you is the most convenient, there's not huge amounts between them these days.

Aldi pork chops are delicious, so tender and tasty. I go about 15 miles, past other supermarkets, just to buy them.

I love the fast tills too!

Bonkersblond - I do that too. I do the vast majority of my shop at Aldi and then get a few bits at Booths (which is handily right next door).

The only thing I don't like at Aldi is their bread, but I mostly make my own anyway.

We shop at Morrison's. The checkouts are so chilled. A cashier got up and went to get an item for an elderly couple the other day. Reminded me of being in Spain once when the cashier left the line to phone us a taxi

I hate shopping being thrown at me. But I do use Aldi and Lidl sometimes just not regularly.

I'm not married to shopping at Lidl, but when it's a 10 minute walk away, you tend to go in quite often.

The only thing I don't like in Lidl is their baby wipes - Aldi wipes are much thicker and better imo.

The shopping experience - meh. It's not luxury, but I've always found it onerous so it's really not an issue. I'd rather pay less and whizz round faster so as to go home and eat the delicious treats.

I've become an Aldi fan. The meat is significantly cheaper than my usual place, and try as I might I can see nothing wrong with it. There are some things they don't have, but I'd say that shopping there is 25% cheaper than elsewhere.

You have to be quite discerning. I agree, some stuff is awful. It’s a bit hit and miss. But some stuff is good and really is a fraction of the price it is elsewhere.

At Aldi we buy:

Cheese (it really is good!)
Butter
Kitchen roll
Maple syrup
Cleaning products
Sea bass and salmon
Tenderstem broccoli
Make-up
Laundry liquid and fabric conditioner
Chocolate
Nuts

We’ve really seen the grocery bill drop. But some stuff is shit. We got a quiche there that was vile. Their shampoo and conditioner just isn’t as good as the branded stuff sadly. And it’s an awful shopping experience.

Oh and Morrison's have a quiet hour on a Saturday for people with sensory issues. I haven't been but apparently it's eerily quiet.

Who do you think makes Skyr? It is a an Arla brand. Nobody else makes it. Aldi are delighted to have their products made by Arla. It's one of Western Europe's premium dairy companies.

Lidl and Aldi are far superior to Tesco in quality although the range is limited by comparison. The exception being fruit and veg which goes off before there is chance to eat it.

I tried Aldi a few weeks ago after hearing everyone rave about it so much. I loved the random aisle of crap and bought a load of bits from there but the food didn't really appeal to me, partly because I couldn't get my head round the layout and it felt too scattered. I'm quite brand loyal with food shopping so it's no good to me for a weekly shop but would go again just to check out the special buys

I mix and match. Love Waitrose, its the only supermarket which I actually enjoy shopping in. However, I buy washing powder, some wine and Manchego cheese at Aldi and some breakfast cereals, cottage cheese and other bits from Lidl. Asda and Morrisons for some products too if I'm passing.
I use mysupermarket to keep up with what's on offer where.

Lidl and Aldi are far superior to Tesco in quality
They really are not

I could just not get on with the Aldi shopping experience. I really did try.

I hated having my shopping virtually thrown at me through the till, and I always found the quality of their fresh fruit and vegetables questionable at best.

I prefer Tesco scan and pack, where you have your own barcode scanner and can pack into your shopping bags as you go along. I can go at my own pace and there is always a running total on the screen. Food quality I generally find much better.

It started when DS stopped fitting well in Pampers and their nappies had good reviews. I then found lots of foods good quality/ value. He then developed food allergies so could buy some suitable foods in there that weren't in my usual supermarket e.g. bread with no soya flour.

They are quick to get round, I can do a week's shop in 15-20 mins. I couldn't exclusively shop there but can alternate weeks.

I can smuggle fitness gear into the food buget too

I do find the bananas get bruised and don't last well in my nearest one. I don't know if they get a bit neglected as staff swap on and off the stock/ tills.

Couldn’t disagree more. I switched to aldi from Morrisons/Ocado a few months ago and won’t be looking back. I think aldi’s version of branded products are far superior and I’m actually yet to find something that isn’t good quality.