Couple outraged they are paying more in Waitrose than Aldi

[Spitsandspots]

Couple are either outraged, upset or disappointed -depending on which link you read -but do people generally not know that food suppliers/processors/factories make the same food for different supermarkets?

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/christmas/food-drink/aldi-waitrose-label-same-ocado-vegetables-a9208836.html

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7694571/Outraged-couple-Aldi-stickers-covering-Waitrose-Mediterranean-roast-vegetables.html

YABU-I did not know this
YANBU-I already knew this

YANBU

Do people really think there are thousands of separate factories making individual items for each supermarket?

How didn’t they know this?
The same thing goes for the cosmetics industry too!

I worked for Moy Park in Dungannon, Northern Ireland. The exact same chicken that is going into M&S chicken products is going to LIDL/ALDI/Tesco/Sainsburys/SuperValue/Spar/Vivo. THE EXACT SAME. At the very very end they have a different packaging and sticker applied.
People seem to think that all products have individual factories.

I shop in aldi and generally speaking their products taste exactly the same as some branded or other supermarket middle ranges, some of them are no way like other stores products, its a case of try thiers and see if you like them, and not buy the ones you don't like im saving around £100 a month at aldis so im not complaining

The amount of times I have had to listen to people claim to be picky about chicken meat and they only buy from M&S I sit like

I think it's the same as plane food too. Just served up better.

I do the big shop in Waitrose and top ups in Lidl or Aldi, they have some lovely cheeses in for Christmas!

Aldi's used to have Charlie Binghams Fish pie/lasagna's - the same wooden packaging.
I swear they have M&S sandwiches (rejects we think) in Aldi too - The pastrami ones just have chunkier gerkin slices.

YANBU. That's why I shop in Aldi!

I mainly shop at Aldi and mostly happy with their food. I dont buy all that many processed foods but the differences I have noticed are crisps - nowhere near as nice as walkers, ketchup -not as nice as Heinz and diet coke -not the same as actual diet coke.

I used to work for a sausage roll/pie factory. The exact same ingredients, same recipe but packaged for lidl/aldi and m&s and Waitrose. At Waitrose and m&s you pay to have someone different punch a different pattern on the top and for idiots like me to turn them all the same way in their packets...

I shop in Waitrose as it’s a much nicer experience. I’d that there are differences with mixes of things - Waitrose stuff will have more expensive things mixed it (notice how both newspapers say Aldi sells a ‘similar’ product). You also get a good choice of organic and free range stuff and stuff in general.

Well Coke Cola isn't going to make coke for any cola rivals but one cola factory might make it for all supermarkets.

It’s not surprising - economies of scale. But it is disappointing that Waitrose don’t offer better quality ready meals etc.

Same with much organic veg. It gets grown as organic and when the supermarket organic quota is full is sold a 'normal' - farmer gets paid less, customer pays less, supermarket gets a win.

Yes the products are often made in the same factories but use different ingredient specs eg biscuits for M&S will contain butter / free range whole egg and biscuits made for other retailers will contain marg / powder egg.

I visited a farm packing jersey royal potatoes: M&S rejected >75% of the potatoes and Lidl only got to pack the rejects. So yes same factories and growers but very different product specs.

I work in this area from time to time - Believe me there are massive discrepancies between the retailers in terms of product quality, innovation, R&D, CSR etc. M&S are heads and shoulders above the other mainstream retailers and you do get what you pay for. If I could afford to shop there, I would.

I used to work in food. The same factory made Harrods jam and Asda Smart Price. The only difference was that the fancier versions (allegedly) used better quality raw materials. Aldi get their steaks from the same supplier as M&S.

What makes a premium retailer? It's partly product but hugely the shopping experience, eg, design, staffing - even as basic as having someone pack your bags for you, more tills etc. This costs money. So anyone expecting the same product for the exact same price should rethink their expectations surely?

My sister used to work in a business that made quilted jackets for M&S. When the M&S person checked them a few were rejected. Those had the M&S label removed and a Country Casuals label sewn in.

I visited a farm packing jersey royal potatoes: M&S rejected >75% of the potatoes and Lidl only got to pack the rejects. So yes same factories and growers but very different product specs.

That just screams to me that I absolutely should not be buying my potatoes from M&S!

When we lived abroad the local wine shop sold spirits 'by the bottle', take your own bottle and they filled it, all at one price. We had a friend who considered himself a whisky connoisseur/snob, OH decanted the cheap whisky into a branded bottle and the friend never realised, he complimented us about it.

Conclusion. Just shop in Aldi/Lidl. Put your goods in a Waitrose bag and watch out that nobody sees where you really shop.

We had a friend who considered himself a whisky connoisseur/snob, OH decanted the cheap whisky into a branded bottle and the friend never realised, he complimented us about it
Actually Daily Fail did this sort of experiment with wine. People wouldn't tell cheap plonk from high-end product if they didn't see the label and price.

My sister used to work in a business that made quilted jackets for M&S. When the M&S person checked them a few were rejected.

When M and S shirts were made in the UK, I really am that old!, a firend who worked there said they dreaded the M and S quality control inspecter coming round. Their specifications were very proscribed, stitch tension even.
I do agree that some of the Lidl/Aldi stuff is as good as others, we lived in Germany long before Aldi came to UK, but some stuff is poor, I bought onion chutney from Aldi because I'd forgotten it in Morrisions. Not often do I chuck food but I chucked that, horribly sweet and the same applies to other food.
The 'middle aisle' stuff is great though, I still have some Aldi stuff that's 40 years old!

I opened a 6 pk of aldi hoop crisps. And inside was proper hula hoops.