To think Aldi are shooting themselves in the foot?

[Shell4429]

Most people who shop at Aldi will be aware that a lot of the products have a non identical twin. For example, the sliced turkey I normally buy for my son comes with sliced chicken. The pots of joy desserts come with an alternative banana flavour. The problem is that one of the products is always more popular than the other one. In my local Aldi they are only currently selling the least popular of the two on some of their products. So I don’t buy it. I am pretty sure I am not alone. Which means, surely, that they’re losing sales?

@SarahAndQuack

Well, yeah, sure ... but since each buyer is different in terms of what they want, it kinda evens out, right?

The thing about the peppers is because some colours are worth much less - if you sold green peppers loose, for example, they'd go for much less than red. But if you sell them as part of a bag, the whole bag can be sold for a price that looks good to people who only really wanted the red ones.

Same with the different cheeses.

But it's cheaper to buy 3 loose red peppers than 2 red and 1 yellow in a pack. In the pack, you get 2 red and 1 yellow each at 49p but if you buy loose, you can get all 3 red for less I.e. 42p.

@Allmyeye

Hobbit if you work there can you tell me, is there a national shortage of Maple and Pecan Crisp cereal? Every week my neighbours ask me to get it for them and it's never there - loads of flaming strawberry flavour though.

I’ve been looking for this too. Plenty of chocolate ones too. I wonder if there is a shortage as Home Bargains usually stock it and I can’t get it there either.

I get mine every week from Asda!

Our Aldi is next door to Booths, where I do my main shop, so I only go in for a few things- one of them being the Mediterranean wraps. Since COVID-19, I haven’t bothered because you have to rummage through the box for them. They also weren’t disinfecting the handles of the trolleys. I’ve hardly drunk any wine throughout lockdown because that’s one of the other things I used to buy from there!

Maybe they just don’t want their stock to go to waste? Other supermarkets are perhaps more happy to chuck good food in the bin.

I haven't been in there since lockdown started. How many people are touching all the products they don't want, to look for the ones they do want, leaving all their germs on items in mixed boxes? Urgh.

Maybe more people shopping in aldi, which didn't previously, or more people eating at home so choosing different things from usual and messing up aldi ratios?

I've noticed this too, I only eat the lamb rojan josh curry and it's usually just the bloody prawn one left in the box 🤮

You'd think they would alter the split of varieties in cases where there is a significant difference in popularity of different types but maybe that doesn't fit in with their 'efficiency saves money' business model?

I don't know if it's possible or more expensive to put twice as much of one variety and less of another in a case for example?

I've noticed this with their version of pringles. BBQ is by far the most popular, and plain the least but many times I've found there's no BBQ, loads of plain and a few sour cream and chive and salt and vinegar left.

It's like they're saying 'we're not opening another box until this one is finished even though there's only the ones that nobody likes left'.

Aldi has stopped doing their Chipotle mayo which I'm absolutely devastated by. I'm not exaggerating, DP has commented that I mention it every day and I should maybe accept it and move on.

I’ve found this too. I wanted some crackers and the shelf label said there were three varieties: black pepper, sea salt and rosemary. I looked in all three of the boxes on the shelf, all of which were full, and there wasn’t one box of the rosemary ones. First World Problems I know, but why advertise it if you don’t sell it?

There's always millions of forest fruit/green tea when I want peppermint. And black pepper crackers when I want rosemary.

The rosemary crackers are like gold dust. Probably doesn’t help that on the rare occasions when they do have them, I buy several packs. If others do similarly it perpetuates the issue.

Definitely noticed it’s not a straight twin, even split. I always have to dig out the balsamic and sea salt crisps from the box full of just sea salt.

I always got the sense that as they operate on strict price points, they will drop a product out of their range quickly if they can’t get it at their agreed price. Notice it a lot in fruit and veg when there’s no courgettes etc.

Probably dependent on sales. I used to order a lovely bread from tesco delivery but couldn't find it at all in my huge tesco extra. Staff member said due to only holding a certain amount, they go by best sellers in the area for stocking. My bread was not a bestseller.

Can’t be doing with Aldi or Lidl , queuing to get in car park , having to rummage around to find what you want and stuff which is there one week isn’t there the following week and the check out queue at Lidl just does my head in. Gone back to using Sainsbury’s. Yes it’s more expense but not excessively so and I can park plus automated check-out. They also take Covid measures seriously. Lidl is just a free-for-all with no social distancing and no control.

I noticed this even before lockdown with that lovely cheese with crunchy bits in.

Which cheese is that. I love my cheddar with crunchy bits.

@User8008135 I don’t suppose that was the red pepper and sundrieS tomato bread, was it? We loved this, bought it every week and now it says on the Tesco delivery website that it’s been withdrawn from their range. I’m hoping it might come back eventually if things ever get back to ‘normal’.

A few weeks back my Aldi had ready to eat pigs in blankets that were absolutely delicious.

Do you think I've seen them since

It's like they're saying 'we're not opening another box until this one is finished even though there's only the ones that nobody likes left'

What?

Is my mother running Aldi?

Lidl is exactly the same. It's the 'brown' nutty muesli which is always gone, with boxes of the 'purple' fruity one left :-(

For a few weeks we switched to Tescos during lockdown as we have loads of allergies and could face two shops. Went back to Aldi and was so ridiculously happy. Spent about £30 quid less for a very similar shop, took half the time and less queuing. But the had no raisin & almond granola left only evil tropical. So OP i am with you!

At Christmas the gin mince pies are always sold out but they have tons of the almond and plain ones. It probably doesn’t help that people buy 5 boxes of the gin ones when they spy them, because they’re rarely in stock, and this bulk buying is what causes the stock issue to begin with.

I really miss Aldi, wish they delivered! I’ve been relying on Tesco and the price of my shop has almost doubled.

@Imissmoominmama
I’ve hardly drunk any wine throughout lockdown because that’s one of the other things I used to buy from there!

Aldi deliver wine... Happy to help

Black lid coke vs. white lid coke on the same rack is the problem in the two Aldis nearest me. They're both sugar free, but I the black one is really nice and the white one is undrinkable. I'm not the only person who thinks this because you always find the black side undermined to get to the lower layers.

What usually happens is the black side sells out and then they mark down the white stuff until it gets sold... and repeat with the next crate. The two bottles have the same code on them and the managers seem to be aware of the problem but unable to do anything about it.

Compared to other supermarkets Aldi has considerably less waste because managers are trained not to over order. The waste they do have usually is collected by pay as you feel cafes/animal sanctuaries etc

Wastage typically only tends to be sort date items so things in the fridges (yoghurts commonly) and fruit and veg.

The ambient and freezer mixed cases that have an imbalance in the mix just sell through the unpopular product before it's replaced with a new mixed case, so some of the items you want may not be available.

Store staff should be able to help if you want something and it's not available. Aldi absolutely hate product gaps (being "off sale" on an item)...so highlight them if it compromises your shopping experience.

Oh and bread - tonnes of bread wastage in supermarkets but because so many people pop in for 'bread and milk' and end up buying other stuff, bread gets massively overproduced in this country.