To say you're all wrong about Aldi?

[Rabbitheadlights]

Just that really, I've nipped into Aldi in the past for the odd loaf and picked up a few bits. DP and I discussed and decided to do the 'big' shop there last week.

It's been a disaster, to start with I couldn't find fruit or veg with more than a couple of days shelf life on them and everything I've substituted so far has been either underwhelming or disgusting (1/4 pounders filled with gristle) 🤮 with a couple of exceptions (salmon Wellington, sliced ham) the bread was mouldy the next day and still had 2 days on the use by. The nappies are just awful.

I spent £219 on Friday last week and I've since been out and spent another 150 and will likely need more before the next "big shop" on Friday.

It increasingly looks like the Irish stores are of a better quality than UK ones with better supply chains. It also helps that we are so used to being ripped off on food prices that they can start from a pretty high base level. Also we tend to have no problem topping up in another supermarket for things we don't like from Aldi. We also probably shop more often because our shops outside Dublin are just not so busy with traffic issues and crowds of people. Our Aldi is a bit of a social experience where you know everyone and the staff, on to SuperValu same again. Maybe it is just different ways of shopping and supplying here. I've never been in a bad Aldi in Ireland.

I like it to pick up things like washing up liquid, herbs, pasta etc but cannot do a big shop there.
Tried several cereals from there and never liked one of them and I’m not fussy- I will happily eat own brand weetabix from Asda, Tesco etc but can’t eat aldi ones.

@OhRene

That middle aisle though.

Seriously.

It's.... amazing. A place of wonder.

Where else can you buy a bargain wetsuit, Christmas Cushions and a wheelbarrow wheel?!?!

In my sewing box I have a carousel of coloured threads that I bought in Aldi 40+ years ago, only the awful colours left though and I also have a box which contains loads of the little bits and pieces for the house, fuses, hooks, picture hooks etc. from the same era!

We buy the excellent organic porridge pastas well as some of the specially selected granola & weetabix / ready brek with no problems at all.

If I'm in supervalue I buy honey cheerios/ cocoa pops for teens as they like them but they're happy to have aldi weetabix as well

I don't eat cereal other than porridge which I love with stewed apple & brown sugar or fresh raspberries / blackberries- all bought without problems in .....aldi!

Porridge oats not pastas which would be just weird!!

Disagree wholeheartedly. Maybe it differs store to store but we don’t have this issue at our local one whatsoever. The fruit and veg is always great, everything is tbh and it saves us a fortune.

Our Lidl sells hardly anything organic - pretty much carrots, cucumber and spinach and that’s it. I used to buy the 20p porridge oats but the amount of husk got above my tolerance. I was gutted because they’re in a paper bag and I try to minimise plastic packaging
Also the only wholemeal pasta they have is fusilli which is fine but sometimes it’s nice to have spaghetti/penne/anything else.

I like their Chinese chicken stir fry and roast beef

I’m in Ireland and Aldi’s a total middle class Mecca here.

Their fresh stuff is second to none. They have loads of agreements in place with smaller Irish producers here.

I don’t buy a lot of pre prepared food though. And lidl is better for brands that I won’t compromise on. But I find myself doing top up shops in a range of supermarkets now, they all have their strengths.

This is so true. I shp for family in England and to get the same standard of quality we take for granted in Ireland you pay premium prices. The race to the bottom to cut prices for market share in UK has definitely impacted on quality at the lower end. We pay more at every level from Aldi to Dunnes but we have a higher base quality at each level.
Mouldy veg, chaotic isles, poor quality meat wouldn't be tolerated and they would be out of business in weeks.
I was shopping in UK in 2019 and couldn't believe the absolute shite they sell for some products to give a headline that they are cheaper. It's interesting that most on the Aldi advertising in Ireland is about getting the same quality at a lower price and how much they support local businesses, which they do. Nothing about 60 cents this or 80 cents that.

A survey found the Irish are extremely promiscuous with their shipping and will switch supermarkets no problem and shop at different ones for different products. We could well visit 3 different supermarkets for our shop over a fortnight and have different preferences in each. No problem switching to Dunnes or Tesco if they have a deal on but only if the quality remains, mix with local shops, veg stalls, sometimes markets in town, bit of local farmer's markets, bit of neighbour home grown. Everyone I know does this in Ireland.

I'm finding this thread fascinating!
Have we established that there is a really distinct difference in the quality of aldi in Ireland & England? With posters from other parts of the UK saying the quality is good in theirs?
There also seems to be a lot of value judgements made about shopping in aldi & many posters aghast that anyone other than the destitute would choose to shop there - is there a possibility this is class/ status related in England?
As someone else already said Aldi is a middle class Mecca in Ireland & there's absolutely zero connotation of being 'poor if you shop there.
People on this thread have referenced aldi & Lidl as 'German discounts' I've never come across anyone referencing them as that here, even if that was the origin of the brands they've moved on so far now it's just not what comes to mind when thinking about them here.

We did visit the Aldi in the basement of the Budapest food market a few years ago and the setting was pretty bunker like & a bit depressing but even then I didn't notice rotting or mouldy produce....

I did Aldi once and much much spent more, I didn't even do the middle isles, but I bought a £5 plant 🌱 They had trays of loose blueberries all mouldy and dripping. Maybe Aldi shoppers don't eat fruit. I found it hard to find what I needed, but it's always a bit like that in new to you supermarkets. We usually buy fresh stuff so I think it was more processed food based and I ended up buying stuff I would of made from scratch but couldn't find the ingredients.

Lidl I also tried once,but they time limit their car park to an hour, I felt really pressured and even though the store is tiny I didn't manage to get everything I need. Their bakery and fresh pizza breads looked ace.

I shop in Tesco now and the don't do their basics range now. It's all fake farm brands.

Maybe Aldi shoppers don't eat fruit

I buy the odd thing from there but definitely couldn’t do a full shop.

We do. We just buy it elsewhere. Having said that I bought perfectly nice apples, bananas and grapes there last week.

People on this thread have referenced aldi & Lidl as 'German discounts' I've never come across anyone referencing them as that here, even if that was the origin of the brands they've moved on so far now it's just not what comes to mind when thinking about them here.

But they are German discounts. 🤷🏻 Penny, Kaufland, Lidl, Aldi, Rewe. Saying it's German discount store isn't a judgment but a fact. They look the same, work the same.

@UnreasonablyPissedOff when I left school 10 years ago I was embarrassed to take Lidl juice in my lunchbox, and it was obvious where it was from as everything was written in English on one side of the carton and German on the other.

I think Aldi is more acceptably MC than Lidl - as pp said upthread a lot of people split their shops between Aldi (presumably the good ones) and Waitrose but I think Lidl still has more of a discount reputation like shopping at Iceland or Farmfoods. But I don’t think the stereotypical MC person can do their full shop at Aldi because of the lack of pearl barley, samphire etc hence mixing it with Waitrose (or wherever else).

This thread is hilarious!!

Maybe Aldi shoppers don't eat fruit

@SchrodingersImmigrant Rewe isn’t a discount store!

[quote PattyPan]@SchrodingersImmigrant Rewe isn’t a discount store![/quote]
Sorry! Plus. Plus, not Rewe! Is plus still on actually?

@SchrodingersImmigrant no I think Plus closed down (bought by Netto maybe?)

We're fortunate in not having to budget for food shopping but I like Aldi. I'm a convert to scan as you shop so probably not enough to ditch my weekly shop at Tesco or Waitrose as I find a big shop at Aldi a bit stressful trying to unload and shove it in my trolley, then repacking into bags.

I like the meat (particularly their finest range). My husband is quite picky about his meat but raved about their sirloin steaks. Stir fries, seafood and joints (of meat!) all good quality. Love their washing powder (beat Persil etc for stain removal by some margin when my son did a science project on it). Toiletries are good, as is their tiger bread loaf, nuts and pasta.

Agree that fresh fruit and veg can be more hit and miss at times. As can my local Tesco too in fairness.

[quote PattyPan]@SchrodingersImmigrant no I think Plus closed down (bought by Netto maybe?)[/quote]
Oooh I just googled amd that's why Rewe popped in my mind. Penny is owned by Rewe group.
It has been a long time since I moved to UK so lost track of Plus closing. Rewe hroup seems to own a LOT

@PattyPan are you in Ireland?
I think a lot has changed in the supermarket scene in the past 10 years here though.

I reckon I'd be classed as middle class by most - postgraduate level education, high income, professional etc

I manage to do my full weeks shopping in aldi with no problems as as I've outlined above we eat really well. We cook 90% of our foid from scratch & don't eat many ready meals.

I manage to buy asparagus, tender stem broccoli, fennel, celariac, kale, shallots, shredded greens, pak choi, as well as all the usual carrots, sugar snaps, green beans, celery, red onions, peppers - several varieties, fresh ginger / chilli, fresh herbs, parsnips, butternut squash etc with zero problems
Seasonally we can get cavelo nero too

Fruit wise yesterday I bought bananas, specially select pears & plums, ripe mangos, wexford strawberries & a pomegranate
I could have bought raspberries, blackberries, peaches, apples - various sorts, blueberries (not rotting) lemons - organic & regular, limes etc

There's not much more I could want really- mind you sapphire was admittedly missing [wink!]
Last summer they had candy floss white grapes & we literally gorged ourselves on them- incredible grapes!!