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.

Never been to Aldi but moved the majority for my weekly shops to Lidl last year from Tesco, really don’t find any difference in the quality at all for most things, never had a problem with fruit and veg not lasting. Meat and bread does seem to have shorter dates on it but that just goes in the freezer and is taken out the evening before we want to use it so not an issue. Less choice definetly but very few things I can’t get at all. I could afford to do all our shopping at Tesco but when I can half the price nearly at Lidl I don’t see the point!

[quote Rabbitheadlights]@MouldyPotato ... There are 9 of us and a cat.[/quote]
Ah fair enough 9 and a cat. Apologies for my earlier comment then. I thought £219 was a lot for a family of 4 etc. Do you have a Costco nearby?

Certain things I buy in Aldi the rest I get from Tesco or Sainsbury's. Sainsbury's burgers are amazing by the way. Unfortunately, it's trial and error with Aldi. Their sausages, bacon & mince are good. As are their dishwasher tablets! Don't buy eggs or bread from Aldi though!!

Oh just saw there's 9 of you!

Also not a fan. I will only drop in infrequently - I do rate the flowers in both, I will say.
Everytime I go there after lunch time, its been rinsed. I definitely couldn’t do my regular food shop, and I wouldn’t buy my meat there due to quality. Of course, I acknowledge that I am lucky not to be tied to it for budgetary reasons.

I also don’t rate Asda either, so I’m stuck with Tescos 🤣🤣

I love ALDI, my favourite shop. I am not on a budget- it is a shop of choice.

I do Aldi for bread, milk, cheese, ham for sandwiches and the frozen bits like chips etc.

I then do Morrisons or Tesco for pull ups (7 year old still in them at night) and wipes plus tins as I prefer heinz beans etc. Top ups are at Morrisons as its closest.

Butchers and local greengrocer for meat and fruit and veg.

I freeze half my bread though so I don't notice it going off.

Totally agree. It's not a fun shopping experience.

We have a great Aldi here. I don’t buy the packaged fruit, it always has a very short shelf life, but the loose stuff is fine. I go between Tesco and Aldi…..never had a problem with anything I’ve bought from them. Lidl either, come to think of it.

I find ALDI is very area-dependent as to whether it's decent or not. Our local one is average but I've been to others that are much nicer.

I prefer LIDL.

the salted butter is indeed fab
so is the full fat greek yoghurt (which sainsbos no longer do in a litre pack}
and, when I fucked up on mothers day wrt flowers, they gave me excellent service and the flowers themselves were lovely and fairly traded
also, they sell organic jumbo porridge oats cheaply

I can do a full shop in both places, but things like fruit/salad do have a short life and we eat quite a bit of it so I usually buy exactly what we need for 4 days and buy more. We prefer total yoghurt so I buy that and brand crisps from tesco. Aldi extra special crisps aren't bad though.
I am a believer in that not all Aldi/Lidl stores are created equal. I used my mum's Aldi once and everything was very short dated, whereas my local one is better for dates.
My local Aldi has some very aggressive staff though. There was an incident where a member of staff wanted me to move, but I was just getting my bags out so I said just a minute. She wasn't hanging about so she shoved my trolley that I was behind and I went flying.
Saying all that, I prefer different things from Morrison's/Tesco/Aldi/Lidl/Marks so I end up traipsing about a lot. So er, I can see your argument. It's personal preference and what you like to cook. If I ate mainly freezer food, I'd probably not shop in Aldi, the same as if I cooked mainly from scratch I'd not shop at Iceland. (Good for huge tubs of sweets there!)

There's a lot I like about Aldi, their yarn is fab for my crochet habit.

I also like a lot of their food. I also use my freezer loads for bread and milk so that it lasts longer.

I could never do a full shop there though. I don't rate their cleaning products and my son doesn't like their soya milk ... it always meant a trip to Sainsbury's as well.

We've swapped now to just doing Sainsbury's. I love their smart shop app. I've found the prices quite comparable if I shop smart when it comes to brands and meal plan well

My local Aldi is great. I get all my tinned stuff from there - tomatoes, sweet corn, tuna, chickpeas, coconut milk, etc. Also dry stuff like pasta, noodles and rice are so much cheaper than in my other local supermarket. And the cereals are basically exact dupes of the real thing. No difference in their Cheerios or Shreddies for example.
I love their frozen stuff too - fish pie mix, hash browns, sweet potato fries, frozen salmon fillets for half the price you’d find them anywhere else. The bread, bagels, crumpets, wraps last for as long as it takes us to eat it. Fruit and veg is mostly fine. Organic broccoli is a third of the price of Waitrose. The fruit lasts fine too.
I was on the fence about the meat. I just am suspicious of cheap meat. But I did a bit of digging into the origins and apparently Aldi are signed up to the highest animal welfare standards.

The Moser Roth chocolate truffle bars are lovely too.
I know I sound like a massive advert but I find Aldi really good. I don’t particularly need to budget for food shopping but most of their stuff is no different to what I’d pay over double for in Waitrose, I’m not going to throw money away for nothing.

I went yesterday and it stresses me out.

I like the chocolate. Cheap wine. And middle aisle random crap.

There is no way you can do a full shop at Aldi or Lidl. Some bits are good. Pre covid I went about once a month to stock up on things cheaper than Tesco.

I've been in Aldi once to get cat food for a neighbour and thought it was hideous. It's cheap food rather than quality food I think. I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole and I'm always amazed at how many people choose to shop there.

Its amazing people slag them off and yes you can do a full shop in there.

And about the veg it's pretty much same in most supermarkets Morrison's in particular veg is particularly rammy it isn't unique to Aldi. The burgers are fine I've had them.

I have a really good Aldi. I buy the piccolo cherry tomatoes, salmon fillets, smoked salmon with the mustard dressing, brioche buns, ground coffee, oatie biscuits, Vive cola, cheese, eggs, the lime and basil Jo Malone dupe candle, fresh pizzas, fresh pasta, beer, loo paper, deli meat - it's all as good as Waitrose equivalent.
I don't think you could buy everything - fresh meat can be a bit hit and miss, although bacon and pork generally seems okay. Fruit and veg can also be variable. I do think you have to be choosy but there's lots which is very good.

Other than the odd mouldy pepper we've not had any problems with Aldi

It takes time to get used to it and how to make the best of it for you. It takes time to know what’s good and what really is not as well. It’s not some kind of magic land where everything costs £1 but is absolutely wonderful and top notch quality. There’s a reason why the biggest crossover in supermarkets is Waitrose/Aldi (apparently). You shop smart at Aldi and get the more expensive things where it actually counts.

Some of it is very good and comparable to more expensive goods. Some of it is okay. Some of it is nasty.

You really only spend less overall because there’s much less to buy, IMO - it cuts out the extra spending that so many of us do because we get drawn in by shit we don’t need.

I do shop there, once a month, for basics and staples and things like butter and cheese. We get all our meat & eggs from the local farm shop, and most of our veg from a veg delivery. The rest of time I do top-up shops at Morrison’s.

I do my weekly shop at aldi but I do find it a bit overrated, I'd probably give it a 7/10.

I cant buy everything there so have to supplement with another supermarket, and you're right that the fresh fruit doesnt last at all. Other things are hit and miss, we've had lots of really good bits from there that we buy every week but have had some stuff that has been really poor. I stopped buying their chicken breasts a long time ago as the quality was appalling.

I continue to shop there due to costs and like i said I supplement elsewhere, but honestly if we earnt more I wouldn't choose to shop there.

I used to love Aldi, and their nappies. However since covid I've been getting Sainsbury's delivered. I'm not a huge fan of the cost but the veg , meat etc last way longer.

The nappies , I swear they have changed them in the last 4 years and they are not as good now. Leak constantly. Gutted about that as I loved them previously for the first born and the coat was great. Even the wipes now on the special buy boxes , aren't actually a saving - well it is 6p compared to buying the packs individually at a non special buy time. Gah

I found this OP! We used to live near one and I was determined to try and shop there but found it a nightmare! Huge queues, the food was not the quality I usually get at sainsburys. It is cheap but I can only shop once a week due to other commitments and i found their fresh produce had to be used within a couple of days or it was no good, regardless of dates etc. Mil and Fil have steadily replaced a lot of their shopping by going there, but its really noticeable now that the fruit & veg is often going bad, they buy various desserts that I'm always underwhelmed by too. The wine is supposed to be good,I found it similar to other supermarkets although they used to do a very good prosecco - DH and I had it at our wedding!!